Page 14 of Every Deadly Suspicion

Hanna had tried multiple times to arrange an interview and had been stonewalled every time. First the excuse was the memorial for Scott. Now it was the Crest Fire. Hanna had cut Everett some slack because the size of the conflagration and its possible path had everyone in town on edge.

Strangely, Everett didn’t seem at all concerned about the status of the investigation. He and Chase were not the last people to see Scott alive—that would be the people at the airfield—but they were the closest to him.

Grover arrived around eleven.

“Good morning, Chief. True to my word, here’s Valerie to see you. She’s only in town for a few hours, but she’ll answer your questions.” He stepped aside and Scott’s fiancée stepped in.

“Ms. Fox, how are you doing?” Hanna motioned to a chair in front of her desk so the woman could take a seat.

When Valerie entered her office, a few things were obvious. In spite of the grieving, she was drop-dead gorgeous. Hanna expected she could grace the cover of any fashion magazine and do it justice. Valerie was a lot younger than Scott, and she carried herself like a woman with a lot of money. Hanna doubted the woman planned to marry Scott for the Buckley money.

Fox looked back at Grover first. He nodded, stepped out of the office, and closed the door.

“I’m still standing, but it’s not easy.” She sat. “I know you wanted to talk to me. Thank you for being patient.”

“I need to speak to everyone close to Scott.” Hanna sat in her chair.

“Have you made any headway in the investigation?”

“I’m afraid that I can’t tell you yes. Right now, we have no suspects.”

“You’re sure it was poison that killed him?” Her tone was laced with resignation and defeat.

“Cyanide in his coffee. We never located Scott’s travel mug.” Hanna held her hands up, palms out. “Do you have any idea who would have wanted to hurt him?”

“Ever since I heard the wordpoison, I’ve wracked my brain.Hurt?” Ms. Fox gave a shake of her head. “Scott was a beautiful man. My soulmate. I sometimes don’t know how to go on.” Her voice broke and she paused. “I do know that he was preoccupied about something.”

“Any idea what?”

“I think it had to do with that blogger guy.” She frowned as if trying to remember a name. “Marshall, that’s it.”

“What was the problem?”

Fox nodded. “Scott was afraid he was writing a book about the family and their history. He was at the house a lot.”

“Scott didn’t want that?”

“No. He used to say that the nickname Muckraker fit. I don’t think Scott cared for Marshall.”

“Did they argue?”

“Sometimes. Scott didn’t like it when Marshall was around. He didn’t care for bloggers in general. People and their phones, ready to film tragedy and make a buck. Scott thought it was awful.” Her voice broke again. It took a minute for her to compose herself. “Marshall filmed the crash, didn’t he? How much money did he make at Scott’s expense?”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s the world today. So obsessed with the latest juicy bit of news.”

Hanna gave her a minute.

“We had so many plans. Please, Chief, you have to find out who did this. Scott bought a house in Corte Madera for us. Braden even has his own room there.” Tears trailed down her cheeks, and she dabbed her face with a handkerchief.

“Braden was going to live with you?” That news surprised Hanna. Braden was Chase’s grandson, not Scott’s.

“We talked about it. Scott has been like a father to the boy,and since Braden’s flaky mother left, he’s floundered. Scott and I thought it would be good to let him grow up in new surroundings. We were ready for a fresh start.” She dabbed her eyes and blew her nose.

“How did Chase feel about that?”

“He was fine with it. That’s what Scott told me. Chase is moody and unpredictable. He never had time for the boy. Everett spent more time with him than Chase.”

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