Ackerley arrived right on time. Reid watched him park a vintage black Jaguar E-type and get out. He was tall with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. He wore black Ray-Ban sunglasses that he removed as he entered the restaurant. Reid followed him in.
“Thanks for coming,” Reid said, meeting up with him in the bar area. They shook hands and sat at a table next to the window.
“Well, I want to help, any way I can,” Ackerley said. “Beth was a good friend.”
“You knew her a long time?”
“Through Pete, yes. I was in their wedding.”
The waitress came over, and both men ordered iced tea.
“You went to high school with him?” Reid asked.
“Boarding school in Rhode Island. Saint George’s.”
“You’ve stayed close all this time?”
Ackerley paused. “Yes,” he said.
But to Reid, he didn’t sound convincing. Reid waited.
“I wouldn’t sayclose,” Ackerley said. “We’re very different. But for the most part we’ve stayed in touch since then.”
“I’ve heard that you’re the reason Pete was invited along on the sailing trip.”
“Well, that’s true.” Ackerley stared out the window for a second. “It sounds terrible to say, but I feel sorry for him. Or I did ... till recently.”
“Why?”
“Back in school, he wanted so badly to fit in. He tried really hard, and the harder he tried, the more certain guys smelled blood in the water. They’d mention lower school at Collegiate when they knew Pete was ashamed of going to parish school in Providence. Someone would mention an upcoming vacation skiing in Chile or sailing in Antigua, knowing Pete was going to spend his washing floors at a gym.”
“You were one of those guys, mean to him?”
Ackerley shook his head. “I liked the way Pete hung in there. He didn’t quit. Some people bet he wouldn’t come back after the first Thanksgiving break, but there he was. I respected him for that. He tries really hard at whatever he does. My family invited him sailing with us one winter vacation, and everyone liked him. He turned out to be a great sailor.”
“And you’ve kept it up all these years?”
“Yes,” Ackerley said. “A bunch of us get together to go out every summer, and I make sure he’s invited.”
“This year’s trip—you picked him up at his house?”
Ackerley nodded. “I left the city early, drove straight to his house, and we went on from there.”
“And you saw Beth?”
Ackerley frowned, staring down at the table. The waitress delivered their iced teas. He took a long gulp and swirled the ice in the glass for a few seconds before looking at Reid.
“No, I didn’t see her.”
“Okay.”
“But she called goodbye from upstairs,” Ackerley said.
“Did Pete go up after that?” Reid asked. Now he wondered how long it would take for Pete to smash Beth’s head in, strangle her with her panties. Could he have cutMoonlightfrom its frame then too? How long before Ackerley would get impatient? And wouldn’t he hear sounds of a struggle? It seemed like a stretch.
“No, he did not go up after that,” Ackerley said. “He said he had already kissed her goodbye. He was ready to get on the road.”
“Got it. Was he ever out of your sight? Even for a few minutes?”
