6. Bullseye

"Hello?" Rayleigh said lazily into the phone. She was working a late shift that night and all the stress was now getting her.

Her mental health had been in shambles lately and Jennifer's death did not make matters better, "Detective Kane?" She said surprised the detective was even calling her, "I'm off work from tomorrow morning till late in the afternoon but if it's really important, i'm on a short break right now."

After giving them her location, Rayleigh patiently waits for the detectives arrival and the two arrive a couple minutes later "apologies for the inconvenience, Dr. Cooper" Patty said,

"It's fine" Rayleigh smiles "what is it you wanted to know?"

"You were friends of the late Miss Jennifer Wise, right?" Ethan asked

"Yes," Rayleigh replied, "We actually first met at this very hospital"

"Was she ill?"

"Not really" Rayleigh shakes her head, "I can't say much, i'm sorry"

"We understand," Ethan said "We also understand that you were her assigned doctor after she was stabbed?"

"Not initially, no. I only started to treat Jennie because she had requested it,"

"So you must have spoke to her" Patty said

"I did," she nods, "but she couldn't say much"

"But she was conscious?" Ethan asked

"For a while, yes."

"Did she say anything? Anything at all?" Patty asked eagerly

"I--" Rayleigh stuttered

"What my partner meant is..." Ethan said more calmly, "whatever Ms. Wise said to you might be more useful than you think."

Rayleigh exhales deeply "she said something about how Deborah and i should be careful..." She stopped, "that was it"

Patty face drops "Oh" she said disappointedly

"Sorry," Rayleigh said

"How long have you known Deborah, if you don't mind me asking."

Rayleigh's eyes lit up, "as long as i can remember,"

"You two must be like family."

"We are," Rayleigh smiles "I owe not just Deborah but all of the Sinclairs my life" she stated

"How come?"

"Many things. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them."

"They must have been pretty helpful,"

"They were. When i got accepted into med school, my family was going through a financial crisis. Deborah used some of the money she inherited from her parents to help pay for my school."

"That's amazing." Patty said,

Rayleigh checks her phone, "my break time is over." she stated, "sorry i couldn't be of any help," she said as she rises to her feet.

"Thank you for time," Ethan said before the doctor walks away from them

"She was lying." Patty said once Rayleigh was out of earshot

"About what?" Ethan asked

"Jennifer. That wasn't all she said to her,"

Ethan raised an eyebrow "Why do you think so?"

"Because... She was about to say it but she stopped abruptly. She's either lying about the entire conversation she had with Jennifer or... She's hiding something."

Ethan remains quiet for a while. He looked at his partner who was deep in thought "what is it?" He asked

"What do we know about our killer?"

"They are left handed, at least 5'8" in height, lives in golden hill or knows someone who lives there and owns a glock 19"

Patty nods, "Deborah and Jamie meet that criteria perfectly" she stated, "...Rayleigh too... except we don't know whether or not she owns a gun"

"True" Ethan agrees, "Deborah did say Rayleigh lives with her," he recalled

"Which gives her access to a glock 19," Patty said

"But we can't say for sure..." Ethan said

"I have an idea. Let's see if Mr. Williams is in town."

***

"May I ask what i'm doing here?" Jamie asked Patty

"Just a moment sir," she pleaded. A while later, Ethan appears with Rayleigh and Deborah

"Deborah!" Jamie smiled before walking up to hug the Sinclair, "it's been a while, how are you doing?" He asked

Deborah sighed, "I heard about what happened to your friend. I'm planning on hiring a private investigator," he said side eyeing the two detectives at the side

Deborah smiles before turning to the detectives. Ethan clears his throat, "We are planning to train everyone in Golden Hill to be able to use a handgun so they can protect themselves in case of an emergency. You three are the first batch we are training,"

"Isn't that literally your job as the police?" Jamie interrupted, "to protect us?"

"That's true sir," Ethan said, a small smile on his face "But we aren't always next to you so--"

Jamie scoffs, "Can you imagine this guy?" he said to Deborah

"I take it you want to train us to be able to use handguns?" Jamie asked

"Precisely." Patty nods

"Well," Jamie said picking up the gun in front of him before pointing it to the target and pulling the trigger, firing three perfect shots.

Jamie sets the gun back on the table and turns to the detectives, "Now if you'd excuse me, i have an important meeting by 2" he said before walking away

Patty turns to the other two who were wearing a hearing protection. Deborah picks up the handgun and points it to her target. She fires her first shot which lands perfectly at the centre of the target.

Deborah stops a beat before firing again, and again and again. All of with land on the same spot.

"Great shot," Patty lauds

Deborah shoots her a faint smile "Thanks," she says before turning to her friend "your turn Ray Ray"

Rayleigh carefully picks up the gun and points it to the target. She fires three consecutive shots all of which miss the target entirely. Deborah laughed while Rayleigh pouts_ "don't worry, you'll get it in ten years time." she teased.

The day wore on with Deborah giving Rayleigh some pointers on how to shoot better. Later, the two leave the shooting range leaving behind the detectives.

"Rayleigh is either a good actress or she genuinely does not know how to use a gun" Patty stated

Ethan shakes his head. "I don't think she was putting up an act. Actually, I think i'm beginning to get an idea on what's going on around here."

"You are?"

"Yeah. Here's what i think is happening. Deborah is the patrician killer. Her target at the party was Mrs Delilah Brown who she goes after and successfully murdered," Ethan stated, "But unfortunately for her," he continued "this time, unlike all the other times, someone saw her or at least that's what she thought.

"During an outing with her friend, Ms. Jennifer Wise, the topic of the killer comes up and Jennifer mentions something about seeing the killer. Deborah doesn't know what exactly so she tries to ask more but Jennifer doesn't say. So she decides to get rid of her before she says anything to the police."

"But you were with Deborah when Jennifer was injected with morphine," Patty says "how would she have gotten to hospital?"

"That's because she didn't kill her, Rayleigh did!"

"You think they are working together?"

"Not at all. I think Jennifer told Rayleigh it was Deborah who attacked her. So Rayleigh who feels, in her own words 'she owes the Sinclairs her life' decides to inject Jennifer with an overdose of morphine"

"That would actually make a lot of sense," Patty said "but why would Deborah kill her uncle?"

Ethan rubs his hand around his jaw "I guess that's for us to find out"

.....