CHAPTER 9
Aiden was bewildered. Was she confessing? He had to say something, but what? An awkward silence stretched out before them.
Lily must have noticed the shock on his face, because she spoke before he could gather his wits enough to form a question. “You might as well know. You’ll find out eventually anyway.” She watched him, seemingly for a reaction.
“You didn’t kill your sister,” he said, though it was more of a question than a statement.
Lily looked away, but Aiden put a hand under her chin and turned her back to him. “Why did you say that?”
She looked contrite and shifted uncomfortably. “Everyone in this town thinks I killed Sara. I…I wanted to see if you thought I was capable of such a horrendous thing.”
He’d have to pretend to be the devoted potential boyfriend if he was going to get more out of her. “I could never imagine you capable of killing anyone, let alone your own sister.” Aiden injected concern into his voice and looked at her tenderly.
Lily gave a wavering smile. “That means a lot.”
“This is pretty heavy stuff we’re talking about, but if I’m going to get to know you, I want to know all about you. It’ll go both ways. I’m an open book too. You can ask me anything and tell me anything.” He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Would it be OK if I asked some more questions?” For a second he wanted to cringe. Was he pushing too hard?
Lily shrugged. “It can’t hurt now. By the end of this evening you’ll either kick me out of your house or be one of my only friends.” She laughed, though he noted it was without humor.
Aiden could think of no way to soften the next question, but did manage a sympathetic expression to accompany it. One he almost felt. “How was she killed?”
“Shot.”
He was surprised by the directness of the answer but pleased. “God! I’m so sorry.” Another tender look.
Lily sighed and wrapped both hands around her plastic cup. “I might as well save you from having to ask a million questions,” she said, staring into the wine. “Sara was five months pregnant when she was murdered. Shot in the throat and bled to death. Her body was found on the kitchen floor at her house. Unfortunately, I was the last one to see her alive…and…” She hesitated as if the next few words were the hardest of all. “And, the murder weapon was more than likely my gun.” She raised her gaze to meet his. “Now can you see why I’m a suspect?”
“More than likely your gun? What does that mean?”
Lily waved a dismissive hand. “Doesn’t matter.”
Like hell it didn’t matter, he wanted to say. That gun was the missing puzzle piece to the crime. “Doesn’t the sheriff have the murder weapon?” He needed to keep her talking. How he wished he could come right out and ask if she had the gun, or knew where it was, but of course he couldn’t. Right now, he had to go along with her and act as if he believed every word.
“No.”
Damn one-word answers! Aiden’s hope was fading. “Why would the sheriff think you’d want to kill your own sister?”
A bark of laughter erupted from her. “There’s a very good reason.” She eyed him hard. “For the money. Dad left his millions to Sara. I got nothing.”
“Wow,” he said, running a hand through his hair. He contemplated asking how much money was involved and why her dad shut her out of the inheritance. Wouldn’t that be the logical follow-up? No, he decided, it would be too personal. He changed tack. “I guess I can understand why you were under suspicion, but it’s all cleared up now, right? Does the sheriff have any leads?”
Wilkins had already given him the information she’d just revealed, but somehow it was different hearing it from her. Venom colored her voice. Could Lily have actually hated her sister because of what their father did, or maybe it was a heat-of-the-moment thing? Damn it, but she was the most likely suspect. He looked at her green eyes blazing, lips pressed into a line of agitation, and let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Why was he disappointed?
“I was taken into custody and questioned. Hired a lawyer and, in the end, they only had circumstantial evidence. Not enough to charge me. But I know they still have their eyes on me. I’m innocent and there’s no goddamn way I’m going to feel uncomfortable in my own town.” She drained her glass again, and it made him think of the night he’d sicced Chrome on her and how she’d handily slammed back that Scotch. Then she added, “Besides, leaving town now would only make me look guilty.”
Lily picked up the bottle but put it back down when she saw it was empty.
Aiden stood. “I’ll open another.”
She waved a hand to indicate she’d had enough. “No, it’s OK.”
Plucking up their cups and the empty bottle, Aiden placed them on the tray. “Come keep me company in the kitchen while I get dinner ready.”
* * *
Lily sat on a stool at the counter, another plastic cup of wine in front of her. It had been some time since she’d had so much to drink, but it felt good. She needed this, needed someone she could loosen up with. “Need help with anything?” she asked from her perch.
Aiden stirred the tomato sauce that was bubbling softly in a pot, then set another filled with water on the burner next to it. “No, I’ve got everything covered. The sauce is done and all I have to do is cook the pasta.” He looked apologetic. “It’s nothing fancy.”
“Just having someone else doing the cooking is more than enough for me.” She smiled.
“If you don’t mind me asking, I’m curious about the father of Sara’s baby. You never mentioned him, but from what I’ve learned from cop shows, isn’t the boyfriend or husband always the first suspect?”
She wasn’t surprised when Aiden turned the conversation back to her sister’s murder. It was a bit exasperating, but she’d answer. “Sara was having an affair with a married man named Zander Lyons. Zander and Sara broke up a little while after she got pregnant. He wasn’t going to leave his wife and wanted Sara to have an abortion. She refused. Sheriff Wilkins knows all this, but Zander’s alibi is apparently ironclad.” The words rolled off her tongue in a matter-of-fact tone. Show no emotion, she told herself. It’s easier that way.
“Was Sara scared of him?”
Lily shrugged. “I don’t know, but Zander’s a real ass. He’s the show-offy type with a big ego, thinks he’s in charge of everything and everyone. Like a spoiled rich kid, used to getting his way. I do remember Sara telling me something creepy he’d said—that one way or another, she was going to lose the baby. That’s a threat if ever I heard one. But Sara never actually said she was afraid of him.” Lily huffed. “My sister didn’t always tell me everything. Don’t get me wrong; we were close. She was like a mother to me. Always taking care of everything, but sometimes she kept things to herself so I wouldn’t worry. That’s the feeling I got when it came to Zander Lyons.”
“Is there anyone else you can think of who would want your sister dead? Think hard. Anyone at all?”
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “God, you sound like a cop. Too many crime shows maybe?”
“I’m sorry. I just want to help. Am I getting too personal? Tell me if I am, OK?” He added the pasta to the boiling water. “Listen, dinner will be ready soon. Do you want to talk about something else?”
She thought about Philip Kemp. Should she mention him? He’d seen her with the gun the day Sara was murdered. Maybe it would be better not to bring up his name.
“That’s a good idea. Enough about me.” She raised a brow and fixed him with a look of hard suspicion. “Tell me what you really do for a living, and don’t say stockbroker.”