Page 56 of She Didn't See It Coming
Andi Rosen
You’re right about cops and tunnel vision. But it’s also true that the murderer is usually someone the victim knew. And it’s very often the husband.
Jilly Malek
I love a good body in a suitcase murder. Remember that one in Delray Beach?
Skylar Vasey
Usually they’re dismembered beforehand to make them fit. The more gruesome the better I like it.
Lizzie finds herself recoiling at some of the comments. She scrolls back through, looking for the earlier comment from Susan Day. Ah, there it is, from the night before. She rereads it:
Susan Day
I heard one of them was having an affair.
Lizzie had replied, as Emma Porter:
Emma Porter
Susan DayWhere did you hear that?
Now there’s an answer.
Susan Day
Emma PorterIdk. Seems obvious. Haven’t you seen her picture? She was gorgeous. She was probably getting some on the side.
Lizzie feels irritated by this. She doesn’t need to be reminded that her sister was gorgeous. She finds it distasteful, disrespectful to Bryden. She replies.
Emma Porter
Susan DayThat doesn’t mean she wasn’t a faithful wife and a good mother.
Susan Day
Emma PorterOkay, if you say so. The husband is very good-looking too. Maybe he was cheating on her. All I’m saying is, somebody might have been cheating.
Lizzie realizes this person hasn’t heard anything, doesn’tknowanything. There are pictures and video clips of Sam in posts from lots of people in the group—in the back of the police car, coming out of the police station, even in the park with Paige and Clara. Even under these circumstances, Lizzie can see what Susan Day means. Samishandsome. And some women actually like men accused of killing their wives. They write to them in prison, marry them even. Lots of crazies out there. She sees that someone named Chantelle Dubois has posted a complete bio for Sam, and done the same for Bryden. Once they find out about Derek Gardner, Lizzie hopes Chantelle will do the same for him.
Lizzie is very curious about this man her sister was sleeping with. She’s googled him and found the website for his business. There’s a photo of him on the site. She goes back to it now and studies it closely, trying to remember if she’s ever seen him before.
37
“The problem is,” Jayne is saying, frustrated, “forensics has nothing showing that Derek Gardner was ever in that apartment. The fingerprints found in the apartment have all been accounted for. We have no physical evidence to tie him to the crime. Even if we know he was sleeping with Bryden Frost, it doesn’t mean he killed her.”
“True,” Kilgour agrees, “but he could have motive. What if Bryden was threatening to tell his wife about them, and she’s protecting him on the hit-and-run?”
An officer appears at the door. “A young woman’s just come in saying she saw someone in the condo with a suitcase at the relevant time. Thought you’d want to do the interview yourself. She’s in interview room three.”
Jayne feels a rush of adrenaline. Together, she and Kilgour head to the interview room. The young woman is sitting at the table, waiting for them. She can’t be more than twenty, Jayne thinks. She seems alittle nervous, and Jayne tries to put her at ease. “Please relax,” she says, smiling. “Can we get you anything? A coffee? Water?”
The young woman shakes her head. “No, thank you.”
Jayne sits down and looks across the table at the other woman, trying to get the measure of her. This could be the break they’ve been hoping for.
“Let’s start with your name,” Jayne says, after introducing herself and Kilgour.
