The Kelpie's Curse (book #1 in the Kelpie's Entrapment trilogy)

Day 2 pt. 3

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"I'll ask ye again, Miss Frank. If ye're not th' one who killed him, then why were ye found at th' scene of th' crime with blood all over yer arrow?"

"For the last time. I was practicing with my bow when I lost my footing, the arrow hit a crow and when I looked up there he was in the middle of the river. Sorry I mean beck." Renestrae quickly corrected herself upon noticing the annoyed look the officer was giving her. "I thought he had drowned. I didn't even know he had a hole in his chest until after I pulled him out of the water. If I was a cold blooded murderer, why would I have been screaming? What did I use to cut his chest open?" Renestrae didn't shout but she was quickly losing her patience. She'd just found her date from last night dead in the river missing his heart. She just wanted to go back to the house and sleep for a very long time.

"Yer arrow-"

"Oh come off it! Do you know how long it would take to cut a hole that size with an arrowhead? Besides, I already told you, the blood belongs to the dead crow. Check for yourself if you don't believe me."

"Ye were-"

"Dean, wha' are ye doing?" the only other officer she had seen asked as he came into the interrogation room.

"Questionin' th' witness," Dean answered over his shoulder.

Renestrae looked up at the other officer - he'd told her his name but with everything else going on she hadn't remembered what it was - and looked into his kind blue eyes. She didn't like Dean. He had a mean streak in him, she was sure of it.

He raised one blond eyebrow at Dean. "Really? Because it looks more like ye're badgering the frightened lass. Her friends are here. Why don't ye question them?"

Dean shot up from his chair, scowling. "What? Ye think ye can do better? Fine, then have at it, mate."

"He always so charming?" she asked sarcastically as the officer sat down.

"I'm afraid nae, Miss Frank."

"Renestrae."

"Wha' was tha'?"

"My name. It's Renestrae and I didn't kill him."

"I'm not saying that ye did. We just want to get to the bottom of this."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Really? Because you might want to tell your friend that. I daresay he took one look at me and decided I must have done it."

"Why don't ye tell me wha' happened. Let's start with where ye were last night."

"Alright, maybe you'll actually listen. Last night Kaloria, Evelyn and I went to a party at a ruined castle, the one owned by Dageus MacArtair. I believe that's what he said his name was. That's where I met Alec. I was supposed to be his blind date."

"And did this date go well?"

"Not in the least, but that doesn't mean I killed him."

"Is there anyone tha' can vouch that ye did attend this party last night?"

Renestrae sighed heavily. "His brother Ainslie saw me there, Shawn Granndach, and I talked with Mr. MacArtair briefly. Evelyn had a little too much to drink so we went home early."

"And this morn', wha' happened then?"

"I got up around five like usual. Then, as I was walking across the field to get to the forest - I wanted to get some target practice in – the farmer's horse nearly ran me over and-"

"Cow."

"What?" Renestrae asked, confusion marring her brow.

"It couldnae have been a horse. We've already talked tae tha' farmer and he doesnae own any horses."