stayed calm and said, “Yes.”
“What can you tell me about him?”
“I’m confused. Do you think Richard had something to do with what happened to Dustin Miller?”
“I don’t. Not really. This is what we do with cold cases. We follow up every little detail, no matter how insignificant, and then we can eliminate all the possibilities. Eliminate enough possibilities and maybe what’s left will tell you something.” Matthew heard the distant bleep of a horn through his cell phone and thought that the detective was probably driving.
“No, I understand.”
“Where does your brother live?”
“He lives in my parents’ house, last I checked. They left it for him.”
“And where’s that?”
“Right here in Dartford, actually.”
“Oh? So you see him quite a bit, then.”
“Honestly, I don’t. My brother keeps to himself. He’s kind of a misfit. I see him, but it’s pretty rare.”
“Okay. Got it. I won’t bother you anymore, except can I have his address? You said it was your parents’ house.”
“Sure. It’s 227 Blackberry Lane. On the other side of Dartford from where I am.”
“And what about a phone number? Do you have that for your brother?”
Deciding that any delay would be beneficial for Richard, Matthew said, “I don’t. Sorry. For all I know he doesn’t have one. The only way we keep in touch is if he drops by here or I drop by there.”
“Thank you, Matthew. You’ve been very helpful. By the way, I did hear you had a little bit of trouble with your neighbor.”
“Oh, that. I’m hoping I nipped it in the bud.”
“So she’s been leaving you alone, then?”
“Yeah, it’s been fine.” Matthew wanted to ask the detective how he even knew about the protective order, but he stopped himself. Of course, he knew. The police were putting it all together. “Look,” he quickly said. “I actually have to—”
“Yeah, you go. Sorry about that, and thanks again for the information.”
Matthew stared at the phone in his hand after the call had ended. He’d been pacing throughout the call and now was standing in the kitchen. Something smelled bad and he looked in the sink, where a cellophane-wrapped steak was floating in a bowl of pinkish water. He remembered taking the steak out of the freezer the night before for dinner and then forgetting all about it. He picked it up by one of its edges and dropped it into the trash. Back in his office, he stared at the one picture he kept of him and his brother, a faded print from when Richard was a baby. Their mother had insisted on the photograph: Matthew dressed in Sunday school clothes (chinos and a button-down shirt), holding Richard, bundled in a blanket, on his lap. Matthew was looking directly at his new baby brother, and he imagined that they were making eye contact, even though he knew that newborn babies had terrible eyesight. Still, it was a good picture, one of the few good pictures from their childhood. Looking at the picture now, Matthew wished he would hear from Richard. He needed to warn him that the police were coming. He needed to give him a chance to flee. Matthew kept calling.
“Yo, bro,” Richard said.
“Jesus, finally.”
“I’ve been busy. Also, I know exactly what you’re going to say to me.”
“I’m not sure you do, Richard. They’re coming for you. The police are coming. I just talked with one of them.”
“If they’re coming for me, then they’re coming for you, too. You know that.”
“Yes, I do. That’s why we need to get our stories straight; that’s why I need to talk with you. I’m not calling because of what you’ve done. I just need to know. Did anyone see you there? How careful were you?”
“See me where? What are you talking about?”
“We don’t have time for this, Richard.”
“Maybe we should meet and talk about this face-to-face. I’d feel more comfortable.”
“We don’t have time for that. Are they going to find evidence at Michelle’s apartment? They’re there now, you know, picking through every fiber, looking at every blood spatter.”
Richard was quiet for a moment, finally saying, “You were there, too.”
“How do you know that?”
“I watched you. How did it make you feel to see all that blood?”
“You know how it made me feel. It was sickening. What you did was sickening. She didn’t deserve to die, and you know that.”
“I couldn’t let you have all the fun, you know. It isn’t fair. And besides, just because you’ve killed a bunch of sleazy guys doesn’t give you the moral high ground. You’re like Mom