Page 24 of Liar's Point

“Well, we’ve been interviewing people who knew Aubrey, trying to get a sense of her life. Do you know if she was having any problems with anyone? She ever mention anything like that to you?”

“No. But I really didn’t know her very well. You should talk to her close friends.”

Nodding, the detective took out a spiral notebook. “Also, we’ve been circling back with the witnesses.”

“Witnesses?”

“People who saw Aubrey’s car at Lighthouse Point yesterday. I just want to go over a few details with you.” The detective flipped open the notepad. “At the beach last night you said you typically jog there on your evenings off. When is that, exactly?”

“My evenings off?”

She nodded.

“Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday,” Cassandra replied. “I get home about five thirty and have time for a run. All the other days—like today—we have seven o’clock class and I don’t get home till now.”

The detective jotted something on her pad. “And do you run the same route every time?”

“From here to the point and back.”

“That’s what? Three miles?”

“Two miles round-trip.” Cassandra watched as she wrote it down.

“And do you see some of the same people each time?” The detective looked up. “Fishermen? Surfers? Other joggers?”

Hadn’t she been over this already? Irritation surged inside her, but she tamped it down.

“I didn’t see anyone else on the beach yesterday,” Cassandra said. “Well, except the man with the airplane.”

“Yeah, but what about other evenings? Are there any regulars you typically encounter?”

Cassandra glanced down at her feet and thought about it. “There’s a tall guy. Always wears black. I pass him some nights.”

“What about last night?”

“No.”

“Could you describe him a bit more?” Lawson asked. “Is he heavy? Thin? White? Black?

“Pretty thin,” Cassandra said. “He’s got a runner’s build, and always wear a black T-shirt and visor.”

“He ever have a dog with him?”

“No.”

She flipped a page in her notebook. “Okay, and the guy with the airplane and the kid. Anything else you can tell me about him?”

Cassandra shook her head. “Really, I just saw them from a distance. They’re not regulars or anything.”

“Okay.” She flipped another page. “And the timeline. You said you saw the car about ten after six. How sure are you about that?”

Cassandra’s guard went up. “Fairly sure. Why?”

“Any chance it was later?”

“Well, maybe. I mean, I wasn’t looking at a watch or anything.”

“And after you saw the blue Subaru—for the second time—and approached it and saw that there was a person inside it who appeared to be unconscious, what did you do after that?”

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