It was all Kent could do to stay out of Emily’s case. Professionalism dictated that he leave things to Andy and Strand, but when he heard them discussing it in the office, he couldn’t help weighing in.
“I just got a call from the print tech,” Andy was saying. “He says the pill bottle Kent bagged at the Covington house didn’t have any prints on it but Kent’s.”
“None?” Strand asked. “Not even Emily’s?”
“Nope. Said it looked like it was polished clean.”
“I didn’t expect Emily’s prints,” Kent said from across the room. “Emily didn’t touch it. But why wouldn’t it have any prints at all, even from the pharmacist?”
“Pharmacist was probably wearing gloves.”
“But wiped clean? That’s not likely. Someone would have touched that bottle.”
“You’re not on the case, Harlan,” Strand said. “We’ve got this.”
“I’m just sayin’. That’s the kind of thing someone who planted that bottle in her house would’ve done. Her name was on the bottle, so why would Emily bother to wipe her prints but not hide her name . . . or hide the bottle, for that matter? It doesn’t add up. But it does add up that the guy who broke into her house and wrote on the wall and stole her necklace could have left the bottle.”
Strand leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head. “Hey, Kent? We get it. You don’t think she did it.”
“I see her all the time,” he said. “She’s sober and rational. Even if she had some reason to commit these crimes, she wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave pills out on her counter and a necklace at the crime scene. If you considered that possibility, then you’d start looking at people who have it in for her. Maybe others at Haven House where she works — somebody who knew about that movie and heard that conversation. Criss-cross is a huge clue . . .”
“Let us do this, Kent,” Andy cut in. “Trust me, man. We’ve worked together a long time. You know I’m thorough.”
Yes, Andy was thorough . . . sometimes. But he could miss obvious things. Kent got the Rolaids out of his drawer. Throwing two into his mouth, he prayed they would listen.