The Last Lie Told (Finley O’Sullivan, #1)(16)

She glanced at him now. “He trusts my instincts, yes. We’ll do all we can to resolve this matter quickly for you and your family.”

“I’m astonished this charade has gotten this far.” Sophia executed another of those brisk shakes of her head. “It’s ludicrous.”

“As I explained yesterday,” Jack said, “there are protections built into the law to shelter those who are in fact innocent. Occasionally those protections are taken advantage of. Rest assured, if Mr. Holmes is lying, we will find out.”

Cecelia flinched once more. This time at the sound of the man’s name.

“Of course he’s lying,” Sophia said sharply. “You know as well as I do, he’s a monster. You remember what it was like last time.”

Jack definitely had some explaining to do. Since Sophia was so focused on Jack, Finley kept her attention on the daughter.

More knotting of Cecelia’s fingers. Her nails were chewed to nothing more than nubs. She wore no makeup. Had scarcely brushed her hair. Finley suspected her mother had chosen the dress. Cecelia seemed more like a twelve-year-old than a woman of twenty-three.

“I remember it all too well,” Jack agreed. “Our goal is to disprove his every assertion and to discredit whatever evidence he presents.”

“Has his attorney provided this so-called evidence?” Sophia demanded.

“We’ll have more on the evidence later today,” Jack promised, charm oozing from him. “For now, let’s go over some of the assertions he’s made.”

Both women waited for him to go on. Sophia watching Jack closely; Cecelia studying her own hands.

Jack generally preferred Finley do the preliminary questioning, so she began. “Cecelia, did you have any sort of contact with Charles Holmes before or after your father’s death?”

All three women had insisted in testimony at trial that they had not known Holmes. There had been no motivation for investigating their claims. Holmes had confessed, and not once had he mentioned having been associated with anyone in the family. The act had been a random, spur-of-the-moment event. An impulse.

Except now he had changed his story.

“The police,” Sophia said before her daughter could answer, “have already asked us these types of questions. Why is it necessary to go through this again?” She turned to Jack. “I’m sure you have access to the reports.”

“Reports are typically not as reliable as hearing the account firsthand,” Finley explained. “Forming opinions and permitting that opinion to show in a report is, unfortunately, human nature. I’d much prefer to hear your version of events rather than the detective’s interpretation of your statements.”

“This is important,” Jack tacked on. “Believe me, we wouldn’t put you through this if it wasn’t necessary.”

This seemed to satisfy her. “Very well,” Sophia allowed. She looked to her daughter. “Cecelia, please answer Ms. O’Sullivan’s question.”

Cecelia shook her head before meeting Finley’s gaze. “Never. I’d never heard of him before he killed my father.” The last words were croakier than the others, and her voice noticeably shook.

“To your knowledge, did your sister Olivia know him?” Finley pressed.

Cecelia hesitated for a long moment, glanced at Finley before looking down again. “Not as far as I know.”

“At the time of your father’s death,” Finley asked next, “were there any problems between the two of you?”

More twisting of fingers during a lingering pause. Finally, Cecelia shook her head once more. “Not with me. We never fought.”

“What about Olivia?”

Cecelia shrugged, gaze on her twisting fingers. “I have no idea.”

Finley took the opportunity to watch Sophia’s face as her daughter spoke—particularly since Cecelia more often than not kept her head down, preventing Finley from assessing her expressions. Sophia’s countenance remained utterly emotionless. Not the slightest change. Practiced, Finley decided. Sophia Legard kept her emotions to herself on a regular basis. Except when she wanted Jack to hear the worry and hope in her tone.

“Were there any business issues during that time?” This question Finley directed at Sophia. The subject hadn’t really come up at trial since they’d already had their killer.

“This is an avenue that should have been investigated more thoroughly,” Jack put in.

Sophia drew in a deep breath. “At the time I was not aware of any issues with his work. With these new and ludicrous allegations, I’ve taken it upon myself to speak with some of his close colleagues, and I do believe there is a matter worthy of reevaluation.”

“That was a good decision,” Jack offered. “These are people who are more likely to speak openly with you.”

The ghost of a smile touched Sophia’s painted lips. “I can’t take credit for this information. A dear friend actually came to me last night. God knows our painful tragedy is suddenly all over the news again.”

This was true. The Legard murder was in the top ten again. Finley estimated it would rise to the top of the headlines and remain there for the duration. “We’ll need the name and contact information of your friend.”

“Certainly. Alexander Collins. He goes by Alex. He was my husband’s assistant at the time of the . . .” Sophia cleared her throat delicately. “At the time of his death. I’ll text Jack his contact information.”