Willing to Die (Alvarez & Pescoli)

The interview continued for another half hour, but they learned nothing more and finally Tanaka said, “Tell me about Troy Boxer.”

“We’ve been over this, too. We broke up. End of story.”

Tanaka leaned back in her chair. “Did you know that he and his friend Ronny Stillwell are missing?”

“What?” Ivy asked.

“I thought that’s why you came to Montana at first. To meet up with them.”

“Uh, no.” Ivy sounded almost bored and it was unclear whether it was an act or the real deal.

Her attitude irked Tanaka, who told her flatly, “Troy Boxer and Ronny Stillwell went MIA a few days ago. Neither man reported in for work, nor have they been at the rooming house for a couple of days now. Their landlord, George Aimes, hasn’t seen hide nor hair of either of them, though their vehicles were still parked in a back alley.”

Ivy stayed silent, absorbing the news.

“Have you heard from either of them?” Tanaka asked.

“No.” But she sent a wild-eyed glance toward the window again.

“We’re checking with other friends and coworkers, their family members, but so far no one has heard from them, nor have they responded to calls or texts. The calls just go to full voice mail boxes, the texts go unanswered.” Tanaka waited a moment, then asked, “Do you think they might have been the people in the house that night, the ones you heard and who chased you? That they might have been there to rob your parents?”

“You think Troy and Ronny . . .” She vigorously shook her head, but there was the tiniest bit of fear in her eyes, and Tanaka felt as if finally she was zeroing in on the truth, but what was it?

“You said you took money from Paul’s safe, that you knew the combination, but that you left everything else.”

“Yes.”

“Your fingerprints weren’t on the safe.”

“I was wearing gloves. It’s January.”

“And you stole the money after you saw the bodies?”

“Ye—I—don’t remember.”

“Because before there would be no reason to.”

“Yes.” Ivy was nodding slowly, wary of the trap.

“So even though you saw your mother and her husband murdered and thought the killers might be in the house, might come after you, you took the time to go to the wall safe, put in the combination lock, and then pick out a stack of cash.”

“Yes.”

“All while the killers were coming down the stairs.”

She licked her lips. “I didn’t know where they were, I just worked fast.”

Sarina Marsh had twisted her head to stare at her niece as if she finally understood the cracks in Ivy’s heretofore pat story. She placed a hand over her niece’s. “Honey,” she said quietly, “I think we should stop this. You need an attorney.”

“I didn’t kill Mom or Paul.” Her voice cracked and tears shone in her big eyes. “I didn’t. You believe me, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” Sarina said, then turned to Tanaka. “We’re done here. She has the right to an attorney and she’s requesting it.” Before Tanaka could argue, Sarina said, “Now,” and stood. “Ivy has told you all she’s going to say until she confers with counsel.”

And that was that. Ivy climbed to her feet, but her legs seemed wobbly, and Tanaka, unable to keep the girl for further questioning, opened the door and ushered them to the hallway where Regan Pescoli was waiting.

Chapter 25

“So where’s the baby?” Joelle Fisher asked as Pescoli walked with her sister and Ivy past the reception desk. Joelle’s blond hair was so pale as to be almost silver and she had already donned red-heart earrings that dangled and matched her nail polish and red heels. Joelle always dressed as if she were about to attend a holiday party and it didn’t matter that Valentine’s Day was still a month away. “I can’t believe you would come to the station without him.”