Page 8 of The Perfect Revenge
“What about the bruise on the head?”Susannah asked.“Could she have been hit with something that knocked her out before she fell?”
"It's always possible.But the bump isn't that pronounced, and it matches the spot where her head would have hit the floor.I think that's the likely culprit for that injury."
“Do we have a time of death?”Susannah asked.
“Too early to say with any confidence, but I’m estimating last night, probably between 8 P.M.and midnight.We should be able to narrow that down a bit.”
Jessie stood up.
“Maybe it’s time to have a talk with Gray Sterling and see if he’s the type of guy to inject some kind of poisonous agent into his wife.”
"I'll take you to him," Sergeant Carson said, directing them out of the kitchen and down a separate hallway."Hopefully, he's settled down a bit since I last saw him."
“Settled down?”Susannah said.
“He was just really thrown, assuming he’s innocent, of course.I guess you’re the expert on whether he’s full of it.”Carson gave Jessie a dubious glance as he turned a corner and started up a long flight of stairs.They followed him.“He was trying to keep the little girl calm while dealing with finding his wife dead.”
“Does the daughter know?”Jessie felt mild nausea at the thought.
"No.He told her that her mother wasn't feeling well, so they couldn't see her right now.The kid seemed to buy it, but she definitely knows something's off."
He led them along a hallway, stopping at a door that was half open.
“You ready?”he asked.
They nodded, and he knocked on the door before pushing it open.Inside, they found a man sitting on an easy chair in the corner of the cavernous bedroom.He was in his late thirties, with wire-rimmed glasses and the beginnings of a receding hairline.He stared unthinkingly out the window.
A young girl lay on her stomach on the bed.Her blonde hair was pulled back into pigtails.She had a coloring book in front of her and was currently filling in something with a green crayon.Sitting beside her on the bed was a young female officer who was quietly talking to the girl.
“That’s a really pretty tree, Emma,” she whispered.
The girl looked up from her artwork and fixed Jessie with a stare.
“Who are you?”she demanded
CHAPTER FIVE
A pang of sadness echoed through Jessie's body.She felt for this girl, who would soon learn that she'd lost her mother forever.The same thing had happened to Jessie when she was six, only her mom died at the hands of her serial killer father, and he forced her to watch.What kind of world was it where Jessie was relieved that Emma Sterling was spared seeing her mother murdered?
“We’re some of the people looking into why your mommy is sick,” Jessie said quickly, worried that Susannah might be too honest about the reason for their presence.“We need to talk to your daddy for a few minutes.”
Gray Sterling looked over at them.He blinked away the blankness in his eyes, trying to make sense of their presence.
“I already talked to the sergeant,” he said absently.
“We understand, Mr.Sterling,” Jesie said, “but we’re helping out and we’d like to hear things directly from you.Can we talk somewhere else?”
He looked over at Emma, happily drawing, and nodded.“I’ll be back soon, sweetie,” he assured his daughter as he stood up.
“Okay, Daddy.”She didn’t even look up when he joined them as they started back into the hall.
“Is there a room where we can talk freely so she won’t overhear us?”Jessie asked.
“My small office,” he said, leading them halfway down the hall.He opened the door to a large wood-paneled room with a carved desk and three plush chairs across from it.Jessie didn’t comment on what thebigoffice must look like if this was the small one.
“Have a seat, Mr.Sterling,” Susannah said, indicating one of the plush chairs.
Jessie liked the instruction.Neither of them wanted Sterling to sit in his own high-backed chair situated behind his grand desk, which might give him a sense of authority and comfort.They wanted him to feel vulnerable and unsettled as he answered their questions.That way, any lies might be easier to detect.They each took one of the other seats, leaving Carson standing by the door.
