“Good. Now, can you both come with me?”
Nick glanced at his watch. “No. Sorry, I have another meeting.”
“I wasn’t really asking,” Pierce muttered.
I paused. “What’s going on? Do you have a break in the Cupid case?”
Pierce looked directly at Nick. “No, this is a different case. Basanelli, you’re going to want a lawyer there with you.”
Chapter8
Steam pretty much rose off Nick as we settled in the police station’s second-floor interrogation room. I sat next to him, wondering what in the world was going on.
Detective Pierce held a blue file folder as he pulled out a chair and sat across from us. He clicked a button on the table, and I glanced up to see a red light blinking on the camera mounted to the wall as it began recording the interview.
Nick stared at the detective. “What is happening here, Pierce?”
Detective Pierce met Nick’s gaze evenly. They usually worked well together and had won many cases already, even though Nick was still fairly new to the prosecuting attorney’s office in town.
“You’re not under arrest, and you’re free to leave anytime, but I need to question you,” Pierce said. Then he read Nick his rights.
“Why are we here?” I interjected. None of this was making a bit of sense.
Pierce took a deep breath. “I regret to inform you that we found the body of your father last week.”
My jaw dropped. “The bodies that you found in Marsh Mansion, one of those was Nick’s dad?” I swiveled to look at Nick. He paled, but other than that, his expression hadn’t altered. “Nick?”
“Have you informed my mother?” Nick asked.
“No,” Pierce said quietly. “I figured that might be something you wanted to do.”
“Thank you,” Nick ground out.
I was quiet for a moment, trying to read the room. “What’s going on?”
“I’m a suspect,” Nick said quietly, crossing his arms over his muscled chest.
“Oh.” I felt like a kitten in a room full of wolves. The tension, spiraling and heating the atmosphere tried to choke me, and I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as I’d been taught. “I need to speak with my client.”
Nick cut a glance at me and then looked back at the detective. “No, I’m fine. I want to find out what happened and am happy to answer any questions. I take it the cause of death was ruled a homicide for both victims?”
“Yes. The Boise coroner has listed both causes of death as homicide,” Pierce affirmed.
I blinked. Boise? Nick’s uncle worked as our county coroner, so Pierce had sent the bodies to southern Idaho. Made sense. He really had been planning all week. “Nick? We need to talk privately.”
He didn’t move. “I didn’t kill anybody, Anna.”
I vaguely remembered the rumors. I was younger than Nick and both of his brothers, but I remembered the gossip around town when Nick’s dad disappeared. There had been an investigation, and it showed that Nick’s dad liked to hit them. One day, he’d up and disappeared with his secretary. All three boys had bloodied knuckles and bruises the next day. That was so long ago—at least fifteen years. “How did you identify the body?” I asked.
“We found the bodies over a week ago,” Pierce returned. “We used dental records, and they match.”
“You could have had DNA,” Nick said smoothly.
Pierce wore his cop face, and I couldn’t read him. Not really. “We have to do this right. Did you kill your father?”
Nick didn’t blink. “No. Was the other body found that of his secretary?”
“Affirmative,” Pierce said. “Do you remember her name?”
