Seventy Five

CHAPTER 75

New York City police station.

"I told you that I know nothing!"

Nicholas was forced to hear that sentence repeatedly from Mrs. Veronica's mouth during his second investigation. The woman with the distinctive characteristic of rolling her hair back was still arguing and reluctant to admit her closeness to the first victim--Natalie Heele.

Her attitude, which is considered uncooperative and seems haughty, really makes Nicholas have to hold his nerves. If there were no ethics and manners in this world, he could have immediately doused the arrogant woman sitting in front of him with the hot coffee that Noel had kept on his desk earlier.

"I will repeat this question for the last time and this time...," Nicholas gave the woman a sharp look. "Answer my question honestly!" Mrs. Veronica visibly snorted in annoyance at the threat, before she finally chose to turn her face away from Nicholas. Avoiding the intimidating gaze the detective was giving her. "Do you know a woman named Natalie Heele, Mrs. Veronica Smith?"

"I don't know her, detective," she replied sarcastically.

Feeling that he had gone too far, Nicholas decided to follow the advice Alicia had given him yesterday. "If you two don't know each other, why are you and your husband taking pictures with her?"

In addition to making the woman in the orange blouse turn her head in surprise, Nicholas also managed to draw fine lines on the woman's face and make her forehead look even more deeply furrowed now. "How did you...," her words hung in the air just like that, as if realizing that she shouldn't have reacted the way she did.

And for the next second, only awkwardness filled the atmosphere between them. Veronica looked nervous as Nicholas' hazel eyes continued to observe her.

"Mrs. Veronica, if you are cooperative in the investigation of this case, we would be very grateful to you," Nicholas added in a softer voice than before.

And as if already feeling cornered, Veronica had no other choice. She took a deep breath and looked at the detective with dimmer eyes. "I hate my husband," she said frankly. She then lowered her head and rubbed her palms together, which she kept on her thighs. Again she tried to avoid the gaze of the detective sitting across from her. "But I really don't know about his death--or the culprit, or even about the threatening messages that have been stored on my cell phone," she said quickly as if she didn't want Nicholas to interrupt her explanation of Rich's death for a second.

"Then why did you lie during the investigation?"

"My relationship with Natalie was not going well," he said half regretfully. But next, he chuckled scornfully. "That woman has been flirting with Rich and being his mistress all this time." Slowly, Veronica's face, which had been downcast in shame, began to look up and reveal her true expression to Nicholas.

The man with thick eyebrows and tanned eyes nodded his understanding and recorded Veronica's new testimony in his journal. Nicholas had not the slightest intention of opening his voice and commenting as she spoke. He did not want to lose the opportunity.

"I did hate them both, but it didn't even cross my mind to kill them," Veronica continued. "Although deep in my heart, I'm very happy that someone would kill them on my behalf."

"But how did you not notice the threatening message sent through your number, Madam?" asked Nicholas again.

"Now that I think about it, a few days before the day of the massacre, my cell phone was lost in the crowd. And because I was busy with campaign matters, I reported the loss the day after." Mrs. Veronica shrugged her shoulders dismissively. "I have a lot of cell phones anyway. It's no big deal when I lose one, right?" She then folded her arms across her chest. "I lied to minimize the police's suspicion of me. I'm sure you'll accuse me because I'm the sole heir to Rich's entire estate if anything happens to him."

"So the chances are that someone else sabotaged your message before you requested a new card with the same number?"

The woman nodded her head in agreement.

Which made the case a little brighter in Nicholas' eyes. At least now the young detective knew that someone had deliberately lost Veronica's cell phone to commit a crime. The perpetrator intended to scapegoat Veronica in the case of her own husband's death.

"Did anyone else know your husband's daily schedule besides Rose?"

But Mrs. Veronica shook her head. "Just me and Rose." She then let out a long sigh. "I trust Rose so much, I can't believe she would sacrifice my husband for her mother's care." Her blue eyes looked up to the ceiling of the room. While beads of water could be seen starting to fill her sad eyes. Her body seemed to tremble as she tried to continue, "They have all hurt my feelings."

Seeing that the woman in front of him was about to cry, Nicholas immediately took out a handkerchief from his pants pocket for Veronica.

And while accepting the white handkerchief, Mrs. Veronica again tried to add, "But I'm very lucky because God repays me quickly."

"Then do you know another woman named Karenina Portman?"

The forehead of the woman who polished her eyes with nude-colored eye shadow furrowed deeply. "Who is she? I've never heard of her before," she replied.

Trying, Nicholas took out a picture of Mrs. Portman and placed it on the table. "This woman." then Nicholas tapped his finger on the photo. "Have you ever seen this woman?"

Mrs. Veronica just mumbled and furrowed her brow. She then said, "She... I think I've seen her. But I'm not too sure."

"Really?"

"This woman came to my husband's office once. She only talked to Rich in his room, but I could faintly hear her asking my husband to help her falsify a DNA result," Veronica explained slowly. She also briefly rubbed her chin, before continuing, "But I don't know whose DNA they were talking about."

"Can your husband sabotage a hospital's DNA results?"

Veronica, however, chuckled amusedly. "He can't do that, detective. But my husband does know enough people inside the hospital to do so."

"Did she look like a pregnant woman when she asked for that favor?" questioned Nicholas.

"Pregnant, you say?" The blue eyes widened in disbelief. "I don't know, I didn't pay much attention."

The young detective was now beginning to assume that Mrs. Portman might have intended to fake her pregnancy-or her DNA results. But why would she do that?

"Am I free to go, detective?" asked Veronica suddenly, which made Nicholas snap out of his reverie and gasp.

"Oh, yes, of course." He got up from his chair. "Thank you for your cooperation today, ma'am."

And with a more genuine smile, the woman shook the detective's hand. "I'm sorry that I lied to you, detective." And with that, the woman in the orange blouse left the room.

Now Nicholas had learned a fact. That the three of them were related-even needed each other. So the most likely possibility is that the perpetrator may still be someone close to the victim and has a grudge against the three victims.

Before Nicholas could fully sink into his opinion, someone knocked on the door and it was Noel who was behind it.

"Yes, Noel?"

The tall man in his nude suit entered the room and immediately sat down opposite Nicholas. "Sorry to bother you, detective," he said as he placed a sheet of paper on Nicholas' desk. "We've looked into it and here are the names of Rich Greek's coworkers on the day of the massacre."

After nodding in understanding, the detective with the light brown eyes immediately read the details of the report from the piece of paper Noel had just given him. "Matthew Renn, Anthony Anderson, Jill West, Robert Craig and---" He held his words as he saw the name of someone he didn't believe would be written there. "And Ace Blake." That look of doubt was instantly apparent as she looked up and stared at Noel. "Is this Ace Blake the Ace Blake I know, Noel?"

Although he looked uncomfortable, Noel nodded in agreement. "Wasn't he also on the VVIP guest list on the day Natalie died?"

Which made Nicholas bite his lip in dismay. "You're right too."

"Do we have to examine him now, detective?"

But Nicholas just shook his hand in the air. "Ah, not yet. Can you ask the others to come and give testimony?"

And Noel immediately agreed. "Then what about Ace?"

In one long sigh, Nicholas finally said, "I will handle him with my own hands."