The Neighbor - Lisa Gardner [78]
D.D. didn’t say a word. She kept her features smooth, composed. Just her hand fisted behind her back.
“Show me your closet, Aidan.”
“No thank you.”
“Help me now, or be arrested by me later.”
The trapped look was gone. Now the kid was downright cocky. “I’ll take my chances.”
“You know Aidan, I’m not partial to my predators. You, Mr. Jones, hell, the Boogey Man in the closet. I’ll arrest you all, let the court sort it out. That works for me.”
“Can’t. Multiple suspects would lead to reasonable doubt.”
“Yeah, but it can take months to go to trial. Months of you sitting in jail, unable to make bail, while word travels round that a known sex offender lives in cell eleven.”
He blanched. Sex offenders didn’t do well in prison. Inmates had their own code of ethics, and according to the jailhouse value system, shanking a pervert was a great way to move up in the world. Build a rep and add a teardrop to your cheek, while making the world a better place.
Aidan had been right the first time—his life was shit, and so were his options.
But the kid surprised her. Showed some of the backbone he’d been missing earlier.
“I didn’t hurt the woman,” he said stiffly. “But I did see something.”
That caught D.D.’s attention. Miller jolted as well. Seemed a little late for such a disclosure, which made them both automatically suspicious.
“I heard a noise Wednesday night. Something woke me up. I had to pee. So I got out of bed. I was looking out the window—”
“Which window?” D.D. interrupted.
“Kitchen window. Above the sink.” Aidan gestured, and she crossed to the kitchenette. Most houses in Southie were stacked side by side. The house next to Aidan’s, however, was set way back, allowing him a decent enough view of the street.
“Saw a car go by, moving slow, as if it had just pulled out of a driveway. Wouldn’t normally think much of such a thing, but one A.M. is a crazy time for someone to be coming or going on this block.”
D.D. didn’t say anything, though, in fact, Aidan’s neighbor Jason Jones routinely came and went in the small hours of the morning.
“Car looked peculiar,” Aidan offered. “Lots of antennas sticking up from the top. Like a limo, one of those car service vehicles.”
“What color?” Miller asked.
Kid shrugged. “Dark.”
“License plate?”
“At one A.M.? Hell, I don’t have X-ray vision.”
“Where did the car come from?”
“Same direction as Sandy Jones’s house.”
“You know her name,” D.D. spoke up sharply.
Aidan shot her a look. “Everyone knows her name. You announced it on the freaking news.”
“You playing us, Aidan? Seems convenient, suddenly offering an eyewitness account.”
“I was saving it up. Can’t give something for nothing, right? Well, you want to arrest me, so consider this the consolation prize. I didn’t hurt the woman, but maybe, you find that car, you’ll find the guy who did. I think I’ve already mentioned that would be in our mutual best interests.”
D.D. had to hand it to the kid. She did want to deck him, and he’d totally shut her down from searching his closet.
She glanced at Miller, saw the same assessment in his eyes. Interview was done. Real or not, a vague description of a mystery vehicle was as good as they were gonna get.
“We’ll be in touch with your PO,” she informed Aidan.
Kid nodded.
“Of course you’ll let us know if you have any change of address.”
“Of course you’ll provide police protection once I’m beaten to a pulp,” he countered.
“Then we agree.”
She and Miller headed for the door. Aidan followed in their wake, pointedly locking the door behind them.
“Well, that was a barrel of laughs,” Miller said as they headed down the walk.
“He totally has something stashed in his closet. A computer, safe, something.”
“So many search warrants, so little probable cause.” Miller sighed.
“No shit.”
They hit the car, D.D. turning around for a last look at the house. She took in the long narrow lot, the trees in the back that offered some privacy between the modest little home and its sprawling neighbor. “Wait a sec,” she called out. “Gotta check something.”
She jogged around