Free Sweet Little Lies by Bianca Sloane

silvery pink nail polish on her fingers. Hanson pursed his lips as he prepared to question her.
    “Shelia Stevens. My wife is a big fan of your work.”
    “Great,” Shelia said, not sure what kind of response he was trying to evoke from her, so she just stared at him. He cleared his throat.
    “Mrs. Stevens, this won’t take long. We just have a few questions for you about Kelly Ross. I understand you two are good friends?”
    “We’re best friends,” Shelia answered slowly.
    “When’s the last time you saw her?”
    “We met for lunch around eleven-thirty yesterday then did a little shopping.”
    Hanson nodded to himself. “What time did you two leave each other?”
    “Probably around three.”
    “How long have you known each other?”
    “Since high school.”
    “Talk all the time?”
    “Isn’t that what best friends do?” Shelia responded.
    “Oh, then you’ve talked to her by now.”
    Shelia hesitated. “Yes,” she responded, drawing the word out a bit.
    “I don’t suppose you’d tell me where she is?” Hanson grinned.
    “I don’t know where she is. She wouldn’t tell me.”
    “When was that? That you talked to her I mean.”
    Shelia shrugged. “Early this morning.”
    “Well, if she didn’t say where she was, did she say where she was going?”
    Shelia narrowed her eyes at Hanson. “Even if she did, I don’t think I’d tell you, do you?”
    Hanson chuckled. “Well, Mrs. Stevens, I don’t think I have to tell
you
—given your line of work—that it’s a felony to aid and abet a wanted criminal, so my guess is you would tell me so you could keep your own freedom.”
    Shelia gave Hanson a steely stare for a few seconds before she answered. “No. She didn’t tell me where she was going.”
    “Tell me—how would you describe the Monroe marriage?”
    Shelia inhaled. “It was very happy. Very loving. They were very much in love.”
    “Was Mark Monroe having an affair?”
    Shelia pursed her lips. “Yes.”
    “How did you find out?”
    “Kelly told me.”
    “When?”
    “This morning.”
    “Did she tell you for how long?”
    “I don’t think she knew how long.”
    “Do you think it’s possible Mrs. Monroe found out about this affair and killed him in a fit of rage?”
    Shelia almost laughed. Now he
was
trying to provoke her. “I suppose anyone would feel that way if they found out their spouse was messing around. I don’t think that makes Kelly any different from anyone.” She cocked her head to the side. “Are we through here? My coffee’s getting cold.”
    Hanson gave Shelia a wry smile. “Just about. What was Mark Monroe like?”
    Shelia let out a deep sigh. “Outgoing. Fun. Charming. Whip-smart. Would give you the shirt off his back if you asked him too…even if it cost three hundred dollars.”
    “What about Mrs. Monroe?” Didi Martin asked.
    Shelia smiled and leaned closer to the detectives. “Fluent in four languages. Sophisticated. Brilliant. She’s been at the top of every game she’s ever played. Don’t think because she’s a ‘supermodel’ that she’s stupid. She’s razor-sharp.” Shelia leaned back. “
Now
are we through here?”
    Didi cleared her throat. “For now.”
    Hanson reached into the inside pocket of his blazer. “Here’s my card. Call me if you hear from Mrs. Monroe.”
    Shelia took the card, and Gary escorted them out. He walked back into the living room, and he and Shelia hugged each other.
    “You know you have to call them, right? I mean if she calls you back?” Gary said.
    “Then I won’t answer the phone.”
    “Uh-huh. Good luck with that.”
    Shelia leaned against her husband’s sturdy frame and sighed. “I just hope Kelly called Sam, because she is in deep shit.”

Damn…
    I t was early, and if he hadn’t gotten up to use the bathroom, he doubted if he would have even heard his cell phone ring. Groaning, he pulled it out of the pocket of his jacket, which was hanging over the back of a chair. It was his