Page 41 of Last Date
Glancing down, my stomach tensed at the caller ID: Pearl Cove PD. Feeling breathless, I answered. “Hello?”
“I’m looking for a Mr. Kip O’Connor?” a male voice said.
“Speaking.”
“Detective Bergen has requested you come in today around 1:00 p.m. for a follow-up interview. Does that time work for you?”
“Uh…” I frowned and glanced at my watch. “I think so.”
“Excellent. I’ll inform Detective Bergen. Robbery Homicide is located on the second floor of the Police Administration Building, in case you didn’t know. Thank you for your cooperation.” The person hung up.
Detective Bergen hadn’t given me much warning. I had just enough time to get to the police department if I left now. I couldn’t say I was surprised at how little Detective Bergen respected my time. He’d been extremely pompous and offhand the night of Allister’s death.
I told Helen where I was headed, and I drove to the Police Administration Building, feeling anxious. I entered the building, taking in the fluorescent lighting overhead and the dull white linoleum. I took the elevator to the second floor and exited, in search of the Robbery Homicide division. Unfortunately, I was all too familiar with the building, having been here during the Paul Wilcox case. I’d really hoped never to return, yet here I was again.
A uniformed officer greeted me, and I explained why I was in the building. He led me to an interview room and told me he’d inform Detective Bergen I’d arrived. I sat in that little room buzzing with nerves for what felt like an eternity. At long last, Detective Bergen joined me, and to my surprise, so did Merrick.
They both looked tense, and I wondered if perhaps Detective Bergen resented Merrick’s presence? WhywasMerrick here? I wouldn’t think the chief of police had time to sit in on every detective’s interviews. Was this a bad sign? Was I about to be arrested or something?
Heart pounding, I waited while they took their seats. Detective Bergen glanced at Merrick. “Chief, did you want to start?”
Shaking his head, Merrick said, “No. Carry on. I’m mostly just observing.”
“I see.” Detective Bergen flipped through some pages in his legal pad.
“Can I ask you guys a question before we start?” I asked breathlessly.
“I guess,” Detective Bergen said.
“I heard about the ME ruling Allister’s death nonaccidental. From what I saw the night Allister passed away, it looked like he’d died from a blow to the head. If there were no witnesses, how would the ME be able to tell if that was an accidental injury or homicide?”
Detective Bergen looked at Merrick, waiting for his response.
Merrick cleared his throat. “Let’s not worry about that right now. Just retell your version of events from that night, okay, Mr. O’Connor?”
Annoyed at the brush-off, I scowled. “I don’t understand why you can’t just answer me.”
“Because we’re the ones asking the questions today, Mr. O’Connor, not you.” Merrick’s voice was clipped.
I exhaled with frustration. “Fine.”
“Now, where were we?” Detective Bergen seemed to be hiding a smirk. “Let’s see, uh… Mr. O’Connor, I want you to tell me again exactly what you did from the moment you arrived at the marina Valentine’s Day evening.”
I shifted in my chair. “Well, as I told you before, I got to the marina slightly after 5:00 p.m. I was running a little late.”
“Okay.” Detective Bergen nodded.
“When I got to the boat—”
“Hold on.” Detective Bergen scowled. “Could you back it up a little? What happened on your way to the yacht. Did you see anyone or anything suspicious in the parking lot?”
Frowning, I tried to recall the details. I was painfully aware of Merrick’s cool stare, which did nothing to relax me. “I wouldn’t say suspicious. There was a guy digging through the trash looking for bottles.”
“Did you mention this before?” Merrick asked. “I don’t remember seeing it in the report.”
“I thought I did mention him.”
Scanning the pages, Detective Bergen said, “I see no mention of this trash guy.”
