Jodi’s bottom lip trembled. “But—you said—”
“I said I would find the truth.” She didn’t show her the letter Kevin left. Max was angry at Kevin for doing this to Jodi, to his mother, to the people who cared about him. He was hopeless, maybe, but killing himself hurt his family more than him.
It was a coward’s way out.
“Did Kevin rent a storage unit?”
“Not that I know about. I can look—”
“I’ll do it.” Max didn’t know what she’d find inside, but she’d rather locate the facility herself. Especially since someone else was interested in whatever Kevin was doing.
“Go with the others, Jodi. I have some things to do.”
“Thank you for everything.” Jodi spontaneously hugged her, then walked back into the church.
Max had a long list of things to do, starting with checking out the Evergreen construction company, calling Detective Santini, and visiting Olivia Langstrom Ward.
She wouldn’t call Olivia. The woman would no doubt avoid her. Best to show up on her doorstep. Max could more easily tell if someone was lying or obfuscating if she was face-to-face.
Detective Beck was getting into his unmarked sedan, but it was an official car according to the plates and the police lights in the grille. Max strode over to him and said, “I need a minute, Detective.”
He closed the door on her, then rolled down his window. “You’re a piece of work, Ms. Revere.”
“So I’ve been told.” She looked down at him through the open window. “You’re on duty but you came to Kevin’s funeral. For work?”
“To say good riddance.”
“You could have done that at the morgue.”
“You talked a good game in there, Maxine, but your friend was a killer. No sugarcoating that.”
“He didn’t kill Lindy.”
“Case is closed.”
“Technically, it’s not.”
“As far as I’m concerned, it is.”
“Maybe that’s why no one’s in prison. You only looked at the evidence you wanted to see. I told you twelve years ago after the trial that Kevin was with Olivia Langstrom the night Lindy died. You never followed up on any other suspects.”
Beck pushed the door open and Max stepped back. He pulled his hefty girth from his seat and said, “I don’t need a big-shot New York reporter coming in here and fucking with my case. Kevin had no verifiable alibi, he and Lindy fought the night before, and several people testified that Kevin was livid that Lindy was involved with someone else. Classic if-I-can’t-have-her-no-one-else-will punk attitude. I’ve seen it many times. I’m sure you have too.”
“Don’t you find it odd that no one admitted to being involved with Lindy?”
“Kevin had a key to the pool house where Lindy was killed.”
“So did everyone on the varsity swim team.” Not to mention these were teenage boys and girls—it would be easy to lose a key, or steal, or borrow …
William had been on the swim team. Duncan. Caitlin. Lindy. Lindy’s older brother, who’d graduated several years before, had also been on the swim team.
“Stay away from this,” Beck said. “You’re not getting any cooperation from my office to dig into a closed case. I will not let you drag the Ames family though this shit again.”
“Lindy had been my friend, too,” Max said. Her voice cracked. She was too emotional. She had to find a way to step back, take herself out of the equation. She took a deep breath. “I don’t suppose you have an update on the break-in yesterday in Kevin’s apartment.”
Beck snorted and got back in his car. “Give it up. Kevin O’Neal killed Lindy Ames. Thirty years of experience tells me I’m right. Besides, I did talk to Olivia Langstrom. She said she was home, with her family. Face it—Kevin deceived you. Maybe you’re not such a fucking good reporter after all.” He drove off.
Jodi approached and said, “What was he talking about? Why did he come?”
“The detective is an ass,” Max said. “Don’t worry about him.” But her heart was racing and she felt hot and dizzy. Why would Beck lie about talking to Olivia? Had he really followed up? Had Olivia lied? Had Kevin?
“Do you think—do you think that the police might open up Kevin’s case? Do you think that they don’t care if he was murdered because they still think he’s guilty?”
Max didn’t know how to sugarcoat the truth, so she said, “Jodi, from what I’ve seen in the police report, the coroner’s report, and Kevin’s apartment, the evidence shows that Kevin killed himself. The police are right about this.”
Her bottom lip wavered. “But what about his laptop?”
“That’s not the only item that’s missing. I’m not leaving tomorrow, so I’ll figure out what happened to his things.”
“You think the key leads to his computer.”
“Possibly. But—”
“Then why the message? The death certificate?”
She was asking questions Max was only beginning to seek answers for. “I’ll find out,” she repeated. “Kevin loved you and you were probably the only good thing in his life.”
“He was so sad all the time,” she said quietly. “Haunted.” She took a deep breath. “Thank you for everything. I think—I think maybe I’m okay now.”
“Good.”
Jodi might be okay, but Max wasn’t.
Max said polite good-byes, slipped into her rental car, hooked her phone up to the Bluetooth, and left the church.