“Look, you were soaked in her blood. Your fingerprints and footprints were all over. I couldn’t just automatically rule you out.”
“What cleared me?” Conor asked.
“I talked to Tom and other witnesses,” Garrett said. “Your alibi holds up. Plus, the medical examiner’s report just came in. Joe, did you get it? I emailed it to you.”
“Haven’t had the chance to check email,” Joe said.
“What did the ME find?” Conor asked.
“Homicidal cut-throat,” Garrett said. “Right to left—left-handed aggressor.”
Conor nodded, and Kate saw him relax even more.
“The killer was behind Belinda,” Garrett said. “The cut began just under the right ear, two quick hesitation marks. Then deeper, extending across the entire neck. It slanted down somewhat in the center, then moved upward to the other ear. The weapon slashed the carotid arteries, accounting for the arterial spray ...”
“So I’m cleared because I’m right-handed?” Conor said.
“Yes, along with your alibi,” Garrett said. “Plus, we found the murder weapon.”
“What is it?” Conor asked.
“An Opinel. Curved blade.”
“That’s an odd choice,” Conor said.
“Why?” Kate asked.
“An Opinel is a French knife, relatively uncommon in the United States,” Conor said. Then, to Garrett: “Where did you find it?”
“A guy was on the dinghy dock yesterday, about to get into his Zodiac and head out to his boat. He looked down—must have been low tide—and saw the knife in the shallow water. He scooped it up, and he was planning to keep it, till he heard about the murder. He gave it to a Westerly cop.”
“It’s not necessarily the murder weapon,” Conor said. “It could be anyone’s knife, right?”
“No,” Garrett said. “It’s our knife. There were strands of white silk from the wedding gown caught in the hinge, several hairs that match Belinda’s length and color. Obviously, the lab will test for DNA.”
“Prints?” Conor asked.
“It was in salt water for a while,” Garrett said. “So we’ll see. Maybe we can narrow down to where it was purchased. It’s not a common knife, at least not in the States.”
“So I really am off your list?” Conor asked.
“Yeah,” Garrett said. “You never should have been on it in the first place. Just ... I got caught up in something.”
“Belinda?” Conor asked.
“She intended to get to you, Kate,” Garrett said. “She obviously had it in for you. I had no idea until I saw what she did at the rehearsal dinner. By the time I got to the ER, she was already done with me. The only reason I was her date was because I could get her here, into the Ocean House for your wedding weekend.”
“And Miranda did the same with Bernard?” Kate asked.
“Apparently,” Garrett said. “Belinda and Miranda were very close. She told me they were like sisters. I wonder if they reallyweresisters.”
“Belinda had one brother, no sisters, when I knew them as kids,” Conor asked.
“They’re cousins,” Kate said. “Miranda told me.”
“Yeah,” Conor said. “She had cousins who spent summers in Groton Long Point. The girl was our age.”
“Maybe,” Garrett said.
