“No worries.” Micha gave the vague answer. He didn’t know if he would be answering the detective’s call or on the run with Ava, and he wouldn’t be caught in a lie.
Stanley stared at Micha, his expression that of a bulldog. “See that you don’t continue to help Ava Weston avoid arrest. If you do, I’ll haul you in for obstruction.”
Micha didn’t respond but waited for an official dismissal.
“And don’t go back home without telling me.” Stanley jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Now get out of here.”
Micha crossed the yard to Colin. Never had he wanted to pick up his feet and run this badly since he left active duty. To get out of here before Stanley found a reason to hold them, keeping Micha from Ava.
Colin stood. “We cleared to leave?”
“Yeah.” Micha didn’t stop but barreled toward the driveway and the company SUV parked on the road in the same location as when they’d first arrived to find Jamal.
Colin fell into step. “You think Stanley bought your story?”
Micha marched down the drive, glad to continue to put distance between himself and the nosy detective. “I think for the most part, but he’s suspicious. Thankfully we never entered the house the first time we visited, so he won’t find any evidence linking me or Ava to this property.”
“Still, if he finds the apartment empty and Ava long gone, his doubt will grow.”
“Agreed, but at least I didn’t have to lie about anything or risk giving her away. He didn’t even ask if I knew what the object was in Jamal’s neck. Don’t think I could’ve faked an answer to that one without right-out lying to the guy.”
“Me either. Surprised me that he didn’t ask.” Colin said. “But maybe he already Googled it and realizes how unusual it is and figures we wouldn’t have a clue.”
“Could be, and I think he buys the fact that we didn’t go into the house, much less kill the guy. Sounds like he doesn’t like us for the murder, but he does want to check with the other class participants to see if we had a run-in with Jamal.”
“Did you?”
Micha cast his teammate a testy look. “No, of course not. Only thing that could even be close would be when Jamal complained about having to cook his own food, but I handled it diplomatically, and the others will confirm that.”
“Figured as much but had to ask as sometimes it’s all I can do not to deck some of these preppers who have doomsday outlooks.”
“True for all of us, but they’re the ones who put the food on my table.” His sister and niece’s table, too, which was far more important. “We should head down the road a bit before calling Dev. I don’t want Stanley to see us and change his mind about letting us go.”
They reached the company SUV, and he headed for the driver’s side. His phone rang. “It’s Sierra at the Veritas Center.” He tossed his keys to Colin. “You drive so I can talk to her and we can get moving.”
“Sierra,” he answered on speaker and climbed into the passenger side. “Putting you on speaker so Colin can hear.”
Colin fired up the engine and got the vehicle moving down the road.
“I have an evidence update for you,” she said.
“And what did you find?” Micha set the phone in the console and buckled his seatbelt.
“Your guy Jamal Thomason’s prints match the ones I lifted from the catapult,” she said. “He has a very unique arch, and it’s indisputable. I’d be glad to testify to that. You could get the police to arrest him for that while you continue to investigate.”
Arrest. Right. She wouldn’t know. “Too late. Jamal is dead. Murdered. Part of a musical instrument stuck in his neck. He bled out.”
She gasped. “Oh. Oh. Wow. Oh. I guess the police are involved now.”
“They are, but we haven’t told them about the evidence that we’ve delivered to you or that we’re using your services.”
She didn’t respond right away, the silence uncomfortable. “Will you?”
He had no idea what she thought about that, but it didn’t matter. He had to tell her the truth. “I have no plans to say anything, but the prints might change things. It shows that the guy tried to inflict harm on Ava or even kill her. That could then open the door to believing Ava’s innocent of charges.”
“Or it could give her even more reason to want revenge,” Colin said.
Micha shot his buddy a grumpy look. He didn’t like Colin’s comment even if it was the truth.
