Mercy

Distrust.

**Chapter 2:**

"They said I changed a lot; I said a lot changed me." - Best Elous

Distrust:noun
The feeling that someone or something cannot be relied on

Alessandra"s pov:

"Did you murder your husband?"
There was silence for a while as I tried to comprehend the question. "No, I didn't."
"Alright then, that will be all for today. I'll be interrogating Beatrice next. For now, you aren't a suspect as your alibi checks out."
"How do you know my alibi checks out?" I asked.
"We confirmed it from the CCTV footage of the bar and traffic lights," the detective replied.
"So why did you feel the need to interrogate me further?"

"As I said before, ma'am, just to be sure. I interrogated you one more time."

What a waste of time." I clenched my fists under the table, forcing a smile as the detective left the room. Through the doorway, I caught a glimpse of him heading toward Beatrice's room, my pulse quickening with every step he took. Although the cops wanted me to have the utmost faith in them, I couldn't trust them completely. After all, my husband hadn't been exactly favourable toward them when he was alive. So, I decided to do a little more investigating on my own.

I didn't want to be the one to say it, but I had doubts about Beatrice, And I'm not saying this strictly because she was with him when he died, but because she never spoke to her brother-at least not since we got married and I can't help the feeling of discomfort I get around her. I never really knew anything about her, but suddenly she decides to show up at our home, and less than two weeks later, my husband is dead.

I hired someone to look into her, to find out where she came from, why she came, and any other secrets she might be hiding from the naked eye. Using another phone in case the cops had bugged mine, I texted the man I hired.

**Mike🤓:**
*Hello Mike, how are you? Any news yet?*
*Delivered.*

Sending the text, I quickly hid the phone and decided to narrow down the suspects. I sat down, trying to remember what happened.

**Flashback: Two days before the murder**

Two men were heard conversing on the phone, one of them being Leonard and the other his business partner, Alex Romanov.

"What do you mean you're terminating our contract?" Alex asked.

"You know I don't want to do this, but I have to get rid of all our weak links," Leonard replied.

"So I'm a weak link? I built your hotel and contributed to the fame it currently has, and you call me a weak link?" Alex's voice resonated with anger.

"Business is business," Leonard said, and with that, the call disconnected.

"You should stop eavesdropping," said my husband, catching me red-handed.

"Sorry, I was just calling to tell you Beatrice asked to talk to you today."

"Tell her I'll see her in the evening."

**End of flashback**

That's it-Alex Romanov. My husband was a business tycoon, mostly known for his hotel "Vista Della Cresta," a five-star hotel well-known in Italy. Leonard had an estimated net worth of one billion dollars. Alex was part of the founders of the hotel. They had been business partners for more than 13 years, but my husband always chose money over loyalty.

Alex, to say the least, was angered and came over to the house, but Leonard refused to change his mind. I had told Leonard to keep an eye on Alex, but he simply shrugged it off, saying Alex was harmless. I decided to let it go since he was pretty confident Alex wouldn't hurt him.

I recalled the phone call he had in the car with his stepfather, Elijah Conti.

**Flashback: The morning before the murder**

I could barely hear, but I was able to make out the voice of Leonard's stepfather.

"Quando riceverò i miei soldi?" ("When will I get my money?") Elijah asked, his tone calm.

"Ti ho detto che non ho preso i tuoi soldi, troia," ("I told you I didn't take your money, bitch,") Leonard replied. I winced at the derogatory remark. Leonard had always hated his stepfather; it's no surprise he swindled him out of a business worth 20 million dollars.

"Pagherai per questo, o con la tua vita o con i tuoi beni." ("You'll pay for this, either with your life or with your assets.") One thing I knew about Elijah was that he was a man of his word. Before Leonard could respond, he was cut off: "Non faccio minacce a vuoto." ("I don't make empty threats.") The line disconnected, leaving Leonard frustrated and deep in thought as I tried to comfort him.

I was writing down all these conversations I remembered, as they could help bring out potential suspects. Just then, I got a knock at the door. It was the detective. I quickly hid everything and opened the door.

"Hello, detective?" My eyes questioned what he wanted.

"I'm done interrogating Beatrice, but there's something I think you should know."

"Oh, of course, please come in," I said, pushing the door open so he could enter. He took a seat opposite me, just as he did when he interrogated me earlier.
She said after you had gone out, she went to see your husband in his room to talk to him," the detective began, his tone measured and careful. "But then she left."I nodded slowly. "Did she say why?""According to her," he continued, leaning slightly forward, "she walked in on something... unexpected. She mentioned seeing your husband... in a rather compromising position with someone."My breath caught, but I kept my face neutral. "Compromising position?"The detective's eyes narrowed slightly, gauging my reaction. "She claims your husband was kissing the maid."I felt a coldness creep up my spine. "And you believe her?"He shrugged, his expression unreadable. "People lie all the time. But I found it strange that she'd bring it up now, after all this time.""So, are you saying I should be aware of this... possible affair?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady."I'm saying," he replied, his voice low, "that affairs can complicate things, muddy the waters. Sometimes people do things they wouldn't otherwise-out of jealousy, revenge, fear. It's worth considering, don't you think?"

                         Authors note:

That's chapter two guys, uhm although it may be too early to have any clear judgements who do you think the killer is?
I personally think it's .......
(You thought) Anyways please leave a vote and please it'll get better 🙏🏽
Follow for a follow too.