“Mine. I wanted to get my brother out of the country.”
“Why there and not the Caymans, where the money is?”
“Just because I helped her make the deposits doesn’t mean I have access to the money. Only she had that.”
Sam pushed a yellow legal pad across the table to her. “Write it all down. I want every detail of the runs you did for your mother to the Caymans, what happened Sunday, how you and your brother decided to cover up his involvement, your plans to flee to the Bahamas. All of it. Detective Dominguez will stay with you while you do.”
“Are you going to tell my brother what I told you?”
Sam looked at her, wondering if she was for real. “Yes, I’m going to tell him.”
“You can’t! He’ll hate me.”
“What did you think I’d do with that info?”
“Get him to tell you what happened without implicating me. Please? Isn’t it enough that our lives were ruined by our mother? Don’t take him from me too. Please.”
Sam didn’t want to be moved by her, but she was nonetheless. “I’ll see what I can do, but if he’s not willing to admit his involvement, I’ll tell him I already know what happened. Either way, he’s going to be charged, and you will be too.”
“For what?”
“Lying to us, obstructing our investigation, possible money laundering, embezzlement. That kind of thing.”
Mandi put her head down on her crossed arms and wailed.
Sam walked out of the room, pissed off and annoyed.
Captain Malone was waiting for her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Did you catch that?” Sam asked the captain.
“The highlights.”
“I’ve hated this case from the outset, and I hate it even more now.”
“I can’t believe we might’ve found the money and the Feds didn’t,” Malone said. “I kinda like that.”
“I figured you might. This department could use a big win like that, and it’s all thanks to Green. He’s a star.”
“Yes, he is. Cruz reported back from the hardware store—the same things Mandi said she bought.”
“I’m glad it matches up. That’s another box checked.”
“You believe her when she says it was the brother.”
“It fits our theory that the murder was heat of the moment, that the murderer grabbed the first thing they could reach, and it went down from there.”
“So the charge will be manslaughter?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. I don’t believe he went there that day intending to kill her.” Sam checked her watch. “I have just enough time to talk to him before Gonzo’s meeting.”
“I’ll let you get to it.”
“You want to come in with me?”
He blinked, seeming surprised. “Oh, um, sure.”
“Are you? You still remember how, right?”
“Don’t be a smartass.”
“That’s like telling me not to breathe, Cap.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Sam led the way into interview two, where Ken McLeod Jr. was pacing like a nervous cat. If his sister were to be believed, he had good reason to be nervous. “Have you been advised of your rights regarding counsel?”
“I have. I waived my right to counsel.”
Sam turned on the recorder. “Interview with Kenneth McLeod Jr., Lieutenant Holland and Captain Malone present. Subject has waived his right to an attorney. Have a seat, Mr. McLeod.”
“I’d prefer to stand.”
“Have a seat, Mr. McLeod.”
He sat, hands on the table, posture wary and distrustful. “I don’t know why I’m here.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“Let me tell you something they taught us in Law Enforcement 101. Innocent people don’t run.”
“We weren’t running. We were going on vacation for Thanksgiving.”
“And when did you decide to take this vacation?”
“Yesterday.”
“Right after your mother was murdered. Odd timing.”
“She wasn’t in our lives. Her murder had no impact on us.”
“None at all? Your mother was whacked in the neck with a yard tool and bled out on the floor of her garage. That didn’t affect you at all?”
“Not the way you think it would. She hurt a lot of people with what she did, including my sister and me. It’s no wonder someone killed her.”
“Do you have any idea who might’ve killed her, Ken? And before you answer, I want you to really think about your options here. If you know something and don’t share it, you can be charged with a felony count of impeding a homicide investigation.”
“I told you. I don’t know anything.”
Sam had to give him credit, he never blinked, fidgeted or anything that murderers usually did when confronted by cops after committing the ultimate crime. “Were you at your parents’ home on Sunday?”