Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92668 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92668 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“The address is… 23 Sequoia Avenue?” Noah asked, reading it off the papers in front of him like he didn’t already know.
Like he hadn’t helped me climb out of windows onto the garage roof there once upon a time.
“That’s correct.”
“And the afternoon?”
“I wanted to see the bed and breakfast, so I drove over to The Ivy at some point in the afternoon, but I’m not sure what time. It was a bit of a blur,” I said honestly. “When I got there, I realised I’d left the keys behind, so my dad brought them to me.”
“Were you there long?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Maybe an hour or so. It was a while, but I wasn’t watching the clock. It was a long day.”
“Understandable.” Noah nodded, leaning back in his chair. “And after that?”
“The wake was held at The King’s Head at about five, and I was there.”
“Is that where you met Declan Tierney?”
I pursed my lips, pausing when I caught Jamie’s gentle look my way. “Yes,” I answered. “He approached me when I was alone and propositioned me. He wanted to purchase the bed and breakfast from me.”
“How would you describe the interaction between the two of you?”
“I’ve had men approach me in a better manner at a bar, but also in much worse ways, so that’s not saying a lot.”
Noah looked like he wanted to throw his pen at me.
At least it was mutual.
He took a moment before he asked, “Was he persistent? He was known to be a hard businessman. Would you say you saw that side of him?”
Shit. “Very much so. He gave me an envelope with an offer that I rejected, then tried again, and I dumped the new one in an abandoned drink because he wouldn’t get the message. He insisted that I sell it to him and was quite threatening.”
“Did anyone else witness this?”
“Yes. Brandon Burton told him to leave.”
Noah’s lips thinned. “Anyone else?”
“Um, yes.” I cleared my throat. “Actually, your sister.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Ashley George, for the record. Did she intervene?”
“Mildly. She was at the bar getting us a drink when he approached me.”
“Did you drink alcohol?” Jamie asked, leaning forwards.
I shook my head.
“We need a verbal answer.”
“No,” I replied. “I told my parents I was happy to be the designated driver for them, so I drank lemonade all night.”
Jamie scribbled that down, presumably to verify with anyone there.
“Did Declan Tierney leave?” Noah asked.
“He did after Brandon intervened, yes.”
“Then what did you do?”
“I stayed at the wake until around ten-thirty when I drove my parents home. I was unsettled by the discussion, and decided I wanted to put a camera at the bed and breakfast, so I got one of the portable cameras from the house and took it down there about eleven-thirty.”
“You have camera footage?” Noah asked, his eyebrows shooting up.
“No.” My cheeks warmed. “Because I’m a technological idiot who didn’t realise that they wouldn’t store footage there without Wi-Fi.”
Jamie’s lips quirked into the barest of smiles. “We would like access to that to verify, and it would be easier if you’d give permission.”
“I’ll do what she says,” I said, hooking my thumb towards Melissa.
I’d never seen anyone look like they truly wanted to smack their head against a table before, but I imagined that was exactly what Noah was feeling right now.
“Eleven-thirty,” he said, regaining control of the situation. “How long were you there for?”
“I don’t know, five minutes? I just kind of set the camera on a fence post, pointed it towards the building, then left again.”
“And you didn’t see anything you wouldn’t expect?”
“No.”
“What time did you arrive home?”
“Fifteen minutes later? I don’t know,” I replied. “I didn’t know I had to keep a bloody diary.”
Noah’s nostrils flared as he looked at me.
Oh, good.
I was pissing him off.
Probably not the wisest thing to piss off a police officer while you were being questioned about a murder, but hey. I was in the shit anyway, so I might as well make it a bit fun.
“Can anyone verify this?” Jamie asked, jumping in. Presumably he saw what I saw. “Your parents?”
“I doubt it,” I said, looking at him. “I think they were asleep the whole time.”
“And you didn’t leave again after that?”
“No. Not until this morning.”
“Where did you go this morning?”
Great. Embarrassment part two.
“To the bed and breakfast to check the cameras,” I said. “It was about nine, before you ask.”
Melissa cleared her throat.
“I got there, tried to link it to the app, and realised it wouldn’t work. I went home to see tech support, also known as my dad, and he explained it to me.”
“Can anyone verify that?”
“Ah! Yes.” I lifted my chin. “Stanley McGuire came out from next door and offered his services. He’s an electrician, and he said he would come by to give the place a quick once-over for immediate dangers after he’d finished work.”