Shattered (Michael Bennett #14)(69)

I asked, “Had anything changed in her life that you’re aware of?”

Rhea looked off into space as she considered the question. She took her time. Then she said, “Emily wasn’t specific, but she might have gone on a date or started seeing someone before she disappeared.”

“Would she usually talk about her romantic life with you?”

“We had no secrets. Apparently, the person gave her some sort of expensive gift. She wasn’t sure what would happen or how to handle it.”

“Can you tell me anything about this new person? Male, female? Did she mention a name?”

Rhea shook her head. “No. We only talked about it on the phone for a few minutes.”

The interview had run its course. Rhea mentioned something about calling her husband. Then she added, “Or perhaps I need an attorney.” At that point, the interview was effectively over. We weren’t going to ask her any other questions.

Detective Holly handled it perfectly. She said, “Let’s get back to Baltimore so you can make some phone calls and we can straighten this all out.” It was a classic police line to keep a suspect calm until they were booked. It worked more than 80 percent of the time.

By the way Rhea stood up and laid a twenty-dollar bill on the table, I would say she was no exception.





Chapter 91



I was surprised Bobby wanted to meet me at an Irish pub called Sullivan’s to celebrate the arrest. I’d thought he’d be upset when he found out I’d facilitated the arrest of a Supreme Court justice’s spouse. Apparently, I was wrong. He seemed to be in good spirits.

As soon as I sat down at his table in Sullivan’s—a name seemingly shared by one in six Irish pubs—Bobby said, “You guys are all over the news.”

I was surprised to find Bobby drinking a beer. Most shocking of all, he had removed his tie. It was the first time I’d seen him look like he was off duty since I had arrived in DC.

“I wasn’t mentioned, was I?” I felt a little panic rise in my throat.

“No. The Baltimore police were credited with the arrest. I have to confess, you were right. Too bad you couldn’t get Rhea to confess to Emily Parker’s murder. But I guess there’s no doubt she did it. Not now, anyway.”

“I don’t think she killed Emily.”

Now Bobby looked shocked. “How can you say that? She admitted to strangling Michelle Luna. Emily Parker’s murder was also a strangulation. That was your whole damn theory.”

“Trust me. I was at the interview. We got into details about the Michelle Luna homicide. Rhea never flinched. She even admitted using WD-40 to screw up the forensic scientists. She had nothing left to hide. She denied any involvement in Emily’s murder. Frankly, I buy it.”

Bobby was shaking his head. “Maybe you’re too close to this thing. Something will turn up that shows Rhea was involved. We’ve got to give it more time.”

I respected Bobby’s determination. I wanted to find Emily’s killer just as badly.

I tried to change the subject. “This is the most casual I’ve ever seen you.”

“I’m calling it a night. I’m wiped out from the last few weeks. I’m going to head to my apartment in Alexandria and crash until my alarm goes off at seven tomorrow morning.

“You’re not going to give up on Emily’s investigation, are you?”

“No. Never. But it sounds like you’re getting ready to go back to New York.”

“My son is involved in a ceremony tomorrow afternoon. I can’t miss it.” I explained about the essay and a little about the family dynamics. Bobby seemed fascinated.

Bobby said, “It was just me and my sister at home. It allowed my parents to focus on us completely. Now my sister is a neurotic orthodontist in Dover, Delaware. I escaped some of the neurosis, but I know my parents’ constant attention warped me somehow.” He chuckled.

We chatted a while longer. I didn’t bother to tell Bobby I might be at his office in the morning with Mrs. Parker and Emily’s sister. Those were the tentative plans. I wanted to pick up Emily’s personal effects, then head to New York. I could already picture the look on Trent’s face when I showed up at the apartment.

I had a big family meal planned at Trent’s favorite restaurant. It was an interactive sports bar. Luckily, the boy was more interested in games than expensive food. Although with ten kids and your grandfather tagging along, no meal in New York is ever cheap.

I was surprised when Bobby gave me a little hug good-bye. He even threw in a “I still might make it to New York. We’ll have to work together.”

“I’d like that.” I meant it too.





Chapter 92



I woke early the next morning as the sun was creeping up in the east. I lay in bed, grappling with a feeling of finality that was veering toward guilt and depression. It was certain I had let Emily, a woman who had never failed me, down.

I ran the interview of Rhea Wellmy-Steinberg through my head over and over. At no point did I not believe her denial of killing Emily. The breaking news had been unrelenting. Virtually every channel ran specials about the arrest of the spouse of a sitting Supreme Court justice.

Even if it had been almost two years since Michelle Luna’s murder, the reporter interviewing her father took a far too aggressive tack toward a man who had lost his daughter. It brightened my mood to hear him say that he had found a sense of closure, and he and his family could move forward now. He placed a hand over his heart as he thanked the Baltimore police for never giving up. Though he may never know how lucky he was that Detective Stephanie Holly had been assigned to the case, I did.