His body froze, every muscle pulled tight. Alarm flickered in his eyes. He looked past her to where Noah stood leaning against the door. “W-what? What are you talking about?”
“Cut the shit, Griffin,” Josie said. “It’s pointless.”
He looked helplessly toward Noah, whose face remained impassive. Griffin shifted in his seat, lifting one arm to scratch his forehead. Sweat stained the armpits of his white shirt. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about—what you’re asking me.”
Josie arched a brow at him. “Really? You want to play this game? Let me tell you what I know, Griffin. What the evidence shows. The GPS and location history on your phone and from the infotainment center in your car put you at Dani Schwarber’s home at the exact time that she and her daughter were abducted.What I also know is that you purchased a handgun five years ago and you keep it in a lockbox under your bed. We have a man on video who fits your description taking Dani and Cassidy from their home at gunpoint.”
Griffin shook his head. “I didn’t . . . it wasn’t—you can ask?—”
“Don’t even try it,” Josie cut him off. “I’m not finished. As you’re aware, we executed a search warrant at your residence today, which is how I know where you keep your gun. It’s also how I know that you kept Dani and Cassidy at your house, in a locked room in your basement. I’m not sure what kind of story you’ve been spinning in your head to make this all go away while you waited for us to return, but your secret’s out. Stop bullshitting me, Griffin, and let’s speak frankly. Where have you taken them?”
“What?” His head reared back. The confusion on his face was more convincing than anything she had seen from him all day. “Wait. No. This isn’t right.”
“Griffin, please.” Josie sighed. “Stop deflecting. You’re a smart guy. You must know that your future is looking pretty bleak right now. Don’t make it worse for yourself. Tell me where they are and you better hope, for your sake, they’re alive.”
His head whipped back and forth between her and Noah, mouth opening and closing like a landed fish. “They are,” he finally choked out. “They are alive. They’re there. I left them there.”
Noah folded his arms over his chest. “You left them locked up in your basement?”
Griffin squeezed his eyes shut, taking deep breaths. His hands gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles blanched. “I-I had to. They wouldn’t have stayed. Dani said she would, but she lied. I should have known but I couldn’t think, couldn’t…I needed to protect them.”
“Protect them?” Josie nearly laughed but she went along with his delusion. “Then where are they?”
Griffin’s eyes opened. Bewilderment rippled across his face. “They’re there! I didn’t hurt them! I was never going to hurt them.”
“The evidence suggests otherwise,” Josie told him. “Where are they?”
Again, he looked to Noah. “This is some kind of game, right? Some police interrogation tactic you do to get people to talk. Well, I’m not sure what you’re after. I told you everything about my relationship with Maxine earlier and I’ve just admitted that Dani and Cassidy are at my house, in my basement. I’m not sure what you want from me or what you’re trying to accomplish here. Just talk to them! They’ll tell you that I didn’t hurt them. The cut on Cassidy’s face was—was an accident. She got scared and ran. Then she tripped. I never even laid a hand on her. I wouldn’t! I love them.”
“I’m not talking about the night you took them,” Josie said. “I’m talking about the last twenty-four hours. Something happened in that basement. Our evidence response team typed the blood on the floor as well as the blood on the basement steps and the deck. It’s A negative. Dani’s blood type. Didn’t do a very good job cleaning up, did you, Griff? Now, what did you do with them?”
He lurched to his feet, his chair teetering behind him, nearly falling. His eyes were wild as he scanned the room. Searching for what, Josie couldn’t tell. Noah stepped away from the wall and pointed at Griffin’s chair. “Sit down.” His tone left no room for argument.
Griffin blinked twice, as if coming back to himself, and held up his hands, palms out in a gesture of surrender. Josie watched with fascination as he slipped into the tone she was certain he used to sell pharmaceuticals. Calm but concerned, imploringthem to see reason with just a note of pleading. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s happening right now, but I didn’t hurt them. When I left this morning, they were fine. There was no blood. Maybe…maybe Dani hurt herself trying to get out. Have you spoken with your colleague? Maybe she got out and they went to him.”
Noah took up his position against the door again. “We all know they didn’t escape. What did you do with them?”
“Nothing!” Griffin shouted. He fisted his hands and brought them to his face, banging his knuckles against his forehead. “I didn’t do anything with them or to them. I didn’t do anything wrong! I love them!”
“Where are they?” Noah pressed.
“I don’t know!” His fists dropped to his sides but still he looked like a wild animal caught in a trap. With a heaving chest, he scanned the room, as if looking for an escape route.
Josie jerked her chair closer to his. “You held them at your house for almost a week, but you don’t know where they are now? Make it make sense, Griff.”
From her periphery, Josie saw Noah sit down across from Griffin. A calm, patient competence radiated from him. She was in tune with it just as much as she was with her own body. They were going to need it because she felt like she was going to come out of her skin. It was becoming increasingly obvious with the passing of each agonizing second that they were not getting what they needed from Griffin Holt fast enough.
They’d need to take the long way around. She just hoped it wouldn’t cost Dani and Cassidy their lives.
FORTY-EIGHT
“There’s obviously been a misunderstanding,” Noah said. “Let’s all take a breath, okay? Can I get you some water? Anything?”
The courtesy seemed to take Griffin off guard, but it had the effect Noah had clearly been trying to accomplish. After several deep breaths, the wildness in his eyes dimmed and he shook his head slowly, muttering, “No. Thank you.”
“You’ll let me know if you do, okay?” Noah told him. “Now, let’s go back to Monday night. You went to Dani’s house. Why?”
Griffin’s attention dropped to one of his sleeves. He scratched at a small brown stain on the cuff. It was minuscule and it could have been anything—coffee, tea, dirt—but Josie wondered if it was dried blood.
