Chapter 25
Carolyn shook her head, unsettled. "What do you mean? We didn’t have a falling out.”
"You’re contesting the will,” I said. “Doesn't sound like things were amicable.”
"I withdrew my petition when Hannah assured me that she would do the right thing. She promised to divide the assets fairly, as my mother had originally intended.”
"You filed a new petition.”
She looked stunned. "Well, of course. Hannah is deceased. I had to file a new petition if I wanted to get what was coming to me. The kids are too young to understand. As you can imagine, it's a legal quagmire right now. Hannah’s death is the worst thing that could have happened.”
"I'm sure it's a challenging time. You’ve got a lot on your plate right now."
Carolyn hugged her belly. "In six weeks, I’m really going to have my hands full. I don’t know how I’m going to manage it all.”
"I'm sure you'll rise to the challenge," I said. “Can you tell me where you were at the time of your sister’s murder? I’m just trying to put all the pieces together.”
Her face tightened. "I was here at the apartment.”
"You didn't go out anywhere that night? No trips to the store?”
"I went straight over to Hannah's house when James called.”
"See, that’s interesting because, at the time of the murder, your phone was off the grid. And when it did come back on the grid, it was heading away from Stingray Bay. You turned around when James called and went back to Hannah's house.”
Carolyn looked like she'd seen a ghost. She tried to recover.
“Oh, yeah. My phone had died, and I had gone to the store to grab a bottle of wine. I plugged it into the car charger, and thank God I did. I was heading back to my apartment when James called. I could have missed his call. That would have been terrible.” She paused, and her worried eyes flicked between the two of us.
"Is there some reason you're looking into my phone records? "
"Standard procedure."
Her brow knitted. "Don't you need a warrant for that kind of thing?”
I ignored the question. “You bought a bottle of wine at seven and a half months pregnant?”
Carolyn swallowed. “I was going to have a friend over, and she’d flip if there was no wine.”
"You mind if we take a look around your apartment?”
Her face wrinkled again. "Why would you need to do that?”
"Just to be thorough.”
"Am I really a suspect?" she said with an incredulous laugh. She tried to play it off like the notion was absurd.
“Like I said, just a matter of routine.”
"I'd have to ask my husband.”
"It won't take long, and we won't disturb anything."
"I would, but I'm running out, and I'm late as it is. I'll talk to my husband and get in touch with you. How's that sound?"
"You’re blowing us off.”
"Oh, it's not like that at all. But I just want to make sure I’m doing the right thing.”
"The right thing would be to assist us in our investigation,” I said in a calm voice.
"Yes, but it seems that you’re looking at me like I'm some kind of suspect. That makes me feel uncomfortable. I think I should consult with a lawyer before doing anything. But thanks for stopping by, gentlemen.”
Carolyn stepped back, closed the door, and deadbolted it.
I shared a look with JD.
"That girl definitely has something to hide.”
We plunged down the steps and followed the walkway back to the parking lot. With a glance around, I searched for Carolyn's vehicle. She drove a four-door silver import sedan. I spotted the vehicle, and we walked to the car and circled around it, taking a cursory glance.
Something unusual caught my eye right away.