Page 105 of I'm Watching You

Nicole felt awkward but held her ground. ‘I’ve been living with Lindsay. She’s been helping me hide from my husband. He could be quite violent.’

‘Who is your husband?’ Zack said.

She hated thinking about him, let alone saying his name. ‘Richard Braxton. He’s a businessman based in San Francisco.’

‘Did you ever file charges against him?’ Warwick asked.

A sad smile lifted the corner of her mouth. ‘No. I was too afraid of him. Two and a half months ago, while he was on a business trip, I fled with the clothes on my back and two hundred dollars cash. If not for Lindsay, I don’t know what I would’ve done.’

‘How do you know Lindsay?’ Doubt clouded Zack’s eyes.

Lindsay cleared her throat. ‘We went to college together atUSC.’

‘Were you here on the night Harold Turner died?’ Zack asked.

‘Yes,’ Nicole said.

‘Can you verify Lindsay was here?’ Warwick said.

Nicole glanced at Lindsay. ‘I wish that I could. But we both slept very hard that night, as if we were drugged.’

‘Why do you say drugged?’ Warwick said.

‘Every night since I left my husband, I’ve had nightmares. I didn’t dream at all that night.’

‘Would you be willing to submit to a drug test?’ Zack asked.

‘Certainly.’

‘Do you think there’d be any traces left in our systems?’ Lindsay said. ‘It’s been forty-eight hours.’

Nicole shrugged. ‘We can try.’

Warwick looked around the apartment. ‘Have you noticed anyone strange around here lately?’

‘No. But I started working at a photography studio last week, so I’ve stayed busy.’

‘A job? A job would expose you to your husband,’ Warwick said. ‘Your Social Security number can be traced.’

Lindsay cleared her throat. ‘She’s changed her name. Her real name is Christina Braxton. And I encouraged the name change and a new hair color and cut. I also got her a new Social Security number.’

‘How?’ Zack challenged.

Lindsay wasn’t apologetic. ‘I have contacts.’

Zack muttered an oath. ‘There are legal channels she could’ve gone through. Social Security can change numbers in domestic-abuse cases.’

‘I was afraid Richard would find out,’ Nicole said.

Zack kept his gaze on Lindsay. ‘Have you gotten new IDs for others before?’

‘Sometimes the only solution is to vanish and then create a new identity.’

Zack stared at her long and hard. ‘That’s what you did after your mother died.’

Lindsay swallowed. ‘Yes. Look, if you need to file charges against me for buying theIDof a dead person, go ahead. But Nicole had nothing to do with it.’

Nicole shook her head. ‘I knew what I was doing, Lindsay. I take full responsibility.’ Nicole felt sick. ‘What do we do now?’

---