She walked straight over, shook his hand, and wilted into the chair he indicated. “I can hardly believe it. I’m sure Violet is inconsolable.”
Ray nodded and resumed his seat. “She’s pretty torn up.”
“And his father.” Keith had been an only child. Granville Turner had doted on him nonstop. The poor man would be grief stricken.
“You can imagine,” Ray offered.
She could.
“That’s why I called you here, Emily,” he explained. “We want to be as thorough as possible.”
“Of course. Anything I can do.”
“You’ve spoken with Violet recently. Did you pick up on any trouble between them?”
What was he saying? “Surely you don’t consider Violet a suspect?”
“We have to consider the spouse as well as anyone close to the victim.”
Emily exhaled a weary breath. “I’m sorry. Of course you do. But, in answer to your question, I haven’t been that close to anyone since Heather’s murder. So I’m not really the best person to ask.”
“You’re not aware of any encounters between Clint and Keith? I know you’ve been keeping a pretty close eye on Clint.”
Now she understood what this was about. “Is Clint a suspect?” Dumb question. Sure he was.
“Like I said, right now most anyone who knew Keith is a suspect.” Ray leaned back in his chair.
He didn’t mention Heather’s murder. Or Emily’s father’s visit.
“Do you have any reason to believe that Clint held Troy or Keith responsible for the fire?”
“No.”
Ray stared at something on his desk for a long moment. Was there something more he couldn’t tell her? Something that implicated Clint?
“Where were you between ten and eleven yesterday morning?”
“Is that when you think he died?”
“It’s an estimate. We’ll know more after the autopsy.”
Evidently Clint hadn’t told Ray he’d been with her. “Did you question Clint?” She was sure he had.
Ray hesitated, then said, “Yes.”
“Then you should know where I was.”
The confusion on his face confirmed her deduction. “I was with Clint.”
Ray’s expression turned wary. “He didn’t mention it.”
“If the estimated time is right, Austin does have an alibi.”
“He claims he was home,alone.”
“He was home,” Emily agreed, “but he wasn’t alone. I was with him.”
All reaction had been banished from Ray’s face now. “Why would he withhold that information? Having confirmation of his alibi would be very important for Clint.”
