Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Jaxon stood behind the one-way mirror with his arms crossed tight over his chest. The observation room felt too small for the amount of anger he carried.
Ezra and Raleigh stood on either side of him while they waited for the men to arrive.
Not that he didn’t already know both of them were guilty as hell, but so far, neither one had slipped up.
Ezra glanced over at him. “You can watch through the mirror, but if you interrupt the interviews, I’ll throw you out myself. I mean it, Jaxon. This is my station, and we do things by the book here.”
Jaxon gave a single nod. “I’ll stay quiet. I’m here to learn anything I can about what they’re planning.
Raleigh adjusted his tie and spoke in that calm lawyer voice of his. “We’ve got two interviews today. Phillip Thorne first, then the General. Both of them know we’re watching. Don’t give them any ammunition they can use later.”
Jaxon kept his eyes on the empty interview room. “I know how this works, Raleigh. You don’t have to worry about me.”
The door creaked as Phillip Thorne walked into the interview room like he owned the place.
He wore a perfectly tailored suit and carried a thin leather briefcase.
His smile looked polite on the surface, but something oily sat underneath it.
Jaxon clocked him immediately. This man was dangerous in a different way than the General.
It was hard to imagine it, but Thorne was even smarter. Colder.
Ezra entered the room and motioned for Phillip to sit. “Thank you for coming in, Mr. Thorne. We’ve got some questions about the note that was found at the DA’s office.”
Phillip settled into the chair and folded his hands on the table. “Of course, Detective. I’m happy to help in any way I can.”
Jaxon watched every movement and listened. There was a reason Thorne had a reputation as a smooth talker. And a liar. It would have been nice to know that when Thorne supposedly represented him against the state.
Thorne looked straight at the two-way mirror and smiled. Oh yeah. Thorne had seen his fair share of interview rooms.
Ezra leaned forward. “Can you tell us how you discovered the note and why you kept it at the DA’s office instead of turning it over to the police directly?”
“It was on the floor just inside the door when I arrived for a scheduled meeting. I assumed it had fallen from the desk. I picked it up and read it because it had a unique watermark. I happen to know the General uses paper with that mark. I thought it could have been important to his case.”
Jaxon narrowed his eyes. Something about the wording felt off.
Raleigh muttered beside him, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets nominated for an Oscar after this performance. It’s so clearly been rehearsed that it’s laughable. He knew exactly what he was doing.”
Ezra continued. “Are you aware that the General has been spotted outside of his confinement area? You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
“As far as I know, he’s right where he’s supposed to be. It was my understanding that you’re able to track him with his ankle bracelet. So you tell me, has he been out wandering the streets or squares of Darling?” A brief smile played across Thorne’s face, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Behind the glass, Jaxon growled. “That bastard knew all about Boucher’s plan to attack Tazzy. Hell, he probably helped him get the fucking paintball rifle.”
“I know, I know. Let’s just keep it down. His time will come,” Raleigh said.
Jaxon refocused his attention on the interview room.
Ezra was scribbling something on his notepad. “I’ll have to check into that. As his lawyer, I’m sure you get to see him frequently.”
“Not as often as you might think. He’s not my only concern.”
“Have you ever observed him with the leg bracelet off?”
“Detective, how in the world would that be possible? Doesn’t it alert or something if it’s tampered with?
Even if it didn’t, I’m sure you remember that one of your esteemed colleagues checks every week or two.
Surely, they would notice any tampering.
Unless, that is, you’re hinting at someone on the DPD of negligence or dereliction of duty. ”
On the other side of the mirror, Raleigh grimaced. “Did you notice how he avoided answering that question directly?”
“Yeah,” said Jaxon, “I noticed. And he always comes back with a question of his own.”
“Ezra’s too experienced to fall into that trap. He’s no slouch when it comes to that either.
Ezra guided Thorne through a series of questions about paintball, where he was on certain dates, purchases he did or didn’t make for the General, and everything in between, including one question about the black SUV.
“Yes,” Thorne answered. “I own a black SUV. By my estimate, there are probably 3000 black SUVs owned in this state, and that doesn’t even count any that may have been brought in from the eight states that border Tennessee.
“How the fuck does he know things like that? Who has statistics about black SUVs at his fingertips like that?” Jaxon wanted to punch something. “That wasn’t for Ezra. That message was for me.”
Raleigh nodded. “He probably agreed to this interview just so he could say that. It’s like saying he knows all about what happened last night, and there’s not a damn thing we can do.”
“He thinks he has everything under control, doesn’t he?”
“That’s a good thing. He underestimates us. Don’t let it get to you. I promise you, we’ll beat him in court.”
“If you don’t, I’ll beat him later,” Jaxon murmured. If Raleigh heard him, he pretended otherwise.
Finally, the interview wound down. Thorne had been impervious to every question, never giving the least indication of discomfort until Ezra stood up to thank him for coming.
Taking Thorne’s hand, he held on with a strong grip instead of letting go after the perfunctory handshake. “By the way, I wanted to express my sincere regret over the disappearance of your wife.
For the first time, Thorne was off balance, angry.
“My wife walked away of her own volition. She abandoned my children and me. It was painful, but it happened a long time ago and has nothing to do with what’s going on now.
That’s over and done with, and I would appreciate you not mentioning it again. ”
Ezra released his hand.
Phillip said, straightening his tie and regaining his composure. “It’s a rather painful memory as I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course, just expressing my concern,” Ezra said.
Phillip made a business of looking at his wristwatch before straightening his cufflinks.
“He would have a Rolex, the pretentious prick,” Raleigh said.
“Just the same, detective, I think it’s time we proceed with District Attorney General Boucher’s interview. He is here as a courtesy after all.”
“I believe that’s former District Attorney General Boucher, Mr. Thorne.”
“For now.” Phillip paused at the door before turning back to Ezra. “And detective, if I were you, I’d forget about that note. It was almost certainly a sick prank of some sort. If one of my associates hadn’t insisted on turning it in, it would have been thrown away.”
“I thought you said you thought it might be important to the General’s case,” Ezra said.
Phillip’s face froze, his smug composure slipping as his eyes widened for a heartbeat. His mouth opened, then closed again, the practiced response clearly failing him. After another beat, he said, “Yes, but that was before I read the note.”
Ezra gave Phillip a Gomer Pyle grin, playing the country bumpkin policeman to a tee. “That’s right,” he said. “I’ll wait here for you and the General.”
“Ha! I bet not many people can say they’ve put a look like that on Thorne’s face,” said Raleigh.
Jaxon bet so, too. When Ezra got off work, Jaxon was buying the man a beer. Then a thought occurred to him. Maybe the note wasn’t meant to be on the floor right inside the door. Maybe it was meant to be harder to find.
Jaxon’s hands clenched at his sides. If it had been up to Thorne, they would have had no warning that Tazzy was in danger.
The man was cold as ice. Jaxon wouldn’t put anything past the man.
As a matter of fact, after Thorne’s reaction to Ezra’s questions about the man’s wife, Jaxon was beginning to wonder what exactly had happened to Thorne’s wife all those years ago.
He’d be willing to bet no one had heard that whole story.
He needed to talk to Ravage again. With the biker’s knowledge of the Society’s inner workings, maybe he could make more out of the interview.
Jaxon exhaled hard, thinking out loud about Thorne.
“Zane said his father was worse than the General in some ways… more calculating. The General screws up and then uses fear, intimidation, and murder to cover his tracks. Phillip, on the other hand, never loses control. That’s what makes his reaction to Ezra’s question about his wife so interesting.
It caught him off guard. And the fact that he would mention the note again means he really wishes it’d never come to light. ”
Raleigh nodded. “You know him better than I thought you did. We’ll keep digging into his past. But right now it’s time for the main event.” He held his hand up like he was ringing a bell. “Ding, ding, ding.”
As if in answer, the interview door opened, and the General entered.
Alexander Boucher looked every bit the arrogant son of a bitch he was. He wore a new crisp shirt and slacks, even though he was supposed to be under monitoring at Graceview. Phillip Thorne followed him in.
The General sat down and leaned back in the chair, as relaxed as if he were in his own living room.
Before Ezra could say a word, Thorne held up his hand. “Before we get started. I need to explain some things on the record.”
Ezra nodded and pressed a button on the table to start the recording. “Okay, we’ve started. Go ahead.”