Chapter 5
Evan Huntington.
Thanks to Jessica's connections, they were able to determine that while Arianna's apartment had been bought under her name, it had been paid in full with cash by Evan Huntington. Having come from one of the most prominent New York old money families, he had received his inheritance upon graduating from Yale.
And after getting married.
Malcolm and Dani had gone to interview the man while Gil and JT went to collect statements from Arianna's neighbours. Just outside of Huntington's office on Wall Street, they found a beleaguered woman with her blonde hair in a tight bun typing rapidly at her desk, dark blue nails ready to claw someone's eyes out clicking with every word.
When the woman didn't even bother to look up at them, Dani cleared her throat.
"Excuse me."
"He's in a meeting." The blonde said, still not looking up.
"Detective Powell, NYPD."
The receptionist finally looked up and sighed in exasperation.
"He's in his office, though I warn you, he might not be dressed." Both Dani and Malcolm raised an eyebrow at the woman. She huffed, "He's usually in there banging an intern. Or two," she added as an afterthought.
Malcolm's eyes went wide as he exclaimed, "Or two?"
"He claims to get bored easily," she added impatiently. "In any case, an intern just walked in there with a look on her face that I'm far too familiar with."
"Good to know." Dani wrinkled her nose in distaste as she walked up to the door and knocked, "Evan Huntington? NYPD. We'd like to ask you a few questions."
The detective and the profiler heard fumbling and the sound of clothes being zipped up. They gave each other a weary, knowing look when they heard a man calling them in. Upon entering they saw Evan Huntington sitting a little too properly behind his desk and a blond woman making her way out of the office. Huntington ran a hand through his hair to smooth it out and gave them a charming yet somehow sleazy smile.
"How may I help the NYPD today?"
Dani held out a photo of their victim, "We're here about Arianna Walters."
He looked at the photo for a few moments, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know who that is."
"Then can you explain to us why her high-end apartment home was paid in cash by you?"
Huntington just stared at them. Dani resisted letting out an irritated huff, "We have multiple people who can confirm this. You might as well talk."
The man just continued to stare at them before he finally blinked with a huff.
"Look, I gave her that apartment in order to get her to leave me alone."
"Leave you alone?"
"The woman is crazy. She came to me like a year ago and said that she was having a baby," He scoffed, "Got oddly offended when I asked if she was sure it's mine. Flipped out when she found out I was married."
Malcolm frowned at Huntington's flippant attitude. "So you bought the apartment in order for her to keep the child out of your life."
"I can't blame her for wanting to attach her kid to me. Having the Huntington name can really help someone get places. But I have an image to maintain."
Dani raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "The image of cheating on your wife while at work?"
"I have needs and... my wife doesn't meet them."
Malcolm barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes and a quick glance at Dani showed her struggling to do the same.
"What's this about?"
"Arianna was found dead in her apartment."
"Oh God..." Huntington looked down for a moment, seemingly in shock before looking back up, "How... what happened?"
"She was most likely targeted by a serial killer we've been tracking for a while." Malcolm told him.
Dani glanced at him curiously, wondering what Bright was doing, but decided to play along.
"We were just wondering if you might know anyone who would want to hurt her."
Evan Huntington stayed quiet for a moment, "I... I wouldn't know... I can't imagine why anyone would want to hurt her."
"I thought you said that she was crazy," Dani replied stoically.
"I mean," Huntington ran a hand down his face, "I did have a... relationship with her. We met about two and a half years ago at a bar downtown. She had no idea who I was and I ended up liking it."
"So you started a relationship with her."
"We don't run in the same circles. I always met with her on her side of town and I didn't wear my ring when I was with her."
"How did she find out you were married?"
"When she told me she was pregnant." He shook his head ruefully, "I had to tell her why I couldn't marry her… she told me she wanted nothing to do with me after that."
"So you didn't want that?"
"Of course not… but I had to respect her wishes. At the very least, I offered to get her a nice place in a good part of town. It's hard enough raising a child on your own, let alone worrying about where to live."
Malcolm narrowed his eyes, "So you wouldn't want Arianna to have been hurt?"
"No!" Huntington exclaimed a little too quickly. He cleared his throat, "I-I just... you have to know that I would never want to see Arianna hurt." Malcolm continued to study Huntington intently, noting every tick and expression. "Now, how else can I help you?"
About five minutes later, Dani and Malcolm left the office, about to go back to the precinct when Malcolm turned around and walked back to the receptionist's desk.
"Oh, by the way, Miss..."
"Darshell. Rosemary Darshell," the blonde responded.
"Forgive me for asking, but you seem to match similar characteristics to both the photo of his wife and the woman that was just in his office."
She raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "Your point?"
"Has Evan Huntington ever attempted to start something with you?"
"Bright." Dani hissed as she came up behind him. Trust Bright to ask the inappropriate questions.
"Forgive the implication, but you were an intern here once. Correct?"
Rosemary was silent for a moment before saying; "Yes... and yes. He has attempted to have a sexual relationship with me." Before Malcolm or Dani could say a word, she continued with; "But. It never happened."
"Why not?"
"Mr Huntington may be a lot of things, but he at least understands the word 'no'. He came onto me during a holiday party two years ago but I made it clear that I wasn't interested. He understood and hasn't brought it up since. Even showed no objection to my becoming his secretary." Rosemary glanced surreptitiously around her desk to see if anyone else was listening in, "But if you really want to talk to someone, you're better off talking to his wife Gwendolyn."
Dani frowned. "You think she might be involved?"
"I can't say for certain, but what I do know? She's fully aware of her husband's infidelities. And she either doesn't care or takes revenge in her own way."
"Revenge?"
"Let's just say I was a bit surprised when she came onto me after I turned her husband down." Malcolm's eyes went wide as Dani's mouth hung open in bewilderment. Rosemary nodded, "And I might have taken her up on her offer too if I didn't already have a girlfriend."
"Well," Dani nodded firmly as if shaking the mental image from her head, "Thank you for the information. If you remember anything else that could help, please let us know."
Rosemary gave a polite smile before returning to her computer screen, "Of course."
(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)
"So that was some interesting information we got." Dani finally said once they had got inside her car.
"Well," Malcolm couldn't help but laugh at the bluntness of her statement, "You're not wrong there."
"I don't understand how a person can cheat on their partner." Dani began, her lips pursed in a frown. Malcolm didn't interrupt, curious about the faraway look in her eyes. "I mean even to a degree, I can understand that there would be a reason to kill. It's rarely good, but there's always a reason why. But there's no reason for cheating. I just can't understand why anyone would think it's okay," she finished with a huff.
"You've been holding that in for a while, huh?"
"Yeah..." Dani took a deep breath as she trailed off, "So what's your profile on Huntington?" She shot Malcolm a knowing look before bringing her eyes back to the road. "Come on Bright, I know you have a profile of the guy in that mind of yours."
Malcolm grinned, amused out how easily she could read him.
"Well I can't promise you won't be grossed out."
"Please," Dani just smirked back at him, "you already know I'm not easily spooked."
"Just checking." He cleared his throat, "So, I thought I recognized the name Huntington and when I noticed the pictures on his desk, one was of him and his father, Edgar Huntington. I remember seeing him at some of the parties I was forced to go to as a kid."
Dani wrinkled her nose. "Edgar and Evan. Very creative."
Malcolm smirked, "I didn't name 'em."
"And the other picture?"
"Wedding photo. He clearly wasn't shy about the fact that he's married. However if Arianna had never visited his office like he claimed, it's possible she didn't know."
They drove in silence for a while when Dani spoke up, a curious expression on her face.
"So what made Arianna so different?"
"Well, judging by the women he was with in his office, most of the women he has his wandering eye on seem to be women he works with in the same building. So it's more than possible that most of his... dalliances knew of his marital status." His brow furrowed in thought, "Maybe the fact that Arianna wasn't like the women he usually spends time with was what made her different. Maybe she made him different."
"You're taking a while to get to the profile."
"What we have is an unhappy married man who clearly is either emasculated or just feels like he has no control of his own life. He married young so maybe he feels he didn't get the chance to really live his life and this is his way of getting back some of that control he feels he lacks."
"And then there's the fact that his wife also hit on Rosemary a short while after he struck out."
"There's that too."
Dani raised an eyebrow, "And how does that relate to Arianna?"
"Not sure, but she obviously doesn't match the type of women he seems to go after."
Dani's thoughts went back to the woman who had been in Huntington's office with him. She was tall and willowy with hair perfectly pinned in a pristine updo. Her appearance starkly contrasted with Arianna's short, curvy figure and fluffy dark curls. She immediately thought of the tiny baby Arianna had been forced to leave behind.
"And Isabella?" Malcolm turned his head to Dani as she parked her car, "Do you believe Evan Huntington's the father?"
Malcolm nodded, "It's the only thing that explains him buying Arianna the apartment and Isabella's father being omitted from her birth certificate." He let out a heavy sigh, "But I can't imagine Isabella would be well off with him."
"Other than being financially stable."
"That might be true, but I like to think that there's more to parenting than just paying for everything" He chuckled in amusement, "Obviously, no one can be a perfect parent, but-"
"Buying your children's love isn't going to get you anywhere." Dani finished, turning her head to face him.
"Exactly." Malcolm gave a tiny smile as he locked gazes with Dani, glass blue eyes focused all on her. "Dani, I-"
She looked at him expectantly. He tried to open his mouth, but no words would come out. He cleared his throat.
"I suppose I should call my mother." He took off his seatbelt and reached to pull his phone out of his suit pocket, "Have her bring Isabella back. Hopefully she hasn't caused too much damage in terms of her spending."
Dani looked down and let out a tiny chuckle before meeting his eyes again.
"How much damage could she have done in less than three hours?"
"I haven't told you about Ainsley's fifteenth birthday party, have I?"
"I don't think so." Dani let out a laugh, her face lighting up. "It's up there with your great-uncle Douglas."
Malcolm dialed his mother's number as he gave Dani a promising grin.
"Remind me to tell you later."
(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)
About an hour later, Jessica arrived at the precinct, wearing a new blouse herself and having completely changed Isabella's wardrobe as she carried the baby in her arms. A surprising move on her part.
Jessica walked in with many bags hanging off her arms as well and a huge smile on her face which only grew wider when she saw Malcolm with Dani.
"Malcolm. Detective Powell."
Malcolm's eyes were practically the size of dinner plates as Dani let out a slight chuckle.
"I see what you meant," she whispered to him. "And I thought you had spending problems."
"I apologize for taking so long, but I was having the time of my life with this little darling. Right Isabella?" The little girl clapped her hands as she kept hold of her stuffed owl, "It took me a while to find something that would match her beloved owl here. She refused to let go of it the whole time. Reminds me of Malcolm and his favourite stuffed monkey. He used to bathe with it when he was a toddler."
Malcolm pointedly cleared his throat while Dani smirked at this new piece of information.
Isabella's eyes then fell to Malcolm and she immediately shot her arms out to him.
"Oh!" Jessica grinned, "Looks like the little angel missed you."
Malcolm gave a tiny smile and took Isabella from his mother. The baby was quick to rest her head on his shoulder, gurgling as her tiny hand patted his tie.
"Mother, what is she wearing?" He noted the pink and white cotton velvet peplum romper with an all over logo print Isabella was wearing.
"Darling, who cares? It's Armani." She grinned as she stroked Isabella's dimpled cheek, "And there's an adorable little bow to match," she added, gesturing to the headband on Isabella's head.
Isabella kept her head against Malcolm's shoulder, but reached out for Dani, letting out a tiny squeak. Dani let Isabella grab her finger as the little girl giggled and she couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Did you have a fun day?"
"Oh, I should hope so," Jessica cooed at Isabella as she placed the shopping bags on the ground. "We went to Fifth Avenue, then got lunch at Sushi Ginza Onodera and had the most fabulous sashimi."
Malcolm's eyes widened in dismay. "Mother, she's eight months old."
"Oh, calm down Malcolm. I didn't give her anything she couldn't eat." Jessica scoffed airily, "You seem to forget that I am a mother. I've done this before." Malcolm rolled his eyes as Jessica turned to smile at Dani. "Detective Powell. Would you be willing to take Isabella for a few minutes?"
"Uh, sure." Dani gently took Isabella from Malcolm, "Come on Isabella. I think Uncle Bright's in trouble..." She playfully scrunched her nose as she took Isabella to the conference room.
"Now... Malcolm." Jessica's smile was as bright as a knife's edge, making it known to her son that she wanted something.
Malcolm looked at her warily. "Mother?"
"I would like to talk to you about the gala."
Welp. I'm back! ...Again...
I'm trying to have more consistent updates you guys, I promise XD
BTW if you think the Huntingtons are bad now... oh ho, ho, ho, ho... just you wait... *Sings* Just yoooou wait...
Hope you guys enjoyed that and hope you caught the tiny Brightwell moments I snuck in there... I told you... it's gonna be SLOWBURN!