“You wanted to know what happened. That’s what happened. I didn’t trust him anymore. I didn’t understand why he lied in the first place, or why he felt the need to tell me about Olivia after trial. I felt manipulated and used because I’d defended him. I defied my family and lost friends because I stood by Kevin. And the lies he told seemed so…” How could she put it? It still didn’t make sense to her. “So unnecessary. I didn’t want anything more to do with him. He could have saved himself—and me—and you and your parents so much pain if he’d told the truth from the beginning. And that’s what I had a hard time coming to terms with.”
Jodi didn’t say anything for several minutes. She stared into her coffee cup and Max gave her the time to process the new information. Unless he was retried, Kevin hadn’t planned to tell anyone.
Except it was important. Had he told the truth from the beginning, the police could have followed other leads. They might have found out who really killed Lindy, and brought him to justice. And that, frankly, was what Max couldn’t forgive. And because Kevin had told her about Olivia, it made her feel culpable. And though Kevin told her never to tell anyone, she’d gone to the police. At least, she tried to. The detective in charge of the investigation nearly threw her out of the police department and threatened to arrest her for giving a false statement.
If that happened now, after all the cold cases and hot trials she’d worked on as a reporter, she would never have left without finding the truth. Now she feared the truth was unattainable. And Lindy would never see justice done.
Finally, she asked Jodi, “Did Kevin share any information or theories about Lindy’s murder?”
Jodi shook her head. “Nothing specific. He didn’t want to talk to me about it. My parents—they had a real hard time during the trial. We moved to Los Gatos, but they were never the same. Kevin moved to San Francisco. I barely saw him while I was growing up. We just reconnected a few years ago.”
It pained Max how cruel families could be. Not only had Kevin lost friends, he’d been disowned by his family.
“Though he wouldn’t talk to me much about what he was doing,” Jodi continued, “I know he was researching a lot.”
“What kind of research?”
“I don’t really know. He had a lot of legal documents, but he put them away whenever I came over.”
“Where’s his research now?”
“I went to his apartment on Wednesday, once the police said I could go in, but his laptop was gone. It was the only thing he cared about, he didn’t even own a TV. He had a file cabinet but—I didn’t look in there.”
“Did you get a copy of the final police report?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t seen it.”
Max suspected she wouldn’t look at it. Jodi was a young, grieving sister and the police report would be a bright and impartial light on Kevin’s last days. She didn’t need to see it.
But Max did.
“Where was Kevin living?” Atherton was a small town in the middle of a major metropolitan area. She could be dealing with any number of police departments.
“An apartment on Roble Avenue.” Roble was nearby, in Menlo Park.
“On Wednesday,” Jodi continued, “before I called you, I got this in the mail.”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter, then hesitated.
Though Max was curious about what had prompted Jodi to call her, she didn’t reach for the document. She waited and sipped her latte.
Jodi bit her lip, a nervous habit that was beginning to annoy Max. If it was anyone else, she would have immediately branded them as deceptive or hiding something. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, Max was right in picking out lies and diversions. But coupled with Jodi’s overall demeanor and the tragic circumstances, Max suspected Jodi was simply confused and didn’t know what to do with information she had.
Jodi said, “I need to know that you believe Kevin didn’t kill Lindy Ames.”
How could Max answer that when she didn’t know what she believed? She said, “When Kevin was arrested, I stood by him. I never believed then that he killed Lindy, because he told me he didn’t. He was my best friend. I postponed college for a year so I could stay here and support him during the investigation and trial.
“But after the jury came back undecided and the prosecution said that they wouldn’t retry unless new evidence surfaced, and I learned that Kevin lied about his alibi, I didn’t know why. Why did he lie? Why did he feel the need to tell me? I can’t give you what you want. I came to listen, and to say good-bye to Kevin. I can’t promise anything more.”
In the back of Max’s mind, she asked herself: Where is Kevin’s laptop?
Tears welled in Jodi’s eyes. She put the envelope on the table, then pulled out her cell phone.
“On Monday morning, I woke up and had a text message from Kevin. That was before I found out he’d died late Sunday night.” Her voice cracked.
She pressed a couple of buttons and handed Max the phone.
The message from Kevin was brief: Call Max. I love you, J.
Jodi pocketed her phone. “I have to go back to work,” she whispered. “The funeral is at St. Bede’s tomorrow at noon. I don’t think anybody’s going to come.”
Max took Jodi’s hand. “I’ll be there.”
Jodi handed Max a key on a Minnie Mouse key chain. “Kevin’s apartment. If you need it.”
“You’re going to be okay, Jodi. It takes time.” Being okay was one thing; forgetting was impossible. You never forgot the people you lost.
She watched Jodi leave, her head down. When she was out of sight, Max picked up the envelope.
It had been mailed on Saturday from Menlo Park, addressed to Jodi in care of the bookstore where she worked. There was no return address, but the initials in the corner were K.L.O.
Why would Kevin send his sister a letter at her place of employment?
Max hadn’t asked where Jodi lived, whether with one of her parents or in an apartment or if she had a roommate. Because she hadn’t been investigating Kevin’s death.
Now she had two questions.
She removed the single sheet of paper and unfolded it.
It was an uncertified copy of Lindy Ames’s death certificate. Cause of death: asphyxiation by manual strangulation.
Max turned over the paper and read the note Kevin had written: Lindy drowned.
Chapter Three