The Last Lie Told (Finley O’Sullivan, #1)(38)
Surprised at the comment, Finley asked, “Now that you’ve said it, can you elaborate?”
Cherry stared at her for a long, tense moment. “Lance was so careful with his public persona. But behind closed doors he was a control freak, and at times, he was utterly cruel.” She shuddered visibly. “Getting sucked into that relationship was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Interesting that no suggestion of that sort had made its way into the police reports or the news. “Has anyone in the family been in contact with you at any time since the murder?”
“I did all within my power to avoid those women.” She drew in a deep breath. “Frankly, I was terrified of them. In the beginning I couldn’t be sure if my son was Lance’s or not, and I didn’t want to risk one of them deciding to try to hurt him if it turned out he was Lance’s child.”
“You didn’t care that your son might be an heir to the Legard fortune?” Hard to swallow coming from a self-professed former gold digger.
“Believe me, after what I went through, no amount of money was worth diving back into that ugliness. Then last year when Elton and I ran into each other, it was obvious whose child he was. Brantley is his father’s son.” She laughed. “They have the same nose. The eyes are exactly the same. There’s no question.”
“You never noticed this before you ran into Elton again last year?” It was difficult to believe she wouldn’t recognize her ex-lover’s nose and eyes in her child, and she’d just stated that she avoided the Legards since she couldn’t be sure which man was the father.
Cherry smiled, but the expression was strained. “Obviously you don’t have children, Ms. O’Sullivan. If you did, you’d understand that they change so much as they move from being toddlers to little boys. Their features become much more pronounced. I was with Brantley every day, so I didn’t really notice all the subtle changes until I was face to face with Elton. It was stunning for all involved.”
“Why not just do the test and be certain?” Finley pushed.
Cherry smiled patiently. “There really was no need.”
Moving on, Finley asked, “When you were involved, did Lance speak often of the issues with his daughters?”
“He was convinced Cecelia would end up dead or in prison one day. Olivia was a homebody. She never got into trouble. Cecelia was the one always getting into trouble. Those are the things I recall.”
In the end, Olivia had run away from the tragedy and started her own life while Cecelia had become the homebody of sorts who had no life.
“Was there a friend Cecelia seemed particularly close to?” Whatever Finley could learn about one or both twins during that period could prove immensely useful. Particularly considering the conflicting stories of then and now.
Cherry considered the question for a time. “The only one I recall was . . .” Her forehead furrowed with concentration. “Bethany. Bethany something.” She made an aha face. “Briggs. Bethany Briggs.”
Whoa. Finley nearly got whiplash from the double take she did. “You’re certain that was her name?”
“Yes. I’m certain.”
Finley fished out her cell phone and pulled up a photo of the only Bethany Briggs she knew. “Is this the Bethany Briggs who was friends with Cecelia?”
Cherry stared at the photo for a moment, then nodded. “That’s her. Definitely.”
Wow. “Her father is the Davidson County district attorney,” Finley explained, more than a little stunned. “You’re sure about this?”
Cherry made a scoffing sound. “Oh yes. I’m certain—and I’m also certain he had no clue what his daughter was up to. Drugs, crazy sex parties. She and Cecelia were constantly trying to outdo each other with some challenge.”
“What sort of challenges?”
She shrugged. “Like sneaking into stranger’s homes and watching them. God only knows what all they did. I’m talking insanely wild. Once Lance said something like ‘serial killers in the making.’” Cherry winced. “He was probably kidding.”
But was he?
Bethany Briggs. No wonder Finley’s former boss was so concerned about this case. His daughter had been best friends with one of the potential suspects.
Finley removed a card from her bag and passed it to the other woman. “Please call me if you think of anything else that might help sort out this business.”
“Of course.”
They were nearly to the door when a boy rushed in, sending Cherry back a step.
“Slow down, sweetie,” she chided.
“Mom! Wait until you see—” He stopped. Stared at Finley.
Finley smiled as Cherry introduced her son. He did resemble the multitude of Elton Inglewood images plastered all over the net. But was that because Cherry had suggested it? Suggestion was a powerful influencer.
Checking out Inglewood’s airtight alibi went on Finley’s agenda. Right behind Bethany Briggs and Alisha Arrington.
14
3:05 p.m.
Inglewood Residence
Morning Glory Court
Brentwood
“Damn it.” Finley gripped her cell tighter as the call to Jack went to voice mail. She needed to talk to him. “Jack, call me as soon as you get this message. We need to talk.”