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She had grown heated. Drex remained cool. “The culprit did get nervous, all right. Because he feared I knew that he had bilked Marian, then killed her.”
“Jasper didn’t even know her!”
Drex lunged forward, almost coming out of his chair. “You two met through her.”
“No, we didn’t. I told you how we met.”
He sat back. “Share with the detectives. Mike and Gif already know the story.”
Talking rapidly, in stops and starts, she told Locke and Menundez a condensed version.
When she finished, Drex said, “It’s awfully sweet, but it’s a lie.”
Mike addressed the two detectives. “Our guy had hooked his other ladies using online match-up services.”
“That’s not how he and I met,” Talia said.
“Right enough,” Drex said. “You were introduced by Marian Harris.”
“Jasper and I didn’t meet until months after Marian’s disappearance.”
Drex motioned to Mike, who withdrew the party photo from a file he’d brought in with him. Drex got up and walked over to the sofa, where Talia had changed her mind about sitting down. He held the picture out to her. “Ever seen this?”
“Yes. It was the last known picture taken of Marian. After her disappearance, the police interviewed everyone who was at that party, me included.”
He looked at the photograph as though giving it a fresh assessment. “You’re not exactly in on the merriment. How come you’re out there on the fringes all by yourself?”
“I didn’t know any of the other guests.”
He cocked his head to one side, indicating doubt.
She said, “I went to Key West to check out a hotel. Marian was a good client. I called her to see if she and I could have lunch. She said what good fortune it was that I was in town. She was hosting a party that night and insisted that I attend.”
“You didn’t know anyone else there?”
“I just said that.”
“You didn’t mix and mingle?”
“Since I was the outsider, Marian introduced me to several people.”
“What about him?” He pointed out the blurred figure silhouetted against the sunset. “Did she introduce you to him?”
She squinted. “Possibly.”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know.”
“Daniel Knolls.”
“If we were introduced, I don’t remember him.”
He leaned down to her and whispered, “You’re sleeping with him.”
She recoi
led. “That’s not Jasper!”
