“Do you think you’ll feel like going in the morning?” Robert asked. “I’d like to go along if you don’t mind. I want to make sure there is no more lack of communication.”
Emily nodded, then looked at Jake, her eyes questioning.
He squeezed her hand. “I’m coming too.”
He hoped his support would be enough to help her through what she needed to do.
Chapter 17
Jake stopped his truck in front of Emily’s condo. He glanced at her sitting silently beside him, unease twisting his gut. He wished she didn’t have to go through this.
A man climbed from a dark sedan on the opposite side of the road. Robert climbed from his Tahoe and met the man in the middle of the street. He’d arranged for the detective working Cameron’s case to meet them, hoping Emily would remember something and could give a statement here rather than down at the police station.
When Robert left yesterday, Jake had walked him out and expressed concern about Emily’s condo being the crime scene and what she was likely to see. He wasn’t sure she could handle seeing evidence of her brother’s murder.
Robert had assured him the crime scene had been cleaned by professionals. “They removed a blood-soaked rug. The wood floor beneath it was stained, but they covered it with a different rug. We’ll see if she notices.”
Emily didn’t want to be here. Jake could see it in the slump of her shoulders. Her bruised, red-rimmed, emerald eyes were filled with dark shadows. She’d hardly touched her dinner last night before asking his mom for a sleeping pill and turning in earlier than usual. She’d had little appetite this morning again and had barely said two words on the drive.
Jake’s chest tightened. He hoped she could make it through this.
“Does it look familiar?” Jake asked.
Emily’s brow wrinkled. “Not particularly.”
“I wish you didn’t have to do this. But you know this is the best way to catch the people who killed your brother.”
She nodded.
“When you’re ready, I’ll carry you in.”
“I don’t need you to carry me. I can walk.” She reached for the door handle.
Jake climbed out and hurried to her door. He walked patiently beside her up the short walk. When they reached the five steps leading to the wide front porch shared by Emily and her neighbors, Jake wanted to sweep her up in his arms and carry her up. For Emily’s pride and because Robert and the detective stood at the top, he followed closely behind instead.
When they reached the porch, Robert introduced Detective McIntyre. The tall, slender detective, who looked to be in his mid-forties, held a key he’d gotten from the neighbors.
“Dr. Anderson,” Detective McIntyre said, “Sheriff Winters tells me you have been through a lot. I’ll take your statement when you’re ready. Do you mind if I record you?” He held up a small recording device. “It’s the best way to ensure we get all the information we need.”
Emily nodded. “If I don’t remember, there won’t be much to record.”
The detective opened the door to Emily’s condo, and the three men stood back to let her enter. Jake tried not to hover, but he stayed as close to Emily as he could without getting in her way. He didn’t know where her brother’s body had lain, but his eyes fell on the only rug in the front room.
Would it stand out to Emily? If she remembered what happened, how would she react?
Everywhere Jake looked, things were in disarray. Cupboards and drawers hung open, cushions lay scattered across the room, and papers littered the floor near the desk in the corner. Emily wandered through the living room then to the kitchen and back to the living room again.
“Is it familiar?” Robert asked, from his position near the front door.
Her brow furrowed. “A little.”
Jake’s gaze followed her as she shuffled into a bedroom where clothes lay piled on the floor near a dresser whose drawers all stood open. Someone had been very thorough. Would the state of disarray help or hinder Emily’s memory?
Jake remained outside her bedroom but stayed near in case she needed him.
A few minutes later, Emily stepped out of her bedroom and froze. Leaning against her crutches, she pointed at the center of the living room floor. “That rug...” Then she gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth to cover a scream, letting her crutches fall to the floor. “Cameron!”
Jake’s heart plummeted. He’d half-hoped she wouldn’t remember and have to face that pain. Catching her as she sank to the floor, he lifted her into his arms.
