Free Lia Farrell - Mae December 02 - Two Dogs Lie Sleeping by Lia Farrell

house .” Miranda stared down at her empty hands. “It should have come to me. It was my grandparents’ house, in my family for generations. I was the legitimate heir. I was bitter for a very long time about that. I had a trust fund from my grandparents, so I did receive money from the estate, but not the house. I loved that house. I always had.” Miranda’s mouth was pinched and her fists were balled up on the desk top.
    “It must have been a terrible blow,” Wayne said , keeping his voice gentle and kind.
    “I felt so alone then, no parents, no grandparents, no little brother. I realized later that I experienced a clinical depression. I finally got treatment . Then I met my husband and we used my inheritance to start his business. But I would have traded it all, every dime of it, to own that house.” She was looking past him now with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
    The ferocity of her feelings struck Wayne hard. He wondered if her desire for the house was strong enough to make her kill Tom Ferris. Wayne knew that women sometimes had much stronger attachments to homes than men did. Or perhaps the fact that her stepbrother had been in town and hadn’t contacted her pushed her over the edge.
    “Where were you between five and six p.m. on August second?”
    “My husband and I met some friends for dinner that night. We were driving to the restaurant at that time.”
    “Okay,” the detective said, thinking that if her alibi was confirmed, she would be off his list. While he still intended to talk with her husband, if they were together and their friends confirmed it, neither one of them could have killed Tom Ferris.
     
    Bethany Cooper was waiting when they got back to the office. Dory slipped a note into Wayne’s hand.
    “Read that before you talk to her,” she whispered.
    Deputy Fuller and Detective Nichols walked into the conference room and introduced themselves to Mrs. Bethany Cooper, who rose to her feet when they came in. She was an attractive woman, slender, with a small waist and flaring hips shown to good advantage in her sleeveless tunic and dark leggings. She wore her long dark hair loose. She reminded him of someone, but he couldn’t think who it was. He indicated that she should sit, and admired the graceful way she slid into the chair. Wayne remembered Dory saying the woman who left the Booth Showhouse at the time of Ferris’ death walked like a dancer.
    They had recently installed audio capture equipment at the office. The deputy clicked the audio button, turning on the system.
    “Mrs. Cooper, would it be okay if I called you Bethany?” Detective Nichols asked.
    “Certainly.”
    “I understand you designed the upstairs bedroom closest to the nursery, correct?”
    “Yes, the grandparents’ suite was my project.” She sat with her back ruler-straight. Her legs were crossed at the ankle.
    “As you know, Tom Ferris was found dying in the nursery of the Booth Showhouse the evening of August second.”
    “Yes, I know,” she swallowed, and he saw her throat constrict.
    “Did you see Mr. Ferris before he died?”
    “Yes, I did. I came over to take a look at the nursery and he was there. He told me that room had been his bedroom when he lived in the house.”
    “When was that?” Wayne was getting the distinct impression that Bethany Cooper was holding back.
    “It was after five o’clock on August first. I planned on going to the Booth Showhouse the next day for a final check, but when I got to the house, I realized I was running late. My husband was expecting me, so I left.”
    “How did you expect to get in the house? I thought only Miranda Booth Stackhouse had the keys.”
    She paused. “I expected some other designers would probably be there and if I rang the bell they would let me in.”
    “We know you were in the house on August second also, Mrs. Cooper. Who let you in?” Deputy Fuller asked.
    She was obviously trying to make up a story. “The front door was