Page 90 of Owned By a Billionaire

“I was with my son, Declan.”

“Can anyone corroborate that?”

“I’m not sure whether anyone saw us enter the conference room.”

“Why were alone with your son?”

My spine creaked slightly as I adjusted my position. “I wished to discuss family business away from the noise.”

“I believe the victim owned some of the adjoining land, and he ran a casino that had its own history of crime.”

“Salon Soir was never something the family signed off on. All the activities there related to Rey and no one else.”

He stared me in the eyes, apparently trying to read deeper into my words, then he took notes. “So your granddaughter alerted you, and what happened then? Was she the first person to find him? Were there others around the body?”

I’d discussed this with Manon and Declan at length that night while we waited for the police to arrive. Knowing how it looked for both of them, I quickly came up with a passable version of events. I’d asked Manon not to mention Mark as being there because of his sudden disappearance. Declan, thank goodness, could see that no good would come from implicating either of them.

Manon remained coolheaded and assured me she’d stick to our story.

Could she have done it?

I inclined my head. “I believe my granddaughter was the first person to find him.”

“It was her scream you heard? After which she came to you?”

I nodded.

“And then what happened?”

“We found Reynard on the ground, bleeding. Declan checked for a pulse only to discover he was dead, and I called the police.”

“I know it’s not a pleasant task recalling the gruesome state of his body, but can you tell me exactly what you saw?”

“He was on his back, blood pouring from around his heart, I believe.” I took a deep breath, reliving how I’d found Rey in a dark-red puddle, redolent with the nauseating stench of blood—an iron-like smell.

“He sustained multiple stab wounds to the chest, yes.” The man made another note. “We will need a full list of your guests for questioning.”

“My granddaughter, who organized the event, can supply you with that.”

I went to rise when the detective said, “You were also implicated in the Alice Ponting case.”

A jagged breath scraped my throat as I tried to maintain a blank face.

My lawyer whispered, “You don’t have to talk about that.”

I nodded. “As I have said repeatedly, I had nothing to do with her disappearance.”

The detective’s stare penetrated so deeply that I felt like he could read the anxiety swirling within, making me dizzy. He opened another file.

“I’m sorry, but wasn’t this about Reynard?” I asked.

“I believe it’s linked. Her family’s aware of his connection to the victim.”

My palms dampened. Stifling silence followed as the detective studied the report. I had to remind myself to breathe.

I wanted to have a long, hot bath, then take two sedatives and sleep. The pain of not having Mark there to lean on hurt more than I’d imagined.

Had he done this? And why go to such brutal lengths?

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