The Cinderella Murder

54

As they had planned, Keith was on the far end of the sofa, farthest from Alex’s chair, followed by Madison and Nicole.

“I thought we’d start,” Alex said, “by having each of you walk through where you were the night of the murder. Keith, would you like to begin?”

Keith explained that he was at a bookstore with several people who had vouched for his whereabouts, and then volunteered that the gathering was an Advocates for God event. “People can form their own opinions about Advocates for God, but I’ve always been very open about my relationship with AG. I was still learning about the church’s mission at the time, but once Susan died, I poured myself into it. I found that I was a happier person when I was providing service through the church. I became less selfish. But, anyway, that’s where I was-the whole night.”

Alex nodded, satisfied for the moment. “And what about you, Madison?”

“I suspect many of your viewers already know my version, because I’m probably most famous for being Frank Parker’s alibi for that night.” Laurie was impressed by how quickly Madison changed her affect for the cameras. Gone was the diva striving for a celebrity comeback. Speaking in the serious, measured tone of a news anchor, she repeated her memorized timeline.

“And according to Frank Parker,” Alex noted, “you arrived for the audition looking like ‘a million dollars.’ ”

“Well, I’d like to think so. But it was my audition that got me the role.”

Alex nodded again. So far, so good.

Next up was the speaker Laurie was most interested in, Nicole.

“That night? I never really think about where I was. When I think of that May seven, I always remember it as the night Susan died.”

“I understand. But surely when a close friend-your roommate-is killed, you must go through a process of saying, What if I had been there? What if I could have stopped it?”

Nicole was nodding along. “Absolutely.” This was how Alex operated on cross-examination. Give the witness easy statements to agree with, and then use those statements to lead the witness in the desired direction.

“So,” Alex continued, “you must recall where you were.”

“Yes,” Nicole said quietly. “To be honest, I’m heartsick and ashamed about that night. I went to O’Malley’s, a local bar. I ended up drinking way too much.” Without being asked, she added, “I was desperately nervous about a biology exam.”

It had only been a matter of seconds, and Nicole already sounded defensive.

“You weren’t too upset about your argument with Susan to focus on your studies?” Alex asked sternly.

Even beneath the makeup, Nicole’s skin tone faded three shades. “Excuse me?”

“Our investigation has revealed that just that afternoon, shortly before Susan was killed, the two of you had a very significant argument.”

“Susan was my best friend. We had the occasional squabble, but nothing I’d call a significant argument.”

“Really? Because according to our source, the dispute was so heated that you threw something at Susan. She then threatened to drop you as a roommate if you didn’t change.”

Nicole was stammering, pulling at the mic looped through the buttonhole of her silk blouse, trying to remove it. Next to her, Madison tried to suppress a smile. She was eating this up.

“Madison,” Alex said, shifting his attention, “you seem to enjoy seeing Nicole’s feet to the fire.”

“I wouldn’t say I enjoy it. But, yes, after all these years of being under suspicion, as you call it, I find it a bit ironic that the so-called nice roommate was actually throwing things at Susan.”

“Some might say it’s ironic,” Alex said, “that you were the one who overheard the fight. So the question I have for you, Madison, is why you never told the police what you heard.”

“There was no reason. I was coming down the dormitory hall and heard them shout at each other. I didn’t want to get involved. When the door opened, I stepped into the bathroom to avoid the whole scene. Susan left first, then Nicole. That was right around six o’clock. Once I knew the drama had left the building, I went to our room. Then Frank called, and the rest is history.”

“You say you resent being under suspicion, but evidence of a bitter dispute between Susan and Nicole might have helped deflect that attention. And yet you never mentioned the fight to anyone.” There was a note of astonishment in Alex’s voice.

The entire room was silent. Laurie found herself leaning forward, waiting for the next words. She hoped viewers would do the same.

When Madison did not answer, Alex continued to press. “How about this as a theory, Madison? Drawing attention to Nicole as a suspect would have meant deflecting it from Frank. And then your alibi for Frank wouldn’t have been quite so valuable.”

“The reason I never said anything is because I never thought for a second that Nicole could ever kill Susan.”

“And you liked being needed by Frank Parker. Isn’t that right, Madison?”