Read Online Deadly Echoes by Nancy Mehl - Free Book Online Page B

purse. “I’m sorry,” I said. “What were we talking about?”
    â€œYou were saying you think what happened to your sister is somehow linked to the murder of your parents. Is there anything else that supports your belief?”
    â€œYes. The flowers.”
    Sykes didn’t respond, just stared at something in his file. I could see it was a picture, but he was careful to keep it hidden from me. Looking at his expression, something dawned on me.
    â€œYou saw them, didn’t you? You know about the white orchids.”
    â€œYes, I saw them,” he said hesitantly. “But I’m not sure it’s enough evidence to connect the two . . .”
    Without realizing it, I stood to my feet. “Enough evidence? My sister was convinced my mother did not have white orchids in her house the night she died. And my sister hated them. Shenever would have had them in her apartment. Don’t you find that the least bit suspicious?”
    Sykes raised an eyebrow. “You can sit down,” he said quietly. “Look, I’m willing to listen to you, but I can’t hinge a case on the victim’s choice of flowers. If you’re trying to get me to believe that someone killed your parents almost twenty years ago, for some reason left white orchids at the scene, and then a couple of days ago decided to kill your sister and leave the same flowers again . . . Well, it’s an incredible story. I’m not dismissing your concerns out of hand; I’m just telling you that it’s not enough to launch a full-scale investigation. I’d need more proof.”
    I sank back down into my chair. “My sister was convinced my parents’ murder wasn’t the result of a foiled burglary attempt. She spent a lot of years trying to prove it but never made much progress. Then a few weeks ago, a reporter who was leaving The Kansas City Star contacted her. Asked her if she wanted a file she’d started keeping ever since our parents died, hoping whoever killed them would be caught and she could write the story. Hannah met her and got the file. I have no idea what was in it. She tried to tell me, but I refused to listen. Hopefully, I’ll find the file when I go to her house. If I do, I’ll turn it over to you.”
    â€œI doubt it will have any information I don’t have, Miss Miller.”
    â€œMaybe not. But I do have something you haven’t seen.” I reached into my purse and pulled out a copy of Hannah’s letter. I held it out and Sykes stared at it a moment before finally taking it from my hand.
    He quietly perused it before looking up at me. “This is certainly disturbing, but it doesn’t prove anything.”
    â€œHow can you say that?” I fought to keep my emotions incheck. Why wouldn’t he listen to me? Is this how I seemed to Hannah when she tried to talk to me?
    He put the letter on his desk. “Look, Miss Miller. I don’t want you to think I don’t care about what happened to your sister. I do. I’m very interested in the truth, but . . .” He took a deep breath. “Look, I shouldn’t be telling you this because we haven’t had time to thoroughly investigate him, but we’ve picked up a suspect in your sister’s murder.”
    For several seconds all I could do was stare at him. “You . . . you what?”
    He leaned forward in his chair. “We’ve arrested a man who broke into a house the same night your sister was attacked. It was only three blocks from her house.”
    â€œB-but how do you know it’s the same man?”
    He straightened up and sighed. “We don’t. Yet. That’s why I didn’t want to say anything until we’re sure. But the evidence is pretty strong. I think he did it.”
    I didn’t know what to say. Had Hannah been wrong? Was she just so obsessed that she saw things that weren’t there? “Wait