He and Tanner exchanged glances. A note from Clarkson to Alex? Or the other way around? One had been angry at the other. But why?
Time to find some answers. Wordlessly, they parted. Tanner would begin processing the scene for physical evidence and he would question Alex.
He asked the deputy to take notes of the interview. He wanted Alex to feel relaxed, like it was just the two of them talking, and his taking notes would get in the way of that. In addition, should it come to it, he didn’t want the information gathered to be tainted by his relationship to the suspect.
He sat on the floor in front of her, mirroring her Indian-style position. “Tell me what happened, Alex.” When she looked confused, he added, “How did your ex-husband end up dead?”
“Someone killed him. Stabbed him”-she touched her throat; he saw that her hand shook-“here.”
“Did you kill him, Alex?”
That penetrated her glassy-eyed shock. Her eyes widened. “No!” She shook her head as if for added emphasis. “I couldn’t… I found him like that.”
“Okay, sweetheart, take a deep breath. I need you to tell me exactly what transpired. Moment by moment.”
She did as he suggested and took several deep breaths, then began. “He had a faculty meeting this morning. At San Francisco State.”
“He’s a professor there?”
“Yes. He bought me a spa day… I wouldn’t have accepted it, but it was for my… birthday.”
“Is today your birthday?”
Her eyes filled with tears. Reed plucked a tissue from the box on the floor beside her. She took it and pressed it to her eyes. “Tomorrow.”
“What spa was it?”
“The Kenwood Inn.”
“Go on,” he said gently.
“I was there when he called me. I wasn’t supposed to have a phone… it’s the rules, but I’d slipped it in my robe pocket. I don’t know why. Instinct, maybe.”
She fell silent for a long moment. So long he was about to nudge her when she spoke again. “He was surprised when I answered, said he meant to leave a message. He said he”-she crumpled the tissue in her fist-“knew something about my… dad. My mother had told him… back when he and I were still together.”
She fell silent; he prodded her. “What did she tell him about him?”
Alex lifted her stricken gaze to his. “I could hardly hear! He was driving and the spa attendant…”
The convertible parked out front.
“I couldn’t believe he hadn’t told me before… all the time that’s passed. I could have known something, Reed.”
Her eyes filled once more, tears spilling over and rolling helplessly down her cheeks. He ignored the catch in his chest, denied the urge to take her in his arms and comfort her.
“He promised he would tell me more tonight… and now-” She grabbed another tissue and blew her nose. “I was really pissed. So I left.”
“The spa?”
“Yes.”
“And you came here, looking for him. Angry?”
“Anxious,” she whispered, rubbing her arms. “I mean, I was hurt and mad that he had known something about my dad he’d kept a secret… but I couldn’t sit still.” She rubbed her arms.
“What happened next?”
“I got here. Saw his car. The whole dinner setup. Read the note.”
“What did you think when you saw the table and champagne?”
She shrugged. “You have to know Tim. He doesn’t like entanglements. Doesn’t like messy emotional scenes. I figured he was managing me.”
“What does that mean?”
“Predisposing me not to be mad anymore.”
“So he wrote the note.” She nodded and reached for another tissue. “He said he had news, Alex. What about?”
“I don’t know.”
“Any guesses?”
“With Tim, it could be anything. That he’d taken the week off to help me, or gotten acknowledged by the dean at the faculty meeting.”
“Both of those are about him, Alex. What about you?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Could he have had news for you? About your father?”
She stared at him as if she hadn’t considered the possibility before this moment. Apparently, her ex was an all-about-me sort of guy. “My God, I never… Do you think… Could he have?”
“What happened next?”
“I poured a glass of the champagne and went out front to wait.”
“How long were you out there?”
“Thirty minutes. Maybe a little longer.” She cleared her throat. “I’d finished my drink and come inside for a refill. Margo came along… she jumped into my arms. That’s when I… when I saw…”
She began to tremble. Her eyes widened and he knew she was reliving the moment.
“You can do this,” he said softly. “You are up to it, Alex.”
She nodded, visibly struggling with her emotions. “I panicked and ran to the kitchen, I saw Tim… I fell, slipped and-” She held up her hands, her palms red, a look of horror on her face. “It was everywhere. They wouldn’t come clean.”
“Did you touch him, Alex?”
“Yes. I put my hands on his chest… then my ear. I didn’t hear his heart, so I checked his wrist. For a pulse. There was nothing.”
“And then?”
“Called you, I guess. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You did the right thing, Alex. You did. I have just a couple more questions.
“What was your relationship with your ex-husband?”
“We were friends.”
“You weren’t in love with him?”
“No.” She shook her head.
“You weren’t reconciling?”
“No.” She lifted her gaze to his, pleading. “We were friends, that’s all. I called him.”
“Why?”
She hesitated; he wondered why. “Because of all the stuff that’s been happening. I was sort of… I knew he could help me put it in perspective.”
“And that’s it?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t buy that but didn’t push it. She clasped her hands in her lap.
“Okay,” he murmured, “here’s what happens next. I’m going to have to take you in for an official statement.”
“Take me in?”
“In a situation like this, there’s no way around it.”
She nodded as if she understood, but he sensed she didn’t. That she was still operating on autopilot.
“Can I change first? Get cleaned up?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that. Not yet.”
For a fraction of a moment, he thought she was going to ask when. But then she understood. It moved across her features like a cloud. “Do I need a lawyer?”
“You have the right to one. You’re not under arrest, Alex. But because of the circumstances, you are a suspect.”
“A suspect?”
“Yes, in the murder of your ex-husband.”
“Oh, my God.” She brought a hand to her mouth. “But I didn’t do… I couldn’t do… this.”
“Because of our relationship, I can’t bring you in. But nice Deputy Jim here will do that. Right, Jim?”
“Yes, Detective.”
“I’ll be right behind you. With you all the way. Do you understand?”
“Yes. What about Margo?”
“She’ll be fine. I’ll have Tanner keep an eye on her, make certain she has food and water before they leave. I don’t think you’ll be gone that long.”
He smiled to reassure her, though he didn’t know how honest he was being. Depending on what went down at HQ, she could be charged and processed today.
He got to his feet and held out a hand to her. “Are you ready?”
“Some clothes?”
“Sure, tell me where.”
She did and he collected a fresh set, grabbing things that looked comfortable. Of course, if the worst case scenario came to pass, she wouldn’t be needing a change of clothes-she would be wearing a blue jumpsuit.
He slipped his jacket over her shoulders, as much for warmth as to shield her from the curious stares of the crowd that had surely gathered outside. It would include neighbors and passersby, tourists drawn by the flashing lights and the press.