What Have You Done(36)

Marisol shook her head. “I’m so embarrassed. I make such a fool of myself sometimes. I cause these good people too much trouble.”

“Nothing to be embarrassed about,” Sean replied.

“I guess one of the perks of Alzheimer’s is you can’t remember every time you act like an ass.”

“I think we’re good here,” Sean said. “We just needed to double-check where Don was that night.”

“Why?” Marisol asked. “He in trouble?”

“No. We got a case that morning and just have to verify his whereabouts. Standard procedure.”

“All this way just for a few questions?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Stay for coffee.”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t. We have to get back to the city. This case can’t wait.”

The two brothers got up from the love seat and made their way to the door. Marisol followed them out, gave them their hugs and kisses, and walked them all the way to their car. When they were driving back past the pond to leave the complex, Sean spoke.

“So I guess that rules Don out.”

Liam shrugged. “Yes and no.”

“How do you figure? We just confirmed his whereabouts.”

“His visit still is within the general time frame of Kerri’s time of death. Plus you said he was late to your crime scene that Sunday morning.”

“It’s a long drive.”

“Maybe.”

Sean shook his head. “Look, Don’s clean. There’s no way he killed Kerri. Why would he? Think about it. He has no motive for any of this.”

“Okay, but we don’t have many suspects who know what we know about Mom and what she did to us and my affair with Kerri.”

“We need to find motive. Who has motive to kill Kerri and do all this?”

Liam turned onto the main road that would lead them back to the turnpike. “So far, the only person I can see who has motive to kill Kerri is me. That’s the scary part. She breaks it off. I want her back. She won’t take me, so I kill her. Or she tells me she’s pregnant, and I kill her to keep it from Vanessa.”

Sean leaned his head back on the seat. “You just recited the two oldest motives in the book.”





25

Liam dropped Sean back at the Liberty Diner and went to the station house. Don was on the far end of the Homicide Division, next to the wall of file cabinets. Liam made his way through the floor and tapped his friend on his back.

“You got a minute?”

Don turned around and closed the drawer he’d been flipping through. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“I wanted you to hear this from me or Sean, and since Sean’s on mandatory leave, I’m here.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“I know you’ve been in on this Kerri thing, and I appreciate you helping us out.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m not sure how much Sean told you about what’s happening, but it looks like someone is trying to frame me for her murder. I don’t know how, but they have my prints at the scene and my blood type in Kerri’s nails. We’re trying to find out who could know about our past with my mother and why they’re trying to tie Kerri’s murder to me. So far, I’m coming up empty.”

“So you need my help?”

Liam shook his head. “No. You’re one of my suspects.”

“What?”

“There aren’t many people who know about what happened with my mom and that I was having an affair with Kerri. Whoever killed Kerri keeps leaving clues that tell us they know everything. You’re one of those people.”

Don fell against the file cabinet. “Hold on. After all we’ve been through, you think I could kill someone in cold blood and then try and pin it on you? Why would I do something like that? I hardly knew Kerri.”

“I don’t know why, but only you, me, Sean, and Kerri knew everything. Kerri’s dead, and I’m the one being framed. Sean’s working his ass off to get me out of this jam. That leaves you.”

“That’s the biggest crock of bull I’ve ever heard.”

“Me and Sean went to see your mother this morning. We confirmed you went to see her Saturday night, but the time you were there and left makes you available in Kerri’s TOD window.”

“You went to see my mother?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you even listening to yourself?” Don asked. “I’m the one helping Sean make this all go away. If I killed her and wanted to expose you, I could’ve done it with all the stuff I took from her apartment. You’re not making any sense.”

“Why were you late to the Cutter Washington homicide Sunday morning?”

“I got home from my mother’s and fell asleep.”

Liam said nothing.

Don leaned in and lowered his voice. “Listen, you son of a bitch, I’m helping you and Sean make this go away. For you. Whether you really are being framed or you had some kind of massive break and killed Kerri, I’m helping to make this go away so you don’t become a suspect in your girlfriend’s murder. Isn’t that enough? What more loyalty do I need to prove? And why would I kill her? What do I have to gain from it? You were the one having an affair. You’re trying to rebuild your marriage with Vanessa. Kerri tells you she’s pregnant. Now she’s dead. That’s motive, Liam. Textbook.”