Free The Switch by Sandra Brown Page A

waist, rocking slightly back and forth. She pinched her eyes closed, forcing out fresh tears.
    "I'm sorry," the detective murmured. "Are you sure you wouldn't like somebody here with you?"
    She nixed the suggestion with a strong shake of her head. "Was she raped?"
    "The ME is examining the body now. It's being photographed. Once it's transported to the morgue, a complete autopsy—"
    "Detective," she interrupted, "was she raped?"
    "I honestly can't tell you. It doesn't appear that she was sexually assaulted, but please understand that at this point in time, we can't be positive."
    "Thank you for your honesty."
    Lawson shifted his weight on the ottoman and removed a notepad and pen from his breast pocket. "Are you willing to answer a few questions?"
    "Of course. I want to help any way I can, but does it have to be right now?"
    "The sooner we can establish a motive, the sooner we'll know where to begin looking for a suspect."
    "How would I know what the killer's motive was?"
    "We'll look first at your sister's routine, her friends, acquaintances, work habits, and so forth. Then work from there."
    Nodding understanding, she blotted her eyes, blew her nose, and, with a small hand gesture, indicated for him to proceed.
    "Did she have any enemies that you know of?"
    "No."
    "Jealous ex-husband?"
    "She'd never been married."
    "Jealous ex-lover or boyfriend?"
    "No."
    "A former employee, spiteful coworker?"
    "She got along with everyone."
    "As far as you know."
    "Mr. Lawson, if she'd had an enemy, I would have known about it."
    "She told you everything?"
    "Yes."
    "Even details about her personal life?"
    "I can't be sure she told me everything, but she couldn't have kept a deep, dark secret from me, any more than I could have kept one from her. We could gauge each other's mood after exchanging a single word, even over the telephone. I would have sensed if she was worried about something or someone. We had this... telepathy. I could virtually read her mind. It's a phenomenon common to twins."
    "I've heard that. Did she ever mention a stalker?" She sighed. Wasn't he listening? "No."
    "Anyone who made her uneasy? Gave her unwanted attention?"
    "No."
    "And you can't think of anyone who might have held a grudge against her?"
    "Nobody."
    He tapped his pen against the pad and gnawed the inside of his cheek.
    "What?" she asked.
    He shifted his weight on the ottoman. "Well, we don't think it was a random attack. No ordinary break-in or burglary. Nothing seems to be disturbed or missing, although later you can help us determine that by walking through the rooms and checking. We also found a ruby necklace on the nightstand beside the bed. It's lying in plain sight. Not something a burglar would overlook."
    "It was a gift from Jem. He brought it over just last night." "Jem?"
    The detective's ears seemed to peak. He exchanged a significant glance with the other officers standing nearby listening.
    "Jem Hennings." She shook her head in dismay. "I can't believe I haven't mentioned him before. I completely forgot him. I wasn't thinking—"
    "Who is he?"
    "The man she was seeing."
    "Boyfriend?"
    "Yes."
    "Do you have a number where he can be reached?"
    She cast an alarmed glance around the group of policemen.
    "Yes, but ... but Jem couldn't possibly be involved."
    "He should still be notified, though. Right? And if he was here last night, we certainly need to talk to him."
    She provided the name of the stockbrokerage firm where Jem Hennings was employed. "He gets there early, before the market opens in New York."
    "Then he should be there by now." Lawson dispatched Caltrane to place the call. "Just get him over here. Don't tell him what's happened."
    She watched as the uniformed cop withdrew, cell phone in hand. Coming back to Lawson, she said, "That's awfully cruel, isn't it?"
    "What happened to your sister was awfully cruel, Ms. Lloyd. That's another reason I don't think burglary was the motive. If caught in the act, a burglar might panic and lash out