Tessa Stark: Desert Heat

Chapter Thirty One

"Senator, did anyone else know about your affair with Hallie?" Tessa asked, deciding it was time to move on.

Her question seemed to genuinely surprise him. "No. No one knew. We went to great lengths to make sure of that."

"And no one had approached you in the last couple of days, perhaps to let you know that they'd found out? Or to hint that they thought you were responsible for killing Hallie?"

Richard's face went completely blank, as if he couldn't quite absorb her words. "What are you talking about?"

"Detective, wait," Cameran spoke up. "Last night...you were asking us questions about Etty. It seemed like you thought she might have killed Hallie."

"I was considering that possibility, yes. And the possibility is still on the table." she stated. "Which brings me to my next question, Senator. Where were you last night between eleven and midnight?"

Again, the man didn't seem quite able to understand what she was asking of him. "I was...here...asleep in my room."

"Ms. Autry? Can you confirm that your husband--"

"Ex-husband," Ellen interjected. "And no. I can't confirm his whereabouts last night. I had Jonathan fix some warm milk for me, I took it to my room, and stayed there. But, he sleeps in a separate room most of the time, so I have no idea what he did after we returned home from the benefit dinner."

"Senator, can anyone confirm that you were at home last night?" she went on.

"I doubt it. I went straight to bed when we returned from the benefit and stayed there until breakfast," he answered, confused. "Why in hell does that matter?"

"When was the last time you had contact with Etty Montrose, Mr. Whitmore?" was her next query.

"What?" he gaped. "Why on earth are you asking me about her?"

"Had you spoken to her in the last couple of days?"

Richard, gaping slightly less, blinked a few times, opening his mouth to speak, but it was Cameran who answered. "Uncle Rich, you talked to Etty at the benefit last night. I saw you both standing at the bar right before we went into dinner."

Richard blinked a few more times, simultaneously shaking his head. "I suppose...we might have bumped into each other. There were a lot of people there."

"What did you talk about?" Tessa asked him.

Again, he shook his head. "I-I don't know. Nothing? Absolutely nothing worth remembering, I suppose. We probably both just happened to end up in line at the same time."

"Where were you two girls last night?" Tessa veered over to Cameran and Trista, who both showed surprise.

"We left the benefit dinner and went to a nightclub with some friends. Club Cherry," Cameran answered.

"Did either of you happen to see Etty there last night?"

Both girls nodded. "We were sitting near their V.I.P. Etty left early, though. It looked like they were all fussing and fighting and Nate carried her away from the table. I didn't see her after that," Trista replied.

"Did either of you see Nathan after he carried Etty away?" was her next question.

They both thought about that for a beat. "No. I don't remember seeing him after that," was Cameran's reply.

"Did either of you know that Etty was going to Cherry last night?"

"Yeah. We talked to Nate during cocktails. He told us everyone was going and it sounded like fun," Trista answered.