“And yet two of those cases involved GHB.So I would like iton the record that the sheriff is taking his orders from Jack Barnes,” Garrettsaid clearly.
“I ain’t taking orders,” the sheriff replied.
“But you have been talking to him.”
“His daughter is the victim.I’ve been keeping him updated,”the sheriff clarified with a long sigh.“I ain’t gonna apologize for that.Geton with the interview.”
“What is your relationship to Olivia Barnes-Fleetwood?”Deputy Morgan asked.
He looked to Garrett.In this, his friend was the leader.When Garrett nodded, Keane looked back to Deputy Morgan.“I’m working as theforeman on her parents’ ranch while Josh is on his honeymoon.”
Garrett stared at him.
Keane sighed inwardly.“I am also involved in an emotionalrelationship with Olivia.We’re seeing each other on an exclusive basis.”
Garrett cleared his throat.
He was going to push everything tonight.Well, they all knewanyway.“Except Garrett.He’s part of the relationship as well.”
“So both you and your lawyer are dating OliviaBarnes-Fleetwood.”The words were matter of fact, and Deputy Morgan wrote inher notebook despite the fact the entire conversation was being recorded.
“Yes.”Had been dating her.She likely would never speak tohim again.She probably heard the story from her father and realized who hereally was.Would she testify against him?Would her words put him back inhell?
“Did you go to The Barn tonight with her?”
“We did.”His brain had been almost numb since they shovedall those volts through him.He’d passed out, and when he woke up in the policevehicle his brain had been fuzzy with only one thing clear.It was happeningagain.He was waking up again, and he didn’t like it.
“Who drove her there?”Deputy Morgan asked.
“I drove.I don’t have a car here and Olivia’s is waitingfor new tires to be shipped, so we took our friend Gabe’s truck, and she andGabriel Lodge and Miranda McNamara-O’Malley followed along in Gigi’s SUV.”Theydidn’t quite fit into the SUV without shoving one of the large men in the back.
At the time Keane had been happy because it meant they couldleave early if they wanted to.He’d had visions of play time, with Olivia’sgorgeous body tied down and waiting for his pleasure.
“At what time did you arrive?”
He thought back.He had to focus.The facts were important,and he couldn’t get them mixed up.It didn’t matter that he’d been throughsomething traumatic.They would use any mistakes he made against him.“Aroundsix.We went into the dining room for dinner.”
“When did you start drinking?”
Naturally they were going to concentrate on that.“We atefirst.I think most of us had tea with dinner.We switched to margaritas andbeers when we went dancing.We ordered our first round at roughly seven thirty.All the men had beers and the women got margaritas.”
“Were you all sitting together?”Deputy Morgan’s eyes wereon her notebook.
“We were at two different tables, though we managed to finda couple that were fairly close.I could see Olivia.The men were at one table,and the ladies had one as well.It was crowded and the big tables were alltaken.”
Deputy Morgan looked up.“I would think if she’s yourgirlfriend, then she would want to sit with you.”
He remembered the drill.Every tiny bit of information wouldbe picked at and peeled back to find whatever fit their narrative.“We wantedto get to know Gabe better, and Olivia wanted some time with her friends.”
Deputy Morgan made a sound as she wrote something in hernotebook.
Garrett sat up.“All of this should be verifiable bywitnesses and the security cameras.Our server’s name was Hannah.”
Deputy Morgan nodded.“Hannah Jones.We’ve talked to her.According to her you ordered a round but chose to go to the bar to get yoursecond round.”
There was a reason for that.“She disappeared.We waited fora while, but the place was crowded, and I’m sure she was handling a lot oftables.”
“She said she wasn’t gone for long.She went to help afellow server with a large table in the dining room.She thinks she was gonefor maybe five minutes.”
