Lover's Bridge Pt. 02

"Did he mark all of the women he had sex with?" Ryan asked.

"Yes," Azalea replied.

"With this?" Ryan followed up, placing a photo of the tattoo Leah gave him. She nodded her head. "Please speak up for the recording."

"Yes, that is what he used."

"And if I read this correct, it would indicate he had sex with 46 women before Mrs. Holder. Am I right?"

"Hardly," Azalea told Ryan. "He had that many women the year before we married."

"Can you explain this number, then?" Ryan asked.

"The first number indicates her importance to him at the time. The second is a rating of her... performance," Azalea explained.

"Were you marked like this?" Ray asked, the shock evident in his voice.

"Yes, I was," Azalea told him. "Twice. The second time after... I lost my left foot." She reached down, removed her shoe, and placed her right foot on the table. On the outboard side of her ankle, there was the now-familiar fleur-de-lis with a number one inside a star.

"We're aware of your service in the Quebec police. Can you explain this tattoo to us?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, I can."

"Please do," Ryan told her.

"He said I was the most important woman in his life, even above his saintly mother and his sister. The star means I was the best fuck he had ever experienced," Azalea declared, her voice remaining neutral. "Even with a prosthetic foot."

"You say you last saw your husband alive on March 11," Ray said, hoping to change the subject. "He was gone for six months before his body was found. Were you not concerned after not hearing from him for that long?"

"What do you mean?" Azalea asked, her anger threatening to erupt. "I heard from him nearly every day. He texted me almost every single evening. I can show you!"

"Please do," Ray said, surprise evident on his face. Azalea pulled her phone from her purse, opened it, and showed Ray text messages between her and someone who apparently had Phillipe's phone. Ray saw the last message from Phillipe was dated September 18.

After that, there were several messages from Azalea, but Ray was interested in Phillipe's. He showed it to Ryan before continuing. "This is all in French."

"Naturally," Azalea declared. "French was Phillipe's native language. I grew up speaking it as well, so that's the language we used."

"My French is a little rusty. Could you please translate this for us?" Ray asked, handing the phone back.

"Yes. He said that his trip was over, and he is on his way home. He planned to be back on our anniversary, and would no longer need to travel," she said. Ray took the phone back, read the message, and agreed. His French was far better than he let on.

"When is your anniversary?" Ray asked.

"September 20," Azalea sighed.

"That's the day your husband's remains were discovered on Eastland Bridge," Ray told her. Azalea's face turned a darker shade of red as she fought her emotions. "How did you react when he didn't show up?"

"I was... angry," she hissed. "Very angry. I called, but heard nothing back. I sent text messages, but got no response."

"Why didn't you call us?" Ryan asked.

"Because I knew nothing would be done for at least 48 hours," Azalea hissed through gritted teeth.

Ray thumbed through Azalea's phone, looking through her call log. He noted a call to "RW" on the 20th and showed it to Ryan.

"So you decided to contact Roland Waters?" Ryan asked.

"Yes," Azalea admitted quietly.

"What did you expect him to do?" Ray asked.

"I... hoped... he could find out what happened to my husband. Perhaps, rescue him if necessary," she said.

"And what made you think Mr. Waters could... rescue... your husband?" Ray asked.

"More to the point, Mrs. Dupont, what made you think your husband NEEDED to be rescued?" Ryan added. "Did he have enemies who might want to kill him?"

"It would be easier to count his friends. You don't understand. My husband's business can get... intense... at times. Enemies are easily made. You have no idea. As for Roland, he has a certain... skillset. And experience in such matters," she replied after a pregnant pause.

"Skillset? Experience?" Ray queried.

Azalea said nothing for a few moments, turning her penetrating gaze to Ryan. He saw it in her eyes. She knows, he thought. But how much? Pulling out his phone, he sent a text to Ron.

"He was a... soldier of fortune, once. A mercenary," she finally said, looking back at Ray.

"So you hired a mercenary to find your husband?" Ryan asked.

"No. He has worked for me for two years. When I hired him, he assured me he was no longer in the business," she replied. "I simply thought he might be able to use his skills to help me find Phillipe."

"I will have to confirm this with Mr. Waters," Ray finally said after writing his notes.

"Of course," Azalea said quietly.

Ray turned to Ryan before speaking. "Is there anything else, Sheriff?"

"Just one little thing," Ryan said.

"What?" Ray asked, anxious to speak with Roland. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Ryan called out. The door opened, and Ron came inside, carrying a small red and white Igloo ice chest, which he set on the table. He opened it and removed a plastic bag which he placed next to the chest. Azalea watched with curiosity, but her expression never changed.

"What is this?" she asked.

"I was hoping you could tell us, Mrs. Dupont," Ryan said, holding the bag. "Why would this be in Mr. Holder's freezer?" he asked, placing the bag with the severed foot on the table before her. Her face turned a shade of pale as she looked at the bag.

"Marde," she hissed quietly. "Where did you get this?"

"As the Sheriff said, we found it inside Mr. Holder's freezer," Ron told her.

"Look familiar?" Ryan asked.

"The last time I saw that was..."

"Four and a half years ago or so, when you were a police officer?" Ray asked, finishing her statement.

"Yes. But how did it get in Mr. Holder's freezer?" Azalea asked.

"That's what we'd like to know, Mrs. Dupont," Ryan told her. "Perhaps someone is trying to send you a message."

"But I don't know who would do such a thing," she replied.

"Then I suggest you think about it, Mrs. Dupont. Hard and fast. We've got three dead bodies in our morgue, and I don't want to see another one," Ryan declared before turning to Ray. "Do you have anything else, Detective?"

"No, Sheriff, I think that's all for now."

"Let's go speak with Mr. Waters then. Mrs. Dupont, I'd like our forensic people to take a look at your phone if you don't mind," Ryan said.

"Of course," Azalea said quietly, her brows furrowed. As a former police officer, she knew that if she refused, he could - and probably would - get a warrant, so she decided to cooperate.

"I'll clone this device and have it back to you in no time, ma'am," Ron said.

"Very well," she replied, nodding her head. "Sheriff, I hope you realize that Mr. Holder did not kill himself," she added, looking at Ryan.

"I tend to agree," Ryan said. "But what makes you say that?"

"As I informed your technician, the wound is too deep and goes too far around his neck. Whoever did this was obviously behind him," she said.

"I believe you're correct, Mrs. Dupont," he said. He placed the bag containing the foot in front of her, the tattoo facing her. "But right now, I'd like you to think about who might want to hang on to a severed foot for nearly five years. We'll be back shortly."

"Of course," she said.

Ryan handed her phone to Ron, then left the room with Ray. As he walked out, he saw Deputy Sanders.

"Got the search warrant, Sheriff," he said.

"Good. We're going to interview Mr. Waters. I'd appreciate it if you could keep an eye on Mrs. Dupont from the observation room."

"Will do," Sanders said. Ray and Ryan entered the next interview room, where Roland sat waiting. Another deputy sat in a chair in the corner, his steely-blue eyes fixed on Roland. Ryan nodded at the deputy, who nodded back, then sat across from Roland. Ray sat next to Ryan and spoke after Ryan started the recording.

"Mr. Waters, we have a few questions for you. You are not under arrest at this time, but if you feel you need an attorney, let us know and we'll stop the interview," he said.

"No problem, Detective," Roland said. "I've got nothing to hide."

"Good. First off, could you describe your relationship with Mrs. Dupont?"

"Like I said earlier, there's no relationship. I've been doing contract work for her for about two years. Nothing hard. Just information-gathering."

"She says you once worked as a mercenary. Is that true?" Ray asked.

"Yes," Roland said quietly, looking at Ryan, who only looked back, saying nothing. Ray saw the exchange and looked at Ryan before continuing. "But I've been out of that business for quite a while."

"When was the last time she contacted you?" Ray asked.

"A couple of days ago," Roland said.

"On the 20th?"

"That sounds right."

"And what did she contact you about?" Ray asked.

"She expected her husband to return from a business trip south of the border," Roland said. "He never showed up."

"What did you do?"

"I flew in right away. Grabbed something to eat, then met with her. We called all the airlines at the airport and confirmed that he was never on any flight. He had a ticket, but it was never used," Roland said. "We took a... break... for a while, and that's when you showed up."

"Uh, huh," Ray said, consulting his notes. "You told us earlier that you met Mr. Dupont. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, that's correct. I met the man," Roland said.

"Could you describe your relationship with Mr. Dupont?"

"Again, Detective, there was no relationship. I met the man once. We shook hands. He left. That was it. I've never seen him since."

"So there were no hard feelings? You were involved with his wife, after all," Ray stated.

"There were no hard feelings at all," Roland said. "Azalea explained their arrangement. It's not something I could live with, but I guess it worked for them."

"So there was no animosity between the two of you?" Ray asked.

"No, none," Roland said, shaking his head.

"Were you two planning to contact us at any time, or were you just going to play vigilante?" Ray pressed.

"We had discussed filing a report, but Azalea said you wouldn't do anything for at least 48 hours."

Ray nodded his head as he made notes. When he finished, he sighed, sat back in his chair, and regarded Roland. So far, their stories lined up, and neither displayed anything that could be construed as deception.

"How long are you planning to stay?" he finally asked.

"I was planning to stay only a couple of days. But I guess you're going to say I should stick around."

"That's exactly what I was going to say. Where are you staying?"

"I was at the Holiday Inn Express out by the airport. But I guess I can stay with Azalea. If she can stand to have me overnight, that is. She's a good boss, but not exactly the most gracious host."

"All right, Mr. Winters," Ray said with a chuckle. "That will be all for now. But I will probably want to speak with you later," he added. Ryan stopped the recording, and the three men left the room. Ryan went into the observation room and stood with Deputy Sanders.

"I'm telling ya, Sheriff, there's something wrong with that woman," Sanders said, looking at Azalea in the next room. "She hasn't moved a muscle since you left her."

"She is different, that's for sure. Has Ron come back yet?"

"Not yet," Sanders said. Ryan pulled out his phone and was ready to text Ron when they heard a knock on the interview room door. Ron opened the door and looked inside. Seeing Azalea, he entered the room and handed her phone back.

"We have everything we need," he said. "Thank you for your cooperation."

"You are welcome," Azalea said quietly without looking at him.

"I think they're finished with your companion, so I'll take this," Ron said, picking up the bag containing her severed foot. He placed it in the Igloo container and closed it.

"Thank you," she said in a neutral tone of voice.

"You have a good day, ma'am. I'm sorry for your loss," Ron said before leaving. Azalea nodded her head but said nothing.

"I'd like you to grab a couple of deputies and return Mrs. Dupont and Mr. Walters back to her house. Keep them apart, then execute the search warrant. I'll approve any overtime," Ryan said.

"Thank you, Sheriff," Sanders said. "I'll take care of it."

"You're welcome," Ryan said as they left the room. He tapped on the door to the interview room and walked inside.

"Are you finished now?" Azalea asked.

"Yes. Deputy Sanders will take you home and execute the search warrant. If you think of anything, please call me - any time," he said, handing her a business card. She stood, put the card in her purse, and eyed Ryan briefly.

"I've seen you before, Sheriff," she said. "I can't quite place it, but I know I've seen you... somewhere. I never forget a face."

"I have done a lot of traveling over the years," Ryan said. "Maybe our paths crossed somewhere and we didn't even know it."

"Maybe," Azalea said quietly. "I guess I'd better go with your Deputy Sanders."

"No cuffs this time," Ryan said. Azalea offered a slightly enigmatic smile in return as she walked out of the room. Ryan followed her out and watched as Sanders escorted her and Roland down the hall.

"What do you think?" Ray asked.

"I think someone went to a lot of trouble to make this look like a crime of passion," Ryan replied. "And I also think that severed foot holds the key."

"I agree," Ryan said. "What do you suggest we do?"

"It's been a very long day - for all of us. I don't know about you, but I'm going home. After I eat dinner, I plan to make love to my wife... maybe even massage her feet," Ryan said with a smile. Ray smiled in response. "It'll come to us. Let's talk in the morning after we see what Sanders finds."

"Sounds like a plan, Sheriff," Ray said. "See ya in the morning."

...

To be continued...

Note: Roland Waters was the main character in my story "Roland and Susan."