And then Eddie came home. What about Alistair?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Pierce. I was out in the afternoon.” She paused, realizing that she’d just said she’d been home. “I was only out for an hour or so. Shopping. I was on Sunset. I can give you a list of the stores,” she said col S shr an dly.
“Helena—”
“How would you like your coffee, Sean? Do you still take it black?” Pierce asked.
“Yes, thanks,” he said.
“Alistair didn’t leave until seven-thirty last evening. He was up doing homework until then,” Pierce informed.
“So you weren’t home until after seven-thirty?” Sean said to Helena.
“Was it that late?” Helena asked Pierce. “I’m sure I was home by late afternoon.”
“No, Mrs. Archer. Alistair had gone about an hour before you returned.”
“Well, then, there you have it. Our living calendar and timepiece here—Pierce—can tell you exactly where I was!” Helena said. “And when,” she added.
Pierce ignored her, apparently accustomed to anything she had to say. “I saw her come home,” he told Sean. “She retired to her room after that and I didn’t see her again until the phone call came.” He smiled.
“I hear a car!” Madison set down her coffee and rose. “I think Eddie’s here.”
Pierce strode to the door and opened it quickly, waiting while Eddie Archer parked his car in the drive. Eddie trudged toward the house, looking haggard and sad. He seemed to perk up as he entered and saw that both Sean and Madison were there.
“Sean, welcome, and Madison, my dear, thank you for hanging in with this. In this town, the people who love you can turn against you in the blink of an eye, so it’s good to have friends,” Eddie said. “Real friends.”
“I just made coffee,” Pierce said.
“Yes, darling.” Helena walked over to Eddie, slipping an arm around him. “I was so enjoying conversation with your friends.”
Eddie didn’t seem to hear the edge in her voice. He was distracted, squeezing her in return and pecking her cheek, his eyes never leaving Sean’s.
“Well, can you help me?” he asked anxiously. “Can you at least stop them from crucifying Alistair without even looking into other possibilities?”
sibil="-1">“Eddie, there’s definitely room for a great deal of investigation,” Sean said. “Don’t lose heart. I want to see the security videos myself and search the studio some more, plus the surrounding area, and check out everyone and everything in the immediate vicinity. The D.A.’s office will prepare their case against Alistair, but you and your attorneys have him at the best possible place for now. The kid has to be hurting, and they can help him there. Not only that, he’s out of harm’s way. Yes, you’ll hear terrible things—and you’ll have to expect that.”
Eddie nodded, and Sean prayed he could prove that Alistair was innocent. In the meantime, he wanted Eddie to remain positive, but it was going to be a long haul. He could imagine what the court case was going to be like.
“Thank you, my friend. Thank you. Where do we go from here?” Eddie asked.
“Tomorrow night, the rest of my team arrives. We’ve already been invited in, so we can set up at the police station. I met Detective Benny Knox. We’ll be working in conjunction with him.”
Eddie made a face, and Sean tried to reassure him. “Eddie, I’m with you all the way on this, but you have to see how it looks to others. As far as anyone’s been able to tell thus far, Alistair was alone at the Black Box Cinema, Colin Bailey was on guard at the studio and Jenny Henderson managed to slip in. We have to prove otherwise, and that means delving into everything. Alistair’s life, your life, friends, enemies—”
“And me,” Helena put in. “Eddie, Sean wanted to know where I was last night!”
Eddie remained distracted. He didn’t respond to her complaint, if he even heard it. “Anything—anything. Whatever you need. I’m here, and I’ll give you
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask Pierce. I was out in the afternoon.” She paused, realizing that she’d just said she’d been home. “I was only out for an hour or so. Shopping. I was on Sunset. I can give you a list of the stores,” she said col S shr an dly.
“Helena—”
“How would you like your coffee, Sean? Do you still take it black?” Pierce asked.
“Yes, thanks,” he said.
“Alistair didn’t leave until seven-thirty last evening. He was up doing homework until then,” Pierce informed.
“So you weren’t home until after seven-thirty?” Sean said to Helena.
“Was it that late?” Helena asked Pierce. “I’m sure I was home by late afternoon.”
“No, Mrs. Archer. Alistair had gone about an hour before you returned.”
“Well, then, there you have it. Our living calendar and timepiece here—Pierce—can tell you exactly where I was!” Helena said. “And when,” she added.
Pierce ignored her, apparently accustomed to anything she had to say. “I saw her come home,” he told Sean. “She retired to her room after that and I didn’t see her again until the phone call came.” He smiled.
“I hear a car!” Madison set down her coffee and rose. “I think Eddie’s here.”
Pierce strode to the door and opened it quickly, waiting while Eddie Archer parked his car in the drive. Eddie trudged toward the house, looking haggard and sad. He seemed to perk up as he entered and saw that both Sean and Madison were there.
“Sean, welcome, and Madison, my dear, thank you for hanging in with this. In this town, the people who love you can turn against you in the blink of an eye, so it’s good to have friends,” Eddie said. “Real friends.”
“I just made coffee,” Pierce said.
“Yes, darling.” Helena walked over to Eddie, slipping an arm around him. “I was so enjoying conversation with your friends.”
Eddie didn’t seem to hear the edge in her voice. He was distracted, squeezing her in return and pecking her cheek, his eyes never leaving Sean’s.
“Well, can you help me?” he asked anxiously. “Can you at least stop them from crucifying Alistair without even looking into other possibilities?”
sibil="-1">“Eddie, there’s definitely room for a great deal of investigation,” Sean said. “Don’t lose heart. I want to see the security videos myself and search the studio some more, plus the surrounding area, and check out everyone and everything in the immediate vicinity. The D.A.’s office will prepare their case against Alistair, but you and your attorneys have him at the best possible place for now. The kid has to be hurting, and they can help him there. Not only that, he’s out of harm’s way. Yes, you’ll hear terrible things—and you’ll have to expect that.”
Eddie nodded, and Sean prayed he could prove that Alistair was innocent. In the meantime, he wanted Eddie to remain positive, but it was going to be a long haul. He could imagine what the court case was going to be like.
“Thank you, my friend. Thank you. Where do we go from here?” Eddie asked.
“Tomorrow night, the rest of my team arrives. We’ve already been invited in, so we can set up at the police station. I met Detective Benny Knox. We’ll be working in conjunction with him.”
Eddie made a face, and Sean tried to reassure him. “Eddie, I’m with you all the way on this, but you have to see how it looks to others. As far as anyone’s been able to tell thus far, Alistair was alone at the Black Box Cinema, Colin Bailey was on guard at the studio and Jenny Henderson managed to slip in. We have to prove otherwise, and that means delving into everything. Alistair’s life, your life, friends, enemies—”
“And me,” Helena put in. “Eddie, Sean wanted to know where I was last night!”
Eddie remained distracted. He didn’t respond to her complaint, if he even heard it. “Anything—anything. Whatever you need. I’m here, and I’ll give you
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