questions for me?â
Lauren took a deep breath. âWhat makes you so sure I need a lawyer?â
âA very good question. When youâve been in this business as long as I have, you know what is routine for police investigations and what is not. Asking you questions, confirming your alibi, thatâs all standard stuff. But collecting DNA and hair samples, and subpoenaing bodily photographs?â He shook his head. âThose things arenât typical. Other questions?â
âNo, I guess not.â Laurenâs mind was racing, but she couldnât pin down her fears. There were too many.
âAllow me to ask a few of my own. Hypothetically speaking, would you have any reason to kill your sister?â
âNo. I had no reason to want Liz dead. Quite the opposite, in fact. She was my best friend. I miss her every single day.â
âOf course you do. And is there any reason, hypothetically speaking, why somebody else might believe you wanted to kill your sister? Would there be any recent fights or nasty emails or evidence of bad blood between the two of you, even if you had since patched things up?â
Lauren and Liz had occasionally fought like crazed animals before their parentsâ deaths. Over clothes, games, or the television remote. After losing their parents, they both appreciated how trivial such things were and had scarcely spoken a harsh word to one another since. âApparently, Liz recently changed her life insurance beneficiary to me, but I didnât know that and I wouldnât have cared if I had known.â
âAnd how much is the life insurance worth?â
âA million dollars, or so Iâve been told.â
Dennis let out a long, low whistle. âHypothetically speaking, is there any chance they are going to find any incriminating evidence on the clothes you were wearing? Any of your sisterâs DNA on your clothing?â
âThey shouldnât. I was wearing fresh scrubs that evening. I did see my sister that afternoon briefly, but we barely touched.â
âAnd, hypothetically speaking, are the detectives likely to find your DNA or your hair at the scene of the crime?â
âHmmm, good question. Iâve visited my sisterâs home, obviously, so itâs possible they might find my hair there or something like that. I donât remember ever bleeding at her house, but itâs possible I might have at some point.â
âGood, I appreciate your objective approach to these questions. Now, hypothetically speaking, did you leave the hospital for any reason at all on the night of the crime?â
âNo.â
âExcellent, and is there any other evidence you can think of that the police might have collected that would suggest you as a suspect? Like a murder weapon or fingerprints or anything else you can imagine? Hypothetically, of course.â
âItâs certainly possible my fingerprints could be at my sisterâs house from previous visits, but otherwise, no, I canât think of anything else.â
âDo you know the results of the polygraph examination?â
âThey told me the first test was inconclusive and told me nothing about the second test. I was already nervous about taking it, but I want the detectives to know that I am fully cooperating.â
âNot anymore. I am going to call the detectives and let them know I represent you. They should contact me, not you, if they need anything further from you. If they try to talk to you directly, you are to call me. Immediately. And I am going to do some digging around to see what I can find out. I want you to continue your usual routines. Okay?â
âOkay.â
Dennis leaned back in his large leather chair and pressed his fingers together. âYouâre in good hands. I can assure you of that. Do you have anything else you want to ask before we end for today?â
Lauren looked Dennis directly in the eyes. âI know you