What I've Done (Morgan Dane #4)(33)

“But that was just a rationalization. I know I couldn’t make her leave with me, but we should have had a good fight about it before I gave in. She’s my friend, and I let her down.” Piper stared at her pile of bones. “It’s funny. Our code is designed to protect us. I never thought it would be a man who’d need protecting. Or that Haley would have been capable of . . .”

A tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away on her shoulder.

“What did you do when you left the club?” Morgan asked.

“I didn’t really want to see anyone.” Piper shook herself. “I came back here and went to bed.”

Piper had no alibi.

“Has Haley ever demonstrated that she has a temper?” Lance studied the girl’s face.

“No.” Piper shook her head. The afternoon sun filtered through the blinds and gleamed on her blue highlights.

Morgan flipped the page on her notepad. “Have you ever seen her in a heated argument with anyone?”

Piper’s shoulders drooped. “Haley’s a geek. She likes to be alone. She’s nonconfrontational to a fault. She lets people take advantage of her. Honestly, I was super surprised to see her being so flirty with Noah. She isn’t normally so outgoing.”

“Her behavior on Friday night was out of character?” Morgan probed.

Piper nodded, her face thoughtful. “Now that you mention it, she was louder than usual too.”

“She’d been drinking,” Morgan suggested. “Maybe the alcohol loosened her up.”

“Haley isn’t a big drinker.” Piper’s head tilted. “She’s usually the designated driver. She tries to downplay it, but she has to take care of herself or she gets sick. She usually limits her alcohol intake to a drink or two.”

Morgan circled back around to the night of the murder. “Did anything else unusual happen at the club?”

“Unusual?” Piper looked up from the chicken, the knife poised over the bit of flesh that connected the carcass to the meat.

Morgan rolled her hand in the air. “Fights, arguments, weird behavior from someone besides Haley . . .”

Piper looked to the ceiling, as if replaying the night in her mind. “I don’t remember anything specific.”

“Did you know anyone else who was there that night?” Lance asked.

“A couple of people. Noah and his friends. I’ve seen them around before. There aren’t many clubs in this area. Beats is the newest and most popular. You run into the same people every weekend.” Piper’s chin lifted. “Wait. Haley’s ex was there. That was unusual.”

“Haley has an ex?” Morgan’s interest piqued.

Piper nodded. “His name is Kieran Hart. I forgot he was there. The police only asked me if I’d seen anyone angry with Noah. Kieran didn’t even talk to him.”

“Was their breakup volatile? Who broke up with whom?” Morgan noted the ex’s name in her phone.

“Haley broke up with Kieran.” Piper used the point of the knife to sever the whole rib cage from the rest of the flesh. “I don’t know why. He treated her so good. He opened doors. He sent her flowers all the time and took her to really nice events, but then Haley is rich too. I guess those things don’t mean as much to her.”

As they would to someone like Piper . . . Did she have a crush on Haley’s ex? Was she jealous?

Piper set the carcass next to the rest of the bones. “He called Haley for weeks afterward. But all that was over more than six months ago. She hasn’t heard from him recently.”

Or if she did, she didn’t mention it to Piper.

“Did they talk at the club?” Morgan wondered if Kieran was really over Haley.

“He said hi, but Haley ignored him. She didn’t want to lead him on, considering how hard he’d been to get rid of.” Piper shrugged, but her face pinched in disapproval. “But when he saw her hanging out with Noah, he got all annoyed and left. I felt bad for him. I was pretty irritated at Haley too.”

“You thought Haley treated Kieran badly?” Morgan asked.

“She was kinda rude, just walking past him with her nose in the air.” Piper’s sniff was more judgmental than sad.

“What time did Kieran leave?” Morgan asked.

“Maybe a half hour before I left.” Piper used her hands to pull out a few remaining bones.

Morgan noted the time that Kieran left Beats as approximately ten thirty. “By any chance, do you have Kieran’s contact information?”

“Kieran didn’t even interact with Noah,” Piper protested, her back straightening and her tone becoming defensive, almost as if she were protecting Kieran.

“We’re trying to talk to everyone who was at the club that night.” Morgan waved a hand in the air. “You never know what someone might have seen.”

“Oh, OK.” Piper washed her hands thoroughly. Then she removed her vinyl glove, opened her phone, and read Kieran’s full name, address, and mobile number.

“Thanks for talking to us.” Morgan entered the information into her own phone. “We might have more questions.”

“OK. Just call me. I’ll do anything to help Haley.” Piper gave Morgan her cell phone number, then walked them to the door.

Back in the Jeep, Lance said, “Piper was very nervous.”