Page 18 of Liar's Point

Nicole smiled, trying to ease the tension. “The woman next door—I thought she was you.”

“You mean Danielle? She teaches tae kwon do.” Cassandra looked puzzled. “That’s what you wanted to talk about?”

“No, I was just wondering.” Nicole took out her spiral. “Is this her studio or—”

“She and her partner, Paula,” Cassandra said. “They run the Banyan Tree and the martial arts academy next door. They expanded last year and bumped out the space.”

Nicole opened her notepad, and Cassandra darted a look over her shoulder. “Listen, my class is starting. Is there any way—”

“We just have a couple questions,” Nicole said. “About Aubrey Lambert.”

Cassandra flinched at the name.

“We’re investigating her death,” Nicole added.

“Well... okay. I mean, I haven’t remembered anything new since yesterday but—”

“Do you recall anyone else on the beach at the time?” Nicole asked. “Specifically, anyone near her car?”

She shook her head. “It was just parked there all by itself.”

“Who else was around?” Nicole persisted. “The beach is never totally empty. Were there any wade fishermen? Beachcombers? Other joggers?”

“No. Well, just some guy with his kid.”

“A guy?” Nicole eased closer. “Where was he?”

“He was farther down the beach.” She cast a nervous look at Emmet. “Not near Aubrey’s car or anything.”

“And he was with a kid?” Emmet asked.

“Yeah. A little boy and a dog. I mean, I assumed it was his kid, but I guess it could have been his nephew or something like that. They were flying a remote-control plane together.” She looked from Emmet to Nicole. “I’m sorry, why is any of this relevant?”

Nicole ignored the question as she scribbled notes. “What did they look like?”

Cassandra took a deep breath and stared down at her bare feet. “I don’t know. The dad was like, dark hair, medium build. The boy had red hair.”

“Were they in a vehicle?” Nicole asked.

She waited a beat and seemed to think about it. “A teal green pickup truck. They were leaving as I turned around to jog back.”

“Was there anyone else at Lighthouse Point yesterday?” Emmet asked. “Maybe anyone who struck you as out of place?”

“No. There was no one. It was cold and windy.” She looked at Nicole. “Again, what does this have to do with Aubrey’s suicide?”

“As of now, we’re investigating this as a homicide,” Emmet said.

Cassandra’s face drained of color. “You’re—but I don’t understand.” She looked at Nicole. “I thought she ODed. What happened?”

“We’re not in a position to share details right now,” Emmet said.

Cassandra’s eyes filled with tears, and she looked down at her feet.

“Are you all right?” Nicole asked.

Emmet stepped away, and Cassandra swayed slightly. Nicole reached for her arm.

“Do you need to sit down or—”

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