Chapter 52
Louise
“Sorry I’m late.” Bruce Ghadiali drops his briefcase by Louise’s desk.
“You’re fine,” says Louise. “We were just doing a state-of-the-case. Making sure we’re not missing anything.”
Cutty ticks off the points on his fingers.
“We have three principal witnesses unwilling to talk to us,” he says.
“We haven’t found Finley Brice’s car yet.
We’re pulling license plate camera records for the relevant time period for both of the Brices’ cars and for Luke Rankin’s car.
We’ve just obtained warrants for Grayson’s and Allison’s phones, so we’ll review their calls and text messages.
We’re pulling cell site location information for the relevant time period.
We’re doing the same for Luke Rankin’s and Finley Brice’s phones, of course.
Those things take time, but we should have them within a week or so. ”
“We’ll have DNA back from the Brice condo any day now,” adds Louise. “And now we have Grayson’s DNA to match it against.”
“Sounds pretty comprehensive to me,” says Bruce. “And Trinity Casto will be here any moment. While we wait…” He holds up a thumb drive. “Anyone want to watch the ‘school security video’?”
Trinity Casto brings her own atmosphere into the relatively bland surroundings of Interview Room A, looking more suited for a downtown boardroom than under police lights.
A cream-colored blazer that fits perfectly over a champagne silk blouse, tailored black trousers, sharp heels.
Her dark hair is drawn into a low, immaculate ponytail, every strand corralled.
Her face carries that same control—poised, capable of warmth, but currently unreadable.
Louise detects a faint trace of an expensive fragrance, something floral.
Trinity’s posture is deliberate, neither defensive nor lax, simply composed. One leg crossed neatly over the other, her hands folded in her lap. The harsh room doesn’t seem to touch her—as if, rather than being summoned, she has chosen this setting.
“Thanks for coming, Ms. Casto,” says Louise. “We were hoping you might have some information about Allison Brice and her husband.”
“I’m sure I have plenty,” she says. She gestures to the thumb drive next to Bruce Ghadiali. “I take it that’s the thumb drive from the school security cam?”
“The ‘school security video,’ yes,” says Bruce. “You’re familiar with it?”
“Of course,” she says. “Have you watched it?”
“We just did,” says Bruce. “Do you—not to jump ahead—but do you happen to know if the individual in that video is Allison Brice?”
Trinity smiles. “I know for a fact that it’s Allison,” she says. “Her brother, Luke, confirmed it.”