Inspector Rames

Chapter 13

I tossed and turned that night, thinking of Alex, then the investigation, then Alex again. In the morning, I bought two double espressos at Coffee Glitch instead of one, despite my vow to keep him off my mind. And I was ridiculously pleased when I reached our office and saw that he'd also been thinking of me.

"That's a lot of cookies." I put a coffee cup on his desk and eyed the packet of chocolate chip cookies in front of him. My heart somersaulted.

Because of the chocolate, obviously.

"Yes," he said. "I thought you might want a chocolate fix."

"I can have some? Thanks." I scooped up a large handful and carried them over to my desk, where I felt relatively safer. Slinging my bag off, I crammed one in my mouth. "Delicious."

He watched with an eyebrow raised. "I'm glad you think so."

I swallowed and picked up my coffee. "I have a plan of action for this morning. We have two remaining explanations for the murders."

"Two?"

"Yes." Deciding it was my magic number, I picked up two more cookies and paused between my sentences to eat them. "The first explanation is the one I favour: Maxx is the murderer. He killed the two women who were holding him back from having a chance with Gem."

Alex still didn't look convinced. "And the second explanation?"

"An avenue we haven't really gone down. Elena Ackerman hated Zoe, and she hated Bryony. Now they're both dead. Elena was in the room when we confronted Maxx about his affair with Bryony -- then Bryony was killed less than twenty-four hours later. Could it be that she's trying to salvage the family image? First she got rid of the wife who was his step-sister. Then she got rid of the eighteen-year-old he'd been sleeping with."

"She was alone when Zoe was murdered," Alex said thoughtfully. "Supposedly in the botanical garden, but she could have been anywhere."

"And she could have slipped out while Daniel was sleeping to kill Bryony." I dusted crumbs off my hands. "I want to talk to her again."

***

"This is harassment," Elena Ackerman said as we sat down, alone, in the home office. The workstations didn't seem to have been touched, and all the bizarre robots were frozen in the same positions: their backs open, their wings spread, and a strange assortment of eyes watching us. I suppressed a shiver.

"We could escort you down to the station if you prefer," I replied. "But we won't take up very much of your time if we just talk here."

"Collectively, you're taking up a lot!"

"Mrs Ackerman, you've confessed your distaste for Zoe and Bryony. Both are now dead. Do you still stand by your alibis?"

Her face hardened. "Of course I do. As I've said, Zoe and I simply didn't give each other the time of day. There was nothing proactive in our uneasy relationship."

"What about Bryony Gold-Digger?"

"I let her know that we were all aware she was with Jason for his money and that no one liked her. I did not go out of my way to make her feel welcome in the household. That's all."

"She was given automatic access to your home."

"That was Jason's doing. Not mine." Elena smiled. "He's here, by the way. He's been released on bail, and our solicitor is confident that he'll destroy your drug accusations in court."

"They're not my accusations," I said. "I'm here to talk about murder. How did Bryony and Jason meet?"

"They both studied English Literature at Socrico University. I imagine they met at their lectures."