garage.” She started to walk away, then stopped. “Whatever happens, try to remember that this is my brother.”
“If he’s innocent, he’s got nothing to worry about.”
“Cut the crap, okay?” Carolyn shot back. “I know how the system works. Neil was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s not your murderer.”
Chapter 9
Friday, December 24—1:15 A.M.
N eil was leaning against the wall in the open garage. One of the officers had brought him a pair of jeans and a white sweatshirt they’d found in the laundry room.
While the crime scene technicians went about their job of collecting evidence inside the residence, Carolyn drilled Neil. She asked him if he’d seen Laurel earlier.
“That’s what I’m concerned about,” he said, lowering his head. “She came here and we had lunch. I asked her to marry me.”
“Did she accept?”
He swallowed hard. “No.”
“For your own good, don’t ever repeat that,” his sister said in a hushed voice. “If you do, you’ll give the police a motive.”
“I understand,” Neil said, sniffing. “We got into a big fight. You know how I hate rejection. She said she could explain everything, but I was too bent out of shape to listen. Th-that . . . was the last time I saw her alive.”
Now she understood his comment about messing up. Although he kept it under control most of the time, Neil had a temper and had been known to fly off the handle. They’d had a fight, that’s all. He’d probably said things he regretted, things he didn’t really mean. “You left her in the house? Alone?”
“I didn’t think she would kill herself.”
“Where did you go?”
“I drove around for about an hour, then I decided to go to Melody’s. I didn’t expect Laurel to be here when I got home. I thought she’d call a friend to come and get her.”
Carolyn stared at his eyes. His pupils were dilated and his movements were jerky, almost manic. “Are you taking your medicine?”
“I don’t need lithium,” Neil said, slapping his arms against his thighs. “You know I can’t paint when I take that shit. How many sleeping pills are you taking? Are you going to accidentally overdose again, like you did last summer? Stop trying to run my life, Carolyn. You’ve got enough problems with your own.”
She started to react, then stopped herself. When the criticism was deserved, she had no right to protest. She’d once walked in on a probationer in the middle of a cocaine buy and ended up wrenching her neck trying to arrest him. The doctor had prescribed a muscle relaxant called Soma. She had mistakenly thought the drug was nothing more than a big aspirin. Unable to lift her head one morning, she’d popped a handful of the pills in her mouth. Within fifteen minutes, she was out cold on the living-room floor. Her son, John, had called an ambulance. Fifteen minutes later, she was in cardiac arrest. If her heart had stopped anywhere outside of the emergency room, she would have been dead.
Neil’s chest was expanding and contracting. Carolyn moved closer, placing her hand in the center of his back. “Try to relax,” she said. “Everything’s going to be all right. All you have to do is help me figure out what happened. Why did you go to Melody’s? I thought you were going to break it off with her.”
“Laurel didn’t want me. You’re too busy to talk to me. I thought driving a few hours in a rainstorm to break up with Melody would be the perfect ending to my miserable day.” He saw the look on her face. “Don’t worry, it’s over. All she wanted me for was sex. I’m never going to see her again.”
“Did you sleep with her?”
Neil’s eyes glistened with tears. “Laurel’s dead. Why do you keep talking about Melody?”
“Nothing you or I can do will bring Laurel back, Neil,” Carolyn told him. “Whether you realize it or not, the police may charge you with murder. How long were you with Melody? Did you go out somewhere? Were
“If he’s innocent, he’s got nothing to worry about.”
“Cut the crap, okay?” Carolyn shot back. “I know how the system works. Neil was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s not your murderer.”
Chapter 9
Friday, December 24—1:15 A.M.
N eil was leaning against the wall in the open garage. One of the officers had brought him a pair of jeans and a white sweatshirt they’d found in the laundry room.
While the crime scene technicians went about their job of collecting evidence inside the residence, Carolyn drilled Neil. She asked him if he’d seen Laurel earlier.
“That’s what I’m concerned about,” he said, lowering his head. “She came here and we had lunch. I asked her to marry me.”
“Did she accept?”
He swallowed hard. “No.”
“For your own good, don’t ever repeat that,” his sister said in a hushed voice. “If you do, you’ll give the police a motive.”
“I understand,” Neil said, sniffing. “We got into a big fight. You know how I hate rejection. She said she could explain everything, but I was too bent out of shape to listen. Th-that . . . was the last time I saw her alive.”
Now she understood his comment about messing up. Although he kept it under control most of the time, Neil had a temper and had been known to fly off the handle. They’d had a fight, that’s all. He’d probably said things he regretted, things he didn’t really mean. “You left her in the house? Alone?”
“I didn’t think she would kill herself.”
“Where did you go?”
“I drove around for about an hour, then I decided to go to Melody’s. I didn’t expect Laurel to be here when I got home. I thought she’d call a friend to come and get her.”
Carolyn stared at his eyes. His pupils were dilated and his movements were jerky, almost manic. “Are you taking your medicine?”
“I don’t need lithium,” Neil said, slapping his arms against his thighs. “You know I can’t paint when I take that shit. How many sleeping pills are you taking? Are you going to accidentally overdose again, like you did last summer? Stop trying to run my life, Carolyn. You’ve got enough problems with your own.”
She started to react, then stopped herself. When the criticism was deserved, she had no right to protest. She’d once walked in on a probationer in the middle of a cocaine buy and ended up wrenching her neck trying to arrest him. The doctor had prescribed a muscle relaxant called Soma. She had mistakenly thought the drug was nothing more than a big aspirin. Unable to lift her head one morning, she’d popped a handful of the pills in her mouth. Within fifteen minutes, she was out cold on the living-room floor. Her son, John, had called an ambulance. Fifteen minutes later, she was in cardiac arrest. If her heart had stopped anywhere outside of the emergency room, she would have been dead.
Neil’s chest was expanding and contracting. Carolyn moved closer, placing her hand in the center of his back. “Try to relax,” she said. “Everything’s going to be all right. All you have to do is help me figure out what happened. Why did you go to Melody’s? I thought you were going to break it off with her.”
“Laurel didn’t want me. You’re too busy to talk to me. I thought driving a few hours in a rainstorm to break up with Melody would be the perfect ending to my miserable day.” He saw the look on her face. “Don’t worry, it’s over. All she wanted me for was sex. I’m never going to see her again.”
“Did you sleep with her?”
Neil’s eyes glistened with tears. “Laurel’s dead. Why do you keep talking about Melody?”
“Nothing you or I can do will bring Laurel back, Neil,” Carolyn told him. “Whether you realize it or not, the police may charge you with murder. How long were you with Melody? Did you go out somewhere? Were
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