Rhea Wellmy-Steinberg stared at me, with a look of surprise that quickly changed to anger and then to outrage. Rhea said, “How could you think I would ever hurt Emily? She was everything to me.”
I had to keep up the pressure. “Did Emily get her ‘hooks’ into your husband like Michelle did?” I lifted my hands to use air quotes for possibly the first time in my life.
Now Rhea looked positively pissed off. “How dare you. You claim to be Emily’s friend. How could you ever think she’d try to manipulate my husband? We were all soul mates together. If anything, Emily and I were closer than she and Rob.”
“So you’re saying you had nothing to do with her abduction and murder? I just want to be absolutely clear.”
“If you think that little of Emily and can’t read when someone is telling the truth, I don’t think you’re a particularly good detective.”
I believed her. I could read people well. I also had years of experience. Someone didn’t admit to one homicide then deny another one so vehemently.
After a couple of standard questions, I hit Rhea with “Was she concerned about anyone? Did she feel like she was in danger?”
“From whom? She was a physically fit FBI agent. She never mentioned any concerns.”
I asked, “Had anything changed in her life that you’re aware of?”
Rhea looked off into space as she considered the question. She took her time. Then she said, “Emily wasn’t specific, but she might have gone on a date or started seeing someone before she disappeared.”
“Would she usually talk about her romantic life with you?”
“We had no secrets. Apparently, the person gave her some sort of expensive gift. She wasn’t sure what would happen or how to handle it.”
“Can you tell me anything about this new person? Male, female? Did she mention a name?”
Rhea shook her head. “No. We only talked about it on the phone for a few minutes.”
The interview had run its course. Rhea mentioned something about calling her husband. Then she added, “Or perhaps I need an attorney.” At that point, the interview was effectively over. We weren’t going to ask her any other questions.
Detective Holly handled it perfectly. She said, “Let’s get back to Baltimore so you can make some phone calls and we can straighten this all out.” It was a classic police line to keep a suspect calm until they were booked. It worked more than 80 percent of the time.
By the way Rhea stood up and laid a twenty-dollar bill on the table, I would say she was no exception.
Chapter 91
I was surprised Bobby wanted to meet me at an Irish pub called Sullivan’s to celebrate the arrest. I’d thought he’d be upset when he found out I’d facilitated the arrest of a Supreme Court justice’s spouse. Apparently, I was wrong. He seemed to be in good spirits.
As soon as I sat down at his table in Sullivan’s—a name seemingly shared by one in six Irish pubs—Bobby said, “You guys are all over the news.”
I was surprised to find Bobby drinking a beer. Most shocking of all, he had removed his tie. It was the first time I’d seen him look like he was off duty since I had arrived in DC.
“I wasn’t mentioned, was I?” I felt a little panic rise in my throat.
“No. The Baltimore police were credited with the arrest. I have to confess, you were right. Too bad you couldn’t get Rhea to confess to Emily Parker’s murder. But I guess there’s no doubt she did it. Not now, anyway.”
“I don’t think she killed Emily.”
Now Bobby looked shocked. “How can you say that? She admitted to strangling Michelle Luna. Emily Parker’s murder was also a strangulation. That was your whole damn theory.”
“Trust me. I was at the interview. We got into details about the Michelle Luna homicide. Rhea never flinched. She even admitted using WD-40 to screw up the forensic scientists. She had nothing left to hide. She denied any involvement in Emily’s murder. Frankly, I buy it.”
Bobby was shaking his head. “Maybe you’re too close to this thing. Something will turn up that shows Rhea was involved. We’ve got to give it more time.”
I respected Bobby’s determination. I wanted to find Emily’s killer just as badly.
I tried to change the subject. “This is the most casual I’ve ever seen you.”
“I’m calling it a night. I’m wiped out from the last few weeks. I’m going to head to my apartment in Alexandria and crash until my alarm goes off at seven tomorrow morning.