Fishing for the timeline in this so-called conversation was proving difficult. “I’m still uncertain as to how you learned all this from Chrissy…after we left Georgia?” Melanie asked.
“Have you heard today’s news, Uncle Trevor?” The drama queen gasped and ran to his side. “I was hoping to spare you that part. Chrissy has gone missing, perhaps lying at the bottom of the river.” The woman’s voice cracked with emotion. “And now her roommate is here, still breathing, when the papers say she was allegedly kidnapped and suffered the same fate. Don’t you see, Uncle, she set the whole thing up – probably overdosed Chrissy and left her in the river for the fish to eat. It’s clear she’s after Chrissy’s inheritance?” Chelsea’s excited pitch heightened as she spun the tale.
“Chelsea – there are two things you may not know about Miss Braxton: She is heir to more money than she could ever swindle from your sister, and secondly, she is a police officer. Sworn to uphold the law, not break it.”
“You, more than anyone, know that not everyone on the force is pure and untarnished.”
“I’m a lawyer and not easily deceived,” Trevor said. “What I do find difficult to swallow is your sudden concern for your sister.”
“You make me sound horrid! Of course, I care for my family.” Chelsea’s voice broke and she dabbed at an imaginary tear at the corner of her eye. When she saw that her uncle was untouched by her drama, she waved the bag of drugs. “How do you explain the drugs?”
Melanie intervened. “Please Mr. Knight – if she found them in my room, we should investigate. Someone is responsible, and since I am innocent, we may uncover a mole in the case.”
“You’re right.” Trevor removed an envelope from his top drawer and walked over to his niece. “The innocent need never worry. Slip the bag in here.”
“Why?” she all but screamed. “Don’t you trust your own blood relative? Send her away. I don’t want her here.”
“Last time I checked, you didn’t live here,” Trevor said, nodding to the bag she gripped tightly. She reluctantly dropped the drugs in the envelope. He turned his back on her and returned to the desk. “I will give it to the authorities and they will dust it for fingerprints. The results will reveal all the greedy little fingers that have handled the bag.” He reached for his phone.
“The test will prove useless,” cried Chelsea. “My fingerprints are all over it now. Why can’t you just face the facts and send this scheming tramp away?”
“Chelsea, watch your tongue, or you will be the one leaving this house – on the toe of my boot,” he added firmly. “Now, dinner will be served in an hour, scant time to put your ugly accusations to rest. Then, Melanie and I are going out. Why don’t you go home and rethink your approach for tomorrow evening?”
Trevor Knight cast a generous smile Melanie’s way. She sensed Chelsea’s anger and embarrassment. Her uncle managed to expel such a mixture of emotions everywhere he went – warm and inviting at the drop of a hat or cold and firm when the need arose.
Melanie attempted one final petition toward Chelsea. “Chelsea, where did you say you met with Chrissy?”
“In South Carolina. I was there yesterday meeting up with a friend and I decided to look her up.”
Melanie swallowed the lump in her throat. Chelsea was burying herself deeper with every word. She wondered if the woman was just stupid or if she was an innocent pawn for some greater kingpin. She settled on desperate. But the question remained – had Chelsea’s friend been the illustrious Stephen Alexander or Drew?
Two uniformed police officers arrived less than fifteen minutes later. When Doug walked into the room, Melanie jumped up and hurried toward him. “Doug – what a nice surprise.”
“Mel?” He chuckled. “Why am I not shocked to find you at the scene of a crime?” Doug hugged her quickly and then released her. He turned to Trevor and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Knight but, Mel and I go a long way back. She used to tag along on investigations saying she was going to be a great detective someday. Always found the hole in the case that put the bad guys away. But she moved away before she received her just promotions.”
Chelsea placed her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. The room filled with her loud accusing voice. “Really, Uncle Trevor? This whole situation is suddenly biased, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Sit, Chelsea, and let the men do their job,” was his only response.
Doug glanced Melanie’s way, raised his eyebrows, and withdrew a pad from his pocket. “Okay. Back to business. What can I help you with, Mr. Knight?”
“My niece has found a bag of drugs in one of the rooms upstairs.” When Chelsea threatened to erupt, Trevor shot her a warning scowl, and she backed down. “Melanie has suggested you could have fingerprints lifted from the Ziplock bag.”
“We certainly can do that. Do you want to make a statement, miss?” He looked at Chelsea, who lowered her eyes and shook her head no. Doug looked in Melanie’s direction. “And, you, Mel – would you like to add any details to the case of the lonely bag? Possession of illegal drugs is a serious crime, and finding them here begs questions to be answered.”
“The results of the test will speak for itself. Perhaps when you return with the names, we’ll examine the possibilities surrounding the find,” Melanie said.
Doug turned his attention back to Trevor. “So, that’s it?”
“Sounds like a good place to start, don’t you think?”
“I will have to ask all
