Page 64
“Where did you keep it?”
“In one of the dresser drawers in my bedroom. I never liked guns, even though I attended the required classes for a permit. I could never envision myself shooting anyone.”
“Why are you asking Nyla about a gun she owned eight years ago?” Karl wanted to know.
“I’ll explain everything once I’ve gotten my questions answered,” Hollis said.
“I prefer you explain things now,” he said, his tone hard.
Locke met Karl’s gaze. “We need to ask our questions first, Karl. Trust me, there’s a reason we’re doing it this way, and as Hollis said, we’ll explain things in the end.”
The two men stared at each other for a moment, and then Karl nodded. “Okay, but there better be a good reason for this.”
Locke nodded. “There is.”
Hollis then glanced at Nyla. “Do you recall the day the burglary took place?”
“Yes. I was working at my dad’s corporation, went to the gym afterward, and got home to find my condo ransacked. I immediately called the police. Two nice officers showed up, and we went through everything. Dad heard about it and came over, too. Both he and Mom.”
Hollis nodded. “Do you recall what was taken besides the gun?”
“All my jewelry, expensive purses, some clothes, shoes, practically everything of value.”
“Did you miss the gun right away?”
“Yes. Only because I immediately went to get it, just in case the intruders returned before the police arrived. That’s when I saw it was gone. No one knew I had one except Aunt Kat. Neither my parents nor Michael knew.”
“Who is Michael?” Hollis asked, although she already knew since Nyla’s father had mentioned the name that day she went to interview them.
“Michael Ramsey is the guy I was dating at the time.”
“He didn’t come over to make sure you were alright after the burglary incident?”
“I’m sure he would have, but Michael was out of the country on business.”
“Was the gun included in the police report of the items taken?” Hollis knew it had been. She just needed it on record for her documentation.
“Yes. And one of the officers said they would let me know if any of my belongings were ever recovered. I never heard anything and assumed none of them were.”
“Have you run into either of the two officers who responded to the burglary since then?”
“No, although I saw one of them on television. On the local news. He had received some kind of community service award for working with teens around the city.”
“And the burglary occurred before you met Karl?”
“Goodness, yes. About five years before we met.”
Hollis closed her notebook and smiled. “That’s all my questions. Thanks for answering them.”
“Now, will you guys tell us what all that was about?” Karl asked.
“Yes,” Locke said. “Although the serial number on the gun those fake agents gave you was wiped out, our team was able to recover it, although the local police didn’t have the means to retrieve it. Eventually the FBI will, too. When they do, they will find out the same information that we have.”
“Which is what?” Karl asked.
“The identity of the original owner of the gun that you used to shoot Donnie Barcos.”
“Whose gun was it?”
