Chapter 64

Kate wore a smart light gray midi dress and jacket, ready to talk to the police. Henrietta Mauser was on the way to pick her up. Kate’s phone rang.

“Lyle?”

“I’m in a hallway in the police department.” Lyle whispered. “They’re going to release Stark. Don’t come down here.”

“But--what did you say?”

“They’re releasing him.”

“I don’t understand.” Kate started to feel the flight or fight response deep in her abdomen. Innocent people did get convicted of crimes. You read about it all the time.

“The detectives say Stark was on a plane from Las Vegas to Reno when you found Busick’s body.”

“But I know he told police he was home alone. Why would he lie if he had an airtight alibi?”

“That’s driving me crazy.”

“Maybe he was coming from Phoenix. Busick Pony Cars had three classics at the NC car show. I remember Rick told me he goes to all the shows.”

“Yeah?”

“But what about the shooting?” Kate said, “They tried to kill us.”

“They’re holding Alex and Sergei, but technically Stark wasn’t around for any of the shooting.”

Kate walked on unsteady feet to an overstuffed chair in her hotel room. “Wait, didn’t Nina tell them?”

“Did she ever say Stark admitted to killing Busick?”

Kate couldn’t speak. Her mind raced and floated at the same time.

“Kate?”

“No, maybe not. He was afraid of the death penalty. Said he didn’t want to get arrested. But he hated his stepfather’s guts. Threatened him over and over.”

“We’ve got to go over this thing again. I need to go. Stark’s going to walk out of here. I want to follow him. Sit tight. You’ll be safe. We’ll look at the suspects again.”

Kate didn’t feel safe. When Lyle hung up, she sat and stared across the room. How could Rick be innocent? A crazy person with a violent temper? It didn’t make sense at all. But Lyle said he was on an airplane. Kate flashed back to the hospital corridor and she again heard Rick Stark tell his mother he had been home alone.

Her phone rang again. Henrietta had arrived to take her to the police department.

“The police are releasing Rick Stark,” Kate said. “He has an alibi. He was on an airplane from Vegas at the time of the murder.”

“What about your witnesses?”

Kate took a deep breath. “We made a mistake. Rick didn’t admit to killing Busick, just to hating his guts and being afraid of getting arrested. I guess we jumped to conclusions.”

“It would be best to talk to the police anyway. They don’t have a strong case. Maybe we could--”

“That’s good legal advice, but I can’t take it now. I need to think.”

“We had an agreement with them.”

“Yes, when we thought our evidence would get me off the hook. I need to think.”

“Okay, but--”

“Will the police make you tell them where I am?”

“Don’t worry about that, but we have to talk. Tonight, tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll call you. I promise. And Henrietta, thanks.”

Did her attorney also have doubts about Kate’s innocence now? Regardless, she was duty bound to mount the best defense. So was Kate. But Kate had always been better at offense than defense. Drive to the basket.

Stunned into near immobility, Kate fought inertia and got to her feet. She had to move.

If Stark didn’t stab his stepfather, someone else did. She and Lyle had developed a list of suspects before settling on Stark. The murderer was out there and probably thinking he or she was in the clear. Kate shuffled through the list of suspects in her head. Who really wanted that bastard Busick dead--and stood to gain from it? She thought back to the column by Gale Forrester. His article started the chain of events, and Marge Drysdale was the key. A Rockin’ Summer Days board member, she knew everyone in town, and she talked to Forrester. But Marge Drysdale would not want to talk to her. The last time Kate saw Drysdale, at the hospital, she seemed afraid--of Kate or something else--and exchanged but a few words.

She or Lyle could try to threaten Drysdale into telling what she knew--but Kate didn’t think it would work. Marge would clam up, withdraw. She needed Drysdale as a credible witness, if not an ally, and certainly not an adversary. Kate had to find out everything that happened prior to and just after Forrester’s column appeared.

Drysdale knew Louise Busick. She picked her up from the hospital. And Kate hit it off with Louise. Maybe she could get Louise to be her intermediary.