Say Yes to the Death by Susan McBride Page B

had to change out of her bloodied clothes, that they’d be taken for evidence. When I saw Millie again inside the station, she was wearing what looked like hospital scrubs.
    As she was shepherded through a nearby hallway, I tried to catch her eye, but she kept her head down. She wasn’t handcuffed so I wasn’t sure if she was being booked for murder or just being questioned. Even though I believed her story about finding Olivia with the cake knife in her throat, I couldn’t deny that she looked guilty on the surface. For one, there was Olivia publicly dissing Millie over Penny Ryan’s wedding cake. Two, Millie admitted to being the last person to see Olivia alive. And three, when I walked into Olivia’s office she’d been hovering above the dead body holding the bloodied silver cake knife. Okay, that most of all.
    â€œI need a moment with Ms. Kendricks, please.”
    Malone’s voice pulled me out of my reverie. I turned to see him converse briefly with the desk sergeant. Then he walked over to where I sat holding a paper cup with water in my trembling hands.
    â€œHey,” he said by way of greeting.
    â€œHey,” I replied and tried not to burst into tears.
    â€œCan we have a little privacy?” he asked the officer who was babysitting me while I waited to be interviewed.
    With a nod, the blue uniform stepped a few feet away.
    â€œOh, God, what a mess,” I murmured as he crouched before me so we were eye-­to-­eye. “What a freaking mess.”
    â€œI should stay with you while you make your statement,” he said in a quiet tone. “You were found at a crime scene with a woman holding a knife and wearing bloody clothes. If you’re not a person of interest then you’re a potential witness.”
    But I shook my head. “Millie needs you more,” I told him. I wasn’t scared of the police, and I hoped I wasn’t stupid enough to say anything that would get me into trouble. I hadn’t done anything wrong besides. I was far more worried about Millie. “You have to help her, Brian. She’s in big trouble.”
    He glanced over at my babysitter cop and leaned in closer. “What the hell happened at Olivia’s? I thought you were just dropping off that butt-­ugly dress?”
    â€œI was,” I assured him in a shaky voice, “but when I walked in the door and saw her on the floor and Millie, oh, man—­”
    I couldn’t even describe it, not in a sound bite. I bit my lip, shaking my head. I didn’t want to risk blurting out anything with the police officer so near. I didn’t want to do Millie more harm than good when she was in such deep doo-­doo as it was.
    â€œWould you mind giving us just a little more space?” Malone asked the officer who stood not three feet away, keeping an eye on us.
    The guy didn’t look happy but wandered over to talk to the desk sergeant.
    â€œTell me what you saw, everything you remember,” Malone said, sliding into the next seat. He turned so that we leaned into each other. Our foreheads nearly touched.
    I tried hard to focus as I recounted what had happened once I arrived at HPV, how I’d heard Millie cry out and what I’d seen when I walked into Olivia’s office. I finished in a breathless minute. Then I felt compelled to add, “Millie didn’t kill her. I feel it in my bones. Olivia was half her age and twice as strong. It makes no sense.”
    Malone gave me a funny smile. “I remember you said something like that when I first met you. But it was Molly O’Brien you were so sure about.”
    â€œAnd I was right,” I reminded him.
    â€œYeah, you were right.” Malone glanced toward the hallway through which they’d taken Millie. “I’ve got to go, Andy. Are you sure you’re okay? I can call someone else from the firm for Millie if you need me in there with you.”
    â€œI’m okay,”