Page 44 of Line of Sight (Second Sight #4)

RILEY STUCK his head around the door. “Gary, Amy Walsh is here. Interview Room One. Will it be you and Dan?”

“Could it be all three of us?” Dan interjected.

Gary arched his eyebrows. “You don’t think that’s overkill?”

“Of course it is. I want her off balance. That way she’s more likely to make mistakes.”

“And give you something to sink your psychic teeth into, right?” Gary’s eyes gleamed.

Dan grinned. “Exactly. Especially since you told me how reluctant she sounded on the phone when you invited her to come to the precinct.”

“Then let’s go interrogate—I mean question—her.” Riley held the door open for them.

Since Gary’s explosion, something had changed in Homicide. Dan had noticed it a day or two after. There were no sideways glances, no expressions that could be deemed negative. In fact there was nothing that would attract attention, but he was aware of an undercurrent of….

That was it. Dan wasn’t sure. It was as though everyone was masking their true feelings. Not that he thought the department was rife with haters, not for one minute. He knew they had allies out there. But maybe the allies were also nervous of showing their colors.

When is the day going to arrive when someone’s sexuality, ethnicity, whatever, is just accepted as normal, as part of who they are?

Dan suspected he’d have a long wait.

Gary paused at the door. “Ready?”

Dan nodded, bracing himself for what awaited him in the small room.

They went inside and found Amy seated at the table, tapping the end of a cigarette on the smooth surface.

She wore a dark blue tailored suit comprising pants, a vest worn over a white shirt with a wide collar, and a jacket.

High-heeled black boots completed the ensemble.

Her long auburn hair was swept back, revealing a forehead covered in fine lines. Her cool green eyes held intelligence.

And fear. That was a no-brainer.

Gary took the lead.

“Ms. Walsh, we spoke on the phone. I’m Detective Gary Mitchell. With me is Detective Riley Watson and Mr. Dan Porter, who is consulting for Boston PD.”

Amy raised her eyebrows as they pulled out chairs and sat facing her. “Wow. This feels like the Inquisition. Especially since you didn’t tell me what I was here to talk about.” She gave Gary an expectant gaze.

Dan had to hide his smile when Gary didn’t bite.

She glanced around the room. “Can I smoke in here?”

Riley chuckled. “Good luck trying to find any indoor space where you can do that nowadays. And sorry. No, you can’t.”

Amy stared at Gary, her head tilted to one side. “Wait a minute. Didn’t I see you at the ball? You’re Brad’s brother, right?”

Why the fake surprise, lady? You know exactly who he is . Dan could read that as easily as he could read a newspaper. Amy Walsh was no actress.

Gary opened his notebook. “That’s correct. We’ve reopened the case.”

Amy frowned. “I’m not sure how I can be of any assistance, not after all this time.”

“Brad was supposed to be at Jason Kelly’s birthday party, wasn’t he? The day he died?”

She blinked. “Wow. You have been doing your homework. Yes. I think the last time I saw Brad was in college the Friday before. What happened to him was… horrific.” Her shoulders relaxed, and she put down the cigarette.

Dan smiled to himself. Don’t get too comfortable. We’re only just getting started.

Riley opened his folder. “We’re also investigating the death of Jeff Murphy.”

Blink. Blink.

“I thought… that case was closed, wasn’t it? The police didn’t find anyone who could have done it. They didn’t even have a suspect. And it’s been a year. Isn’t there a statute of limitations, or whatever it’s called, that says you can’t investigate a case after a certain length of time?”

Gary waited until she was finished, and yet again Dan was in awe of his coolness and sense of timing.

He leaned back. “Did you know him well?”

Amy shrugged. “Not really. There were an awful lot of us working at Rivera. Jeff was just another face in the crowd. And when the news broke about his murder, we were all devastated. I think something like that hits harder when the victim was someone you knew, even slightly.”

“Can you tell us where you were the night Jeff died?”

Amy stared at Gary. “Are you questioning everyone he worked with? Because like I said, that’s a lot of people.”

Dan couldn’t resist. “No, right now we’re only questioning you.”

His words had the desired effect. Amy picked up the cigarette once more and began tapping it. Her knee bounced a little. Her neat eyebrows scrunched up.

“But I don’t work at Rivera anymore,” she protested, a touch of impatience in her tone. “I left in February of last year.”

“A month after Jeff’s murder, then.”

Any frowned. “Well, yes, but that wasn’t why I left. I got a better offer.”

Gary picked up his pen. “Where do you work now?”

“At Evolve Industries.”

Riley gave a mock gasp. “Impressive.”

She arched her eyebrows again. “ You follow Boston tech companies?” Disbelief laced her words.

“No, but I work with someone who does. I spoke with him before this interview. Evolve… I’d call that a huge step up the career ladder. You must be good at what you do.”

Amy bit her lip. “Actually… I’m the COO.”

Riley grinned. “Definitely a huge step. And how long have you been the COO?”

“Since… since about a month after I joined Evolve.”

Dan did the math. Either someone at Evolve was really on the ball and spotted Amy’s talents the moment she arrived, or else she was headhunted.

She did say she got an offer.

Then he realized there was another possibility, one he had no evidence for.

Yet.

“You were going to tell us where you were the night Jeff died.” Gary moved the proceedings smoothly back on course.

“Well, it was a year ago, but….”

“But you do remember, don’t you?” Dan interjected. “Where you were, who you were with.”

Amy frowned as though deep in thought. “I think so. I’d gone out for dinner with friends. I think we went to… Lucca. Yeah, that was it. Lucca on South Shore. I love Italian.”

That smile was way too forced, and about as believable as her pretending to try to remember.

Dan reined in his emotions. He wasn’t being objective, and Amy could be perfectly innocent.

Except his senses were telling him otherwise, and Dan trusted them implicitly.

Gary scribbled a note. “And who did you go there with?”

“Jason Kelly—that’s Senator Kelly of course. From Maine? Jennifer Sullivan and Greg Collins. Do you need to talk to them too? I can give you their numbers.” She reached into her purse and removed her phone.

Gary smiled. “That’s okay. We’ve already spoken with Greg, and we’ll be talking to Jennifer Sullivan later this afternoon.”

Amy’s knee bounced even harder, her cigarette drumming out an erratic rhythm.

“So there were the four of you?” Gary asked.

“Yes.”

“Any special reason for the dinner?” Riley cocked his head. “Someone’s birthday, a celebration?”

“No, nothing like that. We… we just hadn’t gotten together for a while. We all went to UMass, you see.” She glanced at Gary. “With Brad.”

It was Riley who replied. “Yeah, we know.”

“How long did the meal last?” Gary tapped out his own rhythm with his pen.

“I can’t remember.”

“What was Jeff like to work with?” Dan changed lanes.

Amy stared at him. “The police already asked me that at the time. Isn’t it in your notes or report or something?”

“Yes, it is,” Dan confirmed. He looked her in the eye. “But we’re asking now .”

He didn’t expect to hear anything more than what they already knew, which included Amy stressing that she didn’t really work with Jeff before gushing about what a great guy he was.

But now there was the small matter of sperm to clear up.

“Did you know him well enough to tell us if Jeff was straight, bi, gay?”

That earned him another blink. “I think he was gay or bi. I can’t be sure which. We weren’t that close. Maybe if you ask some of his close coworkers?”

Gary closed his notebook. “I think that’ll be all—for now.”

“Well, sorry I couldn’t be of more help.” Amy was on her feet and out the door before Gary had time to fetch a uniformed officer to see her from the building.

Riley chuckled. “Okay, that was fun. She is one nervous lady.”

“She’s also lying through her teeth,” Dan remarked.

Gary snorted. “You picked up on that, did you?”

Dan stood. “Before we interview Jennifer Sullivan, there’s something I’d like to do. Can we go to that restaurant? I want to know more about that night.”

“What makes you think they’ll remember it?” Gary asked. “It was a year ago, remember?”

“I guarantee someone will.” Dan gave him a grim smile. “That’s the MO, isn’t it? These four make sure they stand out, whether it’s a boat trip, a concert…. So here’s my bet. Dinner’s on me for both of you if no one at that restaurant remembers any of them.”

Riley pulled a face. “So that’s another bet I’m gonna lose.” He glanced at Dan. “Nice question, by the way, about whether he was gay or bi or whatever. So him being with a guy in that apartment isn’t such a mystery now.”

“Except we’re no closer to knowing the identity of our sperm donor,” Gary complained. “Whoever he is, he isn’t in the system.”

Dan huffed. “Of course he isn’t. This is someone who likes keeping to the shadows.”

And if I have to go hunting in the shadows for him, then that’s what I’ll do.