anything you want, and everyone around me will be as helpful as possible, too. Right?” He looked at Helena, and it was evident that he’d hardly been aware of her.
“Of course, sweetheart, of course,” Helena said.
Eddie stepped away to face Madison, taking her hands. “Thank you, thank you, Madison. I know this isn’t what you do…but I need you. This is Alistair’s life,” he said passionately.
Madison gazed back at him, and Sean saw himself, years before, when he’d first met Eddie. The guy was an absolute icon, an idol to anyone who loved special effects. And he was so down to earth, so generous…Sean could see that she was controlling her emotions as she listened to him and then spoke. “Eddie, Alistair is a great kid, a great person, and I’m happy to be there for him—and for you—in any way possible.”
“Thank you, thank you,” Eddie said again. “Sean, what do you need from me now?”
“Your schedule yesterday.”
Eddie nodded. “Woke up, ate bran flakes here and ran by the studio, just to see that everything was okay for lockdown. After that, I left and met with Myron Silver and Harvey Anderson, producer and director on the Shakespeare movie that’s gearing up. I went back to Harvey’s home studio to look at his storyboards. I talked to Alistair on the phone about seven to see if he was up for dinner, but he’d already eaten at home with Pierce, so I went to a fast-food drive-through, grabbed a veggie burger and came home. I watched a few of my cooking shows and went to bed. And then I got the phone call. I rushed to the Black Box, and then to the police station, where I called my lawyer. And soon after that, I called you and…” He shrugged. “Then I called the governor. I campaigned for him, and I said I needed help and that I thought I knew the people who could provide it.”
“When was the last time you saw Alistair?” Sean asked.
“At breakfast.”
Pierce cleared his throat. “Alistair was here all afternoon. He was on the computer for a while, and he took a swim.”
“If you think the kid’s innocent, why are you asking questions about him?” Helena demanded.
“Because it proves where he was before the murder, and that he wasn’t at the studio or the museum stashing the knife,” Sean said.
“But if he killed the girl in a jealous rage—” Helena began to say, then obviously remembered that Eddie was there, and that while Alistair might not be her biological son he meant the world to her husband. She flushed. “I’m just afraid that’s how the police will probably see it,” she mumbled.
“And that’s why we have to find out who might’ve been at the studio. Who knows it well enough to hide there and escape and to do it without tracking blood anywhere,” Sean said evenly.
“Someone could have planned this?” Eddie asked in horror.
“Someone would have to have planned it. Someone who knew the studio, like I said, but also your son’s schedule, the movie and special-effects business, and either knew about evidence or studied police and forensics procedure,” Sean told him. “The answer isn’t going to jump out at us. We’re going to have to dig until we find it.”
“We’ll dig. We’ll dig into anything and everything. Everything.” Eddie repeated the last word fervently.
“I’ll need to visit Alistair tomorrow,” Sean said. “For now, I’m sure Madison wants to SsonI’get home, and I need to check in to my hotel.”
“You can just stay here, you know,” Eddie offered.
“Eddie, you made wonderful hotel arrangements for us. Actually, I wouldn’t mind some time alone, until my team shows up. Space to think.”
“Then, by all means, get checked in. I put your luggage in the little Prius outside. I figure you can use that while you’re here.”
“Great. Thanks, Eddie.”
Eddie groped in his pockets and came out with a handful of keys. He dropped several; they all bent down to retrieve them at the same time. Madison banged into Sean and he caught
“Of course, sweetheart, of course,” Helena said.
Eddie stepped away to face Madison, taking her hands. “Thank you, thank you, Madison. I know this isn’t what you do…but I need you. This is Alistair’s life,” he said passionately.
Madison gazed back at him, and Sean saw himself, years before, when he’d first met Eddie. The guy was an absolute icon, an idol to anyone who loved special effects. And he was so down to earth, so generous…Sean could see that she was controlling her emotions as she listened to him and then spoke. “Eddie, Alistair is a great kid, a great person, and I’m happy to be there for him—and for you—in any way possible.”
“Thank you, thank you,” Eddie said again. “Sean, what do you need from me now?”
“Your schedule yesterday.”
Eddie nodded. “Woke up, ate bran flakes here and ran by the studio, just to see that everything was okay for lockdown. After that, I left and met with Myron Silver and Harvey Anderson, producer and director on the Shakespeare movie that’s gearing up. I went back to Harvey’s home studio to look at his storyboards. I talked to Alistair on the phone about seven to see if he was up for dinner, but he’d already eaten at home with Pierce, so I went to a fast-food drive-through, grabbed a veggie burger and came home. I watched a few of my cooking shows and went to bed. And then I got the phone call. I rushed to the Black Box, and then to the police station, where I called my lawyer. And soon after that, I called you and…” He shrugged. “Then I called the governor. I campaigned for him, and I said I needed help and that I thought I knew the people who could provide it.”
“When was the last time you saw Alistair?” Sean asked.
“At breakfast.”
Pierce cleared his throat. “Alistair was here all afternoon. He was on the computer for a while, and he took a swim.”
“If you think the kid’s innocent, why are you asking questions about him?” Helena demanded.
“Because it proves where he was before the murder, and that he wasn’t at the studio or the museum stashing the knife,” Sean said.
“But if he killed the girl in a jealous rage—” Helena began to say, then obviously remembered that Eddie was there, and that while Alistair might not be her biological son he meant the world to her husband. She flushed. “I’m just afraid that’s how the police will probably see it,” she mumbled.
“And that’s why we have to find out who might’ve been at the studio. Who knows it well enough to hide there and escape and to do it without tracking blood anywhere,” Sean said evenly.
“Someone could have planned this?” Eddie asked in horror.
“Someone would have to have planned it. Someone who knew the studio, like I said, but also your son’s schedule, the movie and special-effects business, and either knew about evidence or studied police and forensics procedure,” Sean told him. “The answer isn’t going to jump out at us. We’re going to have to dig until we find it.”
“We’ll dig. We’ll dig into anything and everything. Everything.” Eddie repeated the last word fervently.
“I’ll need to visit Alistair tomorrow,” Sean said. “For now, I’m sure Madison wants to SsonI’get home, and I need to check in to my hotel.”
“You can just stay here, you know,” Eddie offered.
“Eddie, you made wonderful hotel arrangements for us. Actually, I wouldn’t mind some time alone, until my team shows up. Space to think.”
“Then, by all means, get checked in. I put your luggage in the little Prius outside. I figure you can use that while you’re here.”
“Great. Thanks, Eddie.”
Eddie groped in his pockets and came out with a handful of keys. He dropped several; they all bent down to retrieve them at the same time. Madison banged into Sean and he caught
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