"She said it was her stepdad?" Mr. Langly asks. "She used his name?"
"No. She said I'll understand when I'm with a man, like an older man, not someone our age. She was talking about her stepdad. Who else would it be?"
"A jury would never buy it," Mr. Langly says. "She could've been talking about anyone."
"But she told me those marks were from him," Jackson says to Mr. Langly. "I told the police about those marks on her neck. I told them her stepdad strangled her, so why the hell isn't he being hauled off to jail?"
"We can't prove he did that to her," Mr. Langly says. "As you've said before, Kristen often made up excuses for coming over here. Her stepfather told the police that. This could've been just another excuse of hers. Making up stories about her stepfather so you'd let her stay here with you."
"You think she made those marks on her neck herself?" I ask, angry he won't even consider I'm telling the truth.
"It's possible," Mr Langly says.
"So that's not crazy, but Kristen having sex with her stepdad is?"
Mr. Langly folds his arms over his chest. "Why would a beautiful young woman who could have any young man go for a man twice her age who also happens to be her stepfather?"
"To get back at her mom, who she hates? I don't know. It's not that uncommon for girls my age to go after older guys, especially guys with power or money." I turn to Roman. "You're rich and powerful? Has some pretty young actress ever hit on you?"
"Rumor," Jackson says, tugging me back beside him. He whispers in my ear. "He had an affair with a twenty-year-old a few years ago."'
"Oh." I look at Roman. "Sorry, I didn't know. But it proves my point. There are girls my age who will go out with older guys. There's a girl at my school right now that only dates older men. She won't even consider guys her own age."
Mr. Langly checks the time. "I need to be going. Roman, we'll speak tomorrow."
"Yes. I'll be here. Goodnight, Jonathan."
Roman shuts the door. "I'm going to do some reading before bed. I'll see you in the morning, Jackson."
Roman must assume I'm not staying over, or is encouraging me not to by only mentioning Jackson. I don't care. I'm not leaving. Why be alone in my room when I could be with Jackson?
"I don't like that guy," I say as we go in Jackson's room. "You should get a new lawyer."
"He's one of the best in LA."
"He's a jerk. He didn't believe anything I said. He didn't even consider it might be possible."
"I told you nobody would believe you. Everyone thinks Steven is perfect. He's devoted his life to educating kids. People would never believe he'd be doing shit with his stepdaughter. And they definitely wouldn't believe he killed her."
"Do you?"
"No. He couldn't have. He was at home that night."
"But how do you know? He said he was asleep in his room but maybe he wasn't."
"He has an alibi. The police confirmed it."
"Who is it?"
"We don't know yet, but it doesn't matter. The point is he wasn't here. Someone else did it."
"Then it has to be Braden. He was home that night."
"And he was with you when it happened."
"We didn't talk that long. He could've snuck out and done it. I'm sure he didn't stay in his room all night."
"I don't think he could do it that fast. He would've had to go get Kristen, strangle her, get her back to my house and drag her body out back in a little over a half hour."
