“I’ve got the advantage. Everything I see and hear, I remember, or pretty much everything.”
“Nice tool to have.”
“Yeah, but acquiring it was a real bitch.”
On the way to Chase’s neighborhood they stopped in at Ricardos. It was the place where Chase had told Decker that Langley had gone to get some gin the night of the murders, Decker told White.
A check of the receipts showed that Langley’s credit card had been used at five minutes past midnight to buy a bottle of gin. The man on duty had not been working during that time, so he couldn’t identify the picture of Langley that Decker showed him. Decker texted the picture to the clerk who had been on duty along with a message for the man to provide an answer on the ID.
They next spoke with three of Chase’s neighbors. One of them remembered the Bentley being there, but she couldn’t swear it was that night. The other two had not seen Chase or Langley that night, at least they didn’t think so. No one saw the Aston Martin, but Chase also had a garage where it could have been parked.
“Dead end,” said White as they walked back to their car.
“But at least it doesn’t conclusively rule out Langley as being the killer.”
“Well, if we can’t shake Chase’s story it sort of does.”
“We can pull the traffic camera records like you suggested.”
“Ifhe used the Bentley. He might have another vehicle or he could have cabbed it or done a rideshare.”
“Or taken Chase’s car. We’ll have to check all angles.”
“You’re starting to think this guy is good for Cummins’s murder, aren’t you?”
He glanced at her. “I don’t know, Freddie. That’s why we do the dance.”
“But if so, Chase must be in on it.”
“You’d think, wouldn’t you?”
“But you don’t?”
“I’m not sure that lady would take that kind of risk for anyone. She strikes me as being very much into self-preservation.”
“But if she loves the guy? Love can mess you up. Makes you do stuff you wouldn’t have ever contemplated.”
Decker thought of Mary Lancaster taking her own life, because she had briefly forgotten her beloved daughter. “Yes, it can.”
Chapter62
THEY LATER HAD SOME DINNERat the hotel and it was well past dark when Decker steered the car back to Cummins’s house. They parked in front and got out. Doris Kline’s house was still dark and there was no sign of her car.
White said, “You want to talk to Trevor Perlman?”
“I’m not sure what else he could tell us that his wife couldn’t. Let’s go through Cummins’s house again. Something might pop.”
He unlocked the police lock on the front door and they went inside.
Decker immediately held up his hand and looked around.
White had heard it, too. Someone was inside the house.
They both pulled their weapons. Decker pointed up the stairs, where the noise seemed to be coming from.
They slowly made their way up, stopping at each riser to listen. When they reached the second-floor landing, Decker eased his head around the wall.
He whispered to White, “There’s a light on in Cummins’s bedroom.”