“Oh,” Kasey said, glancing behind her. “This is my friend, Jasmine Pierce.”
Tyler’s alibi. Mattie introduced herself before turning to Stella. “And I believe Detective LoSasso has been trying to reach you.”
Jasmine looked surprised. “Me?”
“I need to talk to you about last night,” Stella said. “I’ve left messages for you to call me back.”
Jasmine also appeared as if she’d been crying, and her red-rimmed eyes widened at Stella’s comment. “Kasey couldn’t sleep, so she called me, and I’ve been here since … I don’t know … about four this morning? I think my phone is in my purse. Let me check.”
Sounded possible. The two looked like they could have been up all night.
Jasmine disappeared for a few seconds before returning, her hand buried in a large, open handbag, “My phone isn’t here. I must’ve left it at home after hearing the news about Nate. I was in shock when I left.”
“May we come in, Kasey?” Stella asked.
“Sure.” Kasey opened the screen door wide. “But the place is a mess. I’ve been so busy helping with Dad the past few months, I’ve let everything go.”
Emerald-tinted draperies covered the two front room windows, and Mattie’s eyes adjusted slowly to the dim light. The small living room was crowded with only a few pieces of large, overstuffed furniture: a floral upholstered sofa with wooden trim and two matching armchairs that looked like they could be antiques. A dark walnut coffee table sat against the wall and held a narrow television, and a closer look revealed framed photos on each side—one of the four members of the Redman family in better times when the kids might have been teenagers, the other a wedding picture of Kasey and Nate, smiling and happy as they posed in the traditional white gown and dark tux. Magazines and newspapers lay scattered about, the newspapers still rolled and unread.
After stepping inside, Stella turned to Jasmine. “The reason I called was to find out where you were last night. It’s a routine question, and we’re asking all the family and close friends.”
Jasmine placed her hand on her throat, looking worried despite the detective’s reassurance. “I was at the dance with Tyler until we left to go to my house.”
“And what time was that?” Stella asked.
“It was about a quarter to eleven. I checked my phone for text messages when we got out to the car, so I remember the time.”
“And how long did Tyler stay at your house?”
Jasmine looked as if she was thinking. “Until a little before two? I’m not exactly sure of that time, but we watched a movie and he left right after.”
Though Jasmine had provided more detail, her time frames matched what Tyler had told them, and if she was being truthful, he now had an alibi. Although Jasmine appeared stressed, Mattie couldn’t read any obvious signs of deception.
“Thank you, Jasmine,” Stella said. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to talk to Kasey privately for a few minutes. We won’t take very long.”
Kasey clutched her shawl about herself tighter, as if for protection. “We’re best friends. There’s nothing about me that Jasmine doesn’t know. We can speak in front of her.”
Jasmine put her arm around Kasey’s shoulders. “It’s okay, Kasey. I can wait outside.”
Stella was quick to respond. “That would be best.”
Mattie held the door while Jasmine went outside and headed toward the red Kia.
Kasey sat on one of the chairs, while Stella sat on the other. Mattie took a seat on the couch.
Stella opened the conversation. “Kasey, we’ve turned up some information that we need to tell you, and we hope you can clarify some things for us.”
Kasey met Stella’s eyes with an unwavering gaze. “I’ll do anything I can to help.”
“This is about what we found in Nate’s van.” Stella paused for a few beats. “Our K-9 hit on narcotics in Nate’s van, and it turned out to be a trace of cocaine.”
Kasey looked startled. “Nate didn’t use drugs. And anyway, I thought the van had burned.”
“It did, but the driver’s side door had been opened, so the panel didn’t burn completely.” Stella leaned forward, her gaze intense. “Kasey, could Nate have been involved in the drug business in any way?”
“Never. Nate liked to party, but beer was his choice,” Kasey said, her voice adamant, as if she had no reason to doubt her husband.
Mattie studied Kasey while she spoke. It seemed like she was telling the truth, and her answers corroborated the information given by Rainbow, Cole, and even Flint.
Stella continued to press. “Was he involved with the transportation or sale of drugs?”
Kasey shook her head, her face filling with dismay. “I don’t understand. Nate is the victim here. Why are you searching for something to pin on him?”
“That’s not what we’re trying to do,” Stella said. “We’re following up on evidence. We need to find Nate’s killer. If he was involved with the drug trade, that would give us a whole new direction to take our investigation and a different group of people we need to look at. Does that make sense?”
Kasey stared at the black television screen, obviously trying to put the pieces together, her face tight with distress. A pang of sympathy for the grieving woman made Mattie’s thoughts go a different direction. “Kasey, how long have you owned that van?”
“It’s fairly new to us. I think we bought it about four months ago.”
Mattie exchanged glances with Stella, while the detective’s brow lowered in a frown.
“Where did you buy it?” Stella asked.
“At a used car dealership in Denver.”
“Could I look at that paperwork?”
“Now?”
“Now would be good,” Stella said. “Especially if you’re sure that Nate had nothing to do with the drug trade.”
“Of course he didn’t.” Kasey sounded offended as she stood, the bit of anger apparently giving her renewed energy. “Let me see if I can find it in our box of receipts to be filed. I’m behind on things in the office, too.”
Mattie decided now was as good a time as any to ask. “Kasey, one more thing. Would you give me permission to bring my dog in here to make sure there’s nothing—”
Indignant, Kasey interrupted. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“I was going to say to make sure there was nothing that Nate might have hidden from you. You wouldn’t be the first wife who learned about her husband’s shady business after his death.” Mattie raised both hands in a wait-a-minute gesture as Kasey opened her mouth to protest. “I’m not saying that’s what’s going on here, Kasey. I’m saying we need to eliminate that possibility if we’re going to do a thorough investigation and find Nate’s killer. If we find nothing, then we won’t need to search your property any further. Right?”
“Oh, good grief.” Kasey dropped her shawl on the sofa and turned to march toward the doorway that led to the back part of the house. “Go ahead. You won’t find anything.”
“I need to have you sign a consent form,” Mattie called after her.
Kasey stopped and turned, looking as if a thought had just occurred to her. “That’s no problem, but my sister came over last night to stay with me and didn’t go to sleep until after sunrise. She’s asleep in my bedroom. Do you need to go in there?”
“I’m sorry,” Mattie said, “but I’ll need to do a thorough job, the bedroom included.”
“Poor kid, she was exhausted. I hate to wake her up.” Kasey turned left at the hallway before going out of sight.
“I’ll help Kasey dig into her files,” Stella murmured, “if she’ll let me. See if I notice anything useful.”