Page 48 of Her Elusive Cowboy Billionaire

He nodded and then headed toward the door.“I’d like to be in my office when they arrive.”

They left the apartment and took the elevator down to his office.

When the elevator opened, Meri faced solid blue walls just waiting for her murals.Her hands itched to paint.That could wait until tomorrow.For now, they needed answers, and only Paige’s friends could give those.

Chase stopped at Rita’s desk.“I need you to make a copy of these pages.”He showed her the pages in question.“Then return the diary to me and take those pages to the police station and ask for Detective Martinez.He’ll be expecting them.But before you leave, I’m expecting three women.Show them in and then go to the station.”

“Will do.”Rita took the diary to make the copies.

Ten minutes after she settled in the office chair, Meri heard Rita buzz Chase.He depressed the speaker button.

“Three women are here to see you.”

“Send them in.”He looked over at Meri.“The show’s on.”

Meri stood and walked behind Chase’s chair.

Rita opened the door.

Three young women walked inside.

Rita followed them and returned the diary to Chase.Then she left, closing the door behind her.

All three women were dressed for business, and, considering their quick arrival, they must work downtown.

Chase greeted them, but was reserved.“Ladies, good to see you.Please, take a seat.”He waved his arm toward the sofa.“Let me introduce you to my associate.Meri Anderson, this is Carissa Tyson, Emma Foster, and Lacey Cooper.They were the last people to see Paige alive.Isn’t that right, ladies?”

Carissa had dark, almost-black hair, cut in a pixie and round glasses with black frames.She sat back on the sofa, her back rigid.“That’s right.”

“We went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.”Lacey was blonde, with her hair in a thick French braid that hung to one side halfway to her waist.Her baby blue-eyes were wide.

Meri could only describe the look as fear.

“That’s right,” said Emma.“What she said.”Emma looked like the youngest of the group, with the lightest blonde hair and a heart-shaped face that gave her the look of a fairy.All she needed were the wings.

Chase held up a hand.“Stop right there.I know Paige wasn’t at the concert with you and I want to know why you lied.”

The women all looked at one another, and then their shoulders slumped as one.

Carissa scooted forward on the sofa.“We didn’t want you to stop the money you’ve been giving to Paige’s family.They need all the help they can get, since Paige isn’t here to assist them anymore.”

“You realize that by withholding information, you might have let her killer get away?”

Carissa looked at the other two women and then back at Chase.“We thought it was a random shooting?”

The women disgusted Meri, but she did her best to not let it show on her face.I wouldn’t have gotten shot if you had told the truth three years ago.Marco was probably just trying to cover the murder they had nearly witnessed.But what if he recognized Chase and knew the parking lot murder could lead him to Paige’s murderer?Whichever the reason, she had been shot, and she didn’t like that this animal was still on the street.

Chase wiped his hand down his face.“Random or not, if we could have figured out she was seeing this Marco person, we could have interviewed him and perhaps gotten information from him.But no one knew about him or his relationship with Paige.”

Carissa frowned and looked at the other two women, but her eyes were wide when she looked back at Chase.“We didn’t know.We didn’t think we were doing anything wrong.”

“Just obstructing a police investigation.Do you realize you could all go to jail for this?”Chase slammed his hand against the top of the desk.

Meri jumped a little at the loud sound.

The three women all startled.Their mouths dropped open, and they widened their eyes.

Carissa leaned forward on the sofa.“Please, Chase.We said nothing about Marco because Paige said she was breaking it off with him that night.”