down on the table so quickly, it was a shock that it didn’t crack. “What? I didn’t do that!”
“Then how were the cameras disabled?”
“I – I have no idea.”
Dallas glanced down at his notes. “According to my IT team’s research, the cameras were active and fully-operational until just before four o’clock. You entered the house a few minutes before that. Within five minutes of your arrival, everything was offline.” He looked up. “How do you explain that?”
“I – I can’t. I mean, I don’t know. I mean, I didn’t do it…”
“So who could have?”
“I don’t know.”
“The party began at eight o’clock, so what were you doing in Ms. Jameson’s house for four hours?”
Nigel ran his hands through his hair. “Getting things ready… moving the furniture, hanging the banner, lighting the fire, organizing the food and drink.”
“Alone?”
“Yes. Yes, I was alone.”
“The whole time?”
“Uh. Well, no.” Nigel blushed. “My boyfriend Abe came over around seven-thirty, out-of-the-blue. He brought some flowers for Emma.”
“How long did Mr. Castell stay?”
Nigel blinked. He knows Abe’s last name? “Uh, probably about ten minutes.”
“And what did you two do?”
Nigel blushed again. “Ummm. Well, we… he kissed me. And I responded.”
“And you saw him leave the house?”
“Yes.” Nigel paused. “Actually… no.”
Dallas cocked his head. “Which one is it?”
Nigel was thinking hard. “Well… I saw him walk down the stairs from the living room to the front door, and I heard the door open and close. But – but…”
“But you never actually saw him walk out the front door,” Dallas finished. “Is that correct?”
Nigel nodded.
“And did you go down the stairs at any time and lock the door behind him?”
“No,” Nigel said slowly. “It locks automatically when shut.”
The two men stared at each other. Nigel looked almost frightened.
“OK,” Dallas said. “So what did you do after watching Mr. Castell walk down the stairs?”
“Nothing, really. I finished getting a few things ready – I chose some music, and I fiddled a bit with the banner – and then Liv and Emma came in through the elevator from the garage.”
“Who was buzzing people in and out of the party?”
Nigel paused. “Well, I was.”
“You know Ms. Jameson’s security codes?”
“Yes.”
Dallas leaned back. “All of them?”
“Yes,” Nigel said. “The garage code, the main door, the side doors. I have full access to Liv’s home.”
“You know all her computer passwords?”
“Well, the professional ones. She has some personal accounts that I can’t access.”
“Who can?”
Nigel paused again. “I – I don’t know. I imagine just Liv.”
“Who did you give her new cell number to without her knowledge or permission?”
“Nobody!” Nigel was getting angry now. “I’d never do that, especially since this stalker came in to the picture!” He glared at Dallas. “Now, I want to know what’s going on here, if you please. Where’s Liv?”
“At home,” Dallas said, watching Nigel closely.
“OK,” Nigel said. “And why am I here? Where’s Greg Wallace?”
“Blue Star no longer protects Olivia. We do now.”
Nigel heaved a gigantic sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God.”
Dallas narrowed his eyes. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I never trusted them to take care of her. They seemed… unprofessional and lazy. Uninterested. I’d send them information and never get confirmation that it had even been received. I’d tell them about some texts or pictures she’d been sent, and Greg never seemed all that worried.”
“Were you worried?”
“Of course!” Nigel exclaimed. “And I know you were, too. Liv told me about your talk at the hospital. That was the first moment I thought that maybe I wasn’t crazy – that maybe I was right to be as freaked out as I was. You were the first person who reacted in what I thought was an
“Then how were the cameras disabled?”
“I – I have no idea.”
Dallas glanced down at his notes. “According to my IT team’s research, the cameras were active and fully-operational until just before four o’clock. You entered the house a few minutes before that. Within five minutes of your arrival, everything was offline.” He looked up. “How do you explain that?”
“I – I can’t. I mean, I don’t know. I mean, I didn’t do it…”
“So who could have?”
“I don’t know.”
“The party began at eight o’clock, so what were you doing in Ms. Jameson’s house for four hours?”
Nigel ran his hands through his hair. “Getting things ready… moving the furniture, hanging the banner, lighting the fire, organizing the food and drink.”
“Alone?”
“Yes. Yes, I was alone.”
“The whole time?”
“Uh. Well, no.” Nigel blushed. “My boyfriend Abe came over around seven-thirty, out-of-the-blue. He brought some flowers for Emma.”
“How long did Mr. Castell stay?”
Nigel blinked. He knows Abe’s last name? “Uh, probably about ten minutes.”
“And what did you two do?”
Nigel blushed again. “Ummm. Well, we… he kissed me. And I responded.”
“And you saw him leave the house?”
“Yes.” Nigel paused. “Actually… no.”
Dallas cocked his head. “Which one is it?”
Nigel was thinking hard. “Well… I saw him walk down the stairs from the living room to the front door, and I heard the door open and close. But – but…”
“But you never actually saw him walk out the front door,” Dallas finished. “Is that correct?”
Nigel nodded.
“And did you go down the stairs at any time and lock the door behind him?”
“No,” Nigel said slowly. “It locks automatically when shut.”
The two men stared at each other. Nigel looked almost frightened.
“OK,” Dallas said. “So what did you do after watching Mr. Castell walk down the stairs?”
“Nothing, really. I finished getting a few things ready – I chose some music, and I fiddled a bit with the banner – and then Liv and Emma came in through the elevator from the garage.”
“Who was buzzing people in and out of the party?”
Nigel paused. “Well, I was.”
“You know Ms. Jameson’s security codes?”
“Yes.”
Dallas leaned back. “All of them?”
“Yes,” Nigel said. “The garage code, the main door, the side doors. I have full access to Liv’s home.”
“You know all her computer passwords?”
“Well, the professional ones. She has some personal accounts that I can’t access.”
“Who can?”
Nigel paused again. “I – I don’t know. I imagine just Liv.”
“Who did you give her new cell number to without her knowledge or permission?”
“Nobody!” Nigel was getting angry now. “I’d never do that, especially since this stalker came in to the picture!” He glared at Dallas. “Now, I want to know what’s going on here, if you please. Where’s Liv?”
“At home,” Dallas said, watching Nigel closely.
“OK,” Nigel said. “And why am I here? Where’s Greg Wallace?”
“Blue Star no longer protects Olivia. We do now.”
Nigel heaved a gigantic sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God.”
Dallas narrowed his eyes. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I never trusted them to take care of her. They seemed… unprofessional and lazy. Uninterested. I’d send them information and never get confirmation that it had even been received. I’d tell them about some texts or pictures she’d been sent, and Greg never seemed all that worried.”
“Were you worried?”
“Of course!” Nigel exclaimed. “And I know you were, too. Liv told me about your talk at the hospital. That was the first moment I thought that maybe I wasn’t crazy – that maybe I was right to be as freaked out as I was. You were the first person who reacted in what I thought was an
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