Devil She Became (Devil's Angels Book 1) (27 page)

As Ava exited the limo, she smoothed her long platinum wig. She had the concierge bring her expensive luggage inside.

Walking up to the front desk, she checked in. When she requested one of their most expensive suites for an undetermined amount of time, they looked at her like she was crazy.

“Miss, are you aware that this suite is $2,000.00 a night?”

Ava peered over her Chanel sunglasses at him. She quietly removed them and placed them in her Birkin bag. She sighed.
Idiots,
she thought.

“Yes, I am quite aware. It’s not an issue for me.” She waved her hand at him.

He stammered nervously under her steely gaze. “I–I just wanted to be sure you are aware, miss. Now how would you like to pay for this?”

Ava retrieved a black card from her bag. “This should work.”

The clerk’s eyes widened as he accepted the American Express black card from her.

“Absolutely, miss.” The clerk quickly processed her card.

“Is that all?” Ava clicked her nails on the counter.

The clerk nodded. “Yes, miss. Here is your card back and a pass card to your suite. Enjoy your stay.”

Ava gave him a curt nod. “I expect I will.” She winked at him as she sauntered off.

The clerk stared at her in disbelief as he watched her walk away. Ava was such a powerful presence that she always made quite an impression on people.

Walking into her suite, Ava looked out of the huge picture window at the Chicago skyline.
I rather like this city
, she thought.
Perhaps I will stay for a bit and get reacquainted with some old friends.

********

Colt McCallister was exhausted. Running his hands through his hair, he leaned down over his desk. He had been combing through the Wyndham and Grantham case files for weeks, and he hadn’t gotten anywhere. He threw down his hands in frustration, pounding the desk. His intuition may well have been wrong this time. Maybe Grantham had committed suicide, as had Mrs. Wyndham. Perhaps there was no connection between the two at all. He had established that Mrs. Wyndham and Mrs. Grantham had not known each other even though they’d lived in fairly close proximity to each other. Tossing the files aside in disgust, McCallister thought about how much time he had wasted on these cases.

With a quick knock, Detective Alicia Hayes opened the door. “Hey Colt, have you gotten anywhere with that Wyndham case?”

Looking up from his desk, he shook his head. “No. Can’t find a thing. I’m just at my wits’ end with this one. The guy’s clean. No record of any embezzlement, fraud or anything. Don’t know who would want him dead.”

Alicia sat down in the chair across from him. “Ugh. I know. I have spent so much time on that case getting nowhere!” She put her hands behind her head and slumped back.

McCallister nodded sympathetically. “Yep. I just don’t know where else to look.” He tapped a pen on his desk.

“I’m taking off early today.”

“Where are you headed? A quick weekend getaway? Lucky.” McCallister smiled.

Alicia stood up, sighing. “Nope. Just a sorority reunion get together at the Berkshire Room.”

“Sounds fun.” McCallister chuckled. “I didn’t know you were in a sorority. Where did you go to school?”

“Northwestern.”

Northwestern. Colt sat upright. “Really? Which sorority?”

“Delta Delta Delta. Why? Did you go Greek in college?”

McCallister tapped his pen as he was deep in thought. Reese Vogel seemed like the sorority type. What about Mrs. Wyndham? Finding out if either of these women had been in a sorority shouldn’t be difficult.

“Me? No, I was never into all that.” He waved his hand.

“If you don’t have anything else, I need to get going. I will meet with you again tomorrow.”

“Enjoy yourself,” he said as Alicia closed the door behind her.

McCallister texted a contact on his phone.

Can you get me the member lists for all the sororities at Northwestern for the past ten years?

Sure no problem.

A few hours later, McCallister had the lists in his hands. Scanning through them, he searched for Reese Vogel. Bingo! Reese Vogel had been a member of Delta Delta Delta, as had Julia Wyndham. They had attended Northwestern at the same time so they should’ve known each other. It certainly didn’t prove anything, but at least he had a link! He wondered about Darrell Wyndham. He knew he had gone to Northwestern at the same time as Reese Vogel. Perhaps he had been in a fraternity.

Can you get me lists of all the members of fraternities at Northwestern?

Same time period?

Yes.

In a few.

Later, as McCallister poured over the lists, he finally found Darrell Wyndham. He had been a member of Theta Chi at the same time Reese Vogel and his wife, Julia Wasserman Wyndham, had been members of Delta Delta Delta. Coincidence? He didn’t think so. McCallister knew that most sorority and fraternity members interacted at parties and different events, so it wasn’t too farfetched to believe that Vogel had known Wyndham.
But what does that prove?
He thought. Nothing necessarily, but it was enough that he could go back and question Vogel about Wyndham. If he could get her to open up to him a bit without Grantham lurking around, he just might get some answers. Putting the files into his briefcase, McCallister set out to pay the beautiful Ms. Vogel a visit.

Settling into a comfortable chaise outside on the beautiful terrace, Ava flipped through her phone. Looking through the local news headlines, an item jumped off the screen at her.

Billionaire Harlan Grantham and his wife, Rose, wish to announce the wedding of their son, Harrison Neil Grantham, to Reese Amanda Vogel. The lavish wedding is scheduled to take place at St. John’s Cathedral on May 21st with an elaborate reception to follow at the Lake Shore Grand Reception Hall. According to Mr. Grantham, Sr., they are expecting well over 500 guests, including many state and national politicians. The Grantham-Vogel wedding is expected to be the event of the season for Chicago’s elite. It has been rumored that Ms. Vogel will be wearing a Vera Wang custom-designed gown decorated with several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of diamonds. The groom will be wearing a custom Kiton tuxedo. The couple plans to honeymoon in the Maldives.

Motherfucker! Ava tossed her phone aside and shook her head. Well, thanks to her, they had gotten just what they had wanted. Still, something about their upcoming nuptials disturbed Ava. Why was such a beautiful girl like Barbie going to marry such a douchebag like Grantham? Ugh. She supposed he was quite handsome, but he was so arrogant and calculating. Barbie could do so much better than Grantham. Maybe not in the money department, but she deserved more than a huge wad of cash and some big, strong guy dominating her. Despite his good looks, Ava suspected he probably wasn’t worth anything in bed. Reese was gorgeous, vulnerable and simmering with sensuality. Such a combination was extremely arousing to Ava. Recalling their last meeting, she thought of how terrified Barbie had looked when she’d touched her. Ava smiled. There had been something else there. Ava had seen it in her eyes. Reese had a strong, secret desire lurking beneath the surface. She knew it. She had never been wrong about these kinds of things before.

Smiling to herself, she made note of the wedding and reception information. Hmmm. She wondered if she had anything suitable to wear to such a festive occasion.

In her glorious new home, Reese was admiring her exquisite wedding gown that had arrived yesterday. The extravagant gown had a sweetheart neckline low enough to reveal a bit of her tempting cleavage. Real diamonds had been hand sewn onto the neckline and bodice. The sweeping eight-foot train was longer than a traditional cathedral length. It was trimmed with lace and glittered with a smattering of diamonds. Underneath, she planned to wear a pair of lacy white Brazilian-cut panties from Agent Provocateur as well as a custom-designed lace bra. Her shoes were custom-made Louboutins encrusted with diamonds. When she was completely dressed in her gown and shoes, she truly felt like Cinderella! They were even going to be brought to the church in a horse-drawn carriage! Admiring her perfect gown, she thought of how handsome Harrison was going to look in his tuxedo. She was bursting with joy. She didn’t know how she could ever be happier than at this moment. She hummed happily as she pulled on a tight red sweater-dress. It was chillier than normal for this time of year. Reese selected a pair of heels from her vast shoe racks and went downstairs. Harrison had gone in to work for a bit today, and she was planning on doing some shopping for their honeymoon.

Unexpectedly, the doorbell rang. Pulling her hair back from her face, Reese answered the door to see a tall, good-looking man standing there.

“Oh, Detective McCallister, how are you?” Reese sighed deeply.

“Hello, Ms. Vogel, or is it Mrs. Grantham now?”

“Our wedding isn’t for a few weeks, but I’m sure you know that.” Reese stood holding the door impatiently.

She is such a beautiful woman
, he thought.
Grantham is certainly lucky.
She is definitely pretty enough to kill someone for.

“May I come in, Ms. Vogel?” McCallister smiled.

Reese nodded and swung the door open. As McCallister walked through the Gold Coast mansion, he was in awe of the opulence. Beautiful crystal chandeliers decorated the reception hall. The floors were of the finest wood available. Priceless Chinese vases littered the various tabletops throughout the reception hall, and priceless works of art decorated the walls. Originals, he was sure of it.

“Wow, Ms. Vogel. This is quite a house! Are these original Monet paintings?”

Reese turned to him. “Some of them. We have a few Picasso pieces downstairs as well. Upstairs we have a few Van Gogh pieces. All of them were wedding gifts from Harrison’s parents.”

McCallister’s eyes widened.
The lives of the super rich
, he thought.

As they arrived at the terrace, Reese opened the huge French doors. “I think that we would be more comfortable out here. Harrison is away at work, so it’s just me and Tammy, our housekeeper.” Reese gestured to a small older woman standing in the kitchen.

Setting down his briefcase, McCallister pulled out a chair for her. “Wow, Ms. Vogel, you have really done well for yourself.”

Reese sat down. “What do you mean?”

McCallister sat in the chair across from her. “Servants, priceless artwork… coming from such humble beginnings, it must be a lot for you to get accustomed to.”

Reese’s face burned red. “I didn’t grow up poor, detective. My parents were college-educated, professional people. They have a home on Laguna Beach. I wouldn’t exactly call them impoverished.”

McCallister nodded. “Call me Colt.”

Sitting back in her chair, Reese stared him down. “Colt, I wouldn’t exactly call a detective’s salary lucrative… would you?”

McCallister cleared his throat and smiled at her. “No, I wouldn’t either, but my personal finances are not the issue here.”

“And mine are?” Reese raised her eyebrows at him.

“No. I’m sorry, Ms. Vogel.”

“Call me Reese.” She narrowed her eyes, wondering why he was here again. Couldn’t they just leave it alone? Lisa was dead; nothing was going to bring her back. Reese hadn’t killed anyone.

McCallister opened his briefcase to retrieve his files. “Reese, I just wanted to ask you a few questions today.”

Reese nodded. “And I already told you I wouldn’t talk to you without my attorney.”

McCallister held his hands up. “I know, I know, but this isn’t about Lisa Grantham.”

Reese was puzzled. “It isn’t?”

McCallister shook his head. “No. I am having a little trouble on another case, and I thought you might be able to help me.”

Her curiosity aroused, Reese decided to cooperate. “Okay, what is it?”

“A guy named Darrell Wyndham.”

Reese felt herself stiffen. She swallowed hard. How the hell had he made a connection between her and Darrell?

“Who?”

“Perhaps you recall a year or so ago, a man was found murdered in his Gold Coast home a few miles away from here.” McCallister watched her reactions closely.

Reese pursed her lips together. “Yes, I think I remember that.”

McCallister nodded eagerly. “Well, I was just wondering if you knew him or his late wife, Julia.”

Shit. He knew about Julia too. Was he questioning her suicide the same as Lisa’s? Reese sighed deeply.

“Yes, I knew Julia Wyndham from college. We were in a sorority together. I know that she committed suicide a few years ago.”

McCallister nodded. “Yes, she did. So did you know Darrell at all?”

Reese squirmed a bit in her chair, but tried to remain cool. “Somewhat. I mean, we went to the same parties, but that was about it. He and I were never close at all.”

McCallister studied Reese. She seemed quite nervous about something, but he couldn’t tell what. And what exactly did Reese knowing the Wyndhams have to do with Lisa Grantham? He couldn’t quite piece it together.

“I know that you moved back to Chicago a few years ago. Did you change your phone number when you moved?”

Reese nodded. “Yes, why?”

McCallister smiled and laughed to himself. Bingo. She’d fallen right into his trap.

“Forgive me, Colt. I have an appointment in a half hour for a manicure. I need to get going. What is it exactly you want from me?” Reese stood up.

“Did you see them socially as a couple after college?”

Reese denied meeting them again after college.

“Reese, are you sure? That’s not the information I have here.” He tapped his files.

“What do you mean? I just told you I was in San Diego after I graduated. I only came back to Chicago a few years ago.”

McCallister slowly nodded. “Yes, you did. Well, then maybe you can explain why Mr. Wyndham would have your number and email in his cell phone?”

“I probably gave it to him to keep in touch after graduation. No big deal.”

“But you just said that you had changed phone numbers when you moved out here. Now, is this your new number or your old one?” He passed a paper over to her to inspect.

Reese peered at the paper. She gulped. He had trapped her. “Ok. What do you want to know?”

“Well, Reese, I have a dead guy, and I need to figure out who killed him. His wife may or may not have committed suicide. Who would want this guy dead?”

Reese began to feel uncomfortably warm. She felt perspiration begin to trickle down her back. It caused her dress to cling to her.

Reese sipped some water. “I don’t know, Colt. I hadn’t spoken to Darrell in quite some time.”

McCallister put his hand up. “That’s not what I have here.” He tapped the same files again.

Reese was becoming aggravated. “Look, Colt, why don’t you just tell me what YOU know?”

“According to our records, you had spoken to the deceased a few months prior to his death.”

“So what?” She shrugged. “I ran into him at a bar. We had a couple of drinks and that was all. No big thing.”

“Ok, Reese, I buy that. But why did you keep talking to him? I have a log of over fifty different calls to him over a six-month period.”

Reese panicked; she didn’t know what to do. She hoped Harrison would never find out. “Perhaps you and Mr. Wyndham were more than friends.”

“No! Not at all. I was having problems with a guy I was seeing. I needed someone to talk to was all. He was still grieving for his dead wife.”

McCallister smiled and looked her in the eye. “Seems like a perfect set up to me. Beautiful girl crying on his shoulder, lonely guy just lost his wife… how would you possibly not end up in bed together?”

Reese smashed her fist on the table. “I told you we were friends; that’s it. I never slept with him. He had a girlfriend; I had a boyfriend. We just talked; that’s all. Now, Colt, if you will excuse me, I am going to have to ask you to leave. I have an appointment.”

McCallister put his hand on her arm. “Not so fast, Reese. I think you were more involved with Wyndham than you are telling me.”

Reese fumed. “Please leave now, Colt. I refuse to answer any more questions without an attorney.”

McCallister knew he had touched a nerve. Something had happened with Reese and Darrell. It certainly didn’t mean she killed him, but it meant something.

“Fine, Reese. I have everything I need right here. If I need anything else, I will let you know. Enjoy your beautiful wedding. I hear it’s going to be quite fabulous.” He gathered his files and briefcase and began walking toward the door.

“Thank you, Reese, for your time. As always, you are beautiful company.” McCallister extended his hand.

Reluctantly, Reese took it. “Goodbye, Colt. Please leave us alone.” With that, she shut the door.

Reese shuddered.
Oh, my God,
she thought.
He knows about Darrell and me.
She only prayed that he wouldn’t tell Harrison. When Harrison had met Darrell, she had been terrified he would say something to him. Reese couldn’t have tolerated that. Harrison was her prince, her love. She wouldn’t have risked their relationship for anything in the world. She adored Harrison and she was completely devoted to him. Grabbing her purse, she quickly left to go to her manicure appointment. Reese wondered whether she should tell Harrison about McCallister’s visit. She knew he would be so angry with her for speaking with him. On the other hand, if he found out another way, he would be even angrier for her failure to tell him. She decided she would tell him.

Hey baby. R u busy?

Somewhat. What’s going on?

That horrible detective was here again.

Why? What did you say?

It wasn’t about Lisa. It was about Darrell.

How you knew him or something?

Yes.

You didn’t say much did you?

No.

Don’t talk to him without me. I mean it, Reese. He could be trouble. Just don’t answer if he comes back.

Ok baby. Luv u.

I love you, beautiful.

That went better than Reese had expected. Of course, he still didn’t know how close she and Darrell had been once upon a time, but that was ancient history. McCallister didn’t have anything on either of them, so she wasn’t too worried.