Page 26 of The Perfect Obsession
“We didn’t really have that kind of relationship,” she said.“We didn’t get together that often, so when we did, it was mostly to reminisce or catch up on major life events.No one ever shared the problems of their daily lives.”
“What about over text or email?”Ryan asked.
Again, Amanda shook her head.
“No.Our messages were always light, usually planning our next get-together.Maybe someone would send out a meme or mention some major life accomplishment, but never bad news.I didn’t even learn about Caroline’s divorce until we hooked up last time.It just wasn’t that kind of friendship, you know?But I can show you the messages if that helps.Maybe one of them wrote something that didn’t mean much to me but could to you.”
“We’d appreciate that,” Jessie said.
“Of course,” Amanda said.“Anything I can do to help.”
“Do you think your husband would be willing to do the same thing?”Ryan asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Amamda said.“But I doubt that he has many.He mostly just showed up for some of our dinners.But he wasn’t really chatty with them otherwise.”
“Are you sure about that?”Ryan pressed.Jessie saw him flinch slightly as he said it, aware a moment too late that he’d pushed harder than he should have.
Amanda squinted at him as she shifted on the couch.
“What are you saying, Detective?”she asked.“And why were you talking to Alex anyway?”
“Amanda,” Jessie said, jumping in before things got testy, “we actually didn’t even know that you went to Thornfield until we spoke to Alex.We were there because we learned that he’d dated both of them in high school and thought that connection was worth pursuing.”
“Just because they went out for a few months a decade ago?”Amanda said.“That makes him suspicious to you?”
“Two women are dead,” Jessie reminded her.“It’s our obligation to follow every possible lead, no matter how unlikely it might seem.That’s why we spoke with him.And that’s why we’re here with you now.You can go a long way to helping us cross this line of inquiry off our list.”
“How?”
“By telling us where Alex was the last two evenings?”Jessie asked, trying to keep her tone from sounding accusatory.
Amanda shook her head in befuddlement before something seemed to click for her.
“That’s why you wouldn’t let him call me.Not because you didn’t want what I said ‘filtered’ through him.It’s because you think we might coordinate our answers about where he was.”
“We have to take every precaution,” Ryan said.“But you can help clear a lot of this up by filling in the details.If your answers match his, that would go a long way.”
Okay,” she said, closing her eyes again as she searched her memory.“Last night we binged a few episodes of that spy show,Slow Horses.I fell asleep during the second one.That always happens when I have more than one glass of wine, and I had two last night.So Alex carried me to bed.”
“That’s romantic,” Jessie said.“Did he just put you in bed in your clothes?”
“Yeah.He said he didn’t want to risk waking me up by undressing me.”
“So you woke up in your clothes this morning?”
“Uh-huh.Why?”
“Just getting it clear in my head,” Jessie said.“So from the time you fell asleep during the show until you woke up this morning, you didn’t see Alex?”
Amanda seemed to realize that her story wasn’t as foolproof an alibi as she might have hoped.
“Yeah.But I hope you’re not saying he put me to bed, then left to kill someone.Are you?”
“We’re just trying to get clarity on the timeline,” Jessie said, not answering the question.She didn’t mention the possibility that Alex might have slipped something in her drink to make sure she didn’t wake up.“What about the night before?”
“He had dinner with a client,” Amanda said.“He said the name of the guy, but I can’t remember it.”
“Did he tell you about the dinner when he got home that night?”Ryan asked, laying a trap for her, if she was lying.Her husband had already told them she was asleep when he returned.
