Page 99
I get up and bang on the door. “Can you stop this fucking clock!” I try the handle, but it’s locked. Of course it is. I’m about to bang on it again but the door finally opens and Officer Trina walks in. I take four big steps back and hold my hands up, showing that I’m not trying to run or attack. I can’t afford any mistakes.
“What were you yelling about?” She’s carrying a manila folder and a cup of coffee that smells like it’s been sitting on a burner for hours.
“The clock,” I grumble. “It’s annoying.”
She glances at it impassively, arches an eyebrow, and gestures to my seat.
I stiffly walk to the table, gaze snagging on the blinking red light on the camera in the corner of the room.
“We’ll be recording this interview. Standard procedure.”
Plopping into the seat, I cross my arms and hold her stare. “I told you, we didn’t do this.”
She settles into the chair across from me and opens her folder. “I know this is a difficult situation.”
“Is it?”
“Two people are dead. You and your brothers had public altercations with both victims less than twenty-four hours ago.” She pulls out a pen and clicks it. “That makes it difficult, yes.”
My chest feels like it’s going to rip open. “We didn’t kill anyone.”
“I’m not saying you did.” Her tone stays even, controlled. “But I need to ask some questions, okay? Where were you between midnight and six AM last night?”
“At home. With my brothers and Callie.”
“All night?”
“All night.” I meet her stare without flinching. “We had dinner, came home, and went to bed. None of us left.”
She scribbles something in her notepad. “How well did you know Theo Martin?”
“I didn’t know him at all until he showed up here causing problems.”
“And what kind of problems are those?”
“Personal ones. None of your business.”
“Actually, it is my business.” She leans forward slightly. “Two people connected to Miss Harrison are dead, and you three have been very protective of her lately. So I’ll ask again: what kind of problems was Theo causing for Callie?”
The way she keeps circling back to Callie makes my blood pressure spike. “Leave her out of this.”
“I can’t do that, Jax. She’s connected to both victims.”
I scoff and shake my head. “She didn’t kill anybody either.”
“I’m not suggesting she did.” Trina’s pen hovers over her notepad. “But her relationship with these people is relevant. Theo was her ex-boyfriend, correct?”
“Unfortunately.”
“And you didn’t like that?”
Heat floods my veins. What’s she getting at? “I didn’t like how he treated her, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“How did he treat her?”
“Like shit.” The words come out rough. “He stole her artwork, took credit for it. Stole her money. Made her feel like she was worthless.”
“That must have made you angry.”
