KATELLA: If you tell me the truth, you can go home.
CK: I told you everything I know. Everything.
KATELLA: Let’s go over it again. Last night, you went to your sister’s house to babysit Justin. You told me you hadn’t wanted to go because you cancelled a date.
CK: No I didn’t, I mean—
KATELLA: I can read you back what you said yesterday.
CK: I said I had a study date. I have finals.
KATELLA: Still, a date.
CK: What? I don’t understand.
KATELLA: Your study date was with Ben Jordan, right? He’s your boyfriend.
CK: Yeah, so?
KATELLA: But you had to babysit last minute. Justin was going to be at your mother’s house, but your little sister was sick and so you were stuck babysitting.
CK: I wasn’t stuck. I always babysit.
KATELLA: Not something most nineteen-year-old college students want to be doing on a Friday night.
CK: It’s not like that.
KATELLA: And your sister said you couldn’t have Ben over to study because she didn’t feel comfortable with someone she didn’t know in the house with Justin.
CK: You make it sound bad. It’s not bad. Nelia has always been overprotective. She loves Justin, I get it. He’s a little kid.
KATELLA: You resented her.
CK: No—I don’t understand—why are you doing this?
KATELLA: I just want the truth.
CK: I told you the truth!
KATELLA: Tell me again. What time did you arrive at the Stanton residence?
CK: Five or so—Lucy got sick, and Nelia was panicked, asked me to take him home.
KATELLA: But she was supposed to be home by seven, right?
CK: I thought—I didn’t know that she was preparing for a big presentation. I called her at eight, she told me.
KATELLA: You must have been angry.
CK: No. Irritated, not angry. I wasn’t mad—I wish she’d told me earlier, but really, it … what happened to Justin? What happened to him? Are you sure he’s dead? He can’t be. He just …
KATELLA: And what did you and Justin do?
CK: I ordered pizza and we ate and he watched a movie while I studied. Why won’t you tell me what happened to Justin?
KATELLA: What movie?
CK: I, uh—I don’t remember. I wasn’t paying attention.
KATELLA: Justin watched a movie for two hours and you don’t remember what it was?
CK: I-I was studying at the dining-room table. I wasn’t paying attention. It wasn’t a cartoon. It was one of his tapes, he can watch anything on the bottom two shelves. I didn’t care what he watched—I needed to study.
KATELLA: And after the movie?
CK: He went to bed.
KATELLA: Just like that.
CK: Justin’s a good kid. It was ten, past his bedtime … he’s a good kid. A good …
KATELLA: Here.
CK: I-I—
It was clear to Lucy that Carina had broken down. She was so tense, the pages in front of her were wrinkled. Katella was only doing his job, trying to find the truth, but this was Lucy’s sister. To learn about Justin’s death from a cop, during an interview, at the police station. Without family to support her … without a lawyer.
Why didn’t she have a lawyer? Andrew was an ADA at the time, their dad was still in the military, why didn’t anyone protect Carina’s rights?
Because innocent people never thought they needed representation. Innocent people thought the truth would set them free. And usually, it did. But legal representation wasn’t just to find the truth. It was to make sure that all the rules were followed, that everyone had a fair and just system at their disposal. A lawyer wouldn’t have let Carina answer questions she’d already answered. It was clear that Katella was first trying to find any inconsistencies with Carina’s statement from the night before when Justin first went missing, and second trying to fluster Carina to see if guilt would prompt her to confess.
KATELLA: Can you continue?
CK: I want to go home.
KATELLA: I have just a few more questions.
CK: What?
KATELLA: What did you do after Justin went to bed?
CK: I studied. Then I fell to sleep.
KATELLA: What time did you fall asleep?
CK: I don’t know.
KATELLA: Can you give me an approximate time?
CK: Around eleven. Maybe earlier. Maybe later. I don’t remember. I had a headache and went to sit down on the couch and watch television until Nelia or Andrew came home. I fell asleep.
KATELLA: What were you watching when you fell asleep?
CK: Sports. Baseball highlights or something. There was nothing on and I hate the news. It’s so depressing. And Patrick plays baseball in college, so I like to keep up with baseball. He might be drafted, he’s that good.
KATELLA: When did you wake up?
CK: What? Um … when Nelia came in. She shook me awake. Said, “Sorry I’m so late.” I sat up and started gathering my books. Nelia ran back screaming. “Where’s Justin? Carina, where is Justin?”
KATELLA: And then?
CK: We searched the house. Then I called 911 and Nelia called Andrew and … and now you tell me Justin is dead. And it’s my fault. I can’t believe I fell asleep. I am so sorry. God, I am so, so sorry.
Chapter Twenty-two
Max was famished and Lucy was late.
Max weighed the etiquette instilled in her by her grandmother versus her need for food. Was this an actual planned dinner? Or was it a suggestion? Was it more, “I’m eating at 8:00 P.M., join me if you can” or “We’ll meet at eight to dine together?”
No matter how she sliced it, they’d planned on eating together. Damn, she was going to implode from lack of food. What was the etiquette for waiting? Twenty minutes? Thirty? She was pretty certain there was a rule about it somewhere … but she certainly wouldn’t be calling her grandmother to ask.
Max was on the verge of summoning the waiter when Lucy walked into the dining room. The fed stopped briefly, assessed the venue and everyone in it. She scanned the room as if she had a photographic memory, pausing over every table—not looking for Max, but knowing where everyone was. Was she doing a threat assessment? She was an odd duck and Max didn’t know exactly what to make of her.
Max always understood people. She was beginning to grow frustrated with the fact that she hadn’t been able to pin Lucy Kincaid Rogan into a corner. The not knowing was going to drive her up a wall. She knew why. So much about her childhood was still a mystery to her that she sought answers where she could find them.
Lucy sat down next to Max instead of across from her where the place setting was laid out. Lucy moved it over herself. Typical law enforcement—Max’s ex-boyfriend Marco and current boyfriend Nick—was he still her boyfriend, she wondered … she didn’t know and that saddened her—would have done the same thing.
“I’m sorry I’m late—I ended up reading the rest of Justin’s file.”
“And what did your brother say?”
“He’ll talk to Nelia.”
“Very well.”
“I didn’t expect you to be so reasonable about it.”
“I am always reasonable.”