“Sure—or come see it on my laptop. It’s still open to the story.”
I nearly vault out of bed, trail Logan to the living room, and settle there to read the story.
Early this morning New York State Police arrested Hudson River Community College professor Morgan T. Kroll, 35, of Springtown, for the murder of Riley Reynolds, age 29. Reynolds, a former Carter Collegestudent, was found dead yesterday at a home in Edgerton. Police have not released details of her death or a possible motive, but it’s been reported that Reynolds was in the area in conjunction with a renewed investigation into the death of another Carter College, student Melanie Chase, eight years ago.
So, it’s true. Morgan killed Riley. Which means she must have killed Mel, too. There’s a couple of moments when I feel I might be sick, that I might hurl whatever’s left in my stomach. I sat in the same booth and the same car with her, acting all deferential, when she was the person who strangled my smart, talented, beautiful daughter with a dog leash. I don’t want her to rot in prison. I want her to burn at the stake.
“She’s as much of a monster as Ruck was,” Logan says.
I take a deep breath, forcing my stomach into submission. “But what if all the police have is circumstantial evidence, based mostly on what I said? I’m going to go insane until I know more.”
“Maybe Halligan will loop us in when we see him this morning.”
“He’s so pissed at me, we’ll be lucky if he tells us anything.”
Logan scoffs. “As far as I’m concerned, he has no right to be annoyed. Where would we be if you hadn’t dug the way you did?”
I’m glad I dug. I’m glad, in the end, that I came here hoping for the truth. And yet Riley’s dead because of it. And Bas might be lost as well.
“I should get moving,” I say, and start for the bedroom to grab my clothes. As I reach the doorway, I pivot to Logan.
“Speaking of all hell breaking loose, I wonder if the Handlers have heard. Alison said she told her husband about Mel, but never Morgan. She’ll be forced to now.”
“This is going to knock them on their asses,” Logan says. “There’s going to be some ugly gossip over the next few months—at the very least.”
“Though maybe Alison can put it to her advantage. She can do a painting of the two of them with flames shooting out of their heads.”
“Speaking of Handler,” Logan says, “I was so thrown last night, I forgot to mention that I checked with the contractor for theMuseoffice, and he said that the crew is gone every day by four. So, they didn’t pull the table against the door, and apparently no one in maintenance would have done it, either. Which leaves Handler as a possibility. Butwhy?”
I flip a hand over. “We know now that he wasn’t sleeping with Mel, but he might have been afraid I’d find out about her and Alison and go to Maya about it. And he wanted me to look slightly unhinged.”
“Yeah, could be. But we’ll probably never know for sure.”
I finally retreat to the bathroom, wash up a little, and quickly change into the same grungy clothes from yesterday. I need to call Bas as soon as possible and share the news with him. And in the next two days, I need to determine what to do about my infidelity. The thought almost knocks me over with dread.
When I return to the living area, I find Logan staring at his laptop screen.
“Is there an update?” I ask.
“Nothing to speak of. They’ve included one new detail, that the home belongs to attorney Hilary Brown.”
A thought suddenly blooms in my mind. “Wait. If the police found evidence at Hilary’s house, she might be privy to what it is.”
On the one hand, it seems unfair to ask her, considering what I’ve set in motion, but she’s also seemed sympathetic to my need for the truth. I dial her number with the phone on speaker. Just when I think the call is about to go to voicemail, she picks up.
“I take it you’ve heard the news,” she says.
“Yes, just now.”
“I’m gobsmacked. And I frankly don’t understand why this woman would do it.”
“I think what I said yesterday—that Riley’s death might be connected to our daughter’s—is true. It seems Morgan Kroll must have used the details she learned about Riley’s assault to murder Melanieseveral days later, and she couldn’t afford for Riley to change her story about the date.”
A few moments of silence follow. I cringe, wondering if she’s now calculating the part I played in Riley’s murder.
“Oh heavens,” she says finally. “This is almost more than I can fathom.”
“I know you must be busy dealing with family today, but I was hoping you could illuminate something for Logan and me. Do you have any idea why they arrested Kroll? Because we’re concerned the evidence might not be strong enough.”
