“I’m numb.” Sheila’s eyes filled with tears.
Robin sat her down on the bed and put an arm around her shoulder.
“I went through what you’re experiencing two years ago. My fiancé was gunned down in front of me. This is going to be very hard for you. If there’s anything I can do to help you get through it, please ask. Never feel that you’re imposing.”
“Thank you, Robin. That’s very kind of you.”
“No one who hasn’t gone through what we have can understand how it feels.”
Sheila tried to talk, but she broke down and only managed to nod.
“What did you want to tell me?” Robin asked when Sheila was calmer.
“It’s about Corey Rockwell,” Sheila said.
“What about him?”
“Besides escorting Jose Alvarez, there was another reason Frank wanted you and Mr. Breland to come to Black Oaks. You know that Frank devoted a great deal of his time since his accident trying to make amends for what happened to Jose by working to free men and women who are imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit.”
Robin nodded.
“Corey Rockwell is here because he believes that Frank wanted to finance a film based on the murder of his wife, the actress Claire Winters. That was a pretense.
“A little over ten years ago, Rockwell got a part in a movie in which Claire Winters was starring. Rockwell romanced Winters, and they married soon after the movie wrapped.
“With Winters’s help, Rockwell got the lead inHard to Kill.Then Winters was stabbed to death. Her car and her body were found on a beach several miles from the house where she and Rockwell were living. The medical examiner said that she died around eleven o’clock at night.
“Yousef Khan, a homeless man, was living in a tent on the beach. The murder weapon was found in the tent. He said he didn’t kill Winters, but there had been some terrorist bombings around that time and anti-Muslim feelings were high. Khan was convicted and sent to prison.
“The studio had only modest expectations forHard to Kill,but the publicity surrounding the murder trial made Rockwell front-page news and helped make his movie a blockbuster.”
“My fiancé was a big fan of action movies, and he lovedHard to Kill.I remember him giving me some background on Rockwell and the film’s success. Rockwell was a suspect, wasn’t he?”
Sheila nodded. “The Hollywood gossip columns were rife with rumors that Rockwell and Winters were going to divorce. Rockwell was drinking heavily and using drugs. There had been a few public scenes, and the police had received two domestic violence calls. But the police could never get the evidence they needed to make an arrest because Rockwell had an alibi.”
“What was it?”
“Rockwell did a lot of his own stunts, but Tony Clark was Rockwell’s stunt double when the stunts were very dangerous. Clark lived in a bungalow complex. Rose McIntire, Clark’s neighbor, was a big fan, and Clark invited her over for a drink to meet him. She left around ten.
“One of McIntire’s windows faced Clark’s living room. The shades were up, and she watched Clark and Rockwell. She swore that both men were in the bungalow at eleven o’clock, which is where the medical examiner put the time of death.
“When the police talked to Clark, he said that he and Rockwell were together from seven until two. But the interesting thing is that a year later Clark came into some money and left town. No one knows where he is.”
“And Mr. Melville thought that the money was a payoff?”
“Exactly. Frank wanted to hire you to see if you could break Rockwell’s alibi. If Rockwell did kill his wife and he suspected that Frank was onto him, he would have a motive to kill Frank.”
“Do you have any reason to believe that Rockwell suspected what Mr. Melville was up to?”
“Early today I was in a meeting that Frank had with Rockwell. He seemed to believe that Frank wanted to make this film. Then Frank asked him about Rose McIntire and Tony Clark. I was watching Rockwell. His demeanor changed.”
“So, you think he may have seen through Mr. Melville’s ploy?”
“It’s just a feeling. I could be wrong.”
“Why aren’t you telling Detective Samuels about your suspicions?”
Sheila looked frightened. “You know I looked into the Chameleon case because we thought that an innocent man had been convicted for one of Victor Zelko’s murders?”