Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 157140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Why am I so shocked? Deep down, a part of me always knew.
“Aster was a young woman prone to bouts of severe depression and distress. She often disappeared from family events without much notice—that’s verified by you and everyone else I’ve talked to in Hawaii.”
I nod, staring into his dark-brown eyes.
“To be clear, I’m sugarcoating it. The chief housekeeper at the Kona estate, Kalani, she told me she’d never met anyone as miserable as Aster.” He pauses like he’s making sure I won’t go to pieces. I nod firmly. “It was very late that night, as you know. Fortunately, your security detail keeps impeccable records. For a second, I thought the records might be too good, so I went back a few years before the incident. Nope, same excellent logs. There was nothing out of the ordinary that night—until it happened.”
I feel my hand shaking under the table and I clench it into a fist against my thigh.
“Is it possible they missed anything?” I ask.
“Possible, but not probable,” he says quickly.
Damn. I stare at him blankly.
“Given her location and the state of the body in the autopsy report, I think we have a pretty clear suicide, even without a smoking gun. I’m sorry. Weather and maritime reported a windy night. Those waters would’ve been choppy—unpredictable—and if she had a couple drinks like the autopsy said, it wouldn’t have taken much at all for her to wind up in a bad situation. The ocean simply claimed her, and she allowed it.”
Bile rises up my throat.
I’m surprised I still feel this sick when I had a feeling this was coming.
“Case closed? That’s it? No alternate theories?” I know I’m reaching, but dammit, I have to if this is the last time.
He leans back in his chair, taking a long sip from his coffee cup.
“You sent me there personally. I did everything short of exhuming the body for another look. But we weren’t looking for poison, of course.” He shrugs. “There’s no good reason to suspect murder. Based on the evidence, it’s unlikely Aster Lancaster accidentally stumbled into the ocean without meaning to be there. She was still wearing her evening attire and her heels were found a little ways away on the beach after she was found, neatly placed together. No fancy theories needed to explain that.”
The word fancy stirs a memory.
That damnable golden turtle hanging from its delicate chain.
“Yeah. Right. There’s one thing I didn’t tell you about...”
He pulls out his notepad. “What’s that?”
“While we were in Kona at the house, my daughter found an intricate turtle necklace in my wife’s old room. An old friend and employee told Destiny I bought it for Aster.” I look down, straining for any hint of recognition. “Hell, he told me the same thing. The trouble is, I don’t remember buying that necklace at all—”
“It was a long time ago. You’d just lost your wife and you had a lot on your mind. It’s common to forget small details when you’re overstressed,” he says calmly.
I press my lips together. “Hear me out. It gets stranger.”
“Okay?” The detective’s eyes are shining with interest now.
“My daughter was attacked recently, here in Seattle. Robbed. Two men off the street shoved her to the ground and made off with that necklace.”
“Ah, I’m truly sorry to hear that. Did she file a police report?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ask them what they thought?” he says carefully.
“Random robbery. Go figure. They don’t think it has anything to do with her being a billionaire’s daughter or else they might’ve done worse.”
He nods. “If the cops were at the crime scene and know the area’s crime record, I’m inclined to believe them—”
“Something bothers me, though,” I cut in.
He waits.
“Who the hell randomly robs a teenager and leaves her iPhone and purse but takes a necklace? She dropped the phone. That was easy loot. They had to get closer to grab the necklace, and a secondhand dealer would’ve paid a pretty penny for that phone. It was almost brand new.”
“Phones are traceable unless they’re totally wiped. Necklaces aren’t. Maybe at first blush they thought it was the highest ticket item,” he says.
“I don’t know, man. It just feels like the damn turtle was the reason for the theft.”
He takes a slow drink of his coffee, studying me like I’m a paranoid nut. He may be right.
“Mr. Lancaster, these old cases are always difficult. When you’re looking back on them years later, it’s easy to find patterns and synchronicities where none actually exist. Sometimes, the simplest answers are the ones you’re looking for—if you can accept them.”
“Shit. Maybe you’re right.” I fall back in my seat. “I thought a second opinion would feel better than this...”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“This just doesn’t feel like closure, you know?” I rake a hand through my hair.
“Can I give you some advice? One former sailor to another?” My shirt is unbuttoned near the collar and his eyes scan the small tattoo there.