Stalked - By Allison Brennan Page 0,102
out loud.
“Because,” Joe said, “Rosemary was looking into the Theissen subway accident. The day before she was killed, she requested the autopsy report, the police report, and all security footage. Maybe Todd thought she’d see something that would nail him. Though we can’t confirm from the security tapes that Todd was the person who tripped Theissen, he fits the general description.”
“Theissen’s death set the chain of events into motion,” Suzanne said. “They’d quietly taken out Theissen. They may or may not have poisoned Bob Stokes. Kip Todd is keeping an eye on Rosemary—maybe he got the internship to see if she had information about Peter. Or maybe just to get close to her before he killed her, like Alexis got close to Peter.”
Noah asked, “Did they conspire to kill Theissen? Or was that the brother acting alone?”
“They had to be working together,” Sean said.
“Why?”
“The only way Alexis could have known Tony was working with Suzanne was if her brother tipped her off.”
Suzanne said, “They’re both looking very guilty.”
Lucy considered the facts they knew and all the conjecture and speculation. “I’m having a hard time figuring out which one of the siblings is dominant. Traditionally, it’s the male partner, but he was much younger when Camille was kidnapped. How his mother and his older sister responded to their grief would have a huge impact on him. He may have put himself into the protective role, that he needed to look out for them because he couldn’t protect Camille. Yet, Alexis went into the lion’s den—she was one of us. She ate with us, studied with us, lived with us. She kept up the act at all times. That shows an intense and controlled personality, capable of extreme emotional restraint.”
“I’ve looked at this security footage a dozen times,” Joe said, “and she wasn’t trying to kill Peter. I think she wanted to disable Sean.”
Sean concurred. “She wanted Peter to go with her. When I wouldn’t let him, she shot at me.”
“She could be fixated on him,” Suzanne said.
“If Peter isn’t a target, why was he stalked for so many years? In high school and college? Why did Alexis pretend to be someone else?” Lucy looked through the scrapbooks again. “Except…” She hesitated.
“What?” Noah prompted.
“There are two distinctly different targets. Those who elevated Rachel’s murder and minimized Camille’s—in the eyes of the Todds—would be Rosemary Weber and any law enforcement involved in either investigation. Then there is Peter. Peter had nothing to do with any of it. He didn’t talk to Rosemary Weber; he didn’t do anything to make himself the center of attention. If anything, he diminished himself and became inconsequential. He moved, changed his name, disappeared. And still, they sought him out.”
“Or,” Suzanne said, “one of them did.”
“You’re not thinking that Alexis isn’t part of this whole thing,” Joe said, “or being manipulated by her brother? She attacked a federal agent and shot a civilian.”
Lucy considered Joe’s comment. “I think Alexis is fully cognizant of her actions. I don’t think she’s being manipulated by her brother. They planned everything out, from Agent Theissen to Rosemary Weber to Tony Presidio to Hans. It’s Peter who doesn’t fit. Especially since Sean says she aimed to kill him, not Peter.”
“Alexis and Kip could be in the middle of a falling-out,” Noah said. “And we need to capitalize on it.”
*
Suzanne and Lucy laid out their theory about Kip and Alexis Todd to Peter. He didn’t say anything for several minutes. Lucy didn’t blame him—it was an incredible story.
“Why do they hate me? What did I ever do to them?”
“Nothing,” Lucy said. “You became the object of their sociopathy. When their sister was killed, they had no one to blame. They blamed the police, the media, your family, everyone, because they felt helpless.”
Suzanne added, “You were a convenient target for them.”
It was clear that Peter didn’t believe them, not completely.
“There may be another factor we haven’t uncovered,” Lucy said. “There’s a lot we don’t know about their childhood. There’s a lot we don’t know about their relationship. Detective Mead gave Sean your file, which helps with the time line.”
Suzanne slid a recent picture of Kip Todd in front of Peter. “Do you recognize this man?”
Peter stared at it. He shook his head.
Suzanne then slid a picture of Kip Todd from Peter’s yearbook ten years ago. Kip had changed a lot—his hair was darker and he was heavier in high school.
“What about him?”
Peter stared and frowned. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
He shrugged. “I remember a short, pudgy kid when I was