Page 86 of Reckless Chance
“No. Someone tampered with the platform. That’s why he fell. It’ll go easier on you if you tell me the truth now. You loosened the screws holding the platform in place, didn’t you?”
“Of course not. I didn’t like Brentwood. He’s a piece of shit, but I’ve moved on. I’m dating a fantastic guy who is a million times better. He’s considerate, handsome, attentive, and has more money than he needs. I didn’t know it at the time,but Brentwood did me a favor. I never would have met Sergio Martinez if Brentwood hadn’t cheated on me.”
“When Brentwood didn’t return the ticket to you, didn’t you see it as a chance for payback?”
“That wasn’t important to me.”
“Be honest. Who wouldn’t want a little revenge after being treated that poorly?”
“He wasn’t a nice person, but he didn’t deserve to die.”
“You staged the accidents, including one where you were supposedly injured. You intended Mr. Brentwood’s fall to look like another mishap. He deserved it for cheating on you. But it all went wrong, didn’t it?”
“I don’t know anything about the accidents except that I was stabbed with a bunch of sharp pins that were left in my costume, and several other people suffered injuries. I’ll admit that there were more accidents than I would have expected, but they were the result of carelessness. Regardless, I didn’t have anything to do with the injuries onstage. I certainly didn’t do anything to harm Mr. Brentwood.”
“Come now. You wanted to see him suffer for what he did to you, right?”
“I never wanted to see him again, but I didn’t need revenge. Why would I risk screwing up the rest of my life when I have a dream job and a fantastic boyfriend? It makes no sense. Don’t you have a video of the person who did this? There are cameras everywhere. No one would get away with messing with the props.”
“I see you’re aware of all the cameras. We do have videos. Look at this photo. During the show, you were caught on video at the tree with a screwdriver. We’ve got you. You can’t deny what you did.”
“That’s not me. I don’t wear baseball caps.”
“Then who is it?”
“There are more than two hundred people involved in the production of the show. It could be any of the performers with blond hair or someone from the crew.”
Detective Fielder leaves the room and joins us, saying, “She’s a cool one.”
“Are you sure you’ve got the right person? If she’s happier now without Brentwood, why would she hurt him?” Lowri asks.
“It’s not unusual for someone to seek revenge when they’ve been wronged, even if their current life is better. The ‘accident’was premeditated. She’s had plenty of time to prepare a cover story. We’ll take her to the station, and her situation will become even more real to her. If she keeps talking before she lawyers up, she’ll eventually trip up and say something inconsistent. They always do.”
“Before you leave with her, can you ask about her gambling on football? We’ve learned that one of my employees named A.R. owes the Rossis a rather large sum. We thought it was a man, but since she said her name is Amelia Rae, I’m not sure. Daniel, do you have a photo of the Rossi guys who were at the show? The detective can see if Amelia recognizes them.”
“Give me a minute, boss. I’ll print one,” Daniel says, walking over to a computer as we watch Amelia through the one-way glass. She’s fidgeting nervously, eyes darting around the room.
With the printout in hand, Detective Fielder rejoins the suspect. “I only have a couple more questions for you. Who’s your favorite football team?”
“Huh? Why does that matter?”
“Just answer the question, please.”
“I don’t have a favorite.”
“Don’t you like football?”
“Sergio loves it. I’ve watched games with him. I don’t know much about it though.”
“When was the last time you saw these guys,” he asks, laying the photo on the table and pushing it toward Amelia.
“Who are they?”
“You tell me.”
“I don’t know them. I’ve never seen them before.”
“Weren’t they at the show to meet you? You owed them money from gambling on football.”
