Chapter 40
FORTY
Amanda stormed into Central, her target Interview Room Two, where she was told Hernandez was waiting with his lawyer.
“Amanda, one minute.” It was Malone, and he had stepped out into the hallway from the neighboring observation room.
She turned to face him.
“Just watch your steps in there. Am I understood?” His eyes and voice were soft and full of concern.
“I’m not going to dance around this guy. It’s time that he learns the lesson he can’t get away with murder. We now have a body on his property. This could put him away.”
He held up a hand as he walked closer to her. “I get where you’re coming from, trust me I do.”
“Please don’t give me a speech about presumed innocent until proven guilty. I couldn’t swallow it right now. Hernandez is linked to Abigail McGee. She was a threat to him.”
“I’m not denying that, but if he has the Archers, we’re forced to play along somewhat.”
The point wasn’t missed on her, and it had been something she’d been juggling with on the drive back into town. The need to show some diplomacy when all she wanted to do was throttle the man and force him to talk. “I understand that.”
“Good.” Malone ducked back into the observation room.
She and Trent carried on next door, and she pushed inside.
Lucas Hernandez smiled at her. “Detective Amanda Steele. Who would have guessed we’d meet again?”
I did… Call it a foreboding she felt deep in her core. It was one she tried to push away in the last month without success. And here she was face to face with the monster, as if it were her fate.
“I’m Wilson Duran, Mr. Hernandez’s attorney. We would like to file a complaint against the PWCPD. You conducted an unlawful search of my client’s property.”
“Then you failed to do your homework.” She flipped a copy of the search warrant on the table.
The lawyer picked it up, glanced it over, and set it down with a tight smile. “This wasn’t issued for the PWCPD.”
“No, but the PWCPD is working with the US Marshals Service.” As if on cue, there was a rap on the door, and it opened. Russell Holden entered.
Hernandez’s face shadowed. “And who is this?”
“Deputy US Marshal Holden,” Russell said, introducing himself.
Amanda looked over her shoulder at him, hoping he didn’t have plans to take over the interrogation. If he did, he’d be disappointed.
The lawyer pushed back in his chair and cleared his throat. “Whoever approved this search warrant should lose the bench.”
“There were grounds for its approval. Your client’s connection to Abigail McGee isn’t a secret. She was missing, along with her sister-in-law and niece. We had reason to think that they might have been held on your client’s property,” she laid out.
“And now that everyone’s time has been wasted…” The lawyer made a move to get up, as did Hernandez.
“Yeah, not so soon. And I think your client knows that.” Amanda dared to meet the drug kingpin’s eye.
Hernandez smiled tightly. “I assure you that I have no idea what you’re talking about. I haven’t been out there in days.”
“Well, that could line up then. Days ago was when Abigail McGee was murdered on your property.” A fabrication since Amanda had no idea about her time of death.
This was the point when she’d slap a photograph on the table if she had one.
It was more urgent they came here than stick around to talk to the CSIs and ME.
“Yes, well, if you say so.”
“Are you admitting that you knew Abigail McGee?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Besides, I have nothing to hide.”
She wanted to wipe the smugness off his face. She produced a photograph of Valerie and Brooke and put it on the table facing Hernandez. “Do you know who they are?” More like will you admit to it…?
“I haven’t met them personally, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Detective, please.” Wilson scowled. “There is prejudice against my client. It was his property, yes, but what took place there doesn’t automatically put him at fault. He should be treated as nothing more than a potential witness. Under US law—”
“As I already stated, your client has a connection to the victim,” Amanda cut the lawyer off, not about to get a lecture from him.
“Abigail was set to testify against Mr. Hernandez in the murders of several PWCPD officers. He’d have reason to silence her.
You’ve been looking for her the last eight years.
” She leveled the accusation at Hernandez.
“Come on, Detective, you can do better than that,” Wilson groaned.
“When Abigail popped her head up and met with her sister-in-law, your client knew she was in contact with the Archers. He had them kidnapped and insisted they tell him where to find her.”
“Quite an entertaining story, Detective.” Hernandez smirked at his lawyer.
She continued. “When Abigail’s brother stood up to your people, you had him killed too.”
“Now you’re adding another victim. Where’s the proof any of this took place?” Wilson asked with nonchalance.
She didn’t respond to the attorney and held eye contact with Hernandez. “Did you order Nina to kill Paul Archer?”
His left eye twitched ever so subtly before both narrowed. He said nothing.
“We know she loves to use a blade. Paul Archer was stabbed seven times, five after he was already dead.” She pulled a photo from his crime scene. Hernandez looked at the carnage but gave no reaction.
The lawyer flipped the picture and turned to Hernandez. “Don’t concern yourself about any of this. We’re going to file a complaint against the PWCPD for harassment, and we’ll be leaving now.”
“Not so quick,” Amanda said. “We have twenty-four hours to hold your client without laying a charge.”
The lawyer smiled tightly. “You can’t just hold my client while you fabricate a case against him. And even if this Nina person is guilty of a murder, that doesn’t implicate my client in any way.”
“Nina reports to Mr. Hernandez. She’d never do anything without his authorization.” Amanda put faith in that statement, but she wondered how much Hernandez paid the lawyer for his soul.
“And here I thought we had an understanding, Detective,” Hernandez piped up, his voice smooth.
She became rigid. “Really? And what’s that?”
“I cooperated in a previous investigation, and this is the thanks I get?”
“You’re a killer, and I will see to it that you go down for that. Even if it’s for one person. That’s all it takes to put you in a cell for the rest of your natural life.”
“Yes, while threats don’t suit you, Detective.”
“I agree. I’m the follow-through-on-my-word type of woman.” Her heart was pounding, but she refused to back down to this parasite.
“We’ll see about that.” Hernandez stood.
“Yes, well, we found your camera, and we’ll be accessing its footage.
Are we going to see you murdering Abigail?
” They didn’t yet know if Abigail was shot where she was found or if her body was carried there.
Though Amanda would guess the former. And if so, it would be out of sight from the camera on the house. No more had been found on the property.
Hernandez smiled. “No such footage exists.”
She leaned forward and cocked an eyebrow. “But you’re not denying that you killed her?”
“Detective,” Wilson warned. “You’re putting words in my client’s mouth.”
Amanda pulled back. She’d approach from another angle. “We’ve got Nina here too. We’re going to see what she has to say about all this.”
“Do what you want, but Nina is loyal.”
Amanda’s turn to smile. “Yes, so she’d only do as you told her.”
Wilson grimaced but wisely remained silent.
Amanda continued. “We’ll be getting a warrant to search your house, Lucas. She lives there with you from what we understand.”
“I wish you luck.” Hernandez walked past her with Wilson in tow.
“Where are they?” she asked out of desperation. “Are they even still alive?”
Hernandez stopped shy of the door and turned around. “Abigail was a rat from a family of rats, and she poked her nose into other people’s business.”
Namely yours… “That’s why you got rid of her.”
He smiled and pointed a finger at her. “That’s what you said, not me.”
“Right, so you have no idea how Abigail wound up dead on your property?”
The lawyer stood next to her. “Detective, that’s quite enough. Asked and answered. My client has been more than cooperative.” He gestured for Hernandez to lead the way out.
Amanda bunched up her face and paced in a circle. “He sits right there and claims to know nothing about her murder.”
“Did you expect anything different?” This came from the marshal and had her turning to face him. She’d almost forgotten he was there. Almost.
“He’s going down for this,” she stated. “We’ll get that footage from that camera and send it to Digital Crimes.”
“I don’t see any judge denying that request,” Trent weighed in.
“Nope. We’ll also get a search warrant for his primary residence, and we’re going to tear it apart.
” She spoke more confidently than she had any reason to feel.
Though, surely any judge would see justification.
Nina lived in Hernandez’s house. The motive for him to want Abigail dead was indisputable even if the passage of time threatened to dismiss it.
All they had to do was put the right type of blade that killed Paul Archer in Nina’s hand.
From there they could build a case against Hernandez. In his own words, Nina was loyal.
“We can give it a go,” Trent said.
He might as well have added it might work out if they wished upon a star and crossed their fingers.
But Amanda’s mind was too busy pulling apart what Hernandez had meant by saying Abigail came from a family of rats.
After all, as far as they knew, he had an issue with only one of them, and she was dead.