Dinner for Two, Death for One

Released

My heart sank, but I quickly composed myself. "Any girl would do the same thing if they were in my place. That's not proof of motive."

The room's door creaked open. A cop came in and whispered something to him.

Felix scanned me closely and nodded.

"We've gotten the footage from Queenie's neighborhood. We also found that there are no signs of you going in or out around the time of the crime. You may leave, but you're still a suspect. We'll call you whenever we need your assistance."

They uncuffed me. I stood up and massaged my wrists before scrutinizing the cop who came in. "Did Queenie give you the footage?"

The cop shot me a suspicious look. "We got it ourselves. Couldn't get to Queenie."

I pressed no further and left the room.

Queenie was right outside the station, and she clasped my hand immediately. Her eyes were red-rimmed.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you? I brought the footage from last night and all the recordings too. The guards can also prove you were home all night."

A grin curled my lips, and I linked my hands around Queenie's arm. "It's alright. The cops have gotten the footage. I'm fine now. Come on, I have a job to quit, and then we're celebrating! Shawn's dead!"

I got back to the company, but my colleagues avoided me like the plague. Some eyed me with doubt, some with fear, and some with glee.

Queenie didn't let go of my hand. "Ignore them. They're nothing more than strangers from now on."

"I know."

The company processed my resignation as fast as they could. I figured this was one of the perks of getting involved in a murder case. They even gave me my last salary and the money for Shawn's last dinner without raising a fuss.

We left the company, and I hugged Queenie happily. "You've always wanted to try out a 3-star Michelin place. Come on, it's my treat!"

…

I ordered the lobster Queenie always wanted, king crabs, and all the flashy but bland items.

We were halfway through our meal when my phone buzzed. Felix.

"There is a new discovery about the case. We'll need you here right now."

And there went my good mood.

Queenie consoled me gently, saying, "No one can punish you for things you didn't do. Go. I'll be waiting at home."

Felix took me to the interrogation room right after I arrived.

He presented a written testimonial. "Testimonial from the restaurant's waitress. She overheard you on the phone with Shawn. 'Someone's going to kill you first if I don't, you vile scum!' Did that happen? Who's the one who helped you?"

I let out a defeated laugh. "That's why you called me over in the dead of the night? He made me pay nearly 4,000 dollars when he knew I was broke! You'd want him dead after that, too!"

Felix grunted and put the testimonial aside before focusing his attention on me again. This time, he sounded more serious. "We found a backup phone at Shawn's place. There's a record of a call at 11:30 last night.

"It lasted for three minutes. He was talking to you, but you claimed to have no contact with him after leaving the restaurant. What about that, then?"

My mind buzzed as fury coursed through my veins.