Page 122 of Skeletons in the Closet

“An alibi?” Tallus sat up straighter, rejoining the conversation. “How? We saw him at the hotel with her. She died only a few hours later.”

“Exactly.” Doyle tapped a finger on the table. “She died in the early morning. The coroner said between six thirty and seven. Shore is on security footage at the university, arriving aroundfive thirty and heading to his office. We can trace him again at quarter to seven going from his office to a campus café. He was nowhere near her.”

I glanced at Tallus, who looked dumbstruck.

“We’re investigating other suspects,” Doyle added.

The husband came to mind, but I didn’t want to relive what we’d witnessed on the front lawn. My reflexive response when Tallus had reached out still haunted me.

Valor returned, letting the two homicide detectives know that Ruiz had what they wanted. The three of them left, and Tallus and I remained. I couldn’t stop mulling over Beth’s death. It had made so much sense that David had killed her to shut her up. Were we wrong? If not him, then who?

“Are you hungry, Guns? Want to get food?”

I blinked out of my quandary. “Sure.”

We ordered meals and ate. When Tallus tried to pick up the tab, I stole the bill and sent the waitress off with my card. It was the first time Tallus looked ashamed. Perhaps he realized I saw through his money struggles, no matter the lengths he went to hide them. I wasn’t in a great position myself, but I could write a lot off as business expenses, so it helped.

We walked back to the office in silence, but I aimed for the parking structure across the road instead of going inside.

“Where are we going?” Tallus jogged to keep up when I saw an opening in the traffic and ran.

“I want to talk to Olivia. She’s the only one left alive from their little gang who isn’t David. She might be the one person who knows the truth, and I’m not beating around the bush anymore. I’m going to knock on her fucking door, security detail be damned, and get some goddamn answers.”

27

Tallus

Our trip to Olivia’s didn’t give answers, or at least not the ones we hoped for. We ended up with more questions.

As Diem pulled into Olivia Lansky’s neighborhood and veered down the right street, the acrid stench of smoke hung in the air. Since it was a nice night, our windows were down, and the pungent odor assaulted us.

Night had settled in, so the source of the smell wasn’t immediately apparent until Diem’s headlights caught on bright yellow police tape marking the property line of what used to be a house.

“Motherfucker.” Diem pulled the Jeep to the side of the road across from the remains of the Lansky residence. It was nothing more than a burned shell. Blackened windows, charred siding, part of the roof caved in.

“What the fuck?” I leaned closer to the windshield to get a better view. “Are you sure this is where Olivia lives?”

“Yes.” Diem took his phone from the cup holder and searched a news page for answers, cursing again when he found what he was looking for. “The fire department responded to a house fire at eleven fifty-six last night. The fire was well-established when they arrived. It says no one was hurt. The family managed to get out when the couple’s dog alerted them to trouble. They had gone to bed.”

We stared at the burned remains for a long time, neither of us speaking.

“David didn’t do this,” I said.

“I know.”

“He was in custody until this morning.”

“I know.”

“He had an alibi for Beth’s murder.”

“Yep.”

I squirmed, the residual fear from the incident at the university revisiting me. I hadn’t quite processed the fact that I could have died had Diem not shown up and called for help. “What about Natalia?”

Diem shook his head. “I don’t know.”

But he didn’t have to say what I knew he was thinking. These women were connected, but David, the one person who tied them together, couldn’t have been responsible.

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