Saving Meghan(70)

“Because Dr. Levine mentioned it in an email to Dr. Fisher; said something about you threatening him. Did that happen, or do you think that doesn’t matter, too?”

Becky replayed that day in her head. She had said something, hadn’t she? A warning to Levine not to cross her—or else. It came out sounding overly dramatic, she remembered thinking, even a bit silly, but she’d meant every word of it. She was about to confess, to explain it away, when her mother’s voice came to her like a whisper on the wind. Deny it until the day you die. Deny it and never admit to them you were lying. Of course, that little bit of parental advice had been in reference to the scam Cora had been running, but the lesson applied across a broad spectrum of life’s travails. Here it was rearing its head once more, goading Becky back into a past she had tried so hard to leave behind.

“I did nothing of the sort.”

“So he made up that you threatened him?” Spence asked incredulously.

“I don’t know what he did or didn’t do or say,” Becky replied. “I just know that I never threatened him.”

The “I’ve heard that one before” look that Spence gave Becky showed his cop’s seasoning.

“Can you tell us where you were last night, Mrs. Gerard?” Capshaw asked.

Becky’s hand went to her chest. “Am I a suspect or something, Detectives?”

“Just answer the question if you can,” Spence said impatiently.

“Well, I was … I was home, I suppose.”

“All day, all night?” Capshaw asked.

“No, I went out for a while—the grocery store, the gym—the owner can vouch for me if you want to call him.”

“What time did you come home?”

Becky glanced up at the ceiling, as if tilting her head back would dislodge some stuck memory. “Maybe four, five that afternoon. Around that time, anyway.”

“And was anybody home with you?” Spence sounded distracted, like he was putting together the time sequence in his mind.

Carl shook his head glumly. “I worked late that night,” he said. The suspicious look he gave Becky made her want to disappear, but not before she left him with two black eyes.

“What time do you think you got home?”

“It was after midnight,” Carl said. “Why? Do you have a time of death?”

“Medical examiner thinks it was between three and six o’clock, but we’re still trying to narrow that down.”

Becky looked confused about something. “Did you say there was no foul play? No break-in, no struggle, no apparent injury? That he just died, suddenly?”

Capshaw nodded. “Yeah, that’s what we said.”

Spence chimed in. “But when a young person like Dr. Levine dies suddenly, with no apparent cause of death, and he’s involved in a contentious situation—and I think it’s fair to say this situation can be called contentious—then, you know, we get a bit curious.”

“Well, did you do a toxicology screen or something like that?” Carl asked.

Capshaw shrugged. “Let’s just say that’s a work in progress.”

“Well, I had nothing to do with it,” Becky snapped. “I may not have liked him, but that doesn’t mean I wanted him dead.”

Spence’s thin smile adequately conveyed his disbelief. “In that case, we’re hoping you’d be willing to provide us with elimination fingerprints, as we call them, and a DNA sample, just so we can check those boxes.”

“Fine,” Becky said with a curt nod.

Capshaw added, “And we’re wondering if you mind us taking a look at your computer; let us borrow it for a few days to have our forensic guys comb through it.”

“Don’t you need a warrant for that?” Carl asked.

“Not if we get permission,” Capshaw said.

“Carl, let them take it,” Becky said, giving a dismissive wave. She had painstakingly restored her files, research, and bookmarks from her backups, which provided confidence that if something were to happen to this computer, she’d be able to recover her data with little trouble. “I’ve nothing to hide. It might look bad in Judge Trainer’s eyes if we’re not seen as cooperative. It’s terrible what happened, and I’m happy to assist with the investigation, even though it’ll be a waste of everyone’s time.”

Capshaw stood, and Spence did the same.

“Great,” Spence said. “You show us where the computer is; we’ll bag it up and give you a receipt. I promise we’ll get it back to you in a few days’ time. Home delivery, so it won’t be a further inconvenience. Thanks again for your cooperation.”

“It’s no problem, really,” Becky said. “I can use Meghan’s computer in the meantime. Obviously, she’s not using it.”

“Oh, one more thing,” Capshaw said. “Does this look familiar to you?” From the pocket of his sport coat, Capshaw retrieved a clear plastic police evidence bag with a single diamond pendant earring inside. “We found this on Dr. Levine’s living room floor, not far from his body. Just curious to know if it looks familiar to you before we send it off to the lab for DNA analysis.”

Becky studied the earring closely. “No. I don’t recognize it,” she said firmly.