The air was almost as tense as one of Daddy’s board meetings, and it instantly tied my neck in knots. I made a mental note to schedule a massage and did my best to dispel the tension with a smile. Keeping my tone light, I replied, “Well, we certainly didn’t kill anyone.”
They didn’t react,but my shoulders loosened a bit.
Detective Parker wrote something on his pad before glancing up at me. “I’m going to need you to be a little more specific, Ms. Allen. Please start from the beginning and include timeframes and any possible witnesses.”
“Well, after Dylan was fired by her boss—who, by the way, she should have filed a sexual harassment charge against, but she’s peaceful and refusedto stir the pot at work—we spent the day at my house. She was pretty upset.”
Detective Parker paused in his scribbling. “Upset?”
“Yes. Dylan is a rare breed. She had a crappy childhood, and her family is Deliverance-breed kind of crazy, but she still insists on seeing the good in people. It actually disappoints her when they turn out to be asshats.”
“Disappoints her enough to kill them?”
“Um, no. She handles her disappointment like any other highly functioning adult.” I didn’t like his tone, so I took my own back to professional. “She arrived shortly after ten, and we spent the day eating and drinking away our frustrations. We started with mimosas for breakfast and called for takeout from the VQ for lunch. We left the house around six or so. My building has security cameras, so youcan verify that information. My driver, Jimmy, took us to Rialto’s for dinner.”
Detective Pike leaned forward, clearing his throat. “Do you remember the name of your server? Or anyone else who could vouch for your presence there?”
He seemed like he was genuinely trying to help, so I relaxed a bit. “Unfortunately no, but the girl was barely past eighteen and seriously in need of a makeover.She had badly-dyed black hair and eyebrows so thick they looked like two pieces of licorice stuck to her forehead.”
Detective Parker had his head down, writing, but he didn’t even try to hide his smile. Confident he was warming up to me, I continued. “After dinner, Jimmy took us to the Brass Frog where we drank until Dylan could barely walk, then Jimmy took me home before dropping her off ather apartment. Both he and Dylan confirmed she got home okay, so I went to bed... alone, in case that matters.”
Detective Parker’s mouth twitched and he shifted in his chair before focusing on me again. “How much did Ms. James have to drink?”
“A lot. We both did, only she’s a lightweight. We had to practically pour her into the limo. Jimmy said she wouldn’t let him walk her up to her apartment,which, by the way, he got a talking-to about. She was wasted and he didn’t walk her upstairs? Jerk. If he didn’t work for my dad, I’d fire him.”
“Right. Well, rudeness aside, since Jimmy didn’t walk her to the door, her alibi ended the moment he dropped her off.”
“And when was Kirk killed?” I asked.
He glanced at the file. “The time of death is currently confidential.”
Of course it was. “Why?”
“Because it’s difficult to fabricate an alibi if you don’t know the time of death.”
Was he accusing me of lying? Of being willing to lie? “Listen, if Dylan had killed Kirk, I would know the time of death because she would have called me to help bury the body. I didn’t get a call, so she didn’t do it.”
He eyed me. “I don’t think you’re taking this seriously.”
“Of course I’m not, because it’sridiculous.” I placed my hands on the table in an effort not to hit something. I’d been calm and charming, and now I was ready to flip my lid. “Dylan wouldneverkill anyone. She doesn’t even kill bugs. I understand that you have to ask these questions, but she wouldn’t do it. She texted me as soon as she got home to say she got there okay. It wasn’t her.”
“She texted?” he clarified.
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t give her an alibi. She could have texted before, during, or after the murder.”
“Ohmigod, are you being serious right now?” I snapped.
“A man is dead, Ms. Allen. It’s a very serious situation.”
I take back thinking you were hot. You’re an ass.
I took a deep breath. “I’d like my lawyer now.”
He cocked his head, studying me. “Why do you think you need a lawyer?”
“Oh, I don’t yet.But I’m thinking I might need one in a few minutes.”
His eyebrows shot up his forehead.
“I have an intense desire to hit you right now, and I’m preemptively requesting a lawyer because I’m not really in the mood to join my bestie in a cell for assaulting an officer.”
Detective Parker blinked, clearly stunned, then he bit back a grin and glanced at Detective Pike.
“I’ll get Mr. Allen,” Pikeoffered.
The older man left the room and I crossed my arms and leaned back against the plastic seat, bouncing my leg up and down as I tended to do when stressed.
