“It’s because we cared about finding Kay’s killer!”
“Or because you were tracking our investigation to find out if we were closing in on you.” Detective Kowalski spoke to Courtney directly. “Or to deflect suspicion from yourself.”
“That’s not why,” Julia answered, for Courtney. “She did thosethings because you didn’t call her back and the cops weren’t acting quickly enough. She’s been trying to get your attention. She told you the truth.” Julia had a thought. “You have Kay’s phone, don’t you? Her friends Mona and Susan think Kay took a picture of the object from the missing basket. We told Glushenko, I hope he told you. Have you looked on Kay’s phone?”
“We did, and we didn’t see a picture of any strange object.”
Shit.“Maybe it wouldn’t look strange. It could look like something she found at a clean-up. It could be any photo she took that day.”
“We looked at her photo library on Sunday, the day of the last clean-up. There were none taken.”
No.“They could’ve been deleted by the Buckley cops. Isn’t that possible?”
“We’ll look into it,” Detective Kowalski said in a tone that suggested otherwise.
“Plus you should be investigating Samuel Palkovich. He was stalking Kay. You have the proof. Did you put out an alert for him?”
“He’s not the one who had the murder weapon in his room.”
Julia wanted more information. “What about the Shoemaker murder, at McKenna’s? McKenna went missing. What if the murders are related somehow?”
“I’ve heard of that case. It was way before my time, in 1999. It’s cold. We have a long-standing warrant out for McKenna. We haven’t had any calls or hits on him in any databases.”
Detective Brennan interjected, “You have no idea of the number of fugitives walking around, every day. People evade arrest warrants, bench warrants. We don’t have the manpower to chase them down. We have to rely on other jurisdictions. It’s not like on TV.”
Julia couldn’t let it go. “Glushenko told us there was a file in the archives. Maybe you could look into that?”
“That’s not what’s concerning us right now.” Detective Kowalski folded his arms. “What’s concerning me is that there’s no evidence substantiating Ms. Horan’s story, and after the discovery of the murder weapon, we find her unworthy of belief. There’s no other witness or any other corroboration, and without it, her word is worthless.”
“There’s me,” Julia blurted out, not knowing where she was going. “I could be a witness for her. I was on FaceTime with Courtney when she found Kay in the living room.”
“You’re her friend, so you’re impeachable.”
“I saw the killer’s face.”
Courtney looked over, confused.
“How?” Detective Kowalski asked. “You weren’t there at the time of the murder, were you?”
“No, but I saw him, in my mind,” Julia answered, hiding her nervousness. “Today, when Courtney was saying her final goodbye, I saw who killed Kay.”
“You did?” Courtney gasped. “You had a vision, a real vision? I knew it! I knew you could do it!”
Julia cringed. “I wasn’t trying. It just happened.”
“Was it Grandma Kay, sending you a message?”
“I don’t know,” Julia answered, feeling exposed in front of the detectives, who were watching them in disbelief. “And I felt a pain in my chest, right where she was shot, too. It still hurts. It was horrible.”
“Oh my God!” Courtney’s bloodshot eyes flared wide open.
Detective Kowalski threw up his hands. “What the hell are you two up to? Is this a joke?”
Detective Brennan started laughing. “Are you both crazy?”
“No, I think I have psychic abilities.” Julia heard herself say, realizing she was speaking her truth. She knew she hadn’t imagined the vision or dreamed it this time. “I saw Kay’s killer in a vision, but I couldn’t see his face clearly.”
“In avision? What does that even mean?”