Chapter 38
Alexis panicked. It was something she hadn’t fully considered.
“I know your father put you up to this. It’s totally natural to want to cover for him. Hell, I’d do the same thing,” I said, trying to sound sympathetic. “I don’t know if you even know what was on that laptop.”
She shook her head.
“Who smashed it with a hammer?”
“Not me.”
I gave her a flat look. “Well, it was somebody.”
Alexis hesitated for a long moment. “I’m not saying anything else. I want an attorney.”
That was the end of the interview.
We pushed away from the table, and a guard buzzed us out. Sheriff Daniels joined us in the hallway.
“Just FYI, her prints don’t match Liam’s thermos,” Daniels said. “Blair is in the lobby raising hell. She wants to see her daughter.”
Her irate voice bounced off the walls and echoed down the hallway.
I shrugged. “Maybe we should let her.” Then I added, “Keep the camera rolling.”
Daniels grinned, then set out to find Blair and David. He escorted them back to the interrogation room.
Blair laid into me. “How dare you arrest my daughter!? She’s done nothing wrong. How was she supposed to know the laptop was stolen? You ought to put that piece of trash, Megan, in jail.”
“She is, ma’am. You’ve got 30 minutes to talk to your daughter before she’s transferred to the pod.”
“Can’t you just release her into our custody?”
“I’m sorry. That’s not possible.” In a cordial tone, I said, “Would you like something to drink? Water? Tea? Coffee?”
“No, thank you,” Blair snapped in a snooty voice.
I smiled and grabbed the door for her.
Blair hesitated. “Is this conversation being recorded?”
“No,” I said.
In Florida, it was perfectly legal for law enforcement to lie. I may have misspoken.
She and David stepped into the room. Alexis looked much relieved to see them. Before the door closed, Blair called back to me. “Deputy, on second thought, I will take that bottle of water.”
“Certainly,” I said, trying not to smile too much.
I hurried to get three bottles, then returned to the interrogation room and set them on the table.
Blair managed to say, "Thank you."
I darted out and joined the sheriff and JD in the observation room. We watched as they talked.
Blair cracked open a bottle of water and took a sip. She opened another bottle for her daughter and set it before her. With her hands cuffed in front of her, Alexis could drink it.
"What have you said?" David asked in a whisper.
"Nothing," Alexis replied.
"No matter what, don't talk to these assholes."
Alexis broke down, and tears streamed. "I'm scared."
"I know. We'll get you out of here in the morning.”
"I can't spend the night in this place," she said, panicked.
"I'll do everything I can, sweetie," David assured. “I promise.”
"This is all your fault,” Alexis blurted.
David's face tightened. "Now is not the time to assign blame."
"I think you’re both idiots," Blair said. "You should have let me handle this."
David scoffed. "I'm not the one who had an affair with the tennis pro. I'm not the one who let him into our home.”
Blair glared at him. She took a sip from a bottle of water and left a smear of lipstick.
"We wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren't for you," David continued.
"Maybe if you would have taken care of business at home, I wouldn't have had to look elsewhere.”
"Mom! I don't need to hear this.”
"Sorry, dear. But it's true. Your father doesn't quite measure up.”
Now it was David's turn to glare at Blair.
"You two bitching at each other is not going to help me get out of here," Alexis said.
"I've called Ed Van Austen," David said. "He's going to meet you at your arraignment tomorrow. This is nothing more than a petty theft case. You'll be out with little more than a blemish on your record, and I'm sure Ed can make that go away. He plays golf with Judge Echols for crissakes.”
Blair smiled and took her daughter's hand. "You know we both love you, and we're with you no matter what.”
"You’re not with me in a jail cell.”
Blair sighed. "You know what I mean. We're with you in spirit. Now keep your chin up. Don't be a crybaby. And keep your dumb mouth shut."
Alexis glared at her as she pushed away from the table and stood up.
David followed, and Blair knocked on the door. "Can somebody let us out of here!”
A guard buzzed them out. They stepped into the hallway and marched away.
JD and I shared a look with the sheriff. It wasn't enough for a warrant, but it didn't make Blair and David look like saints.
I pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves, stepped back into the interrogation room, and took the bottles of water.
Alexis complained. "Hey, I wasn't finished with that.”
I stepped back into the hallway and headed to the property department to log them into evidence. It wouldn't take long for the lab to pull prints and collect DNA.