Page 57 of What They'll Say About Us

"Yes."

"Why don't you take my Jeep to your apartment? I'll get a ride back and pick it up later."

"I can just call a rideshare."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, but…what do you think happened here?" I almost hesitated to ask because I could see the pain in his eyes. Cabot had been a colleague, a friend, a mentor to him. He had to be reeling.

"Vincent was struck from behind. He probably didn't know what was coming." Barclay drew in a heavy breath. "No obvious signs of a break-in, but his lock would have been easy to pick. The den looks like it was searched."

"I thought so, too."

"We'll have to see what forensics and neighborhood cameras turn up. He didn't have a doorbell camera, which is unfortunate, but we'll check the houses across the street. Whatever it takes, I will find his killer." His passionate conviction was impossible to doubt.

"There are wineglasses on the table, a chess game in progress. I wonder if Hale was here."

"We'll take those glasses to the lab, and we'll know soon enough. I'm sure he had other chess partners."

"Hale wasn't at the theater today, for what that's worth."

"Good to know."

"Do you think whoever killed Cabot is tied to Paige's death?" I asked.

"It's a strong possibility. If so, this whole case has taken on a new and dangerous dimension. This would be a good time for you to bow out, Tessa. Let us handle this."

I didn't want to argue with him, with police coming in and out of the house and his mentor's body lying in the next room, so I just said, "I'll speak to you later. And Detective…I'm sorry. I know Detective Cabot meant something to you."

"Vincent might not have been the man I thought he was," Barclay said tersely. "When you get home, Tessa, lock your door, and don't let anyone in, even if you think you know them."

A shiver ran down my spine. Was I getting too close? Was the killer starting to tie off loose ends, desperate to protect their secrets? Or did they think they were safe now that Cabot had been silenced?

Those questions followed me back to Evanston.

I parked the Jeep on the street a few doors down from my building, and after looking around the street for anyone suspicious, I jumped out of the car and ran down the block and through the breezeway, my hand shaking a little as I used my key to open the door. I felt like someone might jump me at any moment, but, finally, I got the door open and went inside, locking it behind me. I jogged up the stairs and put my key in the next lock.

"Tessa, is that you?" Morgan called out.

"It's me," I said as I entered the apartment.

She gave me a look of relief. "Thank God. I've been worried ever since I got your text. How did you get back here?"

"Detective Barclay lent me his car."

"The detective gave you his car?" Morgan asked in surprise.

"He was going to be there a while, and he wanted to get rid of me. He'll pick it up later."

"What do they think happened?" she asked as I sat down at the table across from her.

"Too early to know, but it looks like Detective Cabot might have let someone in. There were two wineglasses on the table by a chess game in progress, which made me think of Hale. Cabot probably would have felt comfortable inviting him inside."

"But a drama professor? Could he really kill someone?" Morgan asked.

"I have to admit it's difficult for me to see Professor Hale doing something physically violent. He's also not stupid. If he was drinking wine and playing chess with Cabot, why would he leave his DNA or fingerprints behind?"

"Maybe it wasn't him. It might not even be tied to Paige."