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Lachlan said something under his breath. Bethenny didn’t catch it all, but she caught enough to know it wasn’t language suitable for children’s ears.
Mitch stood, excusing himself. “Wait here a moment,” he said.
When the door closed, Bethenny spoke. “Lachlan, please, look at me,” she said and when he did, she wished he hadn’t. The hurt in his eyes broke her heart. “I don’t believe you killed her, and neither does Mitch. They’re following protocol, that’s all. You’d do the same if Mitch’s prints were on the knife.”
“How are my prints on that knife?” he asked. “It was in a bag when she brought it in! I didn’t touch it.”
Bethenny paused. “You said you had a matching set of knives, right?”
His eyes snapped to hers. He pushed the car keys she’d placed on the desk toward her. “I need you to go to my house and look at the knife set. They’re in the... second drawer. I bought the full set. See if that knife is missing. Someone has been in my house—that’s the only explanation.”
Bethenny didn’t want to point out that if the knife was missing, it would only further incriminate him. He knew that, of course, but he wasn’t thinking clearly. How could he be?
“I’m going to get to the bottom of this, I promise you,” she said, and when he looked to her, she saw that the words had placated him a little.
“I didn’t do this, Bethenny. I swear to you, to God, I didn’t do this,” he said, looking straight into his eyes.
“Give me time to prove it, because I will,” she said.
He gave a pained laugh. “That’s the only thing I can give you right now.” He pressed his fingertips against his temples and swore again.
Bethenny saw a group of officers pass the window. “I’m going with them to make sure this is done right. I’ll check in on you when I’m back.”
He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked up at the ceiling.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said, standing and rushing from the room. She wanted to be with the team when they arrived; she needed to make sure nothing was missed that would clear his name.
Bethenny followed a few officers into the parking lot, but headed for Lachlan’s car, as hers was at her house. It was only when she turned on the ignition that she realized she had no idea where he lived.
She waited impatiently for the officers to make it to their car and climb in, and then she followed them as they drove away from the station. She stayed close behind, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove.These officers really need a few lessons on how to drive—they’re slower than my grandmother.
Bethenny knew when they’d reached his house, because three patrol cars were already out front. She jumped out of the car and ran up the path. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but this Tudor stone manor wasn’t it.
If she’d taken a moment longer to appreciate it, it would’ve taken her breath away.
But she didn’t have a moment.
She charged up the stairs and through the front door. She noted officers were already searching the living room, but she headed to the kitchen, pulling on a pair of gloves as she rushed forward.
Her eyes scanned for a knife block on the stone countertops, but she didn’t see one—and then she remembered he’d said they were in the second drawer.
One by one, she pulled out the drawers, noting absently that the black handles matched the ones she’d almost chosen for her home, though she’d gone with gold instead.
The second drawer revealed a clear drawer divider holding the knives. She picked them all up and laid them out on the bench, largest to smallest. She didn’t have the exact measurements, but as she stared at the knife second in position, she was sure it was the same as the one Louise White had brought in. A knife didn’t appear to be missing from the set.
But what did that prove?
If the knife was still here, it hadn’t been taken from his house; that meant he hadn’t used it to kill Jessica, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t have secured an identical knife and used that instead. She hated to admit it, but if the knife had been missing, it might’ve been better—he might’ve been able to claim that someone had broken into his house.
She lifted her head, her eyes sweeping over the ceiling of the room. She counted two security cameras in the open-plan living room alone. How could someone have gotten inside his house without him knowing? Surely he hadn’t forgotten to set the alarm.
Bethenny thought back to their conversation, but knew she couldn’t give it much credit. Given the stress he was under, he wasn’t thinking properly. He couldn’t be.
“What are you looking at?” Mitch asked, appearing beside her.
“The knives in his kitchen. These are generic knives... probably half the town has a set of them in their kitchens.” As she said the words aloud, another possibility came to her. She wondered if Lachlan and Jessica had any mutual friends. What if Lachlan had been at someone’s house and had used the knife, and then that knife had somehow ended up being used as the murder weapon? Maybe it had been stolen from the kitchen, maybe it had been taken to someone else’s house with a dish. People did that, right? They took cake to someone’s house for dinner and possibility took a knife to cut it with too.
She rubbed her eyes, feeling a headache coming on.
