Read Online See No Evil by Allison Brennan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Allison Brennan
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wasn’t your fault. You are not to blame for what he did to you.”
“Goddamn bastard,” Connor whispered, his body radiating the same tension building within Julia. He dropped her hand and paced.
Dillon reassured Emily, and steered her back to what happened yesterday at the house. The day Victor was murdered. “You said you came into the house but didn’t hear your stepfather. I don’t understand what you meant.”
“Every Wednesday I come home as close to six as possible. Hoping he’d be busy. But he always heard me, like he was waiting. Watching through the security camera. He would call out for me. He now had something on me. He said if I didn’t come and do what he wanted, he would call my probation officer and tell her I was habitually breaking curfew. I had no choice.”
“But yesterday he didn’t call for you.”
She shook her head. “I thought he was on the phone. Maybe had company. I ran upstairs and was so happy. I locked my door. Safe. And stupid. I got some rum. I know I’m not supposed to drink, but it numbs me, makes the bad stuff go away. I can forget about him, forget everything.”
“This is important, Emily. I want you to think hard. Why did you go downstairs?”
“My flask wasn’t full, so I ran out of rum. I thought I could sneak down to the parlor and get a refill. So I did.”
“What time was that?”
She thought, then gave a halfhearted shrug. “Six-thirty. Maybe later. I’d taken a bath when I got home. I put on my robe and went downstairs. Barefoot, so he couldn’t hear me. Tiptoed. Filled the flask and put it in my pocket.
“Everything was weirdly quiet in the house. I was drunk, I knew it, but I was scared ’cause something was wrong or out of place, but I didn’t know what. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Victor’s library door open. He never leaves it open when he’s in there. And I had to know where he was. If he wasn’t in his library, was he looking for me? I was very quiet. I walked down the hall and looked in the room.
“He was dead. I’d imagined it before in my head, just like this, but there was so much more blood. So much more.”
On her bed, Emily began to rock back and forth, back and forth. Julia clasped her hands together to force herself to remain calm and not burst into the hospital room.
“It was like I was in a trance,” Emily said. “It took forever to walk across the room, but I did. I had to look closer. He was dead. Just like I dreamed.”
“Did you touch him?”
“I think…I think I did touch his desk, maybe his arm. It was unreal, seeing him dead. I thought I was hallucinating. This was a drunken nightmare, and I’d wake up in the morning and Victor would still be alive.”
“What did you do next?”
“I ran, slammed the door shut—I don’t know why. It’s not like he could chase me. He was dead. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I was scared. It was exactly like I’d planned. I’d wanted to kill him. I wanted to! But I didn’t. I don’t think I did. I don’t know anymore. I just don’t know.” Emily rolled over and curled into a ball, sobbing.
Dillon soothed her, assuring her he would return and no one would hurt her. He left the weeping girl. Julia, too, felt comforted by Dillon’s soft, rhythmic words. Her heart rate slowed, and she was better able to process the evidence without the cloud of too many emotions.
Julia turned to Dillon when he exited Emily’s room. “Can I see her?”
“Yes, in a minute.” He looked at his brother Connor. “What are you doing here, Con?” The three of them stood in the observation room outside Emily’s room.
“Ms. Chandler hired me.”
Dillon said, “Good. I’ll need to talk to Emily again, and we need someone to follow up on what she tells me. She said she ‘pictured’ Victor’s murder, that she planned it. I need to know exactly what she means by that. Maybe she did plan it, talk about it to someone else.”
Julia shook her head. “The
“Goddamn bastard,” Connor whispered, his body radiating the same tension building within Julia. He dropped her hand and paced.
Dillon reassured Emily, and steered her back to what happened yesterday at the house. The day Victor was murdered. “You said you came into the house but didn’t hear your stepfather. I don’t understand what you meant.”
“Every Wednesday I come home as close to six as possible. Hoping he’d be busy. But he always heard me, like he was waiting. Watching through the security camera. He would call out for me. He now had something on me. He said if I didn’t come and do what he wanted, he would call my probation officer and tell her I was habitually breaking curfew. I had no choice.”
“But yesterday he didn’t call for you.”
She shook her head. “I thought he was on the phone. Maybe had company. I ran upstairs and was so happy. I locked my door. Safe. And stupid. I got some rum. I know I’m not supposed to drink, but it numbs me, makes the bad stuff go away. I can forget about him, forget everything.”
“This is important, Emily. I want you to think hard. Why did you go downstairs?”
“My flask wasn’t full, so I ran out of rum. I thought I could sneak down to the parlor and get a refill. So I did.”
“What time was that?”
She thought, then gave a halfhearted shrug. “Six-thirty. Maybe later. I’d taken a bath when I got home. I put on my robe and went downstairs. Barefoot, so he couldn’t hear me. Tiptoed. Filled the flask and put it in my pocket.
“Everything was weirdly quiet in the house. I was drunk, I knew it, but I was scared ’cause something was wrong or out of place, but I didn’t know what. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Victor’s library door open. He never leaves it open when he’s in there. And I had to know where he was. If he wasn’t in his library, was he looking for me? I was very quiet. I walked down the hall and looked in the room.
“He was dead. I’d imagined it before in my head, just like this, but there was so much more blood. So much more.”
On her bed, Emily began to rock back and forth, back and forth. Julia clasped her hands together to force herself to remain calm and not burst into the hospital room.
“It was like I was in a trance,” Emily said. “It took forever to walk across the room, but I did. I had to look closer. He was dead. Just like I dreamed.”
“Did you touch him?”
“I think…I think I did touch his desk, maybe his arm. It was unreal, seeing him dead. I thought I was hallucinating. This was a drunken nightmare, and I’d wake up in the morning and Victor would still be alive.”
“What did you do next?”
“I ran, slammed the door shut—I don’t know why. It’s not like he could chase me. He was dead. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I was scared. It was exactly like I’d planned. I’d wanted to kill him. I wanted to! But I didn’t. I don’t think I did. I don’t know anymore. I just don’t know.” Emily rolled over and curled into a ball, sobbing.
Dillon soothed her, assuring her he would return and no one would hurt her. He left the weeping girl. Julia, too, felt comforted by Dillon’s soft, rhythmic words. Her heart rate slowed, and she was better able to process the evidence without the cloud of too many emotions.
Julia turned to Dillon when he exited Emily’s room. “Can I see her?”
“Yes, in a minute.” He looked at his brother Connor. “What are you doing here, Con?” The three of them stood in the observation room outside Emily’s room.
“Ms. Chandler hired me.”
Dillon said, “Good. I’ll need to talk to Emily again, and we need someone to follow up on what she tells me. She said she ‘pictured’ Victor’s murder, that she planned it. I need to know exactly what she means by that. Maybe she did plan it, talk about it to someone else.”
Julia shook her head. “The
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