Page 61 of The Breakdown

“Oh.” He covered his heart, as if he were distressed. “In that case, please, come in.” He stepped aside and allowed the men entry. He motioned them into the living room and offered them a seat. The detectives sat on the sofa while he snuck a look back up the stairs, hoping that the girls would remain put. He sat in the armed chair across from his visitors, crossing his legs and adjusting his robe to cover his knees. He was drastically underdressed and unprepared for their visit, but he didn’t want to leave them alone to go change. He didn’t trust cops as a rule, and he was only doing this to see how much they knew about Natalie, if anything.

“Has something happened?” he asked, feigning innocence.

Hallorin stared at him. “Such as?”

Allen shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just assumed that something must’ve happened. Otherwise, why would you be here?”

Hallorin let the question hang before he spoke again. “Mr. Beaufort, when did you last see Natalie?”

Allen pretended to think for a moment. “I can’t really say. A few months ago maybe? As I’m sure you know, she took out a restraining order against me, so I’ve had no recent contact with her.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“I am.”

Hallorin looked to Marks.

“Mr. Beaufort, it seems that Natalie is missing,” Marks said.

“Missing?”

“Her vehicle was found abandoned and burnt some weeks ago and no one has heard from her since.”

“Oh. I wasn’t aware.” Allen looked at his lap and pretended to be saddened by the news. He wasn’t totally bullshitting, he really did feel something. Just not sadness. It was more like disappointment. They weren’t telling him anything new.

“And you’re saying you haven’t had any recent contact with her, correct?”

He glanced up. “That’s correct.”

“Then why, Mr. Beaufort, did you go to her place of residence recently, demanding to see her?”

Allen made a steeple with his fingers and smiled. “Gentlemen, I can assure you I did no such thing.”

“We have two witnesses who claim otherwise.”

“And whom, may I ask, are they?”

“One of them is her roommate. Gayle Nelson. She says you demanded entry and locked yourself in Natalie’s room.”

“Gayle Nelson?” He kept his smile. “Am I mistaken or isn’t she known to use illegal substances?”

“Meaning?”

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? She, for reasons I can attest to, has it out for me. She’s lying.” Hallorin raised an eyebrow at him and Allen continued. “Ms. Nelson has never liked me. And she partakes in recreational drugs. In other words, she’s not all there, not very competent. And she’s shaken me down for money, more than once. I refused. She promised I would pay one way or the other.”

“So you’re saying that she’s making this up to what, get some kind of revenge?”

“Precisely.” He leaned forward. “Let me ask you this. When you spoke to her, did her apartment reek of marijuana?”

“How would you know that if you hadn’t been there?” Marks asked.

Allen rested back in his chair. “I have been there, gentlemen. Just not recently. In fact, I’ve been there twice, and both times the apartment smelled of pot and Gayle herself was high.”

“And why were you at Natalie’s place of residence?” Hallorin asked.

“To bring her some of her things. As you know, we recently split and she’d left some of her things here at the house. She asked for them and I brought them to her.”

Hallorin flipped through his notes. “Your divorce was contentious, was it not?”