Cara’s face relaxes as she casts her mind back; her eyes drift to the ceiling. ‘It was mainly Evelyn, but Nicole seemed annoyed, and the tension was crazy. I remember feeling really awkward standing in the kitchen.’ Her brow furrows. ‘It was something about a computer.’

Oli feels a prick of interest. ‘A computer?’

‘Yeah, I think so … I’m sure Evelyn said something about a computer.’ She bites her lip and shakes her head. ‘I’m not sure about the details, but that is definitely something I remember.’

‘What about Miles Wu?’ Oli tries to hide her frustration. ‘Tell me about him.’

‘Miles? He was a complete puppy dog. You should have seen the way he mooned around after Alex. It was kind of pathetic. But he genuinely seemed like a nice guy. A bit nerdy and book smart, you know? I couldn’t believe it when people were saying he was fucking Evelyn.’

‘That would explain the tension, though, right? If Miles was into Evelyn?’

‘Sure. But it was Evelyn who was angry, and Nicole too. Not Alex, though—she was kind of quiet. And I really didn’t get the feeling they were arguing about Miles.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘It just didn’t feel like they were busting up over a guy. Nicole was worried, like she could tell something bad was going to happen. She was covering her bases, trying to mediate and smooth things over.’ Cara’s bottom lip juts out slightly, and her chin tilts toward the ceiling.

Oli mirrors her expression and matches her body language without being obvious. It’s an interview tactic that rarely fails her.

‘Honestly,’ Cara says after a moment, ‘if you’d seen them together you would understand what I’m saying. I don’t think Miles was the issue.’

‘Okay.’ Oli discards the line of questioning. ‘What do you think happened at the house that night?’

Cara directs her dark gaze at Oli and crosses her arms. ‘Science doesn’t lie. Alex’s DNA was all over the weapon.’ Cara shrugs. ‘Case closed. I don’t think my sister’s a killer.’

‘But you have no idea why she would disappear into thin air?’

She taps a fingernail on her empty coffee glass, then juts forward with sudden urgency. ‘Something was going on in that house. I could feel it. I think they all got tangled up in something they couldn’t handle. Which is weird, because I always thought Nicole could handle pretty much anything.’

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN