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THIRTY-SIX
Amanda and Trent were across from Malone in his office, updating him on the search warrant results.
“He’s still looking good for this, if you ask me,” he said when they’d finished.
She was pleased he felt that way. “Do you think we have enough to request his DNA and blood type through the legal channels? That is, if he doesn’t volunteer them?”
“I think it’s a dicey situation that could go either way. As we have nothing but conjecture and circumstantial evidence, you struck it lucky with the search warrant, in my opinion.”
“You can’t be serious?” She never would have expected Malone to be blind to how things were pitted against Luke Hogan. And hadn’t he just expressed thinking Luke appeared guilty one second ago?
“I most certainly am. And going back to your question— Yes, ask first and see if you can find out exactly when he got to campus this morning and build a timeline. One murder at a time.”
“Will do.” Amanda felt the pressure of the ticking clock. They could only hold Luke for so long, and it was four forty-five. Five o’clock marked the end of her shift, and she wanted to leave right on the dot to get home to Zoe. That left her with twenty minutes and a suspect to interview. She still hadn’t called Deb Hibbert back, but she had to collect herself before making that call.
She got up quickly and said, “Gotta get a move on.”
“Why? Are you in hurry or something?” Malone raised his eyebrows.
“You could definitely say that.” She left the office without elaborating.
It took seven minutes to get Luke hauled from holding.
She and Trent went into the room and sat across from him.
“Let me guess, you didn’t find anything.”
She remained quiet for a few beats, then, “Actually, we found something of interest. You’re on Snap VidPic.” They’d found that before searching Luke’s bedroom but hadn’t yet shared that discovery with him.
Luke paled, and his shoulders slumped. “So?”
“So you followed Chloe’s account and spewed hateful things on there.”
He scoffed, “The least of the things I thought.”
“All right. Now I’m having a hard time understanding. You loved her, but you hated her?” She faced Trent. “They do say the two emotions lie close together.”
“I loved her until she made me hate her,” Luke spat.
“You realize you’re under suspicion of murdering her,” Trent interjected.
“I also know I didn’t.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind letting us swab your mouth for your DNA,” she said firmly.
He leaned back. “I don’t know about that.”
“You have nothing to hide, so why not?” She hitched her shoulders.
He blew out a long, exaggerated breath. “Fine.”
Amanda nodded to Trent, who had the swab kit ready to go. He rounded the table, took the sample, placed it in the vial, then sat back down.
“We’ll get this to the lab straight away,” he said to Luke.
“Good. Clear me.”
“What blood type are you, Luke?” she asked him, thinking about the blood spatter on the snail.
“No idea. Why?”
“When did you get to campus this morning?” Amanda ignored his question and resisted the urge to glance at the clock.
“Eight. Stephanie and I told you.”
“Only Stephanie said she’d lied for you. That you asked her to.”
He dropped his head in his hands and pulled on a chunk of his hair.
“Why ask her to lie?” Trent asked.
Luke cracked his knuckles and stared into space.
“When did you get there, and what were you doing from three until eight this morning?” Amanda bit back the urge to supply him with an answer. Killing Jayne?
“I wasn’t at the campus early.”
“All right, where were you, then?”
He slid his bottom lip through his teeth.
“Where were you?” she asked with heat.
“Leesylvania State Park.”
The hairs stood on the back of her neck. “Why were you there?”
“I had to see for myself.”
“See what?” She wasn’t liking the direction of the conversation.
“Where Chloe died.”
“And where was that exactly?” she countered.
He described the precise location in the park.
“How do you know the place where she was murdered?” The specific spot hadn’t been made public news.
“I… ah…”
