Chapter 23

23

Irena has gone quite still, and he knows he has hit the mark.

“I didn’t,” she says, but it’s a weak attempt.

He leans forward then, closing in on her, his arms on the table. “We know you did. The forensic evidence shows it. The blood had dried around the knife on the floor for at least twenty-four hours. Your footprints led right past the body to the sink. The knife was scrubbed clean and put back in the knife block. But we know it was the murder weapon.” She sits unmoving, like an animal aware of a predator, her hands in her lap. “The question I have is, why did you do that?”

She becomes flustered. “I don’t know why. I was in shock. I saw the carving knife on the floor. I recognized it. It’s been in the family for decades. I just picked it up and washed it and put it back. It was habit, I guess.”

Reyes smiles at her. “And we’re supposed to believe that?”

“I can’t help what you believe,” she says.

“I’ll tell you what I believe,” Reyes says slowly. “I believe you arrived there, found Sheila dead and Fred awash in blood, saw the carving knife on the floor, picked it up, put on the pair of rubber gloves we found under the sink, and scrubbed the knife thoroughly in case the killer had left prints on it. Because you wanted to protect the person who did it. Which makes us think that you believe that the killer is one of the children.”

“No,” she protests.

“We could charge you, you know.”

She remains silent, staring at him.

He leans back in his chair again, giving her some room. “Is there anything you want to tell us now?”

“No.”

“The thing is,” Reyes says, “whoever the killer was, he or she was quite careful and wore gloves. You needn’t have interfered with the murder scene after all.” She looks back at him, her face rigid. “Thanks for the tip, though.”

As she rises to leave, Barr says, “We’ll just get your fingerprints before you go—we need them for exclusionary purposes. We have to do everybody.”

---

•   •   •irena exits the police station and makes her way to her car as if she can’t get there fast enough. Once she is in the car, though, she sits still for a few minutes, gathering her thoughts. She takes deep breaths, resting her head back against the headrest. She closes her eyes. What has she done?

Finally, she starts the car with trembling hands and drives to Catherine’s house. This is going to be difficult, and she’s dreading it.

When she arrives, she sees that both cars are in the driveway and Jenna’s is parked on the street in front. There’s no sign of Dan’s vehicle. She gets out of the car and approaches the familiar front door.

It’s Ted who answers her knock, his handsome face grave.

“Come in, Irena,” he says. “Jenna said you’d be coming over.”

Catherine stands up when Irena enters the living room; Jenna is already on her feet, over by the window. All three of them look at her expectantly. She is the first to be interviewed by the police at the station; they want to know what happened. They know they will be next. The room is charged with tension.

Catherine gives her a quick hug and says, “Come sit down and tell us everything.”

No sooner is Irena seated in an armchair than she blurts out, “I’m sorry.”

They all look at her in alarm.

She tells them what she did with the knife, and that the police know, and watches their faces flood with confusion, then disbelief.

Catherine says, “Why? Why would you do that?” She seems astonished and angry.

When Irena can’t find the words, Jenna answers for her, blunt as always. “Because she thinks it was one of us.”

Irena can’t meet anyone’s eyes. She sits in silence, staring at the floor.

For a moment everyone seems to forget to breathe. At last Catherine says, “Irena, surely you don’t believe that.”

Irena is silent. She doesn’t know what to say.

“So,” Jenna prods, “which one of us do you think did it?”

Irena evades the question. She looks at each of the sisters in turn, wanting to be forgiven, knowing that she won’t be. “I shouldn’t have done it. Now the police seem to think it was one of you kids. I’m sorry.”

Catherine, Jenna, and Ted all stare back at her in dismay.

“Thanks a lot,” Jenna says.

---

•   •   •audrey, from her vantage point in the parking lot in front of the station, had watched Irena hurry to her car, looking more upset than when she arrived. Then she’d sat there for a long time, as if she were shaken and trying to pull herself together. Finally she drove off, leaving Audrey desperate to know what had happened inside the station.

Now, Audrey badly needs to pee but she doesn’t want to leave her post in case she misses something. But it’s not long until she sees Dan’s car enter the parking lot. He pulls up near the entrance. He gets out of the car, alone. He doesn’t glance her way or notice her at the back of the lot. Once she sees him go up the steps and into the station, she knows she’s got a bit of time. She glances at her watch, gets out of the car, and walks quickly to a donut shop down the street. She uses the bathroom, buys herself a chocolate donut and a coffee, and gets back to her car in the space of ten minutes.

---

•   •   •they bring dan Merton into the same interview room they had used to question Irena a short time before. He’s dressed in clean jeans, an open-necked shirt, and a navy blazer. He wears an expensive-looking watch. He looks like he comes from money—he has that careless way with expensive things, Reyes thinks, the assurance that comes from growing up with a good wardrobe. He wears his clothes well, but everything else about him seems uncomfortable, unsure. He takes a seat and clears his throat nervously, his fingers tapping on the table.

“Dan,” Reyes says, “we just want to ask you a few questions. You’re here voluntarily; you can leave at any time.”

“Of course,” he says. “Happy to help. I want you to find out who did this terrible thing. Any luck on the driver of the truck yet?”

Reyes shakes his head and sits back in his chair. As always, Barr is beside him, watching everything, evaluating, a shrewd second pair of eyes. Reyes says, “Now that you’ve had some time to think, do you have any idea who might have murdered your parents?”

Dan frowns and shakes his head. “No. I can’t imagine why anyone would do this.” He adds awkwardly, “I mean other than for the obvious reason of robbery.”

Reyes nods and asks, “How did you feel when your father sold Merton Robotics?”

Dan Merton’s face flushes. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I’m just asking.” Reyes watches Dan’s hands fidget on the table.

“I wasn’t happy about it, to be honest,” he admits. “I’d worked hard in that company for years with the expectation it would be mine someday. He sold it without even considering what it would mean to me.” He stops suddenly, as if he’s said too much.

Reyes nods. “It seems like a shitty thing to do.”

Dan looks at him as if he’s deciding to drop some of his defenses. “Well, he could be a shitty person sometimes. But I had nothing to do with this.”

“I’m not saying you did,” Reyes assures him. “We’re just trying to get a full picture of the background here.” He pauses and goes on. “Because of the sale of the business, I understand you are now in some financial difficulty. Do you want to tell us about that?”

“No, not particularly,” he snaps. “I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“You don’t?” Reyes says. “You have a grudge against your father, you’re in financial difficulty, and you now stand to inherit a very large fortune.”

Dan flicks a nervous glance between him and Barr. “Do I need to get a lawyer?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“I had nothing to do with this,” Dan repeats more stridently. He rises from the chair. “I’m not answering any more questions. I know my rights.”

“You’re free to go,” Reyes agrees, then looks over at Barr. “We just need to get you fingerprinted first.”