Evan suspected Adam was like that in every conversation, not just when questioned by the police.
Adam said he had been at Ivy’s home because he wanted to see West.
“Maybe ringing the doorbell would have been a better idea,” Noelle said with a straight face.
“Yeah. Maybe.” Adam glanced at Evan and then looked out the window.
“Were you planning to take West away?” asked Noelle.
“Nah. Just wanted to say hi. I’d never do that to Ivy.”
“How much did you have to drink before stopping by?”
Adam screwed up his face in thought. “Not sure. I’d been at the brewpub with some friends. We went through a few pitchers.”
“Did one of your friends go to Ivy’s house with you?”
He looked surprised at the question. “No, just me.”
“Did you see anyone else outside the house?” asked Noelle.
Adam sat up straighter in bed. “Why? Was someone else there? I don’t know what they told you, but I didn’t do anything.”
“You broke the window,” said Evan, unable to keep his mouth shut.
“Unless you think someone else did.” Adam looked hopefully at Evan.
Noelle and Evan exchanged a pained glance.
“You hit the car awfully hard,” Noelle said. “Did you think you could physically stop it?”
Adam gently touched his bandaged nose and winced. “Don’t remember what I was thinking.”
“You’re lucky she braked. She could have run you over,” added Evan.
The patient scowled. “I think I tripped and hit the car. Sort of remember falling hard into it.” His eyes widened. “Someone pushed me! I remember feeling something hit my back.”
Evan tensed but kept his face expressionless. “Who?”
“Was her twin outside? Iris woulda pushed me. She hates me. Rowan too.” He looked from one detective to the other, an expectant gaze in his eyes.
“What made them hate you so much that they’d push you into a moving car?” asked Noelle.
Adam’s mouth flattened into a tight line. “Not sure. Not my fault Ivy and I broke up.”
“Do you remember anything else?” Evan asked, irked by the man’s refusal to accept any blame.
“Cops yelling at me. Flashing lights. Pain in my head and leg.”
“You just quietly laid there after hitting the car?” asked Noelle.
“Yep.”
Evan recalled the sergeant’s comment about Adam cursing out his ex as he rolled on the ground. “How often do you go to Rowan’s home?”
Adam hesitated, flushed, and adopted a confused expression. “Why would I go there?”
“You tell me.”
He looked away. “I’ve got no reason to go to Rowan’s home. Haven’t talked to her in years.”
“Interesting. She had an outside prowler the other morning. Her dog let her know. Same way he did yesterday at Ivy’s home.” Evan studied the man. “Thor’s a big dog, you know. She’s trained him to protect her.” The last was an exaggeration, but he wanted to plant a reason in Adam’s head to stay away from Rowan.
Adam appeared very interested in what was happening outside his window.
Evan made eye contact with Noelle. She gave a tiny nod and stood. She was done too.
“Hey. When am I getting out of here?” Adam asked as they reached his door.
“There’s a deputy in the hall, ready to transport you to the jail.”
“My head was banged pretty bad. Probably shouldn’t leave yet.”
“The doctor already signed off, saying you’ll be just fine,” said Noelle. She opened the door and left with Evan on her heels, both of them ignoring Adam’s protests.
In the hallway, she turned to Evan. “What do you think?”
“I think the only reason he was outside Ivy’s home was to hurt her somehow. Either by taking West or causing damage. I guess his drunken brain decided it was time for payback and this was a good way to do it.”
“I agree. Rowan had an intruder also?”
“No one was in the house. Thor acted out of character while looking outside the other day, and she said he did the exact same behavior last night.”
“Adam seemed flustered when you asked.”
“I noticed. I don’t think he’ll stop at Rowan’s again, but I’ll talk to both her and Ivy about security systems. I’ll ask if Ivy has one at their hair salon too. Adam seems like the type to strike out at whatever he can. Especially if he’s drunk.”