“Yes, but—”
“I want to be there.”
“Becket—”
“If situations were reversed and this involved Aspen, you would want the same access to the key witness. I’m not asking to be in the room. I know that’s not allowed. Just to watch you interview her.”
Jesse’s jaw tightened. “Fine. Follow me.” He led Becket into a small room. “Youwatch…that’s all.”
The door closed behind Jesse, and Becket looked through a window to see Kristina sitting at a table, head in her hands.
Jesse walked into the interrogation room, box in hand, and Kristina’s head shot up. Her face was red and tear-stained, her eyes sad and scared.
Jesse sat at the table opposite her and hit the record button. “Kristina Cutter?”
“Yes.” Her voice was low and defeated.
“You’ve already been read your rights and you’ve refused counsel. Now I’m going to ask you a series of questions and they’ll be recorded. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
Jesse pulled a diamond necklace from the box. “This necklace matches the description of one stolen from Rose Harper’s home exactly six weeks ago. This morning, it was found in your spare bedroom. How did it get there?”
Kristina’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath. She looked at the necklace, then back at Jesse. “I don’t know.”
Becket’s hands fisted. If she wasn’t going to cooperate even when the evidence was right fucking there, this would take a long time.
Jesse pulled out a gold men’s ring. “This ring was stolen from Giuseppe Bruno’s home. We found it in that same bedroom. How did it get there?”
Her breathing rate increased. “I don’t know.”
Becket’s feet twitched to march in there and force the truth out of her.
Jesse leaned forward. “Every time you lie, you make this worse for yourself. We’ve already got all the evidence we need, and once we have a DNA match, that’s it. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Her eyes flared with fear.
He pulled out a light blue bag. “This was stolen from Amelia Lambert’s home. Why was it in your house?”
Her mouth opened.
“Don’t lie to me,” he cut in before she could speak.
Three long seconds passed.
“I took it,” she finally whispered. “I stole all of it.”
“Why?” he asked.
She lifted a shoulder, tears brimming in her eyes. “Because it’s what I do. My real name is Josie Palone. I move to small towns, take what I can, and leave.”
“Do you befriend people and rob them?”
“No! I didn’t realize that was Sky’s house that night. I was in her neighbor’s house, saw the broken fence and took advantage of the situation. Then she got home and fell down the stairs and…I had to choose. Help her or run.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “I chose to run. I’m sorry.”
“Did you have anything to do with the other things that have happened to Sky?”
She frowned. “You mean when her car went over the bridge? No. I was working that day.”
