Ax to Grind by Amelia Morgan Page A

stage your play instead of your stepson’s.”
    Paige was defiant.  “I can’t believe you’re accusing me of murdering my own husband.”
    “How is it so hard to believe?  You got into an argument with him the night he was murdered that was so severe; you spent the night at a friend’s house,” Connor said. 
    Paige tried to deflect.  “Have you talked to Vanessa McMillan yet?  Because you really should--”
    Meg stopped her cold. “Stop trying to push the blame off on someone else.”
    “Tell us the truth.  The real truth,” Connor added. 
    Paige saw her web of lies unraveling right before her eyes.  She tried a different approach.  “I have nothing else to say to you.”
    Things didn’t look good for Paige, but they weren’t bad enough to put her behind bars either.  At least not yet. 
    Meg knew she needed to pump her for more information.  “I don’t think it’s wise to go quiet now, considering you have no alibi.”
    Paige groaned.  “Ok, fine.  Ethan and I fought about him taking Wyatt’s side instead of mine like he always does.  I went over to Wendy’s to cool off.  That’s not a crime.”
    “It’s interesting that you brought up the fact that Ethan always took Wyatt’s side.  What was your relationship with your stepson?” Connor asked. 
    Paige became defensive. “It’s no secret that stepparents don’t always get along with their step kids.”
    “True, but it sounds like you resented the things Ethan did for his son,” Connor replied.
    “Anyone would have.  He cared so much about that loser kid.  Wyatt never amounted to anything, and he never will.  It didn’t matter to Ethan.  To him, Wyatt could do no wrong.  What about me?  I was his wife,” Paige revealed.
    Connor continued.  “And if we asked Wyatt about you, what would he say?”
    For once, Paige was brutally honest.  “Wyatt hated me.  He poisoned the well at every opportunity.”
    “It sounds like you had plenty of anger to spare,” Meg said. 
    “For the last time, I didn’t do it,” Paige replied.
    “The more you talk, the harder it is to believe that,” Connor said. 
    “You wanted the truth.  I just told you,” Paige declared. 
    “If this is the whole truth, then why did you tell us all those lies before?” Meg wondered.
    “You said it yourself.  The truth makes me look bad,” Paige replied.
    “Exactly,” Meg said. 
    “Looks can be deceiving.  Now, if you’re not going to arrest me, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Paige replied.   
    Meg could tell Connor wanted to arrest her, but without a confession or hard evidence, the best he could do was hold her for seventy-two hours. 
    He exhaled, then answered firmly.  “Don’t even thinking about leaving town.”
     

 
    Chapter Sixteen
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    After all the finger-pointing Paige had done, Connor and Meg paid Vanessa McMillan a visit next.  Vanessa was already on their radar, even before Paige threw her under the bus.  There was plenty to be suspicious about when it came to Vanessa.  When Ethan Wakefield canceled “Enchanted Nights,” he put her on the unemployment line.  In addition, by deciding to put on his wife’s play, Ethan’s actions were a betrayal of his promise to Vanessa’s father.  Familial ties were known to run deep, and in the case of the McMillan’s, their family had suffered two big blows in the same night.  
    Much to their surprise, Meg and Connor were actually invited inside Vanessa’s house.  Most suspects made them do their questioning on the front doorstep and seemed eager to shut the door in their faces.  Not Vanessa.  She didn’t even look emotionally guarded. 
    While it was a nice change of pace, it was also suspicious in its own right.  Why was Vanessa welcoming and friendly to two people that suspected her of murder?  The answer to that would soon be all-too apparent.  As Meg and Connor entered Vanessa’s living room, she immediately reached