I went to Nellie’s because I knew the guys would be there, he thought. Then I started to sober up. I wanted to make up, so I’ll say I wanted to help her clean up. Kerry texted back that she was too tired to clean up. And I went back to her house anyhow.
His blood froze at the thought.
They think I killed Kerry. The detective will try to get me to admit it. His mind scurried around for answers. He came up with only one. The guys at Nellie’s have to cover for me, Alan thought. If they’ll say I was with them until 11:45, I’ll be okay. I got home around midnight. Mom and Dad were home, and Mom yelled good night to me from their room. I drove fast. I made it home in less than ten minutes. I wouldn’t have had time to go to Kerry’s on the other side of town and get home that fast.
I’ll tell the guys to say I was with them until they left Nellie’s. They’ll do it for me. That reassurance calmed Alan. He fought to stay calm as he was led into an interrogation room. The first questions were easy ones. How long had he and Kerry been friends?
“Kerry and I have been together for a year, I guess. Oh, sure, we have arguments. Sometimes Kerry starts them. She likes me to be jealous.”
“Did you have an argument at the party?”
“Yeah, but it was really nothing. This guy Chris has been trying to get between us. He was all over Kerry at the party.”
Wilson said, “I’ll bet that got you really mad.”
“It did at first, but I got over it. It’s happened before, but we always end up okay. Like I said, Kerry likes to make me jealous.”
As he answered the questions Wilson was asking, Alan thought, This isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
“Alan, many people get angry when they’re jealous. Do you?”
“Sometimes, but I get over it right away.”
“Okay. What time did you leave the party?”
“Around ten-thirty.”
“How long had you been at the party?”
“I got there about seven.”
“Alan, it’s important that you tell me. Did you have any drugs or alcohol before you got there or while you were at the party?”
“I never do drugs. There were no drugs at the party. I did have a couple of beers.”
“Did anybody leave the party with you?”
“No, I was by myself in my car.”
“Where did you go?”
“I drove ten minutes to Nellie’s in Waldwick and had a pizza with some friends who were already there.”
“Who were these friends?”
“Bobby Whalen, Rich Johnson and Stan Pierce, friends of mine from the baseball team.”
“Had they also been at the party?”
“No.”
“Had you planned to meet them at Nellie’s?”
“No, but I knew they were going to a movie and then to Nellie’s. I was pretty sure they’d be there.”
“What time did you get to Nellie’s?”
“About ten-forty.”
“How long did you stay?”
“I ate and stayed with them for about an hour.”
“What did you do then?”
“I left and drove straight home.”
“Did your friends leave at the same time?”
“Yeah, we all walked out together.”
“What time did you get home?”
“About midnight, maybe a little before that.”
“Was anybody home?”
“Yeah, my mom and dad. They were watching TV in their bedroom. I yelled good night.”
“Did they hear you come in?”
“Yeah, my mom yelled good night back to me.”
“At any time after you left the party at ten-thirty, and before or after you went home, did you ever go back to Kerry’s house?”
“No, definitely not.”
“Did you call or text Kerry at any time after you left the party?”
“I didn’t call her, but I sent her a text and she answered me.”
“Was it about the argument?”
“Yeah, we were both kind of teed off.”
Wilson did not pursue this further because he had already seen the text messages on Kerry’s phone. He also knew that he would get a court order for any other messages or calls Alan had made.
“Alan, just a few more questions.” Mike asked, “You have a cell phone, right?”
“Sure I do.”
“You used your phone when you sent texts to Kerry last night, right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“What’s the number?”
Alan reeled it off.
“So, Alan, you went to the party at Kerry’s house, and then to Nellie’s, and then straight home. Did you have your cell phone with you that whole time?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Alan, the Dowlings have a putting green in their backyard. Did you see anybody using it at the party?”
“Like I told you before, some of the guys were on the putting green.”
“Do you remember if you used it at any time last night?”
“I never went over to the practice green. No.”
“So you never touched the putter last night?”
“No.”
“Alan, it was warm last night. Did anyone go swimming in the pool?”
“No, not while I was there.”
“Did you go in the pool?”
“No.”
“Alan, while you’re here, I have a request that will save us some time later. There are a lot of objects at Kerry’s house that have fingerprints on them. I’d like to know whose fingerprints are on which objects. Would you consent to being fingerprinted before you leave? You don’t have to, but it will be very helpful to us.”
Fingerprinted, Alan thought to himself. They must believe I did it. The interrogation room suddenly felt smaller. Was the door locked? Why did I agree to come here? Alan was trying desperately not to show his panic, but he was afraid to refuse. “I guess that would be okay,” he said.
“And finally Alan, we’d like to take a swab of saliva from inside your cheek. That will give us your DNA. Any problem with that?”
“Okay.” Numbly he followed Wilson into another room where his fingerprints were scanned and the swab taken.
“Alan, I appreciate how cooperative you’ve been. I have one final request. Would you mind leaving your cell phone with me for a few days?”
Thoroughly frightened, Alan pulled it from
