“And you didn’t hear anything last night?” I confirmed, remembering Norton and Camilla’s insistence that nothing happened after dark. “Voices maybe, or loud noises? Seems like you might not have slept so well, given what’s going on with Ned.”
Flynn bristled. “I’ll tell you what I heard. I heard perfect little Abella stumbling around drunk in the hall.”
“How do you know it was her?”
“What?”
“How do you know it was Abella you heard and not Jasper, or somebody else?”
He hesitated. “There was a fight. I heard them shouting.”
“What time was this?”
“Late, past midnight. Abella must have left the room to use the bathroom afterward. I didn’t hear anything else.”
Outside, the wind whistled and wailed. Last night past midnight the storm was already in full swing, and I had a hard time understanding how Flynn could be sure of what—or who—he’d heard. I got to my feet. “Thanks for your time, Mr. Sinclair. I’m going to need you downstairs now.”
“I’m not setting foot in the same room as that bitch.”
“I’m sorry, but you don’t have a choice.”
Flynn’s fury was starting to mount again. It bared itself in the clench of his teeth and the bulge of the blood vessels at his hairline. “You saw his bed,” he said in a voice that was low and dangerous. “She slept in that bed with him. She was alone in the room with Jasper all night, and they fought, and the bed’s covered in his blood and he’s nowhere now, just gone.” He dug his nails into the pillow and twisted hard. “What’s wrong with you? Are you seriously so stupid that you don’t see it? She killed my brother. I don’t know how she did it, but she did. And if you don’t do something about it, I swear to God I will.”
“That sounds like a threat.” I made a show of noting it on my pad. “Watch yourself, or the next conversation we have will be at the station.”
“You don’t scare me,” he said with a sneer. “If you think you can manipulate me, you’re wrong.”
“Tell you what,” I said, spotting my chance. “You do what you’re told, and I’ll try to find your brother. When this is all over you can file a complaint against me—here, take my card.”
I reached into my pocket and tossed the card into his lap. Reflexively, he raised his right hand from the pillow to bat it away.
It was a quick glimpse, but it was enough to confirm what I’d come to suspect. The knuckles on the hand Flynn was hiding all this time were an unmistakable shade of fresh-bruise blue.
SEVEN
Change of plans,” Tim said.
He met me at the bottom of the stairs, where I watched Flynn join the others in the parlor to make sure he sat as far from Abella as possible. Ned and your family are down there, I’d told him. If you’re right about Abella, are you comfortable with that? Begrudgingly Flynn left his room, but I knew he’d bring his anger with him. He’d thrown a punch at something—or someone—already. I didn’t trust the man at all.
“That was the headquarters.” Tim waved his phone at me. “You’re not going to believe what they said.”
A dozen ideas sparked to life in my mind, each more preposterous than the next. Jasper’s a drug addict who owes an inner-city thug a fortune. The Sinclair family crossed the Mafia and it’s payback time. Abella Beaudry is Canada’s Lizzie Borden, a fugitive on the run. I was wrong on all counts. My confusion escalated as Tim recapped his call.
“What do you mean, they’re not coming?”
“They tried.” Tim looked apologetic, and a little embarrassed. To him I was still a cop from the big city, and he wanted to show me his rural operation was the real deal. “The troopers got as far as Heart Island,” he explained. “There was another vessel in the water, a Boston Whaler full of teens who thought boating in a nor’easter would be fun.”
“Shit,” I said, recalling our own harrowing ride. “So they got sidetracked by a rescue. They’ll be here once they get those kids back to shore, right?”
“The Whaler capsized in the channel. The timing was lucky—those kids would have drowned. But our guys didn’t see it until the last minute. They hit it.”
“They hit it?”
He shrugged. “Their boat’s a mess, and a couple of the injuries are bad. They had to bring in the Coast Guard to help. I put in a request for another boat, but with the flooding in town and the storm getting worse, every deputy’s overwhelmed. For the foreseeable future, we’re on our own.”
Over Tim’s shoulder I could see the family collectively straining to hear us. I grabbed the man’s elbow and pulled him toward the stairs. “Okay,” I said, thinking, Breathe, Shay. Breathe. “Let’s recap the situation. We don’t have a body. The evidence is locked up safe and sound. We’re fine on our own for now.” I tried to sound believable and ignore the fact that what I felt tugging at my collar was fear.
“Agreed,” said Tim. “We’re fine. Lots more interviews to do still, and all the time in the world to do them. How’d it go with Flynn?”
“He likes the girlfriend for this, but I’m not convinced yet. I think the family dynamics around here are off.”
“You mean these filthy-rich blue bloods from Manhattan aren’t the Cleavers? You don’t say. In the meantime, I’ve gathered some useful information.”
“Really?” I said, perking up.
“Oh yeah. I’ve mapped the location of the incision from Bebe’s facelift. I can tell you how recently each of the men shaved, whether they file or clip their fingernails, and who didn’t eat enough for breakfast. When Ned’s stomach growls it sounds like he swallowed a howler monkey.”
Tim’s humor helped to calm me down. We were both chuckling when I noticed Philip Norton walking toward us.
“It’s almost noon,” Norton said. “Everyone’s getting hungry. Would it be okay if I excused myself to make the lunch? It’s chicken soup with fennel and farro, and homemade buns. Jade’s favorite.”
Audibly, embarrassingly, my own stomach rumbled. I had hours of interviews ahead of me, and I was already as ravenous as Ned. We’d all need to eat eventually, wouldn’t we? The kitchen was right down the hall from the parlor, and Norton worked alone. The only opportunity he’d have for collusion was with the deli meat.
“That’s fine,” I said decisively. “I’m stepping out to make a call.” I was still wearing my jacket, and the fire in the parlor had brought up the temperature in the house. Between the heat and my hunger, my head swam. “Wellington will be here to . . .”