I rushed into the police station. Why would Detective Wilkes do this to Carmen?
The woman was a doctor probably seeing a patient. Did they just show up at her office and take her off to the police station? And, they had the nerve to search their house. Did they really think the woman smacked Darius on the back of his head and took the murder weapon home with her?
I didn’t think it was smart of Carmen to go see Darius in the first place, but the woman wasn’t stupid. There was no way this would remain quiet now. I was worried about the wedding, but now Carmen’s reputation, as well as my son’s, was at stake.
I went up to the counter and tried to wait patiently for the officer on duty to notice me. He finally turned around, a white-haired man with a thick mustache who looked ready for his pension.
“May I see Detective Wilkes?” I asked.
“She’s busy at the moment. I can let her know who’s here to see her.”
“Tell her Eugeena Patterson is here and… I have information for one of her cases.”
The officer nodded. “I’ll let her know you’re waiting for her.”
“Thank you.” I went over to take a seat. Of course, I didn’t have anything vital to the case, but I needed to know why Detective Wilkes was so focused on Carmen. I sat down and placed my purse in my lap. I took out my phone and tried to call Cedric. Where was he? He better be delivering a baby. That was the only emergency worth not being here for his own fiancée.
Carmen needed his support now. Instead, she was stuck with me.
Almost twenty minutes later, Detective Wilkes appeared. I jumped up. “Where’s Carmen?”
The woman strode towards me, her face scrunched into a frown. “We’re still questioning Dr. Alpine. What can I do for you, Mrs. Patterson?”
I knew Detective Wilkes was trying to be polite, but her eyes spoke I should leave the premises. I wrenched the conference program from my purse. “Did you know why Darius Randall was in town? Instead of focusing on Carmen because she found the man dead, did you look into any of these people who stayed in proximity to the man at the hotel? Or better yet, have you talked to his girlfriend, Monique Sanders?”
The detective blinked as though I’d stunned her. “Come this way, Mrs. Patterson.”
I huffed and followed the woman back to an area of cubicles. She led me to one that must have been her office. The detective indicated with her hand for me to have a seat in a straight back chair near the corner of her desk. I sat, waiting to hear what she had to say. She busied herself by moving around paperwork on her desk. I saw a photo of a young boy with red hair similar to Detective Wilkes. He appeared to be around eleven or twelve. I looked away from the photo to find her staring at me. Probably not sure what to do with me.
“Mrs. Patterson, I know you want to help your … future daughter-in-law. Right now, Dr. Alpine is the person with the motive and—”
“Did you find the murder weapon?” I interrupted.
The detective narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sharing the details of the case with you. I simply want you to understand I have to do my job.”
I sputtered, “Which includes looking at the people who Darius Randall spent his time with since last week. He was in Charleston visiting with his girlfriend, Monique Sanders and her dad, Kendall Sanders.”
“Stop. Did you say Kendall Sanders?”
“Yes, do you know him? He was a banker, I think the president of the bank. He and my husband were friends, golfing buddies.”
Detective Wilkes nodded. “I’m familiar with him. My dad likes to play a few rounds of golf as well,” She smiled faintly. “This still doesn’t change the events that happened the day of Mr. Randall’s death.”
“But he hung out with people at that conference.” I didn’t want to let the detective know how much snooping I’d been doing. “He may have appeared to be a successful financial expert, but he upset someone enough to kill him.”
“Yes, and Carmen Alpine feared him, and she was certainly upset seeing him again. She went to visit a man from her past that she strongly felt was in town to destroy her life and he ended up dead.”
“She found him dead.”
The detective leaned in close to me. “Carmen hasn’t been truthful.”
I gripped the bottom of the chair with my right hand as though it was going to fall out from under me. “What?”
The detective stood. She seemed much taller than her petite height. Her eyes drilled into me. “Dr. Alpine said she arrived around 9:00 a.m. to see Mr. Randall. The hotel surveillance in the lobby showed she entered the hotel around 6:29 a.m. She was inside that hotel way before she claims. Dr. Alpine had plenty of time to go see Mr. Randall and have a confrontation with him.”
I opened my mouth, but not a single word came out. I was fresh out of anything to say. As I recalled from the detective’s questioning Cedric earlier this week, the timeframe for Darius’ murder was between midnight and seven o’clock in the morning. Which now included Carmen’s presence at the hotel.
What was Carmen doing at the hotel that early?
“Mrs. Patterson, I know you want this to work out.” Detective Wilkes voice softened, “I know you were happily planning your son’s wedding, but you need to come to the realization that it may not happen. Dr. Alpine was distraught, and she went to that hotel with a mission.”
I still didn’t know what to say. My spirit was close to being crushed. Carmen had to have a really good explanation. I knew she hadn’t killed that man. Without a doubt, she needed a lawyer. I struggled to speak. “Are you finished with her? Do you plan to arrest her?”
The detective shook her head. “Not right now, but she can’t leave town.”
I had watched too many detective shows. “So, you have no evidence against her? No murder weapon, just a theory.”
Then I thought, where are these cameras? Now I knew I’d been busted going to the hotel the other day. Of course, I was on a wedding planning mission. I had Rosemary to confirm that part, but I hoped none of the rest of my time at the hotel, including my time with Amos, showed up on these cameras.
Detective Wilkes crossed her arms. “I will find the truth, Mrs. Patterson. If what I find supports Carmen’s involvement in Mr. Randall’s murder, I will officially charge her with first degree murder. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Only a matter of time? You’re not even going to question anyone else. I mentioned his girlfriend, Monique Sanders was looking for him. She knew he was at the hotel.”
The detective frowned, “Mrs. Patterson, you can’t just make a case against anyone. You need evidence. Right now, the person who was in proximity and had motive is Carmen Alpine.”
“But…”
“Let me walk you back up front, Mrs. Patterson.”
She’d dismissed me. I knew she probably had a heavy caseload, but she was closing in on Carmen too fast.
We walked back up to the front, and Carmen sat in the waiting area with her arms crossed, staring off. I don’t think I’d ever seen her look that lost. I walked up to her. “I can take you back to the office to get your car.”
She peered up at me, surprised to see me. “You don’t have do that. Jocelyn will be off soon.”
It occurred to me again that Cedric should be here. “Don’t be silly, I’m right here.”
Carmen blew out a shaky breath and stood.
We walked out, and I’m sure the weight of the world was more on her shoulders than mine. But the joyous feeling I had for this young couple was rapidly diminishing, and there didn’t seem to be anything I could do about it.
Eugeena Patterson wasn’t a quitter. Just like the detective, I intended to find the truth.