“I just wanted to give you a heads up, we’re picking your boy up this morning,” he said. “We’ve got a long list of charges written up, including breaking and entering, grand larceny, and at least three others. I thought you might want to come down to the station and watch the interrogation, but you have to stay out of sight in case we can’t hold him.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” she said, shaking her head. “Taylor isn’t a thief; you’ve got this all wrong.”
“We’ve got him on camera, Torres, he’s the one,” he said, his voice full of certainty. “He’s been identified by several people; they all recognized the jacket the thief was wearing, it’s very distinctive. We got him. You should be proud; you called this one from the very beginning.”
“You identified him based on a jacket?” she asked. “Can you see his face in the videos?”
There was a second of silence. “No, he was smart, he wore a baseball cap and kept his face hidden around the cameras,” Captain Strattler said. “But that doesn’t change anything, we’ve got witnesses willing to testify that it’s him on the tape.”
“This is weak and you know it, we need more evidence,” she said. “A good lawyer is going to have him out in an hour; I don’t think you should do this.”
“Well, that’s not your choice to make,” Captain Strattler said. “I called you as a courtesy, not to get your opinion, Torres. Maybe you shouldn’t come down here after all.”
“Oh, I’m coming down there,” she said, throwing off the covers. You’ll never make this stick, but I might be able to salvage the investigation after you screw it up.”
Captain Strattler started to say something, but she hungup on him, so angry that she didn’t care if she lost her job. She was positive that Taylor was innocent and it would be easy enough to prove, he’d been working every night since the robberies started, a perfect alibi. Stomping into the bathroom, she took a shower, already rehearsing what she would say to the Captain when she got there, and it didn’t include an apology that was for sure.
By the time she got to the station, they already had Taylor locked away in an interview room and she was able to study him through the one-way mirror. “He didn’t do it,” she said, looking over at the Captain. “He was working every night this week and I’m sure he can prove it.”
The Captain shook his head. “You’re too close to this, Torres,” he said. “Go watch the tapes, you’ll see, it’s him.”
“And you want this too bad,” she said, shaking her head. “But I’ll go check them out.”
“You do that, and then I’ll expect an apology,” Captain Strattler said. “And be prepared to grovel.”
CHAPTER 17
***TAYLOR***
Taylor was in shock, couldn’t believe that he’d been handcuffed and dragged down to the police station, things like this happened to other people, not him. He winced, remembering how the morning started, the banging on the front door, footsteps pounding on the stairs, and Walker’s voice yelling that the police wanted to talk to him. From there, the details were a bit fuzzy; he remembered someone accusing him of the robberies, the feel of handcuffs slipping around his wrists, and Hattie screaming at the officers.
There was a vague memory of Malcolm shouting that he’d call a lawyer as he was led across the lawn to a black and white police car, then he was shoved in the back, the door closed and everything sank into shadows. He must have been in shock or something because he didn’t remember anything else until now, but one thing he knew, he had to get a grip before a misunderstanding ruined his life.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down, but just as he felt some of the tension fading from his muscles, the door of the room flew open with a bang and hejumped. A second later an older man walked through the door. He was carrying a folder and a small tablet in one hand and a can of soda in the other. He set everything down on the table in front of Taylor, then grabbed a chair and took his time sitting down and making himself comfortable.
When he was satisfied, he looked over at Taylor. “I’m Captain Strattler. The first thing I want you to know is that I’m here to help you,” the man said. “Taylor, we’ve got a bit of a problem, and I’m really hoping you can clear a few things up, but first, let me ask you if you know why we’re here.”
“You think I’m responsible for the robberies on campus,” he said, the enormity of the accusation sinking in. “I don’t know what makes you think I did it, but I’m innocent.”
Captain Strattler didn’t say anything for a second, but he was too smart for that trick, and the man finally gave up. “You know technology is an amazing thing,” he said. “And hidden cameras are police officer's dream.”
When he still didn’t say anything, Captain Strattler picked up the tablet, tapped the screen a few times, and then slid it across to him. “Does this look like anyone you know?” he asked. “A lot of people think it looks like you, that coat is pretty unique; I bet there isn’t another one like it on campus.”
“That coat disappeared from my closet three or four days ago,” he said, tapping the screen and making the handcuffs jangle. “Someone must have snuck into the house and stolen it.”
Captain Strattler looked disappointed. “I expected a better story than that,” he said, shaking his head. “Come on, Taylor. Let’s not play games. Just admit that you committed those robberies. If you cooperate now, the judge will go easy on you.”
“I can’t do that since I’m innocent, I’m telling you the truth, that jacket was stolen,” he said. “Anyone could have been wearing it in these videos. You’d better have moreevidence than this, but I don’t think you do, because it wasn’t me.”
Just then, the door burst open again. “Taylor, I’m your lawyer, Mr. Anderson,” an older man said, rushing into the room. “Don’t say another word until we have a chance to talk.”
A half-hour later, he was walking out of the police station a free man, but he wasn’t happy. It was obvious someone was setting him up, and he had a pretty good idea who it was. Sebastian was stirring up trouble just like he’d feared, and he felt that the only way to put a stop to it was to confront the man directly, something he didn’t want to do.
He’d have been happier if his cousin had never shown up. He didn’t want anything to do with that side of the family and didn’t like to be reminded where he’d come from. But it was clear that he wasn’t going to be able to avoid dealing with the past, even if none of it was his fault. Thinking about his mother made him mad all over again, and he promised himself that before the day was over, he and Sebastian were going to have a little talk.
Taylor couldn’t have known that all he would have had to do to talk to his cousin was turn around and go back into the police station. “Damn, they let him go already,” Sebastain whispered to the man with him. “I thought they’d hold him longer than that.”
“Should we follow him?” Mack asked. “Your grandfather is going to be upset that the plan didn’t work.”
