“I went back to the office. We had a working lunch and kept going. We didn’t finish till about six p.m.”
“So you left around six?”
“Some people left, some of us stayed. It’s not unusual for me to work till seven or eight.”
“What about Dean? Was he there?”
She nodded. It made her chest feel tight to think those were David’s last hours. “We both stayed. There were five others besides David and me.”
He pulled a pen out of the pocket of his jeans. “I need the names.”
She rattled off the two volunteers: Timothy Mahoney and Susan Buchanan, and three staff members: Collin Rutherford, Brad Schweitzer and Peggy Watt. Wolfe clicked the pen and wrote down the names without asking her to repeat them. She had a feeling he could recount everything she had told him from memory.
“We all walked out at the same time. Since it was Friday night, we decided to stop at the Derby and have a beer. It’s just a few doors down from the office. It’s got kind of a British atmosphere. Dark wood and racehorse pictures on the walls. If we’re going somewhere after work, that’s usually the place we go.”
“You and Dean went there together?”
“And Susan and Timothy, Collin, Brad and Peggy. Collin sprang for pizza.”
“What happened after that?”
“David drank too much. He’s been known to overindulge on occasion. He needed a ride home and I was the only one with a vehicle parked close by. The others all left. David stopped by the restroom on his way out. My car was in the lot behind the office so he and I went out the back door and walked directly there.”
“So you and Dean left the bar together. The police will be looking at camera surveillance in the area. They’ve probably already found that out.”
“I told them that. It wasn’t a secret.” She took a sip of coffee, her hand trembling when she picked up the cup. She took a moment to compose herself. Wolfe didn’t rush her, for which she was grateful.
“Okay, so the two of you were out in the parking lot.”
“That’s right. I remember feeling a little dizzy as I reached my car. I was thinking maybe I shouldn’t be driving either. I considered sharing a cab, but David’s condo was only a few blocks away. I knew I hadn’t had that much beer, and I’d eaten plenty of pizza, so there was no way I could be drunk.”
“Go on.”
She touched her forehead, straining to recall more of what had happened. She’d had a headache all morning. The harder she tried to remember, the more her head throbbed.
“I got in my car and David got into the passenger seat. He was really drunk—or at least that’s the way he seemed. I remember reaching for my seat belt, but I was beginning to feel sluggish and I had trouble clicking the belt into place.”
She looked up at Wolfe. “I don’t remember starting the car. In fact, trying to fasten my seat belt is the last thing I recall before the police burst into David’s bedroom this morning.”
CHAPTER THREE
JONAHTOOKAdrink of his coffee, lukewarm now. He studied his newest client over the rim of the cup. “Who called the police?”
“David’s housekeeper found us and called nine-one-one. We were both...umm...naked.”
He was careful not to let his mind wander where that image led. He’d always been a sucker for redheads. Those big blue eyes combined with that pretty face really did a job on him. Just his luck she could be a killer.
“The police hauled me out of bed,” she said. “The sheets were...were covered with blood.” She swallowed and took a shaky breath. “I remember screaming when I saw David. There was a bullet hole in the middle of his chest. I thought I must be dreaming. I couldn’t make myself believe it was real.”
“What happened then?”
“One of the officers brought a blanket in from the hall closet and wrapped it around me. They asked me some questions and took me to the hospital to be checked out. From there they took me to the police station. I probably should have asked for an attorney back at the house, but my mind was still fuzzy. I told them what I just told you, but that was all I knew.”
“All right, that’ll do for now. We’ll need to talk again soon, but I’ve got some preliminary work I need to do first. Anything else you want to tell me?”
Her eyes slid closed for a moment. “God, I wish there were more I could remember.”
Jonah stood up from his chair. “Like I said, I’ll have more questions. In the meantime, where can I find you?”
