AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Kirby replied. “She was clearly a little agitated, but I think that was largely due to confusion about what was going on with Harrison. Other than that, she was mostly her normal self.”
“So she left for her office while you dealt with the bill,” Jessie re-established. “Where did you go after the lunch?”
“I came back here, did the preliminary private investigator search, then moved on to another case.”
“You were here until when?” Jessie prompted.
Kirby looked at her quizzically.
“Are you asking about my whereabouts during the time you think she died?” Kirby wondered. “Do I need a lawyer of my own?”
“You tell us,” Ryan said flatly.
“I don’t think I do, actually,” she replied. “I was here until 6 p.m., picked up some Chinese takeout, then went home to have dinner with my husband, Rhett.”
“Where is Rhett now, by the way?” Ryan wanted to know.
“He’s filing some paperwork at the Santa Monica courthouse,” Kirby explained. “He should be back in the next hour if you want to wait.”
“That’s okay,” Jessie told her. “We’ll talk to him later if we need to. So was that your entire evening—Chinese takeout at home?”
“No,” Kirby replied. “I had a ‘Women in Law’ event at 8 p.m. Funny enough, it was at one of those gleaming towers in Century City.”
“What’s the best way to confirm your attendance?” Ryan asked.
Kirby again looked mildly offended but didn’t say so.
“I had to scan my phone at the door, for one thing,” she answered. “Plus, I sat at a table with seven other women. I can't remember all their names, but I'm sure I could get them through the event coordinator if you need them. Also, you could use my rideshare details as confirmation.”
“You didn’t drive?” Jessie asked, surprised.
“No. There were cocktails, and I knew I’d be having a few.”
“Rhett didn’t offer to drive you?” Ryan poked.
"He did, but I declined," Kirby said. "I could tell that he was into the Monday Night Football game and didn’t want to put him out. He had already changed out of his suit and into sweatpants and a t-shirt, which is usually a sign that he’s done for the night. After eleven years of marriage, I can read those signs well.”
“All right,” Ryan said, raising his eyebrows at Jessie to see if she had more questions. She shook her head to indicate that she didn’t. “Mrs. Kirby, here’s a business card for our research lead. If you can submit the receipt for your takeout dinner last night, a screenshot of your ticket from the legal event, along with those names you talked about, and the rideshare home details, that would be great. He’ll also request you sign a waiver to allow us to check your phone and car GPS data from last night and this morning if you don't have any objection."
“I don’t,” Kirby said. “Anything that helps eliminate me so you can focus on real suspects is something I’m more than willing to do.”
“We’ll see ourselves out,” Ryan told her as they got up and left her office, “and we’ll probably be in touch. We might have more questions for you.”
Kirby nodded politely. They waited until they had completely left Kirby & Kirby Law Partners before speaking.
“Initial thoughts?” Ryan asked as they walked toward the car.
“I think we need to confirm everything she said before clearing her, but if it all checks out, at least we’ve got another suspect to check out, and I think you know who.”
“The husband,” Ryan said emphatically.
“Yep. Let’s see if Harrison Buhner is back in town yet. I have a couple of questions for Ava’s loving hubby.”
CHAPTER NINE
Kat Gentry didn’t want to get too excited.
She and Mitch had visited five potential wedding venues, and this was the first one that really spoke to her. Located on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Manhattan Beach, it had everything she was looking for.
