Page 60 of Whispers of Sin
“Robert.” The calm statement came from Mr. Gaston. He even leaned forward and placed a hand on his clients’ shoulders, though Lorelei was now clutching her husband’s handkerchief to the point that Brook was assured she’d hit her mark. “Ms. Sloane, you made mention of the fact that this could be done quietly. My clients appreciate your—”
“This is ludicrous,” Robert exclaimed in a mixture of rage and disbelief as he shrugged off his lawyer’s hand. “My wife did not killer her sister. Lorelei, say something in your defense.”
Robert’s directive seemed to bring Lorelei to life, and she reached over for his hand while maintaining eye contact with Brook.
“Did it ever occur to you that Rachel Lee is sick? She used to hang onto people in high school, and Bella was no exception. It’s obvious that I’m being framed, and it’s probably due to the advice that I gave Bella to stay far away from Rachel Lee.” Lorelei wasn’t going to break, and her next statement alerted Brook to the fact that she knew there was a possibility she was being played at the moment. “What are these so-called items that Detective Hartley has discovered at our residence? Considering our past, I’m not so sure that whatever has been found wouldn’t be thrown out in court, as it should be. What you are accusing me of…”
Lorelei let a catch in her voice be heard, prompting Robert to instantly react and pull her into his embrace. Brook was nauseated at such a performance, and it became clear that she would have to do the exact thing that Sylvie had warned her against. Unfortunately, one slip and the entire pretense would come crushing down around them.
Yet only one thing came to mind on what Lorelei would want to burn into ash.
“Robert, where did you have sex with Piper Zimmer?”
Brook met Theo’s gaze, who must have been fed information by Bit regarding her conversation with Sylvie. Would he believe that she was taking too much of a chance, or could he see just how calculating and mindful Lorelei had been in committing these crimes? The slight nod of his head gave his answer.
“I won’t sit here and—”
“A year had passed since Bella’s death, and Robert was pulling away from you again, wasn’t he?” Brook had directed her question toward Lorelei, but the single inquiry had achieved its purpose. Robert slowly pulled away and stared at his wife with suspicion. “You couldn’t stage an accident, because it wouldn’t have solicited the same reaction from your husband. It was then that you realized you had to tie Piper’s death into your sister’s murder. You wanted the same doting husband that he’d been in the months following Bella’s death. Only you hadn’t purchased the same makeup, belt, or plastic bag that you used on your sister. You had to start from scratch.”
Brook had purposefully relied on her profile instead of taking the chance of saying the wrong thing. She was confident that Lorelei had pictures of Robert’s affair with Piper, and that those photographs were somewhere inside their residence. Maybe there were photographs of the victims, or even something to tie Lorelei to her sister’s murder. Whatever the items, they were most likely ash right about now.
They needed Lorelei’s confession.
“Robert, you can’t seriously believe that I had anything to do with their deaths?” Lorelei asked tentatively as she reached for him. Robert stood in such a way that displayed his confusion on what he should do and how he should act. “Rachel Lee is a sick, sick woman. She is setting me up, and—”
“Would you like to know where you went wrong, Lorelei?”
Brook couldn’t allow Lorelei to get the upper hand.
“Robert, I need you,” Lorelei pleaded as she stared up at her husband. “Don’t let—”
“The dark substance underneath your fingernails wasn’t soil from replotting a plant,” Brook stated loudly to snap the couple out of the bubble that they were creating around them. Old habits had a way of taking over, and she needed both of them to stop from moving in that direction. “It was paint, because you needed to finish the painting of Piper Zimmer in order to frame Rachel Lee.”
“Stop it,” Lorelei practically hissed at Brook when Robert placed his hand on the back of his neck in shock. “Robert, please don’t believe a word that she says. I would never—”
“Your wife wouldn’t allow you to see what she was painting earlier this week, would she? Did you know that she paid Piper ten thousand dollars to pose for the so-called painting? That poor woman had no idea that she was volunteering to be sacrificed for your marriage.”
Brook’s last statement pushed Lorelei to the edge, and she swung violently toward Brook without any more pretense of being an innocent wife. The sofa was the only item that prevented a physical altercation.
“I would do it all again,” Lorelei revealed vehemently, her features contorted in rage. “All of it. You’re damn right they were sacrifices. Bella always said that she would do whatever was necessary for me to achieve my dreams. She loved me. Robert loves me, but he needs to be reminded of that from time to time. Do you really think that this will come between us? You’re naïve if you believe that I won’t get off on an insanity plea, and guess who will be there to visit me every single day? Tell her, Robert. Tell her how much you love me.”
Robert released a sound of anguish and despair.
“Lorelei Jameson, you are under arrest for the murders of…”
Chief Rogan read Lorelei her rights, but she hadn’t technically admitted to murdering her sister or Piper Zimmer. Theo wasn’t satisfied, either. Fortunately, Lorelei’s rights had been read when Theo delivered the final blow.
“Don’t feel bad that you didn’t see the signs, Mr. Jameson. After all, Bella voluntarily put that bag over her head in the name of art. I can’t only imagine the betrayal, devastation, and fear that Bella must have experienced in the moment when Lorelei held her arms down.”
“I reassured her every step of the way, you bastard! My sister understood why I had to take such extremes, and it broke my heart to say goodbye to her,” Lorelei all but screamed as Chief Rogan secured his handcuffs around her wrists. “Her death wasn’t in vain.”
“Lorelei, not another word,” Mr. Gaston warned from his place behind the couch.
“And Piper Zimmer?” Theo taunted as he took a step forward to accompany Chief Rogan and Lorelei to the police station. Considering this was officially a federal investigation, everything would need to be documented by a member of S&E Investigations. “Piper’s death was all about revenge, wasn’t it? She had no idea that you knew of her affair with your husband.”
“Piper Zimmer can rot in hell,” Lorelei sneered as Chief Rogan attempted to lead her toward the door. She wasn’t done having her say, much to her lawyer’s disappointment. “And I was so happy to be the one to send her there.”
“Lorelei, please,” Robert managed to say after he’d cleared his throat several times. “Please, don’t say another word.”