All Dressed in White (Under Suspicion #2)(52)
Laurie saw the pieces of the puzzle falling together. “If Amanda went up to Jeff’s room that night after their separate parties, she might have wanted to try on her ring—maybe as a test to see how she felt about it. If she changed her mind and decided to call things off, a fight might have ensued. Jeff could have killed her and buried the body without remembering to remove the ring.”
As usual, Alex was following her logic step by step. “When he realized his mistake, filing an insurance claim for the stolen rings after he got back to New York could have been a way to cover for the fact that her wedding band was missing. But he never filed a claim.”
The detective smiled. “I appreciate the information, but you should leave the police work to us.”
“Are you sure about that, Detective?” Alex asked swiftly. “Because we’re supposed to question your number one suspect in half an hour, and for now he has no idea you found Amanda with that ring on her finger. And rest assured, I’m going to ask him about that.”
51
Jeff looked handsome in a tan summer suit and plaid bow tie. They had asked him to wear something similar to what he had planned to wear for the wedding ceremony. He was showing Alex the beachside pergola where they were supposed to exchange vows in front of their family and closest friends.
“It’s a truly beautiful setting,” Alex observed. “I can’t resist asking about your somewhat unusual choice of footwear.”
One of the videographers moved forward with a handheld camera to get a shot of Jeff’s sandals.
“Amanda loved the idea of being on the beach for an afternoon wedding,” he said, reminiscing, “but was worried about wearing heels in the sand. She was thrilled when I suggested that we both wear flip-flops for the occasion and encourage our guests to do the same. Then she could change into her white satin Jimmy Choos for the reception.”
Laurie smiled conspiratorially to the woman who handed her the bottle of water she’d requested. Detective Henson had looked like the result of a casting call for a police detective when she was delivering the bad news to the Pierce family. But clad in blue jeans and an Under Suspicion T-shirt, she now blended right in with the rest of the crew. Alex had been the one to convince her that it was in the police department’s interest not to disrupt the production schedule. So far, the police had been able to prevent the news about the discovery of a body beneath the concrete of a parking lot from leaking to the media.
If Jeff was the one who called in the anonymous tip, he might know they had already conducted an excavation. But he would have no way of knowing for certain that they had located either Amanda’s body or the wedding ring. They still had the upper hand.
Jeff seemed comfortable in front of the cameras, telling Alex once again how much he admired his skills as a lawyer.
“We’ll see if you still like me when we’re finished here,” Alex said wryly. “Let’s start by getting something clarified upfront. You married Amanda’s best friend, Meghan, just fifteen months after you were supposed to marry Amanda. You must have known that was going to raise some eyebrows.”
“Of course we did, Alex. That’s why we didn’t have a big wedding and kept the news relatively private. But we were deeply in love. Getting married to each other was a way to remind ourselves that life needed to move on. We wanted to move on together.”
“You don’t think that sounds cold?”
“Maybe it does, but it didn’t feel cold to either of us. We both loved Amanda. It was losing her that brought us together as a couple. We helped each other through the grief.”
“So you’re officially going on the record to say there was nothing going on between you and Meghan prior to Amanda’s disappearance.”
“I swear on my very life,” he said, holding up one hand as an oath.
“Your wife told us that Amanda changed after she survived her illness. That she developed a harder edge. Was less patient. I think she even used the word selfish. Amanda’s own sister echoed the sentiment. That must have placed some strain on your relationship.”
“I doubt Meghan meant to use that particular word, but yes, it’s fair to say that Amanda was a different person once she was past the treatment. Who wouldn’t be affected by having a brush with death at such a young age? If anything, it made me admire her even more. She was determined to live her life to its fullest.”
“We’ve heard from one of your friends that the two of you would sometimes argue.”
“I mean, sure, like any couple. But nothing unusual. Look, it’s true that our relationship wasn’t perfect, and that was related to her getting past the illness. We really fell in love while she was sick. Once she was better, she was less dependent on me, and sometimes it was unclear how our lives fit together. In a crazy way, it was almost like there was a void without the illness.”
“Amanda even spoke to Kate about the possibility of calling off the wedding.”
Jeff appeared surprised by the assertion. “I can’t imagine why. We were both so excited to be husband and wife.”
“Amanda told her that something had come up and that she needed to find out more. Are you certain that you did not see Amanda the night after you separated for your bachelor and bachelorette parties?”
“Of course I’m certain.”