Kate stared at the scene, her eyes wide.
One of the paramedics said to the man in the black jacket, ‘Are you coming with us?’
‘I’ll meet you at the hospital,’ he said.
‘You can follow us,’ said the paramedic.
‘Nah, it’s okay. I got a friend coming to pick me up. The way she drives, I’ll be there before you guys.’
The paramedic snorted, said, ‘Yeah, right.’
The ambulance doors closed, the sirens sounded and it pulled away. Kate heard another car coming around the corner fast. It was a black Dodge Charger. For a second Kate didn’t think the car would be able to stop, but it turned and slid into a space outside the precinct, its tires squealing. A woman with short brown hair got out of the car. She wore dark jeans and a tight-fitting, brown leather coat. She skipped to the man in the black jacket, and they hugged each other.
‘What took you so long?’ said the man in the black jacket.
‘Blow me,’ said the woman.
They smiled at each other, then both of them froze and turned toward Kate, suddenly aware of her presence.
Kate closed her mouth, said, ‘Was that Sofia Avellino in that ambulance?’
‘You a reporter?’ said the man.
‘No, I’m K-Kate. Kate Brooks from Levy, Bernard and Groff.’
She was nervous, and a little stunned by the scene she’d just witnessed.
The man held out a hand to Kate and said, ‘Hi, I’m Eddie Flynn. This is Harper.’
Kate stared at Eddie’s hand, saw the blood on it and hesitated.
Eddie followed her eyes, noticed the blood covering his palm and wiped his hands.
‘Is this kind of thing normal for you two?’ said Kate.
Eddie and Harper exchanged a knowing look. One filled with shared memories of blood and killers.
Both of them nodded, and began walking toward her car.
‘Nice to meet you, Kate,’ said Eddie over his shoulder.
The two of them got into the car, Harper driving. She spun the tires, enveloping Kate in a cloud of smoke, then took off at an impossible speed.
Five minutes later Kate was in the interview room, taking a seat beside Levy. On Levy’s other side sat the client – Alexandra Avellino. Kate had a whispered conversation with Levy before entering the interview room. Just the two of them. Levy didn’t seem surprised at the events outside the precinct house, but told her to put it out of her mind – he needed her sharp. The client had signed the retainer agreement and that was what seemed to matter most to Levy right then. He told her she had to take copious notes during the interview – accuracy was everything. The cops had let something slip about a will, and he’d sent Scott to run it down.
The detectives Kate had seen outside arguing with Eddie came into the interview room. While they readied themselves with paperwork and set up a camera to record the interview, Kate took the opportunity get a good look at the client.
She looked like a skincare model. A beautiful, wealthy young woman in a terrible situation. Kate could tell she had been crying, judging by the swelling and redness around the eyes, and every now and then as Alexandra raised a hand to put it on the table, or run it through her hair, she detected a tremor at the edge of those fingers. The cops must have clipped her fingernails – they were jagged and sharp. No one who put that much effort into their appearance would go out with nails like that. Alexandra was the sort of woman who would have had a manicure that cost more than Kate’s entire outfit.
‘For the record, my name is Detective Brett Soames, this is my partner, Isiah Tyler, and we are interviewing Alexandra Avellino at First Precinct, New York City. Also present is counsel Theodore Levy and …’
Kate was writing furiously in her pad, the pen skimming across the page. She wrote, ‘Levy and’ and then stopped, waiting for the next word.
No one spoke. She raised her head and found the detectives, and Levy, looking at her. Waiting for her.
‘State your name for the recording, please, ma’am,’ said Soames.
‘Oh, sorry, Kate Brooks.’
Soames nodded, bunched his lips together in a way that looked like he’d just tasted something sour, and then continued.
‘Miss Avellino, at this stage we just want a first account from you concerning the recent events surrounding your father’s murder. You want to tell us what happened?’
‘Sofia butchered my father. There, is that what you want me to say?’ she said, her jaw wobbling, her voice tremulous.
Levy jumped in with both feet.
‘My client will issue a full statement, detective, once we’ve had disclosure. You heard her tell you who killed her father. That’s it for now. For the record I know you have information regarding the deceased’s will, which you have not shared. If Mike Modine made a statement to police I want to see it. Until there is full disclosure my client won’t be answering questions.’
‘Mr. Levy, if your client is alleging that her sister killed Frank Avellino, then doesn’t she want her sister prosecuted? You’re telling me she’s a witness,’ said Tyler.
‘I found him on the bed,’ said Alexandra. Levy put a fat fist on her arm. He didn’t want to be so blatant as to tell her to keep her mouth shut, but he needed to give her a gentle reminder. Kate felt something else. Just seeing him put his fingers on a female made her skin crawl. Alexandra removed her arm from the table, courteously ridding herself of Levy’s touch.
‘Go on,’ said Tyler.
‘I came upstairs, and his bedroom door was open. He was laying there in the dark. I called his name but …’ She shook her head, the tears falling freely, her throat flushing red. Now Kate wanted to comfort her, to hold her hand and tell her that she was sorry for her loss.
‘He didn’t move. I called out, “Daddy, Daddy …” and he didn’t answer. I thought he might have been asleep at first. I went over to him and saw something black all over him. I touched him, and it was wet. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness I saw it was blood. I didn’t know what happened, I just held him and I couldn’t breathe, and then I screamed. I must have screamed because I heard myself. And then … then I heard her coming up the stairs. She killed him. She’s bad. There’s always been something wrong with her. I ran into the bathroom – closed the door and called 911.’
‘You say your sister is bad. There’s always been something wrong with her – what do you mean exactly?’ said Tyler.
‘Alexandra, that’s enough. Remember what we talked about,’ said Levy.
Kate glanced down at the page and saw that she hadn’t written down the last question. She did it now, in shorthand. She had been so enraptured by Alexandra. This was a woman in terrible pain. And anger. She saw it when Alexandra mentioned Sofia. There was a hardness in her – something made of iron and steel – and it flashed when she spoke her sister’s name. It flashed again at Levy when he tried to shut her up.
‘Maybe just answer this last question and leave it at that,’ said Kate.
Alexandra’s eyes softened when they flitted to Kate. Alexandra was a powerful young woman – not used to taking orders from men. She needed a different approach. Levy wasn’t happy that Kate had opened her mouth, she could tell by the withering look on his face.