Leann Sweeney - The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon

Dead by another’s hand. Murder, in other words. “Why did you turn off the tape recorder?”

“Bothers me. Can’t do a decent interview. They can rely on my notes,” she said.

“W-where’s Candace?” I said.

“You think your friend will come in and rescue you from the hard questions?” she said. “She’s busy with the real suspects. Yeah, you’re no suspect in her eyes, but I might prove her wrong.”

“You believe I killed a man I hardly knew?” I said.

Her eyes shifted, as if she was trying to pull some theory out of the air to confirm her crazy suspicions. “Let me give you a heads-up. Tom has a brother. He has a stepson. He has an ex-wife. How much did you know about these strangers?”

“As much as anyone. They’re people from Tom’s past.” I avoided eye contact with her. Anything not to get her more agitated than she already was.

“I know they’ve all caused trouble, so what’s your part in his problems?” she said.

I would never understand how Lydia’s mind worked. I decided my job right now was to be as cooperative as possible and maybe she’d leave me alone. “What exactly do you want to know, Lydia?” I said.

She stared at me for several seconds, eyes narrowed; then, thank goodness, she looked down at the legal pad. “Why were you at Tom’s house tonight?”

Feeling less nervous, I explained how Tom, Finn, Bob and I had all been at Karen’s place earlier in the day. I told her how Finn and Tom left for his house when Hilary arrived and that I’d gone home. When I came to the part about Finn and Tom coming to my house later on, I saw her press the pen into the paper a little harder, but she didn’t look at me. When I told her how Bob allowed the cat to sneak out again and that I’d accompanied Tom back to his house to help look for Dashiell, her almost-rational behavior disappeared again.

She slammed down her pen and leaned toward me. “Why would he trust you? Why can’t Tom see you for the Mata Hari you are?”

I shook my head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

The door opened behind me and Liam entered the office. He smiled down at me and then addressed Lydia. “Did you get the time line I asked for?”

Lydia stood. “Yes, Mr. Brennan, I did. This woman here had plenty of time to kill the man. She says she was alone all afternoon. No alibi. Now, I may not be a doctor but, like I told you over at Tom’s house, Mr. Rory Gannon was dead for several hours before his body was found.” She glanced at me pointedly. “Found by her with a knife wound in his back.”

The shock I felt must have been written all over my face. She was accusing me of murder in front of the Assistant DA.

I was relieved to see the corners of Liam’s mouth twitch upward. “Your theory is Mrs. Hart murdered Rory Gannon? What evidence have you collected to support this conclusion?”

“She hasn’t implicated herself,” Lydia said, sounding less convinced. “But she had the time.”

“I see. I’m sure you have paperwork to complete for the coroner. Thanks for stepping in when the police needed extra help.” Liam stood away from the open office door to allow her to leave.

“Sure.” She tore off the notes she’d taken, but before she could leave with them, Liam glanced at the tape recorder and said, “You have her statement on tape?”

She pulled off a few pills on the arm of her sweater. “No. I couldn’t work the thing. I don’t use tape recorders.”

He held out his hand. “Then I’ll need your notes.”

She looked at Liam, her mouth tight, and then turned them over before she left.

I let out an audible sigh once she was gone. “I am so glad you’re here.”

He closed the door. “Two murders in less than a week. You bet I’m here. Kara was worried about you, by the way. Her new assistant told her about the 911 call at Tom’s house. She was on the scene sooner than I was. Once I learned they’d taken you here, I told her as much. She was relieved you’re safe.” He perused the yellow piece of paper as he walked around and took a seat in Mike’s chair.

“Lydia said Mr. Gannon was stabbed?” I said.

“Yes,” he said absently, still reading what Lydia had written.

“No one has confessed, I assume,” I said.

He looked at me. “Wouldn’t a confession tie this up nicely?” He held up the paper. “This, despite Lydia Monk’s propensity to want to find you guilty of anything, is lucid. Thanks to this, I see there’s another person we need to bring in. Do you know where Finn is?”

I swallowed. “H-he’s at my house. But he didn’t even know his father.”

“I’m not saying he’s guilty of anything, Jillian,” Liam said. “He was at Tom’s house, probably around the time Gannon was killed. He could know something.”

“You just want to talk to him?” I said. “You’re aware Candace has a theory about his innocence based on physical evidence?”

“You know me, Jillian. We’re friends. From what Candace has told me, that young man doesn’t have a serial killer bone in his body. Doesn’t mean we don’t need to talk to him,” Liam said. “I’ll drive, since I assume you don’t have transportation.”

“I drove here, so you can follow me. But can I speak with Tom first?” I said.

“You believe he’ll react rationally when it comes to Finn?” he said with a generous dose of skepticism.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.

Liam stood and offered me a hand up. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

He helped me out of the chair and we went into the hall just in time to see Tom’s mother come into the police station waiting area.

She spotted me and ran past B.J. through the gate. I could tell she’d been crying.

Karen gripped my shoulders. “I need to tell what I know. I have to tell someone what he said.”

“Who are you talking about?” I asked Karen.

“The man who died. Finn’s biological father,” she said.

The interrogation room door opened and Tom appeared. Candace was right behind him.

“What are you doing here, Mom?” Tom said, walking toward us.

She looked up at Tom. “That man came to see me right after Hilary and Bob left my house this afternoon. I know I should have said something when I found out he’d died, but I didn’t and I should have and—”

Tom took his mother in his arms and she wept into his shoulder.

“Hey,” he said. “It’s all right. You’re here now. You can tell us, but first you have to stop crying.”

She blew into a tissue she’d been clutching and composed herself so quickly I wondered how truly tearful she’d just been. “When I found myself in my car on the way to the nearest bar I knew I was in trouble. I came here instead.”

“You need to call someone from AA, Mom?” Tom said quietly.

“No. I have to tell Candace everything I know. Please, all of you”—she glanced around at Candace, Liam and me—“you have to hear me out.”

Candace raised her eyebrows and I could read a hint of amusement in her expression. “Do I have to read you your rights, Mrs. Stewart?” Karen’s jaw sagged in surprise. “Oh, my sweet good Lord, no. This is just information you should have. Something I should have said right off the bat. I was so surprised to find out the man was dead, well—”

Candace put her arm around Karen. “Let’s go into this room right here and we can talk. There isn’t enough space to fit another person’s shadow out here.”

“Can Tom and Jillian stay with me? Please?” she pleaded.

“You need moral support?” Candace said.

“I suppose. See, whenever I go to AA, the room is full,” Karen said. “One on one is so very difficult for me. It’s not like I have a whole lot to say but maybe if I’d listened better to what the man was saying, he might not be dead right now.”