The Murder That Never Was (Forensic Instincts 5)

“Miles Parker.” He turned up his palms quizzically. “Why are the Montclair police investigating her death? She was killed in Chicago. And I had no idea there was an investigation at all. Why didn’t the police call me

?”

“I’m not understanding this,” Detective Brown said. “Lisa Barnes was your best friend, yet you never spoke to the Chicago detectives, and you took off with her landlord right after she died?”

Miles looked appalled. “Took off with her landlord? Lisa put me in touch with Julie a week or so earlier. She said that Julie wanted to start her own gym and not work for anyone else. I’m a tech for Dell Computer, and I talk to people everywhere. I’d heard about this place. I knew it needed major work, but I also knew that all the equipment was in place. Julie wanted to own her own gym and was willing to relocate.”

His voice grew low and shaky. “Then Lisa was killed. Julie showed up at my doorstep, a complete wreck about what she’d seen. My only tie to Chicago was Lisa. I needed to get out of there. Julie needed a computer tech. So I went; we left together.” He swallowed hard. “As for the police, no one ever contacted me. Maybe they didn’t even know I existed. Lisa and I had agreed to each find our own place to live, after a lifetime of depending on each other. So I guess the cops assumed she was alone. I don’t know what they assumed. But I didn’t hear from anyone—not then, and not since.”

Atkins and Brown looked at each other.

Julie went the next step, turning teary eyes toward Milo. “The detectives seem to think I had something to do with Lisa’s murder. Or at least, that’s what I’m inferring from their line of questioning.”

“What?” Milo’s reaction was perfect. “Why the hell would you kill Lisa? You barely knew her. You gave her a job when no one else would. And you let her stay with you, borrow your clothes, learn about personal training and dealing with rich, snobby people. You were more of a friend to her in a week than anyone except me had been to her in years, maybe ever.”

His head snapped back to face the police. “What’s the motivation? Why are you dredging up Lisa’s murder? Are you just using Julie as a starting point? Do you plan to drag Lisa’s name through the mud?”

That perked up the detectives’ ears, just as Milo had planned.

Create a diversion. He was a master at that.

Sure enough, Brown asked, “Why? Is there something to dredge up?”

Milo pretended to look as if he wished he could recall those words. “Nothing that would make someone kill her.”

He sounded less than convincing, and Atkins took over. “Let us be the judge of that. What was she involved in? Drugs?”

Again, Milo looked less than forthcoming. “She lived a shitty life. So, yeah, she did a little drug running when she was young.”

“And when she wasn’t young?”

“Look, she didn’t share all the details with me. She was probably trying to protect me. But I know it turned out the gang she was dealing with back in the day were part of a bigger cartel. I think she met with a few bigwigs once or twice. That means she saw their faces and could identify them. Maybe that became a problem. I don’t know. But it’s the only thing I can think of.”

“Please, detectives.” Julie didn’t have to feign her anguish. “Please don’t harass us. Like Miles said, he was Lisa’s best friend. As for me, I just want to go on with my life and try to forget what I saw.”

“I’ll never forget losing Lisa,” Milo added. “If I knew who did this, I’d have to be restrained from killing them myself.”

Again, the two detectives exchanged glances.

“I take it you two don’t plan on leaving Montclair?” Brown asked.

“Of course not,” Julie replied. “I just bought a gym here and rented an apartment. Miles and I are splitting the rent and the space. Excalibur is my baby. I plan on making Upper Montclair my home.”

“So we can find you either here or at your apartment?”

“Yes. And you can call me anytime.” Julie handed them her business card. “My cell number is on there.”

Milo dug in his pocket and produced a rather wrinkled business card of his own. “Sorry. I don’t carry too many of these around with me. But my cell number’s on it. Use it, and share it with the Chicago cops. Like I said, I’d love to face the bastards who killed my friend so I could beat the crap out of them. Just give me the chance and it’s done.”

Atkins closed his notepad. “I think we have enough.” He shot Brown a let’s-go look. “We’ll be in touch.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Emma was at her desk, electronically storing Marc’s interview with the wack job who was now Suspect Number One in the Worster case, when the phone rang.

She hit the save button on her keyboard and scooped up the phone.

“Forensic Instincts. May I help you?”