Here is chapter sixteen.
Disclaimer: I am sitting at home, watching CSI right now. Think that's a clue?
"Back so soon?" the security guard at the Geico office building asked as Catherine and Sara came rushing by. "You two are busy gals."
They hurried toward the elevator, ignoring the man at the desk. The elevator seemed to move at the slowest possible rate, stopping at every floor, only because they were in hurry to get to the offices. The Motown music played out from the speakers tauntingly.
"Oh!" Ms. Wilson watched as they walked past her and down the hallway. "Welcome back… but where are you going. Wait!" She jumped out of her chair and raced after the CSIs, failing at it while in her high-heeled shoes.
Catherine knocked on Geoffrey Carrey's door.
"Yes?"
"It's the Las Vegas Crime Lab."
There was a long pause. "You may come in."
Carrey was sitting at his desk, his hands folded together and a tense look on his face. His jaw tightened slightly when they entered his office. Nonetheless, he motioned to the chairs in front of the desk. "Would you like to sit?" He managed to keep his voice calm and the slight arrogance that was there the first time they met him still showed in his tone. "What can I do for you ladies today? Is there anything that you have found out about Miss Theseus' murder?"
"No," Sara said curtly. She handed over the pile of papers that was warrant. "We have a warrant to search your office and your home."
"What!" The voice came from behind them. Catherine and Sara turned to see Olivia Wilson standing in the doorway. "Geoff—uh, sir—I tried to stop them from coming down here, but they kept on walking."
Carrey waved his hand in the sir. "It is no problem."
"But—"
"Ms. Wilson." He said it sternly. "Go back to your desk, okay? This is my personal business."
The clean-cut man turned back to his visitors. "What is this warrant for?" He flipped through the papers and read a specific page. Geoffrey Carrey gazed up at them with a look that Catherine never would have thought could come from that man: confused.
"You want to look at my shoes?" He let down his guard and let his emotions pour out. "Why would you want to see that? How the heck is that going to help you?"
"There is a certain type of shoe that we are looking for," Sara answered. "We have reason to believe that you might have those shoes."
Geoffrey continued to search through the warrant. "I don't understand this? What the heck are Giorgio Armani Men's Perforated Leather Oxfords? And how does having a book on Greek mythology in my office suffice to getting a warrant?"
"Giorgio Armani Men's Perforated Leather Oxfords," Catherine said, "is the brand of shoes that we are looking for. They are very pricey and seem to be something that you would wear."
"Shoes," the man spluttered. "Shoes—like I pay attention to what type of shoes I wear! I couldn't tell what type of suit I'm wearing right now!"
The crime scene investigators shared a look. Men.
"The book," Sara said, motioning to it on the shelf, "has more to it that meets the eye."
Carrey put his head in his hands. "You think that I killed Roxanne," he moaned. "I would never do that—I could never do that. Why would I want her dead?" he asked.
"You tell us," said Catherine. She pushed a copy of the email across the desk.
The man froze. "Oh… that." He leaned back in his chair and started to choose his wording. "Is it going to hurt me if I do not explain this email?" he asked.
"Only if you are guilty."
Carrey glanced up at the office door, checking to make sure that it was closed. "Look, I knew that the front desk job paid well, and that it was a good job for someone to have. There is someone here at the office that I wished had that job. The problem was that for that person to get the job, Roxanne would be bumped out, so to speak."
"And Roxanne found this out how…?" Sara asked
He actually squirmed in his seat. "I wanted this woman to get the job because… because…" he could not seem to get the rest of the sentence out, "because I am dating her."
Catherine tried not to smirk. "Let me guess who 'this woman' is," she said. "Olivia Wilson."
"How did you know?"
"Lucky guess."
Geoffrey Carrey put his hands on the desk and did not look up. "Roxanne caught us together one day. This is against the workplace rules and she knew it. The woman was smart, very smart; she put two and two together. She sent me that email telling me that she could turn me in if her job was put at risk. I was never going to go through with it; I really was not. Then she was killed and Liv got the job she wanted."
It makes sense, thought Catherine. She did seem very worried about Carrey, not to mention that they kept calling each other by their first names.
"But," he said sternly, "I did not kill Roxanne."
We will see about that, she added silently. We go on what the evidence tell us.
"We need to see your shoes," Sara said. "Now."
He swung his feet up onto the top of the desk and motioned toward his shoes. "Go right ahead." His voice had its icy tone back. "But I did not kill Roxanne Theseus."
Sara and Catherine examined the shoes that Carrey still wore on his feet. They took out pages with the shoes and compared them. Finally—with Geoffrey Carrey's permission—they took off his shoes and checked the label. They were not Giorgio Armani Men's Perforated Leather Oxfords, much to the disappointment to the CSIs.
"They are not what we are looking for," Catherine said.
A smile parted on Carrey's lips. He almost sighed in relief. "I told you that I did not do it," he said smugly.
"You do realize that we have officials searching your home as we speak," said Sara. "It is in the warrant. They are looking for the Giorgio Armani Men's Perforated Leather Oxfords. If they find even one pair, you could be done for."
"Only," said Carrey, "if they match the shoe you are looking for. There are people in the area who own…," he looked at the paper, "Giorgio Armani Men's Perforated Leather Oxfords. The only way you can convict me is if they match exactly." He gave a huge smile. "And trust me, I know that they do not match."
A long silence filled the room, as water filled a glass. Every person stared at the other.
Finally, Carrey coughed uncomfortably. "What will happen with Liv and me?" he asked without emotion.
"That is up to your boss to decide," Catherine said. "I suggest you tell him or her that you have been dating one of the employees. It is better than if your boss found out through the grapevine. Maybe, if you are lucky, then things will turn out the way you want."
"Is that your way of saying sorry for accusing me of being Roxanne's killer, Ms. Willows?" Carrey asked smoothly.
"It depends—we have not proved that yet."
To be continued…
Did anyone see it coming that Carrey is dating Olivia Wilson?
There is more to come with the Chimera Killer.
R&R