Chapter Fifty-Seven
“I’m not talking until my attorney is present.”
Braddock stalked back and forth in front of the interview table.
Cooper leaned across the table, glaring at Jenkins. “Listen, you little piece of shit, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll start talking now.”
Jenkins moved his head side to side. “No way.”
They’d put off allowing his call to an attorney in hopes of getting the truth out of him.
The bastard wasn’t budging. Considering he didn’t have a damned clue what was happening, Braddock couldn’t waste any more time.
Every minute that passed allowed for the unexpected.
He couldn’t risk waiting this bonehead out.
Braddock glanced at Cooper. “Go have a smoke.”
She straightened, looked at her partner. “I quit smoking.”
“Then go take a piss,” he growled.
“Look.” She turned to him. “This is one of those moments, Braddock. I’m your partner—you can’t go doing stupid shit without me.”
“Out,” he ordered.
She looked from him to Jenkins, heaved a frustrated sigh, and walked out. Slammed the door.
Jenkins licked his lips, shifted as best he could considering his skinny ass was shackled to the chair. “You touch me and I’ll file charges, Braddock. The chief, the mayor . . . they’re all watching this case. You can’t mess this up.”
Braddock walked around behind him. He no longer felt angry or frustrated.
He just wanted to tear this little shit’s head off.
He grabbed a handful of Jenkins’s hair and yanked his head back.
“Don’t worry, the only thing I’m going to mess up is you.
” Then he rammed the muzzle of his service revolver against Jenkins’s temple. “Now talk.”
Jenkins screamed.
Braddock released the safety on his weapon. The click resonated in the room.
“Okay! Okay!” Jenkins wailed. “It wasn’t Nash. He killed Celeste, but he didn’t kill the others.”
“And how would you know this?” Fury pounded once more in Braddock’s temples.
“Because . . .” Jenkins’s eyes were wild with fear and something else Braddock couldn’t label. “Because I was his lover. He confided in me!” Jenkins sobbed. “Told me everything.”
“And you”—Braddock twisted his hair, garnering a yelp—“were his snitch.”
“Yes! Yes! Please . . . please don’t kill me.”
“Is there a video?”
“Yes.” Jenkins dragged in a quavering breath. “Yes,” he whimpered. “I know where it’s at. I can take you to it.”
4:50 a.m.
The screen flickered and images came into view.
Braddock had accompanied Jenkins to where Nash’s SUV had been towed by the forensic folks and retrieved the video from its hiding place. By the time they got back to the station the whole world was standing by, casting accusatory looks at Braddock.
Like he gave a shit. He’d done what he had to do.
He and Cooper sat up straighter as images came into focus on the screen.
“You will do it!” Cost screamed at Shelley.
“Rewind it,” Braddock ordered. His body literally shook with the anticipation now.
“Rewind.” Cooper pressed the necessary button and the whir of the tape sounded. A click indicated it was back at the beginning. Cooper pressed play.
Shelley opened the front door and Cost stormed in. “Fast-forward,” Braddock ordered. “Do it slow, where we can see what’s happening.”
“Forward search,” Cooper said as she pressed another button.
Braddock’s heart threatened to burst out of his chest as he watched the altercation between Cost and Shelley play out without the sound effects. Finally the bastard stormed out the door. Shelley leaned against it and cried.
His heart ached for what this would do to CJ if she saw it. The images faded to black. What the hell? There had to be more than that.
The screen flickered and Shelley was opening the door again. “Hit play,” Braddock ordered.
Cooper hit play.
“What do you want?”
Edward Abbott stepped into view.
“What the hell?” Braddock muttered.
“You made the first move, Shelley,” Abbott said. “This is your game. What do you want?”
Shelley went toe-to-toe with the man and stuck her finger in his face. “I want you to stay away from my sister. I know what you’re up to, and if you don’t back off, I’m going to tell her about the cameras . . . about everything! Then she won’t ever have anything to do with you again.”
Abbott stared at her a moment. “Your whole life you’ve done nothing but try to hurt your sister. You’re the one who needs to stay away from her.”
“Who do you think you are?” she demanded. “You’re nothing but a pervert. CJ’s never going to love you. When I tell her, she’ll see the truth. You’re insane.”
Abbott grabbed her by the throat. “You will not”—he shook her harder, squeezed her throat harder with every word—“tell her. If you do—”
Shelley ripped away from him, raced out the still-open door.
Abbott went after her.
A half minute turned to one and no one reappeared on the screen. The house remained empty. No sound. No nothing.
“Forward search again.” Braddock couldn’t breathe. This couldn’t be what he thought.
He didn’t know how many minutes elapsed. Suddenly Abbott appeared. Alone. He looked around the living room, then walked out of the house and closed the door.
Cooper turned to Braddock. “It was Abbott.”
Braddock grabbed his key fob from his desk and ran for the exit. He’d failed again.
He’d ordered CJ to stay put . . . with the killer.