“I am going to take that as a yes,” he says, taking the pot to the sink to rinse. It’s hard to stay annoyed with Scott, he is so sunny and helpful. He never holds a grudge or sulks. She watches her husband as he grinds the coffee and spoons out the grounds intothe machine, feeling her irritation be replaced by gratitude. Despite Scott’s flaws, he would never do what Anton did. It changes how she thinks of Anton. She understands why Gwen never told her. Would Aimee have wanted to spend so much time with a man she knew was a serial philanderer? Go on vacation with him? The answer is no.
“Are you going to tell me about last night? About Villain & Saint?”
“What more is there to tell?” Scott looks up, startled. “I already told you. I went out for a drink.”
Aimee bites her lip, trying to fight her annoyance. “C’mon, Scott, you have to admit it’s a really strange coincidence. The one night that you head out for a drink and Anton ends up getting hit by a car in an alley behind that same bar. You’re saying that’s a total coincidence?”
“What areyousaying?” he snaps. “I don’t know, Aimee. It’s not that weird. It’s the closest bar to this neighborhood. I’m sure there were other people from East Bethesda that were there. Maybe Anton decided he didn’t want to go home, after all. Maybe after I left him at his house he headed to the bar.”
“You think he followed you?”
“I didn’t say that.”
The doorbell rings, cutting their conversation short. When Aimee peers through the peephole, she recognizes the detective from yesterday. Her chest tightens. He said he would come by to talk about the video, but opening the door and letting him into her home feels like a turning point. There’s no going back, but she has no choice. She can’t not let him in.
“Detective, hi.”
“Sorry to disturb you,” he says. “Mind if I come in?”
He follows her into the living room as Scott enters from the kitchen. The two men introduce themselves and everyone sits, Aimee and Scott side by side on the sofa and Detective Salazar in an armchair across from them.
“We wanted to thank you for sending that video over, that was very helpful,” Salazar says.
“What video?” Scott asks.
“I told you.” She flashes a tight smile at Scott. “The doorbell camera? Remember?”
He nods, but a strange expression settles on his face that she can’t read.
“You were the one who answered the door that night, is that right, Mr. Crowder?”
“Yes. I was on my way out, anyway.”
“And do you mind telling me where you were heading?”
“I was just going out for a drink.” He turns to Aimee and nods. “Aimee was in bed, but I’m a bit of a night owl. I thought I would head down to Villain & Saint, have a drink, see if there was any live music.”
“Villain & Saint, huh? In the video, you walk down the street with Anton Khoury. Did he join you at the bar?”
“No. I walked him home. He seemed pretty drunk. I left him at his house and then went on.”
“Alone?”
Scott nods.
“And how long did you stay at the bar?”
“Maybe an hour? I had one drink and then I came back.”
“Were you by yourself?”
“Uhh, no, I met a friend.”
Aimee feels her shoulders tighten. This is the first she’s heard of a friend. But her instinct tells her not to betray her surprise, and she keeps a placid smile on her face.
“And could you tell me who that friend is?” The detective shoots a quick glance Aimee’s way. “Just so we can alibi you and cross you off the list.”
“His name’s Jon Block. Just a guy from the gym.”