Chandeliers kept the space bright, the place buzzing with energy. Though now that was due to the shock and speculation over Mama Pearl’s death, versus anticipation for the summit.
I scanned the room as we descended the grand staircase but didn’t spot Will and Heidi. I hoped, for their sakes, they’d already been questioned and released. There were thousands of witnesses and possible suspects—the police would be getting their statements and collecting evidence until the wee hours.
I did however, spot Avery Ann—the doe-eyed assistant who’d given Ralph a look that lingered just a little too long. Out of habit, I reached over and grabbed Peter’s arm, jerking my chin in her direction.
“Five o’clock.”
He looked down at my hand, and I hastily released my grip on his hard, muscled arm. A warmth spread through my chest—followed immediately by a pang of annoyance with myself. I shouldn’t find him hot anymore—he’d rather stick by his preconceived prejudices than view the real person in front of him and make up his own mind.
My shoulders slumped as I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He spotted Avery Ann and gave me a slight nod. My heart felt heavy in my chest. Except, he was also the man who’d gone out of his way to help me by giving me a job when he could tell I was in need and had stood up for me to his colleagues and boss, and saved my life more times than I could count. He’d brought me little treats and made me laugh and saw something in me even when I was at my lowest.
I followed him and Daisy down the last few steps and wound through the thousands of white-clad ladies toward Avery Ann, who stood to the side near the auditorium doors. Why couldn’t my life just be simple for once? If he was just a straight-up jerk, I wouldn’t have to miss him so much.
Avery Ann was talking with another lady when we walked up. The woman murmured something in her ear, then moved away. The young assistant spun to face us, her curly ponytail bobbing behind her, and her huge eyes grew even wider.
“Oh! Officers.” She blinked and hugged the clipboard tighter to her chest. “You’re done upstairs with Ralph?”
Peter nodded.
“Oh, okay then.” She flashed him a shy smile. “Then I’ll just hop up there and see if he needs anything.”
Peter sidestepped and blocked her way. “Actually, Miss—?”
She waved a hand and flashed a bright smile. “Oh—everyone just calls me Avery Ann.”
Peter nodded. “Alright. Well, Avery Ann, we’d actually like to ask you a few questions.” He turned to me, brows raised.
I nodded and stepped forward as she looked wide-eyed from Peter to me.
“You—you want to ask me questions?” She touched her fingertips to her collarbone.
I nodded. “We understand that you recently accompanied Ralph Litt on a trip to the Mediterranean?”
She drew herself up taller, shoulders back, chin up—the picture of good posture. “Yes. I was one of about thirty Potent Potions employees and independent consultants chosen to attend a work-sponsored event about two weeks ago.” She gave a self-satisfied nod.
Peter and I exchanged looks—guess he forgot to ignore me that time. She’d just sounded so rehearsed. Something was definitely up here.
Peter stepped in. “Where were you earlier this evening when Pearl Litt collapsed on stage?”
Her throat bobbed, and she took a few quick, shallow breaths. “I work as an assistant for Pearl and Ralph. I was helping coordinate speeches and was standing to the side, ready to cue Opal Whitaker up next.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And what do you do on a normal day for the Litts?”
“I’m their executive assistant—I do administration.”
The girl was nervous—that much was obvious—but was it just normal nerves about speaking to the police or was it because she was our killer? I bit my lip. As much as I’d have loved to catch the culprit and call it a night so this awful awkwardness with Peter could end, I had to admit I doubted Avery Ann was capable of plotting such a thing. Or of plotting anything, to be honest. The girl blinked her huge, vacant eyes at us—didn’t seem like a whole lot was going on inside that head.
Peter cleared his throat, and her attention snapped to him. “Did you handle the vial Pearl drank from?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Daisy wagged her tail. True.
I leaned into one hip. “Did you want her dead?”
She gasped. “No!”
Daisy growled. Lie.
I crossed my arms. So little miss doe eyes wasn’t quite as innocent as she seemed.
“My partner here says you’re lying.” Peter cocked a brow. “It’s a serious offense to lie to a police officer.”
Avery Ann’s eyes grew even bigger as her gaze darted around the room. She inched closer to us and lowered her voice so that she was barely audible over the murmur of the huge crowd. “I didn’t kill Pearl!”
We all three looked to Daisy, who wagged her tail. True.
Avery Ann’s shoulders sagged with relief, and she blew out a breath.
“Then why did you want her dead?” I thought I already had a pretty good idea and it had to do with wanting to be with Ralph—though I had to question the girl’s sanity if she was into that greasy orange older guy.
Her throat bobbed, and her voice stayed barely above a whisper so that Peter and I had to lean close to catch her words. Even Daisy’s big pointy ears swiveled her way.
“I didn’t want her dead—not really, anyway. It’s just—she pushed me! She was really hard on me.”
Daisy wagged her tail but let out a quiet bark. Partially true.
Maybe Pearl had suspected her husband of having an affair with Avery Ann and had been extra hard on the girl. Then again, she didn’t seem like the brightest spell in the book—maybe everything seemed hard to her.
“Did you tamper with the
