Page 23 of Memory of Murder
Now she was flat-out angry, but she did all in her power to keep the emotion to herself. Deep breaths and slow releases. She had Jack at her side. She could do this.
Once inside his cottage, she focused on the details around her rather than the man. The cottage was even lovelier inside than out. Nicely decorated and efficiently designed. Furnished for comfort but with an eye toward charm and sophistication.
“Join me.” Preston Reed settled on the sofa.
He made no offer of refreshments, and that was just as well. Anne felt sick to her stomach. The shaking prompted by that blast of anger had started deep inside her and now spread through her limbs.
When they’d all taken seats, Jack said, “We appreciate your time, Mr. Reed.”
Reed looked to Anne. “Why are you here?”
The man really knew how to get on her last nerve. “I—we—” she glanced at Jack “—are attempting to find answers about what really happened the day Neil was murdered.”
Reed’s expression remained passive, and he said nothing.
“The Colby Agency has looked into the way the investigation was conducted,” Jack jumped in, drawing Reed’s attention. “We don’t believe the work was thorough. We’d like to remedy that.”
The older man set his gaze on Anne once more. “The detective was young, probably not the best choice for the job. But I don’t have any doubts as to the conclusion he reached. Mary killed my son. I’m certain of that.”
“Why?” Anne held his gaze, her chin raised in defiance of his unwavering claim. “What makes you so certain?”
“Because my son said she would.”
The words stunned Anne—hit her in the face like a blow from a closed fist.
“When did he say this?” Jack prodded. “Under what circumstances?”
“He’d decided to take a risk. He wanted to borrow against his trust fund and invest in some start-up company. She was against him taking a job with an up-and-coming company, so he thought an investment would be wise instead. He had come to see Mary’s concerns about the risk considering she was unexpectedly pregnant.”
Anne’s breath caught softly before she could stop the reaction.
Reed scrutinized her for a moment before going on. “They wanted you. No need to worry about that. But you did show up before they’d planned to start a family.”
She relaxed a little. “Why are you so convinced she would kill the father of her child?”
“Why do mothers kill their children?” He flung his arms upward. “Or fathers abandon their families? Who the hell knows? She wasn’t crazy—I can tell you that. She was smart. Maybe a little too clever. All I know is she told Neil she would kill him, and that’s what I told the police.”
“When did she make this statement?” Anne pushed. He still hadn’t explained that shocker to any real degree. And it sounded as if the statement was hearsay.
“He told me she said she would kill him if he dared take the risk of that position with a company just getting started.” He stared at the floor a moment. “I don’t think he really thought she would do it.”
Anne glared at him, in part astonished but mostly just angry. “People say things like that all the time. It’s just a way of gettingthe point across. It doesn’t mean they really intend to kill the person to whom they made the statement.”
“I felt that way too, until my son was dead.”
Dear God. Anne barely resisted the need to roll her eyes. She already knew the answer to what she was about to ask, but it would be helpful to have it substantiated by someone who was there at the time. “What was the name of this company?”
He shook his head. “I don’t recall. It’s not relevant.”
Anne wanted to shake him. He was purposely evading the question.
“We believe,” Jack interjected, “Mary was innocent. We believe she was set up by someone close to her and Neil.”
The silence that followed had Anne’s heart starting to pound. If there was even a remote possibility the police had the wrong person, why had this man done nothing? If he’d felt the investigation wasn’t thorough, why not hire a private detective? Why just sit back and let whatever would happen just happen? His son was dead! Murdered! Just because he believed his future daughter-in-law committed the crime did not make it true. For God’s sake, he lost his son!
The mounting fury had her glaring at the man who was her grandfather. “Mary loved him. More than anything. She would not have killed him.”
The journal… Anne fought to catch her breath. Even after all those years, Mary’s love for Neil had been clear in her words.
