To Love and to Perish - By Lisa Bork Page 0,34
Cory’s statement. “So you think, during the reunion, Brennan told them he was gay, causing Wayne to say unkind things to him and ruin their friendship?”
“It’s possible.”
“And maybe Brennan was so upset that his driving was effected on the way home?”
Cory frowned. “Maybe, but in that case, the accident would still be his fault.”
“It would be an accident, not illegally driving under the influence.”
“True.”
“The girls couldn’t have been too upset with Brennan about everything because they got in the car with him.”
“Right.” Cory’s expression turned sheepish. “I have to say when I told my high school girlfriend that I was gay, she said, ‘Well that explains everything.’ Brennan’s girlfriend must have suspected.”
“So Monica might not be angry. She’d be relieved to know why he wasn’t all over her.”
“Exactly.”
I leaned back against the headrest. “This is all great conjecture, but even if we’d guessed correctly, it doesn’t help Brennan’s current situation, other than to lift the stigma of the drunken driving rumor. In fact, it leaves us with no motive for Elizabeth to blackmail Brennan.”
“Unless she planned to lie and say Brennan was drinking.”
“Wayne would have denied it.”
“That’s what he said today, but he never came forward back then. They could have been in on it together.” Cory tapped the yearbook’s cover. “You saw Wayne at the festival, which means two people Brennan angered were at the festival. When and where did you see Wayne?”
“I saw him right when we arrived, a little after five o’clock, over an hour before the accident. He stepped out of the beer tent, which was a hundred yards or so down Franklin Street from where the car struck and killed Gleason a little over an hour later. I didn’t see Wayne in the crowd at the time of the crash, but he could have been there. I thought he was drunk earlier when he walked right in front of me and didn’t even notice. He could have just been preoccupied.”
“He could have pushed Gleason into the road.”
I laughed. “Anyone could have pushed him, Cory. Anyone could have pushed Brennan or me or anyone else standing there on the edge of the curb into the road, too. Wayne could as easily have been half a mile down the road or inside a bar and missed the whole thing.”
“But not anyone could have been right at the same spot on the road. The only people who could be pushed at that spot on the curb were Brennan and Gleason. They had to be next to each other, right?”
“I assume so.”
“Everyone said the crowd surged a second before Gleason fell into the road.”
“Right.”
Cory’s knee bobbed up and down, a sure sign of his excitement. “Do you think there’s a chance Wayne pushed Gleason into the road?”
“Why would he want to do that?”
“Maybe Gleason’s been harassing him about the reunion and drinking and letting his sister get in the car with Brennan. Or maybe he was aiming for Brennan, but he hit Gleason instead?”
“Wow, Cory, that’s a huge leap.”
“But it’s possible.”
I tried to get Cory to regain his perspective. “We don’t even know if Wayne was close enough to do that. We’d never be able to prove it either way, not without photos of the crowd.”
“Does the sheriff’s office have any photos of the crowd?”
I thought about it. “I know the photographer, Howard Pint, had to give them his memory card, but he didn’t have any crowd pictures, except for the shot of Brennan’s arm. I don’t know if the sheriff’s deputies took other people’s memory cards, too. They could have. Ray’s friend Ken would know.”
“Okay, so call Ray.” Cory pointed to my purse.
“Right now?”
Cory waved his hand as if to say, why not? I pulled my cell phone out and hit the speed dial button.
Ray answered before I heard a ring. “You’re psychic.”
“Why?”
“I was just picking up the phone to call you. Brennan got his bail money together, and he wanted Cory to pick him up from the jail.”
“Why didn’t he call Cory directly?”
“He did.”
“His phone hasn’t rung.” I raised my eyebrows at Cory.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket, snapped it open, pushed a few buttons, and frowned. He showed me the dark screen.
“I take that back. Cory’s cell phone needs charging. Where’s Brennan now?”
“When he couldn’t reach Cory at your shop or on his cell phone, he called here and asked where you two were.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him you were on a scouting expedition for the day.”
“Did he buy that?”
“Hard to say.”
“Can