In some ways, she reminded Detective Nina Smalls of herself. On the outside, Nina looked and felt like a normal person, in control and steady at hand. A professional at all times. But underneath the surface, she was riddled with anxiety and worry, always thinking of her city and all those innocent lives she felt responsible for protecting. So many cases went unsolved, and it was those cases that kept her up at night. She prayed this murder wouldn’t be another one of those.

“My age is none of your concern, Ms. Beake, and frankly, it’s irrelevant anyway,” the detective said. Elizabeth sat back in her chair, shrinking an inch. She was the kind of woman who tested boundaries and adapted accordingly. If she knows I’m in charge, then perhaps she will change her approach, the detective thought.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. You just look so young. Please, can you tell me what’s going on?” Elizabeth said, face morphing into an elderly, desperate woman.

“What’s going on is that there’s been a murder. Tell me what you know, Ms. Beake. I want to see if what you know matches up with what I know. Understood?”

“Please call me Elizabeth. Ms. Beake makes me feel old.”

“Okay, Elizabeth. Tell me what you know about the murder,” Detective Smalls said, struggling to maintain her already wavering patience.

Elizabeth tsked. “I don’t know who killed her, but I hope you can figure it out because I want them put away behind bars. All I know is that the lights went out around midnight. There was a storm, so I just assumed the power had been knocked out, so I went to bed. There was nothing left to do in the dark…”

“And then?” Detective Smalls pushed.

“Then later, I woke up to noises… I came down the steps, and she was just hanging there. Just like that. It was quite a shock. I’m still in shock, I think.” For the first time, the detective could hear a quiver in the elderly woman’s voice. “It was so awful… so sickening. I just don’t know who would do such a thing.”

“Perhaps it was the same person who wrote those mean, anonymous warnings to your daughter-in-law. Why did you write those things, Elizabeth? What could you possibly gain from ruining Rosalee’s party, and life?” Detective Smalls leaned forward and placed her hands on the table. She spread her fingers.