“Why should I? You’re not a rookie. Chief Norris wouldn’t have chosen you for this job if your credits weren’t valid. And as you said, you’ve seen your share of interrogations at narcotics.” He hesitated a moment. “Plus it’s no secret I hate people. If having a partner means I don’t have to lead on interrogations anymore, thus limiting my interactions with people who breathe and therefore annoy me, I’m all for keeping you.”
George wasn’t entirely sure whether this was supposed to be a joke. Andi’s serious tone suggested he meant every word. And wasn’t that flattering—in a way?
“You’re just using me!”
“Yes. Finally you’ve caught on. First-class detective here.” Andi grinned. This time, his response was definitely a joke. George laughed. His grumpy partner could be quite funny.
“Fine. I’ll take the lead on this one. Let’s try to somehow crack this bastard.”
“That’s the spirit.”
They walked along the corridor side by side, the feeling of having established a connection with his elusive partner like a drug on George’s mind.
ALICE SPRINGTONcertainly looked like a predator. Her black hair was done up in an immaculate chignon, her sharp, slanted eyes were emphasized by a hint of kohl, and her lips accentuated with a killer red. She wore a pencil skirt that ended midthigh, but instead of being sexy, it only made her look more dangerous. She could probably kill somebody with her stilettos, if her looks didn’t do the trick.
“Detective Hayes. I see they still let you work. What an unpleasant surprise.”
“Mrs. Springton, still a sore loser, I see. Not that I’m surprised.” Andi nodded at her, then gestured at George. “This is my partner, Detective Donovan. He’s going to lead this interrogation.”
Alice Springton fixed her gaze on George. “So they’ve given you a watchdog?” Something in her voice told George not to react to this taunt. Andi certainly didn’t.
“Hello, Mrs. Springton. Since you’re finally here, we can start with the interrogation of your client, Taylor Vance.” George couldn’t keep the little jab at her being late back. Her face scrunched up in distaste.
“Not my fault. You had no right taking my client into custody. He wasn’t doing anything illegal.”
“Yeah, I didn’t do anything!” Vance piped up, which earned him a sharp glare from Springton. He immediately shut his mouth. George winced inwardly. Great. Vance was on her leash.
“That remains to be seen. We came to your house to talk to you about a certain Ronald Wallace, who gave us your address. Do you know a man of that name?”
“He doesn’t. Next question.” Alice sat ramrod straight, exuding confidence. If it hadn’t been for a quick glance in Andi’s direction, George would have bought her tough lawyer act. She definitely knew something was wrong with her client, and she was afraid of what Andi might conjure up. George felt a surge of adrenaline. They could nail this.
“Why weren’t you in your own house but squatting in the neighboring property? Which, by the way, is a crime.”
Alice opened her mouth, then hesitated. She looked at Vance, who took this as permission to speak. “I was afraid somebody would come to get me, so I hid next door.”
“Who would come to get you? You try to make us believe you’re a model citizen, and model citizens don’t have a reason to be afraid in their own homes.”
George watched as a bead of sweat formed on Vance’s brow. Making the man nervous was almost too easy.
“In an area like the one where Mr. Vance lives, being worried about one’s safety is normal. Not that many police there,” Alice Springton chimed in, casting another glance at Andi. Interesting. George couldn’t be sure if Andi had picked up on it, though. He seemed kind of absentminded.
“Fine. So you don’t know anybody by the name Ronald Wallace, you were squatting in the house next to your own because you were worried about your safety in general, and it had nothing to do with the human trafficking you’re obviously involved in.”
George let that sentence sink in for a moment. Alice’s eyes narrowed.
“This is the first I’m hearing about such serious allegations. I was told this was about an unlawful arrest.”
Vance squirmed in his seat.
“Oh no, Mrs. Springton. Your client must have been sparing with the information he’s given you. You see, Mr. Wallace, the man Mr. Vance supposedly doesn’t know, has already admitted to ‘looking after’ young women and men who were part of shipments Mr. Vance here had organized several times. That’s how we found him. And guess what? His cell shows quite a few meetings with Mr. Wallace and some others who we’re in the process of checking. I don’t think you or your client are going to like what we’ll find. Not to mention all those other interesting appointments your client has saved in his cell….” George spread his hands in a noncommittal gesture. “All I’m saying, Mr. Vance, is things would look a lot better for you if you started talking to usbeforeour techs are done tearing your cell apart.”
Alice Springton looked as if she had just fallen face-first into an entire basket of lemons. “Is that true, Taylor?” George thought he detected a hiss in her voice. She certainly looked like a rattlesnake about to strike. Being on the other side of the table, far away from the unfortunate Taylor Vance, was a blessing George appreciated.
Vance held up his hands. “Hey, chill, Alice. That’s why I called you. You can make it all go away, can’t you? They have nothing, not really. Otherwise they wouldn’t question me.” Taylor Vance sounded so smug, George wanted to introduce him to his fist. As it turned out, he didn’t have to. Alice rose from her chair, emanating fury from every pore of her being.
“You’re a fucking idiot, Taylor. I came here because our grandfathers were friends, but I’m not going to help you if you’re caught up in something as despicable as human trafficking. Even I have standards. If you’re involved like the detectives think, my advice is to work with them and give them everything you know. That way you may be able to shave a few years off your sentence.”
“What? Alice, I told you, they don’t have any proof! Just the word of a murderer!”
