So far that promised lawyer hadn’t arrived, and Jono was honestly ready to walk out of the PCB and damn the consequences.
The door to the interview room opened, and Jono watched Casale come inside. He looked exhausted, the crisp white shirt of his uniform dusty from overseeing the crime scene in the subway tunnel. He carried two bottles of water in his hands, one of which he set in front of Jono.
“Am I being detained?” Jono asked.
Casale sat in the chair across the small table from him. “At this time? No. Someone should have already told you that. The subway train was derailed by magic, which you don’t have because of the werevirus.”
“I gave you my statement at the scene. Why wasn’t that enough?”
“A statement which proves you were probably the catalyst for the attack. After the attacks yesterday and the one today, a lot of people have questions.”
“I told you yesterday Estelle and Youssef are behind the attacks. They’vebeenthe problem for months now. You lot haven’t done anything about it.”
“Our investigation is still ongoing.”
Jono shoved his chair away from the table, more than ready to leave. “I invoked my right to a lawyer, but since I’m not being detained, I’m leaving.”
Casale steepled his fingers together over the table, not taking his eyes off Jono. “We asked you to stay for further clarification. You seemed willing enough earlier to do so.”
“That was before I had to wait over five hours for someone to show their bloody face in this room.”
“The entire subway system has been shut down for the next twenty-four hours. The protective wards were damaged in the section where the crash happened, which is going to require a lot of money and magic to fix them. The streets are gridlocked at the moment, people are in a panic, and the fact that a god pack civil war is the reason behind the attack is not going over well with the public at all. So, yes, you can leave. But that won’t help your case any.”
Jono stayed put, jaw twitching. “I didn’t know Estelle and Youssef would send their dire and their contracted hunters after me, or that they were working with the Dominion Sect.”
“The SOA was notified of that portion of your statement. The Dominion Sect is federal jurisdiction, and the SOA assigned a special agent to work the case with my department.”
Jono wondered if Patrick had been assigned, and if so, why he wasn’t at the station. “Good for them.”
Casale reached for his bottle of water and unscrewed the cap. “Do you have any idea why the Dominion Sect would partner with the New York City god pack?”
“They haven’t partnered with the New York City god pack. They’ve partnered with interlopers,” Jono stated flatly.
Casale sipped at his water before setting it aside. “Your statement was bare-bones, Jonothon.”
“I explained what happened.”
“I think there’s more to these acts than you’re letting on. It would—”
The door suddenly opened, a detective Jono didn’t recognize coming inside with an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry, Chief.”
Casale half turned in his chair as a tall, stately Black woman strode into the interview room behind the detective. The navy pantsuit she wore was precisely tailored, and her high heels added even more inches to her height. Her thick, natural curls framed her head like a dark halo. A delicate strand of pearls was draped around her throat, and a square-cut diamond ring sat firmly in front of a plain gold wedding band on her left ring finger.
She could’ve been in her thirties or forties—it was difficult for Jono to discern her age by the flawlessness of her medium-dark skin. She carried herself with a confidence that told him in no uncertain terms he wouldn’t want to be on opposite sides of her.
“Chief Casale,” the woman said in a voice that could’ve iced over a car parked on the street on the hottest summer day. “That will be enough talking with my client.”
“Danai,” Casale said, sounding mildly displeased. “It’s been what? A month since you’ve graced our department with your presence?”
“If your officers would do their jobs without needing me to file civil rights cases against the NYPD as a whole, then perhaps you wouldn’t see me walking through your doors on a regular basis.” Her dark brown eyes flicked away from Casale, catching Jono’s gaze with laser-like intensity. “Jonothon de Vere, I’m Danai Belvedere of Belvedere & Elliot, your counsel of record.”
He’d been friends with Sage long enough to know that a name partner from a law firm taking on a case was a big deal, even if he didn’t recognize the woman’s firm at all. “Lovely to meet you.”
Danai’s gaze raked over his body, lingering for a second longer on his bare feet. “I see the PCB didn’t adequately clothe you.”
“The EMS at the scene—” Casale said.
“I was making a statement, not talking to you, Chief Casale. It’s my understanding that my client isn’t being detained. If that fact has changed since my arrival in this room, please tell me. If not, we’ll be leaving.”
