Page 35 of Once Broken
Diane shook her head firmly.“No.She wouldn’t speak of it in such specific terms—not even to me.She would only say that her testimony had ‘destroyed lives’ and that she ‘lived with the consequences every day.’I think she feared that if I knew the names, I might someday let something slip, and her secret would be exposed.”
She returned to her seat, glass still in hand.“Roberta once told me she’d rather be a nobody today than have done what she did.That all her success felt tainted because of how she’d protected herself at others’ expense.But she was too afraid to come forward publicly and confess, even decades later.”
“And you believe Veronica was killed because of her mother’s testimony?”Ann Marie asked.
“I’m certain of it,” Diane replied without hesitation.“Why else make use of that recreated scene fromThe Night Walker?It’s symbolic—punishing the daughter for the mother’s sins.But more than that...”Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper.“It won’t end with Veronica.”
Riley leaned forward.“What makes you say that?”
“Because vengeance like this doesn’t simply stop once blood has been spilled.It grows, consumes.”Diane’s eyes seemed to focus on something beyond the room’s confines.“When Veronica came to me last night, I sensed her fear—not for herself, but for others.That’s what she was trying to warn me about.”
The claim about Veronica’s “visit” still struck Riley as the delusion of a troubled mind, but the idea behind the “warning” itself held a certain logic.If the murder was indeed connected to Roberta’s testimony, there could be other targets—perhaps others who had benefited from keeping that testimony secret.
“Is there anything else you can tell us?”Riley asked.“Anything Roberta might have mentioned about the people involved, even if she didn’t name them specifically?”
Diane considered the question, swirling the remaining liquid in her glass.“I wish I could tell you more, but that’s all I know.Roberta kept that part of her life carefully compartmentalized—even from those closest to her.”
She set her empty glass down with a sense of finality.“I’ve lived with Roberta’s secret for decades without mentioning it to another soul.I’m breaking that confidence now only because Veronica is gone, and because I believe others might be in danger.”
“We appreciate your candor,” Riley said, rising from the settee.
Ann Marie followed suit.“You’ve been very helpful, Ms.Kingsley.”
“Will you find whoever did this?”Diane asked, suddenly vulnerable in a way that made her seem smaller, frailer than before.
“We’ll do everything we can,” Ann Marie assured her with genuine warmth.
Diane walked them to the door, her steps careful.“Be vigilant,” she said as they prepared to leave.“Whoever killed Veronica has waited a very long time for their revenge.They won’t stop now that they’ve begun.”
Riley nodded, acknowledging the warning without endorsing Diane’s supernatural explanation for it.“Thank you again, Ms.Kingsley.We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions.”
The descent down the narrow staircase felt like a transition between worlds—from Diane’s carefully preserved shrine to old Hollywood, back to the present reality of a murder investigation.The shop below sat in darkness, the glamorous mannequins looking even more alive in the dim light, their frozen poses more eerie.
Outside, twilight had settled over Atlanta, painting the sky in deepening shades of blue.Streetlights flickered on as Riley and Ann Marie made their way back to their car.
“What do you think?”Ann Marie asked once they were out of earshot of the shop.
Riley exhaled slowly, organizing her thoughts.“I think Diane Kingsley is deeply unstable—living in a fantasy world where dead friends pay social calls.But there’s no doubt that she’s telling the truth about Roberta’s testimony and its significance.At least, as much as she knows about it.”
“That’s right,” Ann Marie agreed as they reached the car.“If someone connected to one of the people Roberta named has nursed a grudge all these years, they could be well into their eighties or nineties now—or it could be a child or grandchild carrying out revenge for a family member.”
Riley unlocked the car but paused before opening the door, Diane’s warning settling over her like the gathering darkness.“Either way, I think she’s right about one thing—this isn’t over.The theatrical nature of Veronica’s murder, the symbolism of using the same poison from her mother’s famous film role...that’s not the work of someone who plans to stop after a single killing.”
“So who might be next?”Ann Marie asked, her expression grave in the soft glow of the streetlight above them.
“I don’t know,” Riley admitted.“But if the motivation is vengeance for Roberta’s testimony, it could be anyone connected to keeping that secret—friends, studio executives, maybe even others who testified and were protected while their colleagues were exposed.”
They slid into the car, the interior still warm from the day’s heat.Riley started the engine but didn’t immediately pull away from the curb, her mind working through the implications of what they’d learned.
Before she and Ann Marie could decide on a course of action, Riley’s phone rang, its screen illuminating the darkened car interior.Both women glanced down at the display, where Detective Hayes’ name flashed urgently against the background.
What had could Hayes have discovered that he couldn’t wait until morning to share it?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
When Riley answered the phone call, tapping the speaker button so Ann Marie could hear, Detective Hayes’ voice was taut with excitement.
“Paige?Esmer?You’re not going to believe what we found,” Hayes began without preamble, his words tumbling over each other.“The search of Hartley’s apartment yielded multiple encrypted hard drives.Our tech team has only cracked the first layer, but what they found is damning.”
