Wedding Bell Blues (32 page)

"Colton, I don't know."

"Just think about it for a minute." He gave a reassuring
smile. "You
don't have to worry. I'll be in the room with you and there will be
others on the other side of the mirror watching. He won't be able to
hurt you."

Hurt me? That was the last thing I was worried about as long
as he
was in custody. Laughter bubbled up inside me, and I buried my face in
my hands, my shoulders shaking as I fought to hold it inside. I knew
the moment I let it out, the hysteria I'd held in check since Saturday
would emerge, and I wasn't sure I could stop it.

I don't know how long I sat there, desperately trying to hold
back
all the emotions I'd held in check for the better part of a week. It
couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but it seemed much longer.
As though he knew I needed the time, Colton never said a word. I felt
his hand on mine and knew he was there, that he wouldn't let anything
happen to me. But I couldn't say anything, couldn't tell him how much
that meant to me. If I opened my mouth, I'd scream.

Slowly, oh so slowly, the emotions eased back. I'd have to
deal with
them and soon, but not here and not now. Maybe, if I was really lucky,
they would stay hidden deep inside of me until after the wedding. Now,
however, I had a decision to make.

"You'll be there, right?"

"I will." Another reassuring squeeze of the hand. "Jess, will
you do it?"

"If it helps end this nightmare, yeah."

He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. Sitting at that
battered table, my work spread out before us, his expression said it
all. Never before had he looked so proud of me, so confident that we -
yes, we - were about to do the right thing. I just hoped he was right.

"Let's do it before I change my mind."

He nodded and helped me to my feet. This time, when we left
the
break room, he kept hold of my hand. When one of the detectives let
loose with a wolf whistle, Colton merely grinned like the boy who'd won
top prize at the fair. Then, to my surprise, he slid his arm about my
shoulders and pulled me close. I guess we'd just cleared another hurdle.

"He's just inside here, Jess," Colton said as we stopped
before a
very solid metal door. "He's dressed in the jail's orange jumpsuit and
flip-flops. I'll be honest: he looks the worse for wear."

"Colton!"

"No, Jess, no." He held up a hand to forestall any other
comments.
"Sweetheart, no one's laid a hand on him. It's just that he didn't
sleep any last night and it shows."

I relaxed a little. No matter how angry I was with Joey, no
matter
how hard it was to accept what he'd done, I didn't want him hurt. Not
this way. No, it was for the courts to decide what should happen to
him, not me and not any one other person.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded and drew a bracing breath as he opened the door and
stepped aside so I could enter.

As I entered the small interrogation room, I quickly looked
around.
Like the break room, this was exactly what I'd expected after seeing
all those cop shows on TV. A heavy metal table with a fake wooden top
was in the center of the room. Two chairs rested on the far side of the
table and two on the side nearer me. Seated on one of the far chairs
was Joey Walters. His eyes were deeply shadowed, and there was the
dusting of a beard on his cheeks and chin. His right hand rested on the
table, the silver of one end of a pair of handcuffs visible on that
wrist, the chain snaking down below the tabletop to the ring set in the
bottom of the table where the other end of the cuffs had been fastened.

Standing there looking at him, I expected to feel pity, maybe
even a
hint of concern for the student I'd cared for. But I didn't. That
student hadn't existed, not really. The young man sitting before me,
looking scared and a little sick, was a stranger, someone to whom I
owed nothing.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I sat across from him, acutely
aware of
Colton standing just behind me. I wanted to take his hand again, but
didn't dare. I didn't want this little creep to know he scared me. I
wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

"Does he have to be here?" He nodded in Colton's direction.

"Yes, he does," I answered before Colton could. "Even if the
police
and district attorney didn't insist on it, I would." I waited a beat
before continuing. "Now, what did you want to say?"

"Please, don't be like that. We didn't mean to hurt you."
Tears
actually gathered in his eyes. God, he was good. Either that, or he
really was sorry. Well, it was too little, too late.

"But you did. Worse, you killed a good man, widowed the wife
who
loved him, and took him from his children much too soon." Colton's hand
tightened slightly on my shoulder in warning. I didn't like it, but he
was right. I couldn't alienate Joey just yet. Not until he'd told us
what we wanted to hear.

"It was an accident. I swear it, Ms. Jones." His hands fisted
on the
table before him, the metal of the cuffs rasping against it in time
with his movements.

"Then explain to me how this accident cost Manny his life? How
it
made you hit me, then burn down my house? How it forced you to shoot at
me in front of my parents' house."

"Please, you don't understand."

"Then explain it so I will."

"Before you do, Walters, I need you to confirm that you've
been read
your Miranda warnings and that you understand them," Colton put in.
Another squeeze on my shoulder warned me not to say anything until Joey
responded.

"I understand," he said so softly Colton had him repeat his
answer.

"And you asked to speak with Ms. Jones; you know we are
recording
this conversation and anything you say can and will be used against you
in court?"

"Yeah." He rubbed his eyes with his free hand before wiping
his nose on the sleeve of his jumpsuit.

"Then tell me, Joey. Why? Why kill Manny and then why do all
the rest?"

"You've got to believe me, it was an accident." He leaned
forward,
expression intent. If he could have reached across the table toward me,
I think he would have. Of course, had he, I would have been forced to
teach him just how foolish that was. "We went there just to mess the
store up. That's all we were supposed to do. We'd been told that the
old man wouldn't be any trouble, especially since he'd think we were
the same guys robbing the other liquor stores.

"But when we started smashing things up, he went crazy. Ms.
Jones,
you have to believe me. He jumped us, tried to fight. Hell, ma'am, he
pulled a gun from under the counter. I was in the back room when I
heard the shot. I came running out to find Un - er, my buddy standing
over him. There was blood all over both of them. But I swear he didn't
mean to shoot the old man. Then, before we could figure out what to do,
you arrived and we just panicked."

He dropped his head onto his arms where they rested on the
table and
sobbed. Oh, he was sorry for what happened. It just wasn't enough.
Manny was dead because of him. Because he and Underwood - and I had no
doubt that's who he was going to name before he stopped himself - had
decided to rob the liquor store, a good man was dead.

Still, he'd said something that bothered me. He'd said they'd
been
told Manny would think they were the same robbers who'd been hitting
area liquor stores. Who told them that? Obviously, someone else was
involved, someone we didn't know about.

"And the rest of it?" I prompted, even as I tried to make
sense of that bit of information.

"We were so scared, Ms. Jones. We figured if we kept the
pressure on
you, you wouldn't remember anything from the liquor store that might
help identify us."

"Did you burn down my house?"

"Yeah, but it was an accident. We thought you were home. You
were
supposed to be home. All we wanted to do was scare you. We even planned
it so you'd be there to call the fire department."

"Sounds like a lot of accidents happen to you, Joey." I
couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice, so I didn't even try.

"You've
got to believe me. She said it would be easy money and no one would get
hurt and we believed her." His face was still pressed against his arms,
muffling his voice.

"Then prove it, Joey. Who was with you at Manny's?"

"Please, Ms. Jones, don't make me rat him out." He looked up,
his eyes pleading with me to let the matter drop.

"I'm done here, detective," I said to Colton as I got to my
feet. "He's just playing me."

"No!" Joey half rose in his chair, dropping back when Colton
tensed at my side. "Please, Ms. Jones. I'll tell you."

I returned to my seat and waited, arms crossed, my expression
stern. "So talk."

"All right." He leaned back, closing his eyes. It was almost
as if
he was offering up a quick prayer. Too bad he hadn't prayed for
guidance before going to Manny's on Saturday. We'd all have been saved
a lot of pain and grief if he had. "It was Underwood."

"Ken Underwood?" I asked.

"Yes."

"It's a good thing you just did, Joey, telling us." I tried to
smile
even though that was the last thing I felt like doing. "I have one more
question."

"What? I've told you everything."

"No, you haven't, and you know it." I gave him a second to
think
about that. "You said someone told you and Underwood that Manny would
think he was being robbed by the same guys who'd been robbing other
liquor stores in the area. Who told you that?"

His eyes grew wide and he cursed softly before he caught
himself.
Interesting. He hadn't meant to tell me that bit. But why? Obviously,
whoever it was, he was more scared of him, or her, than he was of the
police. That didn't make me feel any better. Crap.

"N-no one."

"Damn it, Joey. You wanted to tell me what happened, wanted me
to
understand that you hadn't planned to kill Manny or hurt me. Okay, I
believe you. But I know you, and I know this wasn't something you'd
come up with on your own. So who put you up to it?"

"I told you. No one." He drew himself up, puffed out his chest
and
tried to look stern. All he managed to do was look like a petulant
little boy.

"Then I can't help you."

Once more I got to my feet.
However, this time he didn't stop me. I left the interrogation room,
Colton on my heels. Somehow, I managed to make my way back to the squad
room and the break room beyond. But my control fled the moment the door
closed behind us. I turned, thanking all that was holy as Colton's arms
went about me, holding me close. For a few moments, I could lean on
him, let him comfort me.

"Are you all right?" he asked softly as I leaned back in his
arms.

"No, but I will be." I inhaled deeply, doing my best to bring
my emotions under control.

"What now?"

"We put out an APB on Underwood and arrest his ass. Maybe when
we
get him in the box, he'll tell us who else is involved." He paused and
looked at me, as if gauging just how much more to say. "Jess, they're
looking at not only arson and aggravated assaulted but also capital
murder. That means there's a good chance they'll face the death
penalty. No matter what sort of front he tried to put on for you in
there, either he or Underwood will break eventually and tell us who
they were working with. I guarantee it. All it will take is the DA
reminding them they have the chance to not die by lethal injection if
they cooperate."

I hoped so, because I had a feeling that if we didn't find out
who
had put the boys up to committing the robbery, all hell would break
loose and soon.

"Jessie."

I looked up from my book and grinned to see Colton standing in
the
doorway. He smiled in return, and the knot of tension in my stomach
eased slightly. For the first time since I saw him in the parking lot
at Manny's on Saturday, he didn't look worried. In fact, there was
something very close to triumph reflected in his expression. God, I
hoped that was a good sign.

"What is it? What's happened?" I climbed to my feet and
hurried to
him, wanting to reach for his hand but not daring to since he hadn't
closed the door.

"I just got word that Underwood's been picked up. He should be
here in less than half an hour."

He
took another step inside and finally closed the door behind him. Which
was a good thing, because relief made my knees weak and I wanted
nothing more just then than to have his arms around me. I knew
Underwood's arrest wasn't the end of it, not by a long shot. But just
knowing that the two who'd actually killed Manny, tried to separate my
head from my neck and, then torched my house were in custody was enough
for now. The rest could wait for a bit.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I am. I'm more than all right. I'm relieved and hopeful that
this means it's all going to be over soon."

"It will be, Jess. I promise."

"Then there's nothing to worry about." I reached up to lightly
kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For working so hard on this. And don't say it's your job,
because I
know that. But I also know you've gone far and above what was required."

"Believe me," he said as he gave me a rib-cracking hug. "It
was my pleasure."

"Mine, too." At least where Colton was concerned. "I guess you
need to get ready to question Underwood."

"I do. But I also wanted to let you know that the front desk
downstairs called to let me know your mother and sister are here. Grab
your things and I'll go down with you."

"You don't have to, Colton. I know you've got other things on
your mind."

"I want to, Jess." He released me and watched as I quickly
stuffed
my book into my briefcase before closing it and reaching for my purse.