Page 184 of State of Alert

“I didn’t want to hurt Elaine! I loved her with my whole heart. But we couldn’t go on that way.”

“If it was so bad, why didn’t you leave her and take the girls?” Freddie asked.

“I… I couldn’t do that to her. Her children were her life.”

“So you took her life?” Sam asked. “How does that make any sense?”

“You don’t understand.”

“You’re right. I don’t. What I think is happening here is that you’re deciding to fall on your sword to protect your daughter, who’s on the run with the boyfriend who probably helped her kill her mother.”

“That’s not true! Zoe had nothing to do with this.”

“I don’t believe you. I think she had everything to do with it, and you’ve decided to sacrifice yourself to save her because you failed to do that when Elaine was still alive.”

“I did everything I could for those girls!”

“Except get them out of a toxic situation with their mother,” Sam said. “My kids are everything to me. If they were being emotionally abused in their home, I’d take them and leave.”

“Sure you would. As if your husband would let you take his kids.”

“Let me? I do what I want, Mr. Myerson. I’m a full-grown adult with a mind and a bank account of my own. If my kids were in danger, you can bet your ass I’d take them and never look back. A lot of people don’t have the luxury of being able to leave. I do. You did. Yet you chose to stay, so in many ways, thisison you. But you weren’t the one to kill Elaine.”

“Zoe didn’t do this. She couldn’t have. Someone broke in and killed Elaine.”

“There’s no sign of forced entry, and there was no one else who wanted Elaine dead besides the people in her own home.”

“We didn’t do this. Why won’t you look beyond us for other suspects?”

“We have. There are no other suspects.”

“There has to be! Zoe is achild! She couldn’t have done this.”

“So are you saying now that you didn’t?”

“I’m saying you should charge me and forget about her.”

“That’s not how this works, Mr. Myerson. Surely Mr. Dunning told you that.”

“I did,” Dunning said.

“You’ll be arraigned later today for obstructing our investigation. If you’re released, I’d recommend you do what you can to get your daughter back here as soon as possible.”

“Why would I do that? So you can throw her in jail for the rest of her life?”

“Stop talking, Frank,” Dunning said.

“That’s the plan, isn’t it?”

“Detective Cruz, please let the U.S. Attorney’s Office know that we recommend Mr. Myerson be held without bail so he can’t assist his daughter in fleeing from justice.”

Freddie stood. “I’ll take care of that right away.”

Frank’s eyes narrowed as his face twisted into a nasty sneer. “You’re all drunk off your own power, aren’t you?”

“Not at all. You know what gets me drunk? Justice for murder victims who didn’t deserve to be murdered by the people they loved the most.” She stood. “This interview is over.” After clicking off the recorder, she left the room and asked the Patrol officer outside to please escort Mr. Myerson back to lockup.

“Yes, ma’am.”

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