“We don’t know if he had GHB in his system yet.”
Zander’s gut told him the toxicology report would show he had.
“Now.” Ava cleared her throat and turned her laptop so he could see the screen. “Yesterday I got a warrant for Emily Mills’s cell phone records.” She aimed her gaze at her computer.
Coffee cooled in Zander’s mouth. She hadn’t told him of the request.
“Why didn’t you just ask to see her phone?” he asked, knowing the suggestion was weak the moment he said it.
She looked up, faint condescension shining in her eyes.
“I know, I know. What did you find?” Coffee acid churned in Zander’s stomach. Had he put too much trust in their primary witness?
“Twenty minutes are missing.”
He couldn’t speak.
“Emily’s phone records show she got a call at 6:47 from the diner. That would be her cook calling to tell her he couldn’t reach Lindsay.” Ava pointed at the entry with her pen. “She told you she left immediately for the diner. When I talked with Madison yesterday, she told me she heard Emily’s phone ring and stated she left within minutes.”
“She must have already been up and dressed,” Zander said numbly. “Seems reasonable.”
“I think so. The records show a call to Lindsay’s house at 6:50 that lasted two seconds.”
“She must have reached her voice mail and hung up.”
“And either she called right before she left, or she called while driving. Either way, I drove from the Barton mansion to Lindsay’s home. It took me eight minutes in the middle of the day. At that time of morning I imagine the roads are even quieter.”
“They’re always quiet here,” Zander said.
“There’s another brief call to Lindsay’s phone at 7:02. Your interview notes said she knocked and then tried to call again. That’s when she heard the phone ringing inside and tried the door, finding it was open.”
Zander remembered Emily’s description exactly.
“According to 911, Emily’s call came in at 7:29.”
“Jesus.” Ice flooded his veins. “What did she do for all that time? I can understand it might take a few minutes to find Lindsay and then Sean. But going twenty minutes before calling it in?” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t get it.”
Ava’s lips were tight, her face grim. “That makes two of us. She didn’t make any other calls during the time.”
“I need to interview her again.”
“We need to interview her again.”
Her emphasis made him pause. “Why do you say it like that?”
She sighed and gave him a look that reminded him of his mother when she was disappointed in him. “You’re too nice.”
“Nice? I’m not nice. We’re working a murder case.”
“You’re nice around her.” Ava raised both brows and held his gaze.
He got it. “You think I’m attracted to her.”
“I know you are. She’s a very attractive woman, and I know exactly what you look like in that scenario.” Her lips twisted in a wry smile.
Ava would recognize that.
He rubbed his forehead, analyzing everything he’d said or done in Emily’s presence. “I don’t think I’ve treated her any different than, say . . . her sister or aunts.”
“Just be more aware. Okay?” Ava’s tone said she was done with the subject. “When should we talk to Emily about this? She might have a reasonable explanation—maybe she spent time vomiting in the bushes . . . or . . . I don’t know.”
“What could she have done indoors for twenty minutes?” Zander was stumped.
“Or outside.”
“The bodies didn’t appear moved. Copeland admitted he was the one who’d cut down Sean. We wouldn’t know if anything else had been changed.”
“They took her fingerprints to check against any found inside,” Ava said. “Maybe they’ll turn up somewhere.”
“I’ll email forensics and tell them we want the locations where her prints turn up ASAP,” Zander said, opening his laptop. The churning in his stomach had subsided, but now he felt numb and determined to get to the bottom of Emily’s movements.
Is she involved somehow?
As hard as he tried, he couldn’t see her participating in murder. But Emily might have done something to compromise the scene, purposefully or not.
“You’re in android mode now,” Ava commented.
He glanced up. “Android?”
“All business.”
“Make up your mind how you want me to act.” He refocused on his email. Ava’s scrutiny was making him surly.
“We can discuss it on the way to the medical examiner’s office in Portland.”
“I can’t wait,” he groused, risking a glance at her.
She was grinning, her eyes warm with humor, and for the briefest second, he regretted what he’d lost because he’d kept his feelings to himself in the past.
The regrets occurred less and less, but he’d be happier once they completely vanished. Frowning, he sent his email, knowing Ava was right that Emily had caught his notice. But this was no time for feelings. She was a witness, and he had a murderer or two to catch.
19
“Where’d Isaac vanish to?” Madison asked Leo as he flipped hash browns on the griddle.
“Dunno. He was here a minute ago.”
“What do you think about holding a memorial for Lindsay and Sean?” she asked.
The gruff man frowned. “Isn’t that something their families will do?” The shredded potatoes sizzled as he pressed them with his spatula.
“I don’t know, but if they do, I doubt it will be here in Bartonville. They’ll probably hold something in their hometowns. I feel like we need something too.”
“It makes sense. Memorials are for the living, not the dead,” Leo stated with a knowing glance.
He read her perfectly, understanding that she needed closure. Many of the people in town could use the same. They were silent, walking grievers, seeking a place to ease their pain.
Isaac appeared and headed toward the supply room with a box of huge tomato-sauce cans. As he passed, Madison touched his arm, and he flinched away, nearly dropping the box.
“Sorry, Isaac.”
Fear flashed in his wide eyes as he stopped and turned toward her.
He looks scared of me. Why?
“I wanted your opinion on a memorial service for the Fitches,” she said, forcing a small smile to put him at ease. His brief terror had rattled her.
Isaac looked from her to Leo. “Yeah. That’s a good idea.” He continued around the corner to their storage area. Isaac had always been skittish, but he’d been so much better over the last six months. It hurt her to see him looking like a kicked puppy again.
Leo shrugged as she sent him a questioning look. “People process things in different ways. I’m sure it’s about Lindsay. Don’t take it personally.”
She didn’t.
Leo had asked Emily to give Isaac a job a year ago, claiming he was a nephew from out of state who needed a fresh start, and Emily had immediately hired him. Several weeks later Leo had confessed he’d found Isaac hiding in a shed on his property and had lied about the nephew story. The bruises, burns, and scars on the boy’s back had kept Leo from sending him home. Leo had done some investigating a few hours south in Isaac’s hometown of Lincoln City. He’d shared with the sisters that he’d learned Isaac’s father was a drunk, and that two of his old girlfriends had brought charges against him for assault. He’d been in and out of jail most of his life.