The Deepest Kill by Lisa Black

Author:Lisa Black
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2023-12-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

“It wasn’t my fault, I swear! I had no idea he was married!” Kayla told them the whole story between choking cries and the usual stop-and-go traffic between the too-numerous traffic lights on 41. The strengthening wind whined softly as it skimmed along the windshield, adding to the noise. Ellie buckled up, not at all confident that the driver could see the road properly through her tears.

Michael said, “Miss Parker, it would really be better if you waited until I read you your—”

“It was a party. An OakTree party, actually.”

Martin let go of the seat back but leaned forward, as far as the seat belt would let him, as if he wanted to catch every word, every detail, every nuance.

“At the Ritz-Carlton. You were unveiling a new phone or something, and my girlfriend dragged me there because somehow she thought you might give away some free or at least a coupon. I went along for the appetizers and champagne.” She sniffed, and looked even more acutely miserable than she already had. “So we dressed up real cute and—I guess we sort of crashed it. Sorry.”

Ellie saw Martin Post blink. Even he didn’t know what to say to that.

“Anyway I started talking to this guy about the sushi, and he said his name was Greg, and he worked at OakTree. He didn’t say anything about being married, didn’t wear a ring—I had no idea he was related to you.” She checked the rearview mirror to see the fuming billionaire. “I don’t pay a lot of attention to high-tech stuff. I can’t afford it, and don’t know how to use it anyway. And it’s not like his picture was all over BuzzFeed or something.”

Ellie found herself nodding. Martin valued peace and privacy, and of course what he valued, the household valued. Ellie hadn’t had any idea what his daughter had looked like or that she was married or that she was pregnant until the disappearance. So it didn’t seem odd that Kayla wouldn’t recognize the son-in-law of the third-richest man in the country.

But surely once Ashley disappeared—

“My girlfriend didn’t have any idea who he was either, and the three of us wound up hanging out in the hotel bar until all hours. He asked if he could see me again, really polite. So of course I said sure.”

She stole another guilty glance at Ashley’s father. Martin said nothing, and the FBI agent didn’t either. He had advised her not to speak, and because she chose to anyway this speech counted as “spontaneous statements.” Therefore it should be admissible in court, if it came to that. Ellie figured Michael must be scrambling back and forth in his mind—was he blowing the case by not terminating this impromptu interview, or would it be okay? They formed three witnesses to say the statements were spontaneous, but three witnesses for the prosecution who would easily be portrayed by defense as biased. Would “the Kia interrogation” go down in FBI history as brilliant or a brilliantly effed-up blot on his career? She felt for the agent, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.

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