“Actually,” Leeza said quickly, “I’d like to go next.”
Her husband began to grumble, but she cut him off.
“Paul, stop. I want to get this over with. I don’t want it hanging over me for the rest of the night.” She turned toward Leo. “If that’s okay with you?”
Maisy shined the flashlight on her, highlighting the strain in her expression.
“That’s fine,” he told her.
On his way out of the room, he turned to Maisy, “Why don’t you take Daniel and go room to room to gather up the flashlights? John and Hatty said there’s one in every bedroom. They’re probably tucked away in the nightstands.”
“You got it,” Maisy said. “You want yours back?”
“No, take it.”
“What are we supposed to do? Sit here in the dark until she gets back?” Paul demanded.
“Yeah,” Chris said, “that’s what we’re going to do.”
Leo allowed himself a small smile as he led Leeza out into the dark hallway. The glow from Aroostine and Sasha’s flashlights coming from the dining room was enough illumination to guide them to the kitchen.
After a few moments, Sasha joined them and placed her flashlight on the table, aimed at the ceiling. She cut her eyes toward Leo and mouthed, ‘Not Paul?’
Even in the dim light, Leeza caught it. “I asked to go next,” she explained.
“Is there a reason you wanted to talk to us before your husband did?” Leo asked her.
“Yes. I want you to know that he has a motive to kill Rex, but he didn’t do it.”
Leo and Sasha both rested their palms on the table and leaned forward.
“We’re listening,” Sasha told her.
“Paul and Rex have known each other since they were eighteen. So, for the past dozen years, Rex has been bossing around Paul like some combination of a little brother and a servant. Despite that—or maybe because of it—Paul worships the ground Rex walks on. Or he did, I mean.” Her tone was matter of fact, but her mouth was twisted into a sneer.
“How do you feel about that?”
“How do you think I feel? I’ve been telling my husband for years to stand up for himself and stop kissing Rex’s feet.”
“Tessa mentioned that Rex sent Paul up to the house in the storm to get garnishes and a mix for some drink,” Sasha began.
“Right, that’s the kind of crap Rex pulled. I told Paul to tell Rex to go pound salt. But Paul would never cross Rex, so he bundled up like a good boy and dutifully walked out into a blizzard to get Rex’s stupid candied orange peels or whatever.”
Leo gave Leeza a close look.
“What?” she demanded.
“Since you don’t seem inclined to hold back, I won’t either. Tessa told us she was with you when Rex’s body was found.”
“That’s right, we were in my room—complaining about Rex and the stunt he pulled with her and the way he treats Paul.”
“That’s probably fortunate,” Leo told her. “Because it seems as if you might have hated him enough to kill him yourself.”
Leeza’s laugh was loud and throaty. “Oh, I did.”
“Just to clarify, you did hate him enough to kill him, or you did kill him?” Sasha asked.
Another laugh. Then Leeza shook her head. “The former. I’ve had to bite my tongue while Rex mistreated Paul for years. But that’s not why I’m talking to you.”