Page 54 of The Lies I Told
“I don’t know. But just the possibility is why it’s important I know where you were that night.”
“I never went to the party. I went to see Jack Dutton. We did drugs and had sex.”
He held my gaze. “Brit’s boyfriend at the time.”
“They were having trouble. I was mad at her and acting like an immature sixteen-year-old.”
Interest honed his attention. “Why were you mad at Brit?”
“We’d had a fight that day. I caught her going through my dresser drawers. I hated it when she snooped.”
“Could Brit have figured out what you’d done with Jack?”
“That was our first and only night.”
“You were together all night?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“What does that mean?”
“I passed out right after and didn’t wake up until morning. He was in the shower when I came to.”
His gaze sharpened. “You can’t confirm he was with you all night?”
“No.”
He regarded me for a long moment. “Did he ever show interest in you before?”
“I caught him looking a few times, but he never made a move.”
“Would his interest have pissed off Brit?”
“Sure.”
“Clare was dressed like you. It was dark. Mistakes happen. Even to sisters.”
I knew my sister had issues with me, but would she really want to kill me? “Brit was surprised to see me the morning after the New Year’s party.”
“Really?” he asked. “She didn’t know you were out?”
“She said she’d been sick and lost track of time. She asked about Clare. When I told her I didn’t know, she got really worried. But she always worried.”
“After you passed out, Jack could’ve left and gone to the party, correct?”
“He said he stayed at the house and did business.”
Richards didn’t need the blanks filled in. “But he could also have left you.”
“I wouldn’t have known one way or the other.”
Richards gripped the wheel. “Nice guy.”
“I know it sounds harsh. But I was a willing participant. And when I spoke to him yesterday, he said he’d given me new, untested pills that were stronger than he thought.”
“He gave a sixteen-year-old illegal drugs,” Richards pointed out. “And he’d noticed you before. Whose idea was it for you to come by his place?”
“His. He said it would be more private.”
