* * *
Allie tried her best to answer Nick’s questions. She took him through the past few weeks step by step, carefully avoiding any mention of the footage Julian was using as leverage. The fact that Hudson had exposed himself to blackmail the night he helped Nick cover up his dealer’s accidental death was only one part of a very complicated story. But Allie knew it would be the only part Nick would cling to, and in doing so would blame himself for everything that had transpired since. There was no way Allie would let him live with that guilt. Protecting Nick would be the approach Hudson would take if he were there. Following what she knew would be his wishes was the least she could do for him.
“So did you get the bastard on tape?” Nick asked when she was done.
Allie pulled the recording device out of her pocket. It was splattered with blood, but whether it was Julian’s or Hudson’s, she couldn’t say. Either way, the sight of the dark red streaks caused her stomach to roll. “The device was on, but I don’t know if it picked up the conversation or not. I haven’t had a chance to play it.”
“Would you like me to listen to it?” Ben offered
She nodded. “Yes, please.” Hearing Julian gloat about murdering her parents in cold blood had been bad enough the first time. She certainly didn’t need to hear him taunt her again from beyond the grave.
Ben had no sooner left when Harper moved to take the seat he’d vacated next to her. “So my best friend got married and I didn’t even get a piece of cake?” she asked. She tried to keep her tone playful but Allie saw right through her attempt to lighten the mood.
Nick spun on his heel, shooting her a look from the spot where he’d begun pacing. “Yeah, what the fuck is that about?”
“Nick!” Harper said.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way,” he said, looking remorseful and suddenly shy. “You know I’m crazy about you, Allie, and goddamn, you’re the best thing that ever happened to my brother.” He sat in the chair on her other side. “But the mighty Hudson Chase with a ball and chain is not something I ever thought I’d see.”
In spite of everything, Allie smiled. She reached for each of their hands and held them tight. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. We both really wanted you to be there. And we plan on doing it again if . . .”
“When,” Harper corrected. “You’ll get married again when Hudson recovers. And I don’t care what he says, I’m throwing you a bachelorette party. There’s no way I’m missing out on Chippendale action just because you’re already married.”
Nick perked up. “Does that mean I can hire a—”
“No.” Harper cut him off before he’d even had a chance to get the word “stripper” out of his mouth.
Nick gave a small laugh. “S’okay. Mr. Uptight probably wouldn’t go for it anyway.”
The door opened and Ben walked back into the room. “Alessandra,” he said, his voice low. “Detective Green is here. She would like to take your statement. I told her this wasn’t a good time, but . . .”
“Did you listen to the recording?”
He nodded. “It’s all there.” His eyes clouded and she knew he was reliving the loss of his best friend all over again. “With any luck we can put this to rest quickly.”
Detective Green was waiting for them at the nurse’s station. She offered a brief hello, asking if there had been any update on Hudson’s condition before leading them to a small room at the end of the corridor. Inside the confined space was a chair and loveseat, and on the table between them rested a box of tissues. It was the room where family members were given bad news, and a quiet moment to grieve. Just being there made Allie’s skin mist with a cold sweat.
“Please, have a seat, Miss Sinclair,” she said, lowering herself into the armchair.
“It’s Mrs. Chase, actually,” Allie murmured. She and Ben Weiss sat side by side on the small sofa.
The detective stilled momentarily before continuing to unpack her notepad and pen from a worn leather satchel. Somewhere in the back of Allie’s mind it registered that this was a woman who was not often caught off guard. “Congratulations. I wasn’t aware you and Mr. Chase had married.”
“It’s a very recent development,” Ben answered on her behalf. “And one they chose not to share with the press at this time. I’m sure you can understand, given the media scrutiny Miss . . . Mrs. Chase has been under since her parents’ passing.”
“Not to mention Mr. Laurent’s reaction,” Green added. Allie’s gaze flicked up from the scratch on the wood coffee table that had become her focal point and met the detective’s steady gaze. “I spoke to Max Knight at the scene,” she said, and not for the first time Allie wondered if that was really his last name. “He explained that Mr. Laurent had been threatening you.”
Ben shifted forward in his seat. “If you’ve already taken his statement, I don’t see why this can’t wait given the current situation.”
The look on the female detective’s face made it clear their meeting wasn’t up for debate. “Which is why we’re speaking here rather than at the station.” She turned to Allie. “I need you to tell me your version of the events that lead up to the incident tonight at Mayflower Place.”
Allie took a deep breath. She knew full well Max would have never revealed what Julian had been holding over their heads. Without a doubt his statement would have been brief and to the point, focusing on Julian’s crimes, not Hudson’s. “Julian contacted me when we were in Europe over New Year’s. He wanted me to return his ring, but when I brought it to him, he was livid that I had ended our engagement. In his mind I had backed out on a business deal and he was to be compensated.”
The detective didn’t write a single word in the notebook she held in her hands. Instead, she kept her eyes trained on Allie. The scrutiny left her painfully aware of not only the words she spoke, but every movement or gesture she made. She folded her hands in her lap in an effort to keep her trembling fingers from betraying her nerves.
“He wanted me to break up with Hudson, then offer to take him back only if he signed over his interest in Ingram Media. Once that was accomplished, Julian wanted me to marry him with a prenup in place that gave him full reign over the company he felt he rightfully deserved.”
“What did you tell him?”
Allie let out a disgusted huff. “That he was crazy and that there was no way I would ever agree. That’s when he told me he killed my parents.” Her voice cracked and her gaze dropped to her hands. After a beat passed, she cleared her throat. “He murdered them, Detective, same as if he’d been the one to pull the trigger.” Allie met her shrewd stare. “And he was threatening to harm Hudson if I didn’t do exactly as he instructed.”
“Did it ever occur to you to contact to the police?” Green asked, scribbling a few words in the notepad that Allie couldn’t make out.
“Of course it did. But the investigation wasn’t yielding any results, and I didn’t have any proof. It was my word against his. Until now. I had a digital recorder tucked inside my blouse tonight. Julian discovered it just before Hudson arrived.” She swallowed hard. “It was what set him off.”
“He admitted his involvement?”
Allie nodded. “Everything.”
Ben reached for the device inside his suit jacket. It was wrapped in the handkerchief that usually peeked from the front pocket in an immaculate square. “It’s all on here.”
Green pulled a plastic bag marked EVIDENCE out of her leather satchel and sealed the recorder inside.
“Julian Laurent killed my parents, and right now all I can do is sit in that waiting room praying he hasn’t taken my husband as well. Julian might be dead, but the damage he’s done is irreversible. For that he will never fully be out of my life, but the sooner I can start trying to put him behind me, the better.”
“If what’s on this device corroborates your story, I don’t anticipate any further issues.” Her eyes softened. “I’m not an especially religious woman, Mrs. Chase, not with what I see on a daily basis. But I’ll be praying for your husband’s recovery. If anyone deserves a happy ending, it’s the two of you.”