I just shook my head at his back. It was hard to know where I stood with Alex most days. His hostility toward me vanished after Omma was killed—pity tends to soften the heart. But he wasn’t anywhere near as casually affectionate, or as horny, toward me as Micah and Rhodes.
He was basically as light and teasing as a friend would be, which was definitely better than it was before, but still...
I forced myself to look away and focus on Layton. His back was to me as he put away their sheet music and closed the piano.
“Mr. Layton—”
“Charles, please.” He shone a bright smile on me. “Is this about Lily’s assignments this week? Because I told Mr. Montgomery that she doesn’t have to worry about turning those in. She just lost her grandmother. Allowances can be made.”
“It’s not about that, but thank you.” I stepped inside, gesturing for him to sit in Alex’s vacated chair. “It’s about the party.”
The smile melted away. “Oh.”
“You were one of the ten who went upstairs during the time... it happened,” I got out. “Did you see anything strange when you did?”
“Strange?”
I got straight to the point. “Someone killed my mother, and it wasn’t Courtney. Did you see someone or something that might not have raised the alarm at the time, but looking back seems odd now?”
He was shaking his head before I finished. “I didn’t see anything or anyone. If I did, I would’ve told the police.”
“Why did you go upstairs?”
Charles winced. “Honestly, and no offense, Sue, but the party was a little rowdier than I was expecting. Half the guests were trashed in an hour. The other half were throwing themselves at me in an hour and one.
“I don’t like telling people about the family business, because the second I do, they’re wheeling out every young, single member of their family for me. It gets pretty old constantly being used for your money.” He blew out a long-suffering sigh. “Anyway, I left the party and snuck upstairs to the library. I was there until a cop burst into the room and said all the guests had to gather downstairs to be accounted for because... you know.”
I just nodded, my brain processing while my phone did the active listening.
“But, excuse me for asking this, but why does it matter where I was?” he asked. “I saw all that stuff on the news—claiming the police did a shitty job and arrested the wrong woman, but you don’t really believe that, do you?”
“Of course I believe it,” I said, crossing to the window. “I was right there in the video screaming that they did a shitty job and arrested the wrong woman.”
“Oh.” I sensed his presence at my side. “So, you don’t think it’s over? You think the police are going to come back, interview us all again, and search the manor?”
“I’m pretty sure a search would be pointless at this point,” I confessed. “The cops stopped searching bags and rooms when they found the knife in Courtney’s. Then, they sent everyone home—allowing the real killer to slip away with the bloody clothes. Unless the killer’s an idiot, and they’ve proved so far they’re not, they’ve already burned the clothes and tossed the ashes in the sea.
“No.” Finality rang in my voice. “There’s nothing left to physically find... except for a liar.” I turned to him, my lips stretched in a mirthless, bloodless smile. “You say you were in the library, Charles? Well, I really hope that’s true, because at this point, anyone who lies to me about that night goes right to the top of my list.”
He lurched back, brows flying to his hairline. Then, he laughed. “Oh, wow, good one, Sue.” He patted my shoulder. “You had me going there with the menacing voice and the crazy eyes. Obviously, I didn’t kill your mother.I didn’t have a single interaction with her that lasted longer thanhelloandgoodbye.”
Said crazy eyes tracked him across the room.
“All right, I got to get going,” he said, collecting his things, “but I hope you get to the bottom of all this stuff. See you Thursday.”
“See you then.”
I let him go.
Only when the door shut behind him did I take out my phone and dial his number.
“Hello, Mrs. Kim.”
The chill wafting from his end of the call gave my ear frostbite. “Hello, Officer Davis. I know you’re not too happy with me right now, so let me skip right ahead to the apologies. I’m sorry for insinuating that you take bribes, and I’m definitely sorry you got rushed by a mob.”
“What about telling the world I was Officer Cop-A-Feel!” he burst out. “I’ve been put on review!”
I cringed. “I’m sorry about that too. First thing in the morning, I’ll walk into the police station and tell your captain I made all that up.”
