Read Online All Day and a Night by Alafair Burke - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Alafair Burke
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body.
“You’re absolutely sure he was with the kids the whole time before he connected with the screenwriter at the building?” Ellie asked.
“Absolutely. One of the first things we checked. The kids backed him up, plus he was sending e-mails from his iPad while he was at the house. He used the wireless network there to send them. It was only fifteen minutes later that he showed up begging to be let into his wife’s office.”
“When did you realize the victim’s arms had been broken?” Rogan asked.
“You could tell there was something wrong just by looking at her, like she was a doll whose arms had been removed and placed on backwards.”
“So Mitch Brunswick would have been able to draw the same conclusion when he found the body.” Rogan’s thought came out like a statement, not a question. If they could prove Brunswick was the one who wrote the anonymous letter to the district attorney’s office, they might be able to wrap this assignment up quickly.
“Obvious. Like, two-plus-two-equals-four obvious,” Santos said. “But we assumed it was something that happened in a struggle. Or you start wondering if she’d been tortured. Then the autopsy results came in.”
“You held back the fact of the postmortem fractures from the public,” Ellie said. “But what about the husband? Did he know that detail?”
“We didn’t tell him, that’s for sure. And there would be no way of knowing from looking at the body. When someone’s heart is beating, blood forms around the bone break. But if the injuries are inflicted postmortem, they call it ‘effectively bloodless,’ because there’s so little blood. No, it takes the autopsy to know that. Unless, of course, he was the one who did it.”
“But you’ve got his timeline locked down,” Rogan said. “You think he hired someone for the job?”
“Wouldn’t be the first husband to go that route. And maybe, for good measure, he had them replicate the MO of an old serial killer case from upstate New York.”
“Sounds a little far-fetched,” Ellie said.
Santos gave a look to Rogan, like, How do you put up with her ? It suddenly dawned on her that, just as they had asked about his reputation, he may have done the same with them, in which case he could have heard about her relationship with Max.
“And the alternative isn’t?” he asked. “A serial killer got away with six murders eighteen years ago and suddenly decided not only to reappear, but to let the DA’s office know about it with a letter? No way, José. Not to mention that theory only works if Anthony Amaro is innocent. The man confessed, and to no less a cop than Buck Majors.”
“Who’s Buck Majors?” Ellie asked.
Another look at Rogan, but his face was blank too. “Boy, they weren’t kidding about a fresh look, were they? When it came to closing cases, Buck was the man. The department used to have him dole out lessons on how to remain in control of the box. A master interrogator. A legend. He could get a guy to confess, and then thank him for the privilege. If Majors said Amaro was guilty, he’s guilty. Hate to break it to you, but the DA’s putting you through the wringer, all because of some ridiculous letter. He doesn’t want the liberal elites who have taken over this city to accuse him of ignoring exculpatory evidence .” He spoke the term like it was an obscenity.
“Trust me on this: stick with the husband. He’s playing like he’s full of regret about the breakup, but he’s got a girlfriend. Even popped the question, but when she got a look at his finances, spread thin between two houses and paying alimony, she got cold feet. Man wants to put a ring on it.” He held up his left hand. “No more Helen means only one roof to pay for. We’ve just been waiting for a break.”
“And now we come along and take it from you,” Rogan said. “I think if I were you, I’d be a lot more upset about that.”
The same smile that had greeted them returned as Santos
“You’re absolutely sure he was with the kids the whole time before he connected with the screenwriter at the building?” Ellie asked.
“Absolutely. One of the first things we checked. The kids backed him up, plus he was sending e-mails from his iPad while he was at the house. He used the wireless network there to send them. It was only fifteen minutes later that he showed up begging to be let into his wife’s office.”
“When did you realize the victim’s arms had been broken?” Rogan asked.
“You could tell there was something wrong just by looking at her, like she was a doll whose arms had been removed and placed on backwards.”
“So Mitch Brunswick would have been able to draw the same conclusion when he found the body.” Rogan’s thought came out like a statement, not a question. If they could prove Brunswick was the one who wrote the anonymous letter to the district attorney’s office, they might be able to wrap this assignment up quickly.
“Obvious. Like, two-plus-two-equals-four obvious,” Santos said. “But we assumed it was something that happened in a struggle. Or you start wondering if she’d been tortured. Then the autopsy results came in.”
“You held back the fact of the postmortem fractures from the public,” Ellie said. “But what about the husband? Did he know that detail?”
“We didn’t tell him, that’s for sure. And there would be no way of knowing from looking at the body. When someone’s heart is beating, blood forms around the bone break. But if the injuries are inflicted postmortem, they call it ‘effectively bloodless,’ because there’s so little blood. No, it takes the autopsy to know that. Unless, of course, he was the one who did it.”
“But you’ve got his timeline locked down,” Rogan said. “You think he hired someone for the job?”
“Wouldn’t be the first husband to go that route. And maybe, for good measure, he had them replicate the MO of an old serial killer case from upstate New York.”
“Sounds a little far-fetched,” Ellie said.
Santos gave a look to Rogan, like, How do you put up with her ? It suddenly dawned on her that, just as they had asked about his reputation, he may have done the same with them, in which case he could have heard about her relationship with Max.
“And the alternative isn’t?” he asked. “A serial killer got away with six murders eighteen years ago and suddenly decided not only to reappear, but to let the DA’s office know about it with a letter? No way, José. Not to mention that theory only works if Anthony Amaro is innocent. The man confessed, and to no less a cop than Buck Majors.”
“Who’s Buck Majors?” Ellie asked.
Another look at Rogan, but his face was blank too. “Boy, they weren’t kidding about a fresh look, were they? When it came to closing cases, Buck was the man. The department used to have him dole out lessons on how to remain in control of the box. A master interrogator. A legend. He could get a guy to confess, and then thank him for the privilege. If Majors said Amaro was guilty, he’s guilty. Hate to break it to you, but the DA’s putting you through the wringer, all because of some ridiculous letter. He doesn’t want the liberal elites who have taken over this city to accuse him of ignoring exculpatory evidence .” He spoke the term like it was an obscenity.
“Trust me on this: stick with the husband. He’s playing like he’s full of regret about the breakup, but he’s got a girlfriend. Even popped the question, but when she got a look at his finances, spread thin between two houses and paying alimony, she got cold feet. Man wants to put a ring on it.” He held up his left hand. “No more Helen means only one roof to pay for. We’ve just been waiting for a break.”
“And now we come along and take it from you,” Rogan said. “I think if I were you, I’d be a lot more upset about that.”
The same smile that had greeted them returned as Santos
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