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“Nothing in my original statement has changed.”
“Then this should take no time at all.” He raised an expectant brow, waiting for me to invite him inside.
I hesitated, part of me wanting to tell him any questions he had could be asked right here. But the last thing I wanted was for some reporter to drive by and see me talking to a detective. I could only imagine the rumors that would cause, especially considering it was the same detective I had issues with just a few months ago.
“Fine.” I stepped back, allowing him to enter my house, but stopped in the foyer, not inviting him any farther.
“Is there somewhere we can sit?” he asked.
“We can stand. Like you said. This won’t take long.”
He glared at me for several moments, hoping I’d cave. But I wouldn’t. Not today. And not to him.
“As you wish,” he eventually relented with a sigh, withdrawing a small notepad from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “I hoped you could walk me through the events leading up to the home invasion.”
“I made a statement during the initial investigation. Nothing has changed. Everything Detective Marshall needs is there.”
“Funny you should mention that.” With a conniving smile, he flipped through his notepad. “According to Detective Marshall, she uncovered another witness. Someone who’d seen Piper that afternoon. Do you know an Aaliyah Downs?”
An uneasiness settled in my stomach, but I shrugged it off. “She was one of Piper’s best friends.”
“Piper met her for a coffee that afternoon. Correct?”
“If you’re wondering why that wasn’t in my statement, it’s because I didn’t know she’d met up with Aaliyah. She told me she was running to the store to pick up a few things.”
“Of course. Of course,” Detective Walker said with what felt like feigned sympathy. “That’s not what I’m getting at. I’m wondering if you were aware of what they discussed that afternoon.”
“Sorry, but the next time I saw Piper, she was being brutally raped. I didn’t think to ask if anything else had happened while she was out,” I shot back sarcastically. “Like I said, I didn’t even know Piper had met up with Aaliyah until the police conducted their investigation.”
“Their investigation…” Detective Walker laughed under his breath.
I straightened, eyes narrowing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Detective Marshall’s a seasoned investigator. When I was just a lowly sergeant, she was my mentor here in Atlanta before wanting a change of scenery. Did you know that?”
I kept my expression even, unsure if it were a good thing this woman was once Detective Walker’s superior. If she were anything like him, I had a feeling I wouldn’t like her, either.
“Do you want to know what she found interesting?”
“What’s that?”
“That the lead detective who worked the initial investigation didn’t think to ask what Aaliyah and Piper had talked about. All he did ask was whether she acted out of character. If Aaliyah had seen anyone following her, especially someone matching Caleb Binnick’s description.” He plastered a fabricated smile onto his face. “You see, that’s what we like to call a leading question. Not all that reliable, since it tends to take away a witness’ ability to think for him or herself.”
“I’m not sure what that has to do with my statement.”
“Actually, a fair bit. When Detective Marshall paid Ms. Downs a visit a few weeks ago, she did ask what they talked about. And do you want to know what that was?”
“What’s that?” I asked softly, my uneasiness growing with every passing moment.
“It was quite interesting. Ms. Downs mentioned that you and Piper had gotten into an argument, and that’s why she left the house. Not because she needed to go to the store.”
“She did say she needed to go to the store,” I argued in my defense.
He arched a brow. “Are you admitting you did get into an argument?”
I remained silent for several seconds, glaring at him, jaw clenched. Then I nodded curtly.
“About?”
