Close Neighbors. Dawn Stewardson

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      CHAPTER FOUR

      ANNE TURNED TO CHASE, thinking that surely, regardless of his sister’s fears, he must realize the only rational way to deal with extortion threats was by reporting them.

      However, it was Rachel who spoke. “We talked this into the ground last night,” she said. “And telling those detectives will only make things worse.”

      Anne focused on her once more. “Rachel…listen to me, okay? If you keep quiet about this guy you’re putting them at a major disadvantage. And you’re not helping your own situation, either.

      “They’re making a whole lot of false assumptions because they aren’t aware someone was in the park watching you. Someone who may have been following Graham, waiting for a chance to kill him. But if Chase told them—”

      “If he did, they probably wouldn’t believe him.”

      “You know, at this point I’m so into overload I can’t even remember why you figure that.”

      “Because the guy called me at dinnertime yesterday,” Chase said. “By now, I’d be telling the cops about it almost twenty-four hours later. So, obviously, they’d suspect it was just a story we came up with to throw their suspicions off Rachel.”

      “But I really don’t think—”

      “Anne?” Rachel said. “Aside from what the police would figure, if the guy really has some way of finding out if Chase calls them—”

      “We don’t know he does.”

      “But we don’t know he doesn’t! What if he does? Then he follows through on his threat, and it turns out there were signs of a struggle? Those detectives would be certain I’m guilty.”

      “But—”

      “Look, as I said before, I learned a lot about cops from Graham. And maybe your father used to warn you about tunnel vision, but I doubt either Westin or Providence has the slightest concern about it.”

      “Those are the detectives who came to the house,” Chase explained.

      “All they’re thinking,” Rachel continued, “is that I was with Graham the evening he was killed and that I was furious with him. Plus, they’re convinced he was carrying his gun. A gun I knew how to use. To their minds, that gives me motive, means and opportunity.

      “Then we’ve got those damned clothes I threw out. All I need is one more strike against me, whether it’s real or trumped up, and I’ll find myself sitting in a jail cell facing murder charges.”

      Taking a long, slow breath, Anne told herself to remain cool and logical. “Rachel,” she said at last, “there’s no way in the world anyone would charge you with murder. Even if those detectives do think you killed Graham—”

      “What?” she interrupted, her eyes luminous with tears. “Are you going to say they’d only charge me with manslaughter? Because I killed him in the heat of passion? Or maybe even involuntary manslaughter? Because I was only trying to take the gun away from him when it went off?

      “Anne, I didn’t have a thing to do with Graham’s death! And I don’t want to go through the rest of my life with people thinking that I must have because I was charged with…with anything!

      “And what if it got to trial and I was headline news? Then I’d always be a killer in people’s eyes, even if I wasn’t convicted. My life would be ruined when I’ve done nothing at all.

      “So maybe this guy who phoned would know if Chase told the cops about his call and maybe he wouldn’t. But I’m not taking the chance he would.”

      Anne looked at Chase again. “Is that the way you feel, too?”

      He shook his head. “How I feel doesn’t matter. I promised Rachel the final decision was hers. After all, she’s the one at risk, the one who could end up sitting in that jail cell. Not me.”

      “I see,” she murmured.

      “Anne?” Rachel said.

      “Yes?”

      “I’ve told you about all I can, and…as much as I care about whatever else you’ve got to say, I’m getting a migraine. I thought I’d headed it off this morning, but it’s coming back. So unless there’s anything more you desperately still need to ask me, maybe you and Chase can…”

      “We know where to find you if we can’t,” he told her.

      She pushed back her chair. “I realize how pig-headed you figure I’m being about that call,” she added to Anne. “But…”

      “I understand.” She might not think they were handling this the right way, but she did understand.

      “Good. Well…it doesn’t seem like nearly enough to just say thanks. But I’m really, really grateful that you’re trying to help. And whatever—”

      “Rachel?” Julie called from the pool. “Are you going home to put on your bathing suit?”

      “No, hon, I’m СКАЧАТЬ