“At least once a week. But oftentimes, Betty will come over to have tea with Millie on Wednesdays.”

  “You must be very close, then,” Frank said. “And very good, close friends to stay by their side in such a sorrowful moment.”

  “Yes,” Betty said. “I told Millie I would stay here to send away people that came for the party. Evelyn and I have just started telephoning the guests to let them know.”

  “You have two children, correct?” Ava said, looking to James as if asking with her eyes where their other son might be.

  “Yes,” Betty said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Mack cut her off rather quickly.

  “Another son,” he said. “His name is Cole and he’s ten years old. He’s currently playing jacks in the courtyard and that’s where he will stay.”

  Ava caught herself clenching her fists. She truly did not like this despicable man, but she knew she had to keep a calm façade or face unnecessary trouble.

  “He’d only make fun of me anyway,” James said, seeming both sad and embarrassed.

  “Why’s that?” Frank asked.

  Apparently, James did not see the look of absolute scorn his father shot toward him. The boy was far too concerned with the detectives, perhaps a little enamored by the fact that he had somehow been caught up in the middle of a murder case. And even though his cheeks reddened as he seemed to understand he may have spoken out of turn, he answered with a slight tremble in his voice.

  “Because I was supposed to marry her.”

  Frank and Ava looked at one another and for a moment, it was almost as if they were speaking with their minds. Oh, okay, they both seemed to say with their eyes. Isn’t it pretty damned funny that no one has bothered to mention that yet?

  The room went quiet for a while and Ava could all but feel a little wave of rage emanating from Mack Duvall toward his oldest son. James picked up on it and his cheeks went event redder. He knew he’d messed up and was waiting for the eventual explosion. To Mack Duvall’s credit, he did not explode. In fact, he slowly walked over to his son and whispered something in his ear. James nodded, went to the corner of the room, and sat down. He looked quite unhappy, making Ava assume Mack had whispered the boy’s punishment into his ear.

  “I’ll ask the obvious question,” Frank said, eyeing both of the Duvall parents. “Given that the bride-to-be was murdered while she slept, why did no one find it important to tell us that your son was going to marry her?”

  “Because it was something that would be announced at a later date,” Mack said, speaking to him as if he were lecturing a two-year-old. “There would be her coming-out party and maybe a few months after that, we’d announce their engagement.”

  “When was it decided they would get married?” Ava asked. The question was out of her mouth before she had time to think about it. The idea of an arranged marriage between two sixteen year olds in what was supposed to be a civilized America had her blood racing, momentarily breaking through her attempts at staying calm.

  “That is a family matter and none of your concern at all,” Mack said.

  Ava knew she was going to have to step away or she was going to end up saying something she might regret. Worse, she may end up doing something with her clenched fists. She could see Frank looking at her out of the corner of his eye, as if he could tell she was struggling with the situation.

  “We’re only trying to get to the bottom of this murder,” Frank said.

  Before Mack Duvall could come back with some snide and rude comment, Ava excused herself. She started for the door and said, “I believe I’ll go check on Mrs. Pickett.”

  Before she left, she caught the condescending look on Mack Duvall’s face. He seemed pleased that the woman detective was doing what a woman should do. Stay out of the way. Stay quiet. His poor wife was still looking at the floor as if in search of something she’d dropped.

  Ava had no intention of going to check on Millie Pickett, though. When she left George Pickett’s office, she could hear Millie crying off somewhere to the right. Ava went back to the large foyer and then to the left, where a gorgeous set of double doors led out into the small courtyard. It was really just a glamorized backyard, complete with paver stones, well-maintained rose bushes, and a decorative concrete fountain. She stepped out into the space and, just as Mack Duvall had said, saw a small boy perched on his knees, playing jacks. As she approached him, he was in the process of bouncing the ball. The red ball bounced and he swept up three of the silver jacks with expert precision.

  “Woah,” Ava said, putting on her best impressed-adult act. “That was pretty fast.”

  The boy turned quickly around, a smile of pride on his face. Ava felt comfortable when she drew closer to him. Even when Clarence had been alive, she’d usually been the one to interact with Jeffrey on tough matters. And over the past few weeks, she thought she’d done a pretty good job of walking him through the loss of his father. She was good with children and tended to know how to talk to them based on the situation.

  “You’re James’s brother, right?” Ava asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s your name?”

  He frowned a bit but then seemed to decide that Ava was safe to talk to. “Cole Duvall. What’s yours?”

  “I’m Ava Gold,” she said.

  “Are you here to help because Penny died?”

  “That’s right.”

  Cole nodded, now just rolling the red ball back and forth between his hands. “Everyone is really upset about it, huh?”

  “Yes, it’s very sad when we lose someone. Mr. and Mrs. Pickett are very sad right now. I think it means a lot to them that your parents are here to spend time with them.” She waited a moment, trying to choose the right words before continuing. “But your parents spend a lot of time here, don’t they?”

  “Oh boy, yeah,” Cole said. “Me and James, too.”

  “Do you like that? Do you like spending time with the Picketts?”

  “Sometimes. Mrs. Pickett is awful nice, but sometimes Penny was mean. Not like teasing or nothing, just…sometimes she didn’t want to be around people.”

  “Were there ever arguments about it?” Ava asked, not sure how many more questions she’d be able to ask before he got suspicious. She guessed him to be eight or nine years old, so it wasn’t easy to guess his level of secrecy.

  “Not until last night.”

  Ava felt that she’d gotten to something important without really even trying. She kept her suspicions under control as she went on, though. “What happened last night, Cole?”

  “Penny was really mad at everyone.” He was bouncing the ball again, speaking as if he were doing nothing more than explaining the rules of jacks. “Penny had told everyone that she liked James just fine but didn’t want to marry him. She said she wanted to marry whoever she wanted, and when she was older.”

  “And both of your parents were here for that?”

  Cole nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, and Mommy was crying. She was really sad. But it made Daddy really mad. He was shouting and that got Mr. Pickett to shouting and—”

  He was interrupted by a booming voice from behind them. “Step away from my son right now, you meddlesome witch.”

  Ava did not have to turn around to know that it was Mack Duvall. She stood slowly to face him. He was once again red in the face and for a second or two, Ava thought he might come charging at her. And Lord help her, she almost wanted him to. She was already tiring of these rich pricks thinking they owned the world and that their word was the absolute law.

  “One word of caution,” Ava said. “Mind the way you speak to the police.”

  “I think you should mind the way you speak to your superiors. I told you I did not want my son involved in this and here you are, talking to him.”

  She stepped closer to him and it seemed to confuse him. “And now I know why,” she said. “I got more useful information out of Cole than I did you, your wife, or either of the Picketts. You want to tell me about the argument that occurred here last night?”

  “That is none of your concern!” he shouted. “If you and your partner don’t leave at once, I’ll—”

  “You’ll do absolutely nothing,” Ava said. “First of all, it isn’t your house. And maybe your money has blinded you to this, but despite your riches, you’re not above the law. As a matter of fact, if I wanted to make you come to the station to answer some questions, I easily could.”

  He snarled at her and came forward, taking her bait. “How…dare…you…”

  Ava acted quickly, swiping her cuffs from her belt and slapping one of them on Mack’s right arm. By the time he realized what was happening, she gave him a quick spin around, pulled his other arm behind him and secured the other cuff.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he bellowed. Suddenly, his anger turned to something else—something like bewilderment. It seemed that he legitimately could not believe he’d been bested.

  “You’re under arrest, Mr. Duvall.”

  “For what, in God’s name?”

  The commotion had drawn a crowd to the courtyard doors. Both of the Picketts were standing there, George looking as if he were watching a dragon roaming about his courtyard. Millie Duvall was also looking out and Ava thought she saw the faintest bit of a smile at the corners of her mouth for just a second.

  Frank stood behind them and Ava ignored the look of horror on his face. As she ushered Mack Duvall forward and he continued to scream and protest, though, Frank’s expression changed. And by the time they were halfway back down the Pickett’s hall and to the front door, Frank was the one escorting Mack. The man continued to scream and wail about his innocence and how this was so unfair and unjust, but not even the people they passed in the street seemed to care.

  “Even if you come out of this smelling like roses,” Ava said, “everyone is going to remember this temper tantrum you’re throwing. Take my advice and shut your mouth.”

  Mack looked at her as if he would very well kill her if given the chance. And though she supposed she understood the reaction given his status, it also made her think this man might very well indeed be capable of murder.

  CHAPTER SIX

  When Ava and Frank hauled Mack Duvall into the precinct, Ava was very much aware that she may have made a mistake by arresting the man. The wide eyes and whispered voices throughout the precinct only solidified this suspicion. But she had quickly learned to look past such things. As a female detective that earned her place in record time and by total luck of the draw and circumstance, she knew there was always going to be attention on her. The balance she was trying to strike was knowing when to ignore that attention and when to consider that it might be warranted.

  As she opened the interrogation room door and Frank ushered Mack inside, Ava managed to look past such worries. She was finding that she enjoyed this part of the job—not because it gave her the right to question people--but because this was where she really felt the puzzle of it all starting to slip into place. This was where the pieces were found, where the mystery could truly start to be solved.

  When Mack took the seat behind the scarred oak table in the center of the room, he did so with a heavy sort of thud—yet again bringing Ava’s temper tantrum comparison to mind. It was clear he wasn’t used to being in situations like this and he was trying to figure out which sort of approach to take—stubborn and mean or trying to play the victim. Currently, he was failing at both.

  “We’ll start simple enough,” Ava said. “I want to know why no one bothered telling us that your son was supposed to be married to Penny Pickett.”

  He struggled with saying anything. She could tell he was working his way through his options, trying to figure out what was going to make him look best when this was all over. Frank apparently knew this as well because he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall trying to seem as casual as he could.

  “Look,” Frank said. “People already saw you cuffed. Maybe not many, but some. The easier you make the next several minutes, the bigger chance you come out of this looking helpful. It’s up to you, really. The longer you’re here being stubborn, the fishier it’s going to seem to anyone that finds out you were hauled in.”

  “Really?” he said. “I don’t recall having much of a choice when I was arrested by this crazy dame!”

  “That’s not quite how being arrested works,” Ava said dryly. “Now, how about answering my question.”

  He took another ten seconds to glare at Ava, as if he were trying to burn a hole through her with his hatred. Finally, he said, “Because in these modern times, people frown on arranged marriages. Well, in this country, anyway. But that’s sort of ignorant. Money marrying money just ensures that both families can continue their legacy. And in the case of myself and the Duvalls, no one was in it against their will. We both thought it was a good idea. George and I even planned a merger of our businesses around it. If it all worked out, our families could be set for generations.”

  “Based on what Cole told me, Penny wasn’t a big fan,” Ava said. “And being the bride-to-be, I’d think her voice would matter.”

  “She was too young. There’s no way she could understand legacies and how to better her own future.”

  Just when Mack Duvall hit one low, he seemed to find a way to go even lower. Aside from the man that had killed her husband, she wasn’t sure she’d ever detested a man more.

  “And when was the wedding supposed to take place?” Frank asked. He’d stepped up to take the lead and Ava thanked him for it. She wasn’t sure how much more she could speak with the goon.

  “We’d planned it for the month after she turned eighteen. The plan was to have her and James be seen in public as a couple here and there between her coming-out party and her eighteenth birthday, with an engagement somewhere during her seventeenth year.”

  “Was Penny ever on board with this?” Frank asked.

  “Lord yes. When we first presented her and James with the plan about a year ago, she was thrilled. She and her mother were talking about wedding dresses and wedding ceremonies, and honeymooning in Paris.”

  “But last night…?” Frank asked. Ava noticed how he left the comment open, not really asking a question, but leaving the question open-ended for Mack to answer. She liked the idea and stored it away for future use.

  “Last night as we were all trying to plan the party for today, she had a change of heart. She said she only wanted to ever get married for love, not because two families thought it was a good idea.”

  “And I take it you and Mr. Pickett didn’t take kindly to this, correct?”

  Mack sighed and nodded. “I admit, I lost my head and said things I shouldn’t have said. In fact, George and I talked about it this morning and it was all forgiven. We made plans to speak with both Penny and James a few days after the party.”

  “So you felt the need to have George forgive you?” Ava asked. “Does that mean he didn’t exactly take your side?”

  “Well, no. Not right away. Then again, George always was a pushover when it came to Penny. We were both blindsided by Penny’s change of heart, and we took it differently He saw a daughter in distress before he saw plans for the future of his family in the many years to come. I understand it; but in that moment, I did not see it.”

  “Are you on good terms now?” Frank asked.

  “As far as I know. We had the discussion about an hour and a half before Penny’s body was found. Naturally, it has not come up, as he has worse things to worry about.”

  Frank looked over to Ava before he took a single step towards the table. “Mr. Duvall, the questions I’m about to ask you are not meant to sound accusatory. We’d have to ask the same questions of anyone in this room that was currently your position. So let that settle in before you get defensive.”

  Mack looked very uncomfortable, but gave a curt little nod. Ava was pretty certain the man knew what was coming and was squirming in his seat because of it.

  “When did you leave the Pickett home last night?”

  “I don’t know an exact time, but it was shortly before eleven.”

  “Was the party the topic of conversation most of the night?”

  “It was. Near the end we were simply enjoying some brandy and laughing, talking about nonsense. But other than that, yes—it was all about the party.”

  “And did you go straight home after you left there?”

  “Yes, we did.”

  Ava enjoyed watching Frank at work. He spoke softly and casually but there was something about the way he stood over the table that seemed silently intimidating. She was beginning to understand that there was a lot she could learn from him.

  “Did you go straight to bed when you arrived home?”

  “Yes. I brushed my teeth and change into my bedclothes.”

  “You and your wife both?”

  “Yes.” Mack was starting to get antsy now, growing a bit more tense with each pointed question.

  “Do you know what time your family arrived at the Pickett house this morning?”

  “I arrived just before seven, but Millie and the boys arrived a bit earlier. I was a bit behind because I had to meet with a man at the bank.”

  “So early?”

  “Yes, because I figured my day would be consumed by this party. It was a very important matter—a deal over some land.”

  “Who saw you come in?” Ava asked. “Did you knock or just let yourself in?”

  “I let myself in. We are very close friends.”

  “Did anyone see you come in?” Frank asked.

  “I’m not sure. But I do believe the maid saw me—Evelyn, I believe her name is.”

  Ava considered it all as Frank continued to question him about his whereabouts yesterday afternoon. If Evelyn had indeed seen him enter and there was at least one person that could account for where Mack had been at any given time, it would go a long way towards clearing him for this morning. But if he had just walked in this morning, what would have stopped him from doing so at any point last night when the Picketts had been asleep? Even with the doors locked, might the families be close enough for Mack to know how to get in?