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Webb sighed loudly and leaned over the table. There had to be twenty different file folders and still more loose papers scattered this way and that. He took in the measure of the chaos and tried to make some sense of it before picking up the coroner’s report. “Hey, what’s the time of death you have in your notes?”
“Ummmm,” Ackerman said as he flipped through his notebook. “I have a window between 9 pm and 11 pm.”
Webb was studying the report. “What is it based on? There was no autopsy, remember?”
“Yeah. The second M.E. had to estimate based on photos and witness statements. Okay, here it is. He says ‘the photos indicate a state of decomposition usually seen in victims that have been deceased for several hours.’ Based on the time the girl found her and came downstairs—and she said she came back down immediately—and the other kids all saying it was around 1:40 am, he estimates between 9 and 11.”
Webb frowned, deep in thought. “That doesn’t make sense. The one girl…” He flipped through the files. There it was. “Avianna. In her statement she let it slip that Bria came down an hour after Jace did. That’s 12:40 am. And then the other one, Danielle, said she last saw Nyleah around 12. That’s reasonable doubt right there.”
“Lincoln doesn’t seem worried. He said if the defense tries to use it, he can get knock it down since there was no autopsy.”
“He wants to contradict our own M.E.?”
Ackerman shrugged.
“It’s not adding up, man. That estimation has to be wrong. And we got alibis on the strength of that estimated window.”
Ackerman shrugged. “We can’t prove otherwise. Let it go.”
Webb was quiet for several minutes before replying, “You’re probably right.”
Only he had absolutely no plans to let it go.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
“Whatthehelldoyou mean you dropped out of school?” Marcus asked, just on the cusp of shouting, as Carmen took her seat on the couch. “I don’t recall giving you permission to waste my money!”
“Daddy, I’m sorry. I’ll pay you back.”
“You gotdamn right!” He turned toward Ladonna. “Can you believe this shit?”
“Calm down, Marcus,” she said, a blend of emotions swirling inside her. Carmen had just saved her ass. Marcus was completely distracted right now. He would forget their conversation, and they would move on, never speaking about it again.
That’s what she told herself.
She turned her attention to her daughter. “Tell us what happened.”
“It just got to be too much. I have no clue what I wanna do, and I just couldn’t concentrate on my classes.”
“Were you actually going to class?” Ladonna said.
“Most of the time. But I wasn’t connecting with the material, and I couldn’t focus on the assignments. And then my roommate…we didn’t really vibe. I don’t know, I don’t know how to explain it. It’s been hard being away from home.”
Ladonna sighed. It made sense to her, but Marcus wouldn’t see it. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
“I was scared.”
“Of what?” Marcus yelled.
Carmen chuckled and pointed at him. “This. I didn’t want you to be mad at me.”
“We’re not mad at you. Just frustrated,” Ladonna said, but Marcus wasn’t trying to hear that.
“Nah, don’t speak for me,” he said. “I’m pissed. You lied to us for, what, months? When did you quit?”
“I didn’t go back after holiday break last year.”
“Unbelievable. Unbe-fucking-lievable.”
