He’d nervously paced the floor a good thirty minutes before finally sitting down. Toni figured he had a lot on his mind right now. He was probably wondering what they knew and what they didn’t. He was also probably wondering if he’d covered his tracks as well as he’d thought he had.
He would soon discover that even using rental vehicles wouldn’t be enough to keep him out of jail. The man didn’t have a clue he’d been captured on camera in Byron Nettles’s kitchen right after the accident. But what Toni and Andrew really needed to find out was why he had killed both Maria and Nettles. Because all the evidence was pointing in that direction.
Ervin Headley looked up when they walked in, his expression furious as Toni and Andrew took their seats at the head of the table. “I’m Detective Logan and this is my partner, Detective Oliver.”
“Why am I being held here?” Headley growled.
“We want to ask you some questions about the murders of Byron Nettles and Maria Tindal,” Toni said without preamble.
“I don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about. I don’t know a Byron Nettles or a Maria Tindal.”
“Then, maybe you can tell us why you ran Byron Nettles off the road? Or why, less than an hour later, you were inside his home? Your presence was picked up on a hidden camera.”
Seeing the surprise that flashed in the man’s eyes, Andrew continued, “Is that when you planted Maria Tindal’s bracelet for us to find? A bracelet that was taken when Maria Tindal was killed.”
Headley narrowed his gaze. “I want my attorney.”
“You will get your attorney. But if you think your guy can get you out of here, forget it. The rental cars you were driving were seen in the vicinity at the time of both murders, and you were caught on camera in the home of the dead man you ran off the road.” He paused to let his words sink in.
“So, tell us... Why did you kill them?” Toni asked, picking up where Drew had left off. “And who was with you in the car when you ran Byron Nettles off the road? We know there was someone else. Your accomplice. We found two set of prints in the rental vehicle you wrecked.”
“I didn’t kill anyone,” the man snapped.
“If you didn’t kill Maria Tindal, how did you get her bracelet?” Toni asked curtly. “And what about the necklace?”
The man tightened his lips, refusing to talk. “I’m not telling you anything because I don’t know anything.”
Andrew was losing patience. “Well, unfortunately for you, we know a lot. And just so you know, a double homicide comes with a life sentence. On the other hand, the way Maria Tindal, a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, was murdered with her wrists slit, well, a judge might decide not to waste any more of the taxpayers’ money and just put you to death.”
Fear flashed in the man’s eyes. “I didn’t kill her,” he said in a trembling voice.
Andrew casually stood, and Toni followed suit. “Our evidence leads us to believe otherwise, Headley. And nothing you’ve said here today has convinced us you’re an innocent man.”
“I want my attorney.”
“You’ll get your attorney. But if you think you’ve seen the last of us, you are wrong. We’ll be back.”
On their way back to their desk, Andrew got a call from Valerie. “Tell Toni her hunch was right. I’ve identified the second set of fingerprints.”
• • •
Andrew and Toni didn’t make it back to Andrew’s home until nine that night. After showering together, they made love and then fell asleep in each other’s arms. Now that the identity of the second person was confirmed, they started building their case.
After leaving headquarters, they had gotten a call from Ervin Headley’s attorney. The man wanted to talk, so they arranged to meet at four the next day. The attorney had tried pushing for an earlier time, but Andrew and Toni refused to change their schedules. They had other important things to verify.
As soon as they arrived at the office the next morning, they had immediately gone over the records for a person of interest that dated back ten years. Valerie had been able to retrieve most of the information off her advance research engines. The others were reports that had been expedited because of Valerie’s contacts within various agencies.
At four o’clock Friday, they walked into the room where Headley and his attorney