Chapter 127: A Villain
The poison case was reopened that morning.
Aveline agreed to visit the station. She confirmed that she had seen Dr. Elias Hawthorne at Sterling Villa when she was leaving in Damien’s car, and asked them to check the dash camera footage.
The investigators didn’t need more. Elias was taken in for further questioning. His denial didn’t last long. They showed him photos of him giving hefty cash to the vendor for selling him lead without mentioning it in the log. The man finally broke when asked about his suspicious cash flow.
But Aveline didn’t wait around to see it. She had scheduled meetings and a search for her first client.
It was evening when she visited the prison, following Scarlett’s instructions.
The prison gates loomed ahead, their iron bars casting long shadows in the fading light. Guards checked her identification twice before escorting her through a series of locked doors, each one clanging shut behind her with finality.
The visitor’s room smelled of disinfectant and despair, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like trapped insects.
Sitting in the visiting room, Aveline turned when the door opened. Walter, the former housekeeper of the Sterling villa, walked in slowly. He looked older, his hair greyer and his body thinner, the prison uniform hung loose on his shrinking frame.
When Walter saw her, shame crawled up his throat before words could. He couldn’t meet her eyes even when he sat across from her.
"I’m sorry, Mrs. Ashford." He never got a chance to apologize to her before.
"We are divorced," she said plainly.
He raised his head in shock, but his face brightened, as if he were pleased to hear it.