Shout-Outs: Lothlorien Aeterna, glindalovesshoes, Sharon, Castle Tyger, Marcia Santos, and Nerwen Aldarion for reviewing my last chapter and for helping me average OVER four reviews in a chapter. Thanks BUNCHES!

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay in posting. Yesterday was girl's night out, and frozen yogurt and a movie turned into dinner out at Ruby Tuesday's, frozen yogurt, and a movie. I'm not to bothered about not posting though, 'cause I had an amazing time (even though I almost crawled under my seat during a trailer for a scary movie and I cried at the end of Safe Haven). Anyways, enough about my Friday night (and the embarrassing things I always end up doing when I go out). Enjoy this chapter, and have a good rest of your weekend.

Disclaimer:

I don't own anything, if I did Jane and Lisbon would be married and living in a coastal town, solving cases together.

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Chapter 7

"Where did you find the ring?" Patrick asked as he led Bruce inside his house and into the living room.

"I finally managed to get my wife out of Pricilla's bedroom," Bruce answered, his voice void of all emotion, his face looking like he'd aged ten years over the course of the afternoon. "I noticed she was clutching something in her hand and I forced her to show me what it was. . . you must have known it was her. Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me you thought it was my wife?"

"I didn't have any proof that she had killed your daughter," Patrick told him. "Besides, if I had told you that I thought your wife was guilty, would you have listened to me?"

"I-I probably wouldn't have," Bruce finally admitted after a long pause. "I don't understand though. Why would Mildred kill 'Cilla? They adored each other."

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Patrick answered, reaching for his cell phone and pulling up Cho's number. "Where's your wife now?"

"In the car," Bruce said. "Do you still want to talk to her?"

"I think we're going to need to bring her down to the Sheriff's office and question her there," Patrick replied, pressing his phone to his ear. "Hey Cho, this is Patrick Jane. I think I might have caught a break in the case. The suspect's husband is with me, where on our way over right now. Okay, I'll see you soon. 'Bye now."

"Is everything okay?" Teresa asked as she came down the stairs with a basketful of dirty laundry in her arms.

"Everything's fine my dear," Patrick told her as he met her halfway to take the laundry basket from her and lead her away from Bruce and lowered his voice. "Mr. Bennett got his wife to come out of Pricilla's bedroom, and we're going to take her down to the station for questioning."

"So, she really did do it then?" Teresa whispered back, as she glanced over his shoulder at the discouraged looking man.

"She did have the missing engagement ring and that counts for something," Patrick replied.

She rose to kiss his cheek. "Well, I hope this is the lead you've been looking for."

"I think it is," he said, returning her chaste kiss as he dropped their clothes in the threshold of the laundry room. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay," Teresa agreed. "Good luck."

Patrick looked over at Bruce. "Are you ready to go Mr. Bennett?"

"I'm ready as I'll ever be," he answered, trying to smile as he followed Patrick out the door.

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"Did you kill your daughter, Mrs. Bennett?" Cho asked as he uncapped his pen and turned to a blank page in his notebook.

Mildred sighed and dabbed her eyes with a sodden Kleenex. "What makes you think that I did it sheriff?"

Cho shook his head. "We're just asking because so far everybody else we've questioned has had passable alibis."

"I didn't do it," Mildred said, sniffing slightly as she reached for a clean tissue. "You know the real person you should be questioning is Shawn Jones. You know, he was obsessed with my daughter. He wouldn't leave her alone, even when she told him that she wasn't interested."

"So? He gave her a couple of expensive presents, that doesn't make him a murderer and you know it!" Patrick retorted.

"Maybe it was Edward," Mildred answered. "Maybe he killed her because she refused his proposal."

"She didn't refuse him. If she had refused him then he would have kept the ring, but he didn't have it. You did."

"I-I—" Mildred faltered and shrugged. "Okay, so I had 'Cilla's ring. That doesn't make me guilty of murder, does it?"

"Not exactly," Patrick answered. "But that fact coupled with the Hermés scarves I found in your closet makes you almost look good for it."

Mildred frowned. "Hermés scarves and an engagement ring make me look good for murder?"

"Almost," Patrick stressed. "Do you realize since you've come here, you've almost completely dropped the roll of grieving mother? Maybe you're trying to hide something?"

"No!" Mildred insisted.

"Mrs. Bennett, you're the one who found Pricilla. How did you know where to look for her?" Cho asked, trying to get the interview back on track.

"It was her usual spot on the beach," she answered. "Every single time she had a problem, or she wanted to be alone with her friends or boyfriend, that's where she'd go—"

"But why look their first?" Patrick asked. "Why not call one of her friends and see if she was staying with them? Why not check Edward's room, they'd just gotten engaged. Maybe they decided to spend the night together—"

"Pricilla was a devote Catholic," Mildred interjected. "She was waiting until she got married to. . . give herself to a man."

Patrick smiled oddly. "You could have still called her friends to see if she was with them."

"I did!"

"Would you be willing to show us your call history?" Cho asked.

"My-my phone is at home," Mildred answered shortly.

"I guess I'll have to call in and just get a warrant for your phone then," Cho told her.

For a moment, Mildred looked slightly panicked and then she sighed. "So, I didn't call any of her friends, but it was only because she knows better than to go off without telling anybody where she's going."

"You need to stop changing your story and tell us what really happened Mrs. Bennett," Patrick said. "It'll be a lot easier for you if you do."

"I killed my daughter. Is that what you want to hear, Mr. Jane?"

"Yes," he replied. "If you killed your daughter, that's exactly what I want to hear."

Mildred set her mouth into a thin line and sighed. "I killed my daughter."

"Did you?" Cho asked. "Or are you only telling us something we want to hear? Because if you are lying, it'll only get you into as much trouble if you were telling the truth."

"I'm not just telling you what you want to hear. I killed 'Cilla," Mildred said.

"Why?" Patrick prodded.

"Because! Because Edward was going to marry her and take her away from here. . . from me!" She replied. "When I overheard them talking, making all their plans. . . I couldn't stand to lose her—"

"So, you decided if you couldn't have her than nobody could? Am I right?" Patrick asked.

"I wouldn't have minded if they were just going to get married and stay here," Mildred answered. "But he was going to take her to New York. Do you know how far New York is from California?"

"Do you know how many planes a day leaves from here to New York?" Patrick replied. "You could have always bought a ticket and gone to stay with her. You didn't have to murder your own daughter because she was going to leave you. Kids grow up and leave the proverbial nest every single day, Mrs. Bennett. That's just the way life goes."

TBC. . .

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Author's Note II:

So, what did you think? Were you surprised? Tell me everything you're thinking. I want to know.

Love,

Holly, 2/16/2013_