Chapter 30

30

Early the next morning, Thursday, Reyes sits back in his chair, deep in thought. It’s two days since the bodies were discovered. He taps his pen against the blotter on his desk. There’s no sign of the Mertons’ credit cards being used, no attempts to take money out at ATMs. No sign of the stolen jewelry or silver anywhere. Overkill on Fred’s death. A very careful killer—no shoes, for Christ’s sake. Somehow he doesn’t think it was a simple home invasion. And they’re no further ahead on that mystery truck. They’re still going through the auto body paint shops in an attempt to track it down.

What they do know is that Dan Merton and Catherine Merton lied about their alibis.

Reyes calls Dan Merton in for a formal interview. This time he brings his attorney. The two of them show up at ten a.m., and Merton is in a suit. Reyes wonders if his lawyer advised him on what to wear. Is he expecting to be arrested? Dan is looking unrested and unwell.

After being cautioned, and after formal introductions for the tape, they begin. Reyes says, “We have a witness who swears he saw you go out in your car the night of the murders at around ten o’clock, and another who says she saw you come home later, around one in the morning.” Reyes sees the attorney give his client a sharp glance.

Dan looks even more ill and closes his eyes.

“Maybe we could have a minute?” the attorney says.

“Sure.” Reyes turns off the tape and he and Barr leave the room and walk down the corridor to wait. When the attorney signals for them to return and they resume the interview, Reyes asks, “Is there something you want to tell us, Dan?”

Dan takes a deep, shaky breath and says, “I went out for a drive. I had a lot on my mind and driving helps me clear my head. I often go for a drive at night.”

“Three hours is quite a long drive. Where did you go?”

“I don’t know, nowhere special. I can’t remember.”

Reyes raises his eyebrows at him in disbelief. “You didn’t go back to Brecken Hill to see your parents?”

“No. I went nowhere near their place. I wasn’t in Brecken Hill.” There’s a vein pulsing visibly under the pale skin of his temple.

“Why did you lie to us, Dan?”

“I didn’t want to be a suspect,” he says tightly.

“Did you ask your father for money, perhaps, at Easter dinner?”

Dan gives Reyes a vicious glance.

The attorney interjects. “I think that’s it for questions for now.” Dan looks like he’s crumpling inside his suit. “Unless you’ve got something else?” Klein asks, turning to Reyes. “Some kind of direct physical evidence, for instance?” Reyes shakes his head. “Let’s go,” the attorney says and leads his client out.

After they’ve gone, Barr says, “If he did it, even if he’s managed to dispose of all his bloodied clothes somewhere, there might still be traces of his father’s blood somewhere in his car, no matter how well he thinks he’s cleaned it.”

Reyes nods and says, “We’ll get a search warrant.” He exhales heavily. “We need to find those bloody clothes. In the meantime, let’s have another chat with Catherine Merton.”

---

•   •   •hungry for information, Audrey shows up at the police station again. This morning, there’s a media presence as well, waiting around patiently by the front doors. Audrey decides that this time she’ll get out of her car. She blends in with the reporters and cameramen and waits to see what will happen.

She’s soon rewarded by Dan coming out the glass doors with a tall man in a good suit—she realizes he must be an attorney. The media swarm in and pepper the two of them with unwelcome questions, as the lawyer tries to fend them off. Audrey is glad she made the effort. She hopes they’re really putting the screws to him. She tries to catch Dan’s expression, but he’s got his head down and his hands up to his face as he scurries away with his protective lawyer.

A short time later, Audrey’s patience is rewarded again when she sees Catherine arrive with a woman in a suit, carrying a briefcase. They run the gauntlet of reporters, trying their best to ignore them. Things are getting serious, Audrey thinks. She’s beginning to enjoy herself.

---

•   •   •catherine merton looks much different today than she did the day before, Reyes notes. She’s had to pass through the media scrum to get in here, and perhaps it’s put her off her game. She doesn’t appear to have slept much, and although she’s taken pains with her outfit and her makeup, her fatigue still shows. She’s brought an attorney with her.

Once he’s cautioned her and the tape is running, Reyes says, “Ms. Merton, you told us yesterday that you were home all night on Easter Sunday, after you got home from your parents’.” She doesn’t say anything, but she looks as if she’s prepared for the worst. “We have video of you in your car leaving your driveway at eleven oh nine that evening and returning at twelve forty-one in the morning. One of your neighbors has a security camera.” Reyes asks, “Where did you go?”

She takes a deep breath and glances at her attorney, who gives her a slight nod. “I went to my parents’. When we were there for dinner, my mother told me there was something important she wanted to talk to me about, but we were interrupted. I never got a chance to talk to her about it and I was worried about what it might be. So I called her cell shortly after eleven, but there was no answer.”

“Yes, we know,” Reyes says. “We have your parents’ phone records.” He asks, “Why didn’t you try the landline?”

She hesitates briefly. “I thought my dad might already be asleep and I didn’t want to wake him.” She continues. “So I drove over—it’s not far. When I got there, I spoke to my mother. She wanted me to intervene with my father about my sister, Jenna. He wanted to cut off her allowance.” She adds, “This happened from time to time. He never did it.”

“So why the lie?” Reyes asks.

She looks him right in the eye and says, “Why do you think? I didn’t want you to think it was me.”

Reyes stares back at her and wonders if she and her brother were both there, at the same time.