Page 98 of Bad Seed

Larry wiped his eyes and started talking, unaware he was confirming Freeman’s suspicions about Justine Beaumont’s intentions.

“So, she’s always been…you said, unsettled?” Freeman asked.

“Yes, and sometimes completely irrational for no reason other than something didn’t go her way. The last stunt at the bar and grill was it for me. I would have left her in jail and hoped it taught her something, but Karen couldn’t bear the thought. I did give Karen the money to pay off the damages Justine caused, but I kicked my daughter out of the hotel. It wasn’t just her pulling stunts anymore. It was my job on the line and the reputation of the hotel to consider.”

“So, Karen and her daughter were close?”

Larry still didn’t see where this was going and answered honestly. “Not really. The older Justine got, the more she challenged her mother’s authority. It’s why she came to live with me. But in the end, it was her mother who bailed her out of her last mess and tookher back to Dallas.” Larry kept crying and talking, as if trying to reassure himself he wasn’t responsible for this. “You know how it goes. Sometimes, you can do everything right in raising a child, and they just don’t respond.”

“One last question,” Freeman said. “Were you aware of her psych evaluation at her last rehab stint?”

“What psych evaluation?” Larry asked.

“Your wife never shared it with you?”

“No. By the time we divorced, we were not on the best of speaking terms.”

Then Freeman told him what they’d learned.

There was a long moment of silence and then Larry’s voice was trembling as he asked, “You think Justine killed her, don’t you? You wouldn’t be asking all this if you didn’t.”

Freeman didn’t answer; he just asked another question. “Did your wife have life insurance or a substantial amount of money? I ask because Justine mentioned they were buying cheap food because they were short of money. Money seemed to be a sticking point for her.”

Larry was sick to his stomach, thinking of all the money he had stashed and how selfish he’d been because he was mad. “I wouldn’t know about insurance policies now. She used to. You’d have to check that for yourself, but money in the bank? No.”

“Okay, Mr. Beaumont, thank you for your time, and again, I’m sorry for your loss. Please do not contactyour daughter in any way. Don’t tell her we’ve contacted you. Understand?”

“Understood,” Larry mumbled, then left the office and headed for the penthouse. He was crying before he walked in the door.

***

But this information had opened a new line of inquiry for the Dallas PD. After a discussion with the rest of the team, they began searching for life insurance policies in Karen’s name and found one, for $500,000, payable to her only daughter, Justine Beaumont. But after further research, they also learned that Karen had recently lapsed on payments and the policy was no longer in effect.

It was then that Detective Freeman realized there might still be a way to crack her story. If this was why Karen was killed, and if Justine was unaware of the policy lapse, she just might screw herself. So, he called her to set up an appointment tomorrow, on the pretext of returning her mother’s personal effects.

***

Justine was up by 7:00 a.m., setting the stage for the visit, dressed in worn-out sweats with a hole in the knee, a baggy sweater, and no makeup. She hadn’t washed her hair since her mother’s death. It was her nod to being a grief-stricken daughter.

She’d never seen a dead person before her mother’s untimely demise and was mildly curious as to what happens after someone dies. Did they really go to this heaven place, or do they just roam the earth like a ghost, or disappear forever like they were never here? It was the latter that worried her most, and what drove her to snatch at whatever this life had to offer while she still had the chance.

Even though she’d dressed herself down, she had cleaned and straightened up the house and was calmly waiting for the doorbell to ring.

“Curtains up,” she said, when the police finally arrived. She composed herself and then opened the door, pausing on the threshold for effect as they assessed her demeanor.

Both detectives flashed their badges, and then she stepped aside for them to enter. “This way,” she said, and led the way into the living room and sat.

They chose chairs facing her.

“Good morning, Justine. Thank you for seeing us,” Detective Freeman said. “This is my partner, Detective DePlaine. She is going to go through your mother’s belongings with you, and then you’ll sign off on them, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Justine said, then watched as DePlaine emptied the packet onto the coffee table.

Justine immediately teared up. “Mom’s wedding ring? She hasn’t worn that since their divorce. Why do you have it?”

“I believe it was on a chain around her neck,” DePlaine said.

Justine’s surprise was real. “I had no idea she still had feelings for Dad.”

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