Tinsley frowned. “Yeah, like anyone would have believed me anyway. Death by book, and all that. Plus, I didn’t get the chance to. I was stunned, lying on the floor for nearly an hour afterward. I think I might have even blacked out for a bit. Nobody came looking for me. Nobody came to help. I woke up in the library. The door was closed. When I came out of the room, the house was quiet. Everyone was asleep, I guess. I went upstairs and collapsed in bed. She wasn’t hanging from the rafters when I came out of the library and that was like 2:30 a.m. I tried to lie down and rest, but an hour later I heard people screaming downstairs. I sat up and noticed blood on my pillowcase. I was panicking at first, unsure if the screams were real or in my head…” Tinsley explained.

“But why did you hide the pillowcase outside if you weren’t guilty of killing Mara? That makes no sense. I’m sorry, but it doesn’t.”

“Because I didn’t hide it until after,” Tinsley said, with a frown.

“After?”

“After we walked in and found her hanging. I knew I’d look guilty. If anyone had a reason to kill that bitch, it was me. And I didn’t want to get blamed for her suicide either. Part of me hoped that she felt so guilty and awful… that she had decided to take herself out. But I should have known better. No way that conceited bitch would have offed herself. She was too vain for all that.”

The detective pushed her chair back. Finally, some answers! “We’re done for now,” she said, motioning to one of her deputies.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Interview 2: Suspect #4

Bri took a seat across from the detective and cracked her knuckles on the table. She looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes. Her hair looked knotted and greasy, pulled back in a tight ponytail at the nape of her neck.

“When did you first meet Tinsley?” the detective asked, folding her hands on the table neatly.

Bri’s mouth opened then closed; it wasn’t the question she’d been expecting.

Finally, she said, “On the first day of the p—”

The detective drummed her fingers on the table. “I don’t mean in-person, Bri. Nowadays, there are so many ways to meet people, and to communicate. You don’t strike me as a face-to-face person, especially considering your line of work.”

“Do I need a lawyer?”

“Your brother will be here soon,” the detective said, with a shrug. “You tell me. Do you?”

Bri shook her head. “Of course, I don’t. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Then answer the question, Bri. Because I’ve already woken up a few of my favorite judges and I’m getting a subpoena for your computer, all of your computers, as we speak,” the detective warned.

Bri narrowed her eyes.