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UP IN FLAMES 1
Vanessa Spencer angrily slammed the front door of her apartment shut, threw her handbag onto a nearby chair and headed into her bedroom. Her fingers tightened around her phone which was held up to her ear, "I'm tired of waiting, Christopher!" she yelled, "It's been four fucking weeks already. When are you going to sign those damn papers?" She heard Christopher laugh softly, and got even angrier. Sometimes, she wondered how she'd managed to stay married to him all those years. He was the most infuriating man she'd ever met in her life. Vanessa had married Christopher at the young age of twenty one, and now at the age of twenty eight, she often wondered what the hell she'd been thinking when she had made such a horrible decision. She'd been young and stupid and she'd honestly thought that she loved him… Or the man she thought he was, but six months after their wedding she'd painfully realized that Christopher wasn't the man she thought he was. He was a liar and a cheat, and Vanessa bl
UP IN FLAMES 2
Detective Alaric Harper was a thirty four year old who had been in the force for eight years, and he was very good at his job. He was a tall man. Larger than life as some people would describe, handsome as sin, he looked every bit the stereotypical biker, except for the fact that he’d cut shorter his dark hair.When he and his partner arrived at the crime scene, Christopher Wesley was already dead; shot right in the head. His personal security had also been taken out. There was blood all over his home office where the murder had occurred, and the murder weapon had been missing. But they did recover something which pointed at his wife, Vanessa Spencer as the prime suspect—At least the only suspect they had at the moment. His phone. A quick search through his phone records, and they'd discovered that she was the last person he'd spoken to before he died. After listening to the recording of the call, Detective Alaric knew he'd have to bring her in for questioning. Vanessa Spencer was
UP IN FLAMES 3
"I have no idea," Vanessa replied, "He didn't say. Look, if you think that I killed him because he wouldn't sign the papers, then you're very wrong indeed. I was pissed that he was delaying things, but I knew he'd have signed it eventually. I wasn't going to kill him for it or kill anyone for that matter,""You could hire someone to do the job for you…." Alaric cut in, "I've seen people hire other people to do the job for them," It took a lot of self control for Vanessa's not to give in and scream like she actually wanted to. An emotional reaction in this situation wasn't going to do her any good, so she kept her cool and remained in her chair. "Are you insane?" she asked, "I would never do such a thing," He continued like she hadn't spoken, "I see that you had different surnames too. You never changed yours after you got married. You guys have been married for years and you don't have any kids. You've been separated for a year. You even moved out and rented an apartment. From what
UP IN FLAMES 4
Her phone rang again. It was Christopher's parents. She’d felt horrible that they’d learned about their son’s murder on the news, but she didn't have time to tell them first since she'd been at that damn station. She’d been in shock, so much so that it hadn’t occurred to her to call anyone. When she returned home from the police station, it was then that she had reluctantly dialed their number. The overwhelming relief she’d felt when she’d gone straight to voicemail had made her feel guilty, on top of everything else.Despite that, too exhausted to deal with anything else, she let their call go to voicemail. They’d left three messages already. What was one more? She’d phone them back once she’d made all the funeral arrangements. That way, they couldn’t take over. She knew if they did, the ceremony would be the antithesis of Christopher.While his parents were super religious, Christopher had often claimed he had no use for such “nonsense.” And while they’d never actually discussed his
UP IN FLAMES 5
Though Jeremy kept his tone respectful, his firm reply told her he meant business. “Perhaps you’d like to contact your bank and verify?”“Of course.” Hands shaking, she fumbled with her phone, looking up the bank’s number and calling it. Once she had an account representative on the line, she identified herself.“Mrs. Spencer, we’re so sorry for your loss,” the woman exclaimed. “What can I do to assist you?”After taking a deep breath, she asked to check the balance in the checking account, since she was also listed as an account holder in addition to Christopher for that account. “Certainly. Just one moment.”Vanessa gripped the phone, listening while the bank representative typed in the information. “Let me see here,” the woman said. “I show a balance of one thousand, six hundred and forty-seven dollars and seventy-eight cents.”“What?” Vanessa swallowed, again trying to comprehend. “The checkbook ledger shows seventy-two thousand dollars and change.”“That would have been before M
UP IN FLAMES 6
"There is something," said Vanessa and she eyed Alaric one more time. Then she told them about Christopher emptying the bank account. This got their attention. They got the bank information and then asked her if she knew of any other bank accounts.“I don’t. But if I find out there are any, I’ll be sure to give you a call.” “Would you mind if we did a quick search of his office?” Alaric asked.“I’m sorry, but this isn’t a good time,” she replied, smiling to soften the blow. “I really need to be allowed to go through my husband’s personal belongings myself first.”Judging by the muscle working in the detective's jaw, her declination didn’t sit well with him. But he, like every other law enforcement person, knew there was absolutely nothing they could do about it. They’d have to get a search warrant first. A few more follow-up questions and the officers stood to take their leave.As they filed past the doorway, Alaric turned to Vanessa. He looked her up and down, then handed something
UP IN FLAMES 7
“That’s not necessary,” Vanessa said, steeling herself. “I’ve already done all that. The funeral will be at Blackenstock Funeral Home. The arrangements are made. I’ll get you the details once they’re printed up.”The older woman’s perfectly made-up eyes narrowed. “I wish you had waited for me. I really wanted to approve the casket.”Battling the urge to offer to take her to the funeral home in the morning so she could approve of her choice, Vanessa managed to keep her mouth closed.When Vanessa didn’t respond, Lois glared at her. Vanessa hated that she was alone with them. She felt like she desperately needed an ally. Someone whose presence would give her strength because she knew if she wasn’t strong, her in-laws would roll over her like a steamroller on freshly laid concrete. Even Christopher had been unable to hold his own around his parents.Abruptly, Lois pushed herself up and walked over to the sink, where she stood staring out the window. Her shoulders began shaking as she sile
UP IN FLAMES 8
For the first time ever, Anita felt pity for what Christopher must have endured growing up. She never liked him when he was alive because of the way he'd treated her friend, Vanessa. Now, as she stared at his parents, she could understand how he turned out to be the kind of man he was. “You know, she's grieving too,” Anita continued. “They might not have been together when he died, but she's grieving too and she could use all the family love and support right now… Just the way you need it too,"At her words, Lois's tears dried up and her expression went from devastated to furious. “Who do you think you are, attempting to lecture us on personal family matters? It’s none of your business what we do or don’t do.”Since she was right, Anita shut her mouth and turned to go. Just as she reached the exit, Steven spoke, shocking her.“She never loved our son, and I'm sure she's glad he's out of her way now. She can go on to be with her numerous lovers. She might even have a hand in his death
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