Page 46 of A Lifetime in 30 Days
So, Aden had told Jovani everything. Last night before the walls had literally come crashing in, he’d said “they” would call Jovani this morning, but while she’d talked to the contractors, he’d taken care of the call.
“Yeah,” she said with a wave of her hand. “It’s been a long day, but I’m as good as I’m gonna get. And I called Granny before I came into the building; she’s holding up too.”
Honestly, Granny had probably spent the afternoon cleaning Vanna’s house from top to bottom. She always cleaned when she was upset. Even though she’d insisted she wasn’t upset when Vanna had left the house.
“I’m sorry all this is happening,” Jovani said. “But I’m going to try to get to the bottom of some of this mess tonight.”
“Good,” she replied with a nod, and clutched her purse that was sitting in her lap. “It’s kind of late for a meeting, right?”
“The detectives were on the evening shift,” Jovani told her. “I thought about asking for their lieutenant but figured I wouldn’t go over their heads just yet.”
Vanna was about to ask another question when a second door on the other side of the room opened. Detectives Parish and Beaumont sauntered in. Beaumont carried a notepad and a file folder, while Parish was empty-handed. They both took seats across the table from Vanna and what felt like her two-man team.
“Mrs. Carlson,” Beaumont said. “Nice to see you again so soon.”
Jovani cleared his throat. “Thank you for meeting with us this evening, Detectives,” he said. “Mrs. Carlson would like to report an incident which took place at her home yesterday morning.”
Parish’s brow went up. “Yesterday morning, you say? We got word that a report was taken from her home address late last night. Something about a car crashing into your house—but you didn’t want to press charges because you knew the person.”
In her lap, her hands gripped her purse again, but she sat with her shoulders straight, her gaze leveled at Parish. “My grandmother had an accident. She doesn’t see well at night.” And was slightly buzzed and not wearing her glasses, but they didn’t need to know that part.
Beaumont chuckled. “Oh my. Well, I’m sure that’s a mess. But I don’t know how that relates to this case.”
“Because that’s not the incident we’re here to report,” Jovani said. “Yesterday morning, there was a strange car with two men inside parked across the street from Mrs. Carlson’s house.”
Parish shrugged. “And?”
“Andwe want to file an official report giving the description of the car and the occupants in case it’s connected to this case you’ve decided to include my client in,” Jovani said.
Beaumont flipped open the file folder, which he’d set on the table. “You mean, the case your client is knee-deep in.”
“I am not knee-deep in anything,” Vanna said, and felt Aden’s hand on her arm at the same time that Jovani made a motion with his hand for her to remain silent.
But she didn’t want to keep quiet; she wanted to scream to the rafters that this was some BS! These detectives were still looking at her like she was guilty, disregarding all that Jovani had said and preferring to joke about her grandmother’s incident instead.
“Oh, but you are,” Beaumont continued. “You see, since the last time we met, we’ve uncovered a few more interesting facts.”
“What facts?” Jovani asked. “Because so far, all you have is circumstantial evidence against her.”
“You might consider this more circumstantial evidence, Counselor,” Parish said. “But the more we dig, the more dirt we find.”
Vanna clenched her teeth and narrowed her gaze at him. She didn’t know which one she despised more. Probably Beaumont, because even though she was sitting there between two men, he still had come right in letting his gaze shamelessly drop to her breasts, just as he had before.
“Do you know Elliot Joble?” Beaumont asked.
Vanna glanced over at Jovani, and when he nodded, she replied, “No.”
Parish had sat back in his chair, but his arm was stretched onto the table, where he now drummed his fingers. “You sure? Because he seems to have known you.”
“What does that mean, Detective?” Jovani asked. “She said she didn’t know him.”
“Then how do you explain someone you don’t know having your business card?” Beaumont asked.
“Anyone can pick up a business card in an office; that doesn’t mean they know the person whose name is on the cards,” Jovani replied. “Not to mention, this isn’t what we’re here for.”
He seemed really calm as he stared at the detectives. He hadn’t even glanced down at the file Beaumont had, while Vanna had tried to sneak a peek at it several times now. She knew that amused Beaumont by the way he hadn’t tried to hide any of the papers inside.
“Well, it’s a coincidence that you requested this meeting tonight, because we were going to schedule another, more formal interview with you,” Beaumont said. “You see, on Tuesday night, Elliot Joble was involved in a motorcycle accident. Witnesses say a black SUV drove him off the road until he and his bike crashed into a tree. You drive a black SUV, right, Mrs. Carlson?”
