Janine rode in the back seat of her car in silence. She had instructed her driver to head directly home, but not to hurry. Upon receiving the news her husband had died she left her lover in the hotel and came down to the car. She was wearing exactly what she wore when going to meet her lover, which was her faux fur coat, some stocking, shoes and a bit of makeup. Pretty sure the police would be at her house, she prepared herself for some uncomfortable questions. Once again she found herself cast in the worst possible light, had her husband been alive now he'd be wringing his hands in glee.
Watching her driver pull onto her street, she immediately saw a couple of news vehicles parked near the front gate to her property. She simply leaned forward and looked down as the floor as the car quickly swept into the driveway and past the reporters. Sitting up she now could see the police cars parked in front of her house.
The driver stopped near the front door and Janine, not waiting for the driver to open the door for her, opened her door and quickly walked into her house. As she stepped through the door she saw several of the household staff standing in the foyer talking to a policeman in uniform and another man in a bad fitting suit. She assumed he was also a policeman, perhaps a detective.
Willard, their butler slipped through the group and approached her, "Ms. Janine, it's good you're home, we called an ambulance when it happened, but there was nothing they could do."
"What did happen Willard?"
"Well, as you know from when you saw him this morning, he was having a good day. The nurse let him use the walker to get around. All seemed to be going fine until we heard a crash in the dining room and found him on the floor."
"So it was the fall..."
"...that killed him. That's what we suspect," the man in the bad fitting suit interrupted.
"Excuse me?" Janine said icily.
"Yes, it appears the fall killed him, your husband?"
"I'm his wife if that's what you're asking."
"Hello, I'm detective Bulack, I'm very sorry for your loss, we just need to ask a few questions, make sure any questions about his death are answered."
"Sounds like you have worked it all out," Janine replied, "so I guess you don't need anything more."
"Well actually, I ah... I'd like, ah I need to ask you some questions, like where were you when he died."
"I don't know when he died."
"Where were you when you found out he had died?" he asked.
"I wasn't wearing a watch at the time."
"You have no idea of the time?"
"Well, it was daylight."
"Right, ah why don't you tell me where you were when you found out," the officer said, in a syrupy tone.
"The Addison Hotel, Room twelve-fifteen, I came here as soon as I found out."
The man peeked down at the cleavage that was showing where her coat was slightly open and then said, "It appears you may have rushed out without all your clothes, with just your coat. Would you like us to send a car back to the hotel and get the rest of your clothes?"
"That won't be necessary, this was all I was wearing," she replied pertly.
"So you went to a five star hotel dressed in just your coat?"
"Is this case about indecent exposure? I think this coat..."
"Oh no ma'am I just have an interest in fashion," he said, smiling.
"Yes, I can see," she scoffed.
Spreading out his arms he asked, "You like it?"
"Wal-mart?"
"Oh no ma'am, Monkey Ward mail order."
"They've been closed for years here," she replied.
"That's what's so great about fashion, you keep it long enough and zowie, it comes back in fashion. Like your jacket, apparently someone found it fashionable. Did you meet someone at the Addison?"
"Yes."
"And who may I ask did you meet?"
"Well, there was this charming man in the elevator, but he made me an offer I could refuse."
"Anyone else?"
"Yes, I met Ben."
"And who is Ben?"
"My husband's brother."
"So you met your husband's brother..."
"Ben."
"Yes," he said, looking at his notes, "You met your husband's brother Ben wearing only a fur coat?"
"Faux fur," Janine replied.
"How's that?"
"The fur isn't real, it's faux fur."
"So you met your husband's brother Ben wearing only the faux fur coat."
"No," she said slyly.
"No?"
"I wasn't wearing the coat when he arrived."
"So you didn't have the coat on for him?"
"The coat was for me."
"So when your husband died you were in a hotel room with his brother Ben, oh, naked by the way."
"Both of us."
"Both of you?"
"Naked," Janine replied.
"Ah yes, both naked. And why would you be in the room naked with your husband's naked brother Ben."
"Love."
"You loved Ben?"