Page 76 of The Couple's Secret
Had someone joined her at the boat ramp? Denton PD had tracked the phones and vehicle infotainment centers—which gave GPS coordinates—of Hollis, Jackson, and Zane. None of them had been near the boat ramp that morning. In fact, the data from their phones and cars matched their statements. The most logical explanation was that Riley was injected at Hollis’s house before she left for the boat ramp. Perhaps she hadn’t started drinking until she got there and the alcohol, combined with the insulin, tipped her over the edge.
“Well, we know where the insulin came from,” Gretchen said. “Hollis.”
Josie nodded. “The first time we met Hollis, his sister told him he needed to keep his blood sugar under control or he wouldn’t be eligible for a pump.”
Anya leaned against the counter, folding her arms across her chest. “An insulin pump. He may be type 1, then, and if he doesn’t have a pump, he’s using insulin pens.”
They’d need a warrant for Hollis’s home. Possibly the At Your Disposal office. Whichever pharmacy he used to get his insulin pens. He’d have to be brought in for a formal interview. So would Jackson and Zane.
All three of them had had access to insulin and the opportunity to use it.
Forty-One
Josie sighed and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. Exhaustion made them burn. She felt like someone had thrown sand in her face. The darkness of the CCTV room should have helped but the sense of defeat looming over her was excruciating. It magnified every irritation, big or small. Tension knotted at the base of her skull, tightening with the knowledge that they were no closer to solving Riley’s murder or those of Cora and Tobias. They had theories. Solid, logical theories, but no evidence. No proof.
She needed proof.
This is what Detective John Fanning must have felt like for over half a decade. Josie watched the CCTV screen as Gretchen finished up questioning Hollis Merritt. He had been the last to sit for a formal interview. The day had started with Zane, then Jackson. Hollis was the insulin-dependent diabetic but both Zane and Jackson had also had access to his insulin pens and the needles that went with them. While Josie couldn’t figure out why either brother might want to kill Riley, she certainly couldn’t rule them out. If there was one irrefutable fact about the blended Lachlan/Stevens family, it was that there was no end to the secrets among them.
She hadn’t really expected to get anything earth-shattering by questioning them today, like a confession, but it was important to get written statements from each of them. It locked them into their stories. Later, they’d be questioned again, their second interviews scrutinized for inconsistencies.
It had been over twenty-four hours since she and Gretchen spoke with Anya about Riley’s autopsy findings. They’d gotten a warrant for Hollis’s home and his office soon thereafter. While Josie and some of the patrol officers executed the search warrant at Hollis’s home, Gretchen took another team to his office.
Josie groaned as she checked the time. She still had a few hours to go and there was no way in hell she was getting through them without copious amounts of coffee.
She was wondering how lazy it would be to DoorDash two blonde lattes from Komorrah’s when the door swished open and Noah appeared. She smiled, despite the fatigue wearing her down.
“Hey.” He took a seat beside her and slid a paper Komorrah’s cup over to her.
Josie’s hand seized on it. She popped the lid off and inhaled the scent of her favorite latte. “I didn’t think I could love you more, but I do.”
Noah chuckled. “Are you talking to me or that latte?”
“Both?”
“I’ll take it,” he said with a grin before turning his attention to the CCTV. “Anything?”
“Nope.” She slugged down half of her drink, ignoring the way it burned her tongue, desperate for the caffeine to hit.
“What do they think happened to Riley?” he asked.
“None of them believe it’s homicide. Zane and Hollis think she must have injected herself and driven to the boat ramp to die where her mom died. Jackson got extremely agitated when Gretchen made that suggestion. He said either the medical examiner got it wrong or someone else did it to her. Someone we haven’t caught yet. He’s definitely in denial.”
The door opened again, and Turner sauntered into the room. Just what she needed. She waited for some kind of snarky greeting but instead, he just stood behind them, his fingers drumming against his thigh as they watched Hollis read over his official statement.
“No confession then, huh?” Turner said. “Palmer must be slipping.”
“Shut your mouth,” Josie snapped.
He chuckled. She could feel the heat from his body at her back. Standing too close, as always. “So irritable, Quinn. Guess I would be too if I was sitting here watching a killer get away with another homicide. Look at this guy. He should give classes on how to get away with murder. What is this? His third one? Hell, there are probably more than that we don’t know about. He left nothing behind. Not one damn thing. If you want to nail him, you’re gonna need either a confession or an eyewitness.”
Groaning, Josie dug the heels of her palms into her eyes again. “Don’t remind me.”
“Well, we know he didn’t do it alone,” Noah said.
“Good luck finding the guys he paid to take out Tobias,” Turner said. “They might not even be alive. What’s a couple more bodies to add on his tab? So, Quinn, what are you thinking? Why’d he do it?”
Honestly, Josie was tired of thinking about this case because so far, it hadn’t gone anywhere. They just couldn’t find the one thread that would unravel it all. She drank the rest of her latte so quickly, some of it dribbled down her chin. Swiping at it with her fingers, she asked, “Why do you think he did it?”
