Connor shrugged. "We went to high school together. I hadn’t seen her in a couple of years, then she called me out of the blue.”
“And you just thought this would be a good idea?” I snarked.
Connor frowned. “I needed the money. What was I gonna do?”
“How about not throwing acid in somebody’s face?” Jack said, full of disdain. “How about that for a thought?”
Connor frowned.
We asked him a few more questions, then stepped out into the hallway.
I told the sheriff when he joined us, "I have it on good authority there are several calls and texts between Connor and Vanessa. I’ve got my people looking at bank records, crypto transactions, etc. Maybe we can find a paper trail."
"With his statement, I think we've got enough for a warrant. Go pick her up and see what kind of story she tells. I'll get a court order for the records.”
We filled out an application for a warrant. I would have liked to have been able to use the cell phone records to corroborate his story, but at that point, we hadn’tacquired them through legitimate means. Still, with Connor's statement, Judge Echols signed off on a warrant.
We had a tactical team at Vanessa's apartment in no time. I banged a heavy fist against the door and shouted, "Coconut County! We have a warrant!"
There was no response.
I nodded to Erickson, and he slammed the battering ram against the door. The metal jamb bent, and the door flung wide. We stormed into the high-rise apartment with weapons drawn. The team advanced down the foyer and hit the living room.
Vanessa stood there with wide eyes, looking mortified. Frozen, she wasn’t sure what to do. Fight or flight had taken over. She wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. The only other way out of the apartment was over the balcony. I didn't think she wanted to go that route. It was 22 stories down.
She lived in the Trident Tower. It was a nice place. I figured Sebastian paid her well.
"Down on the ground!" I shouted. "Put your hands behind your head."
Vanessa complied.
I advanced, slapped the cuffs around her wrists, and pulled her to her feet. "You have the right to remain silent…"
I escorted her out of the apartment and down the hall to the elevator.
JD and the rest of the tactical team searched the apartment.Outside, I stuffed Vanessa into the back of a patrol car, then returned to the apartment.
She was taken down to the station, processed, and printed.
The team didn't find anything incriminating in the apartment.
We wrapped up, sealed the unit with crime scene tape, then returned to the station and filled out reports.
After Vanessa had enough time to stew in the interrogation room, JD and I paid her a visit.
15
Vanessa was a complete basket case by the time we stepped into the interrogation room. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and mascara stained her cheeks.
She was not cut out for prison. That was obvious. With her designer clothes, handbag, shoes, and a Rolex Datejust in white gold, she was used to the finer things in life. An orange jumpsuit wouldn't do. It wouldn't do at all.
JD and I took a seat across the table from her. We just stared at her for a moment without saying anything. After a while, it became unsettling.
“Look, before we go any further, you should know we’ve already spoken to Connor,” I said. “He’s admitted to everything. And we have phone records between you and him.”
She swallowed hard and looked at me with wide eyes. “I can explain.”
“I’m listening.”
