80. Jax

80

Jax

"Bishop. You've got another chance to make this easy on you," Jones said as he opened my cell door. His eyes burned with hatred as he stared at me. "If I were you, I'd make that confession today."

Another threat. Curiously, that was all Officer Jones had since Anna had left. Threats and heated looks. Whatever she'd said to him had made an impact.

So the detective wanted to speak to me again. Maybe it was to finally give up this charade and let me go.

Nothing was ever that easy.

Jones didn't remove the handcuffs but instead attached them to the table before trying to push me into the seat. I didn't budge and instead stared down at him. "Sit down," he barked and pulled out the baton.

"Officer," Detective Warnos said as he entered the room. "That won't be necessary. You can leave us."

"I'm thinking I should stay."

"This is an interrogation and not an arrest. Please leave." The detective's voice was soft but final. Jones snarled at him but left. Once the door was closed, I sat down.

"Is my lawyer here?"

"No, which is why I will not be asking you about the murder of these two women. Instead, I'd like to discuss Sarah Birch and Elizabeth Macaw."

Great. Had Emerson tried to pin two more murders on me? "I've never heard of them, Detective. Before this investigation, I'd spoke to maybe five people in this town. None of them were women."

Warnos didn't say anything as he laid two photos in front of me. My stomach twisted as I glanced down.

And almost laughed.

"I thought you weren't going to ask about the previous two women."

"These are not the same women. This is Sarah Birch and Elizabeth Macaw."

They both were and weren't the same two women. They were both posed exactly the same and in the same setting. Literally everything except the women's faces were the same. I knew that because every time I closed my eyes, I saw that fucking photo of Anna, dead. It was forever burned into my brain.

Anna had removed the glamour, and it had changed the pictures. No wonder Warnos looked so fucking frustrated.

"It's strange, detective. You actually seemed like a straight shooter to me, but I'm not falling for whatever game you're playing. These are the same two women. I did not know their names. I've never seen them before. I did not kill them, and I'm not answering any more questions without a lawyer."

Warnos frowned. "You've seen these pictures before."

"Are you hungover or something? You showed me these pictures yesterday. When you said I'd killed them."

"I showed you different pictures."

Staring at him, I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. He glanced at the pictures again, and his frown deepened. Finally, he put the pictures away. "You walked in here with a limp that you didn't have before. Care to explain that?"

"That might be a question for Officer Jones."

Warnos's jaw clenched as his gaze flitted to the door. He wasn't surprised.

He also wasn't happy. Hell, maybe the man did have some integrity. He certainly wasn't an idiot. He knew the pictures and the bodies were not the same, but now he couldn't explain it.

"I tell you what, Detective. I'd like to ask you some questions. Let's say five. You answer them, and I'll answer five questions for you. Even about this case. Without a lawyer."

The detective leaned back. "All right. What's your first question?"

"How long have you been the detective here?"

"Six months. What position do you hold in that town of yours?"

"Mayor of sorts."

"An elected position?"

"Let's just say I can be demoted if the town isn't happy with me. And since you didn't wait your turn, I'm going to ask two questions. Where were you before, and what happened to the previous detective?"

"Florida. And he quit."

I noticed that he didn't say retired. Warnos clearly didn't approve of the detective's departure.

"Did you lie to me about what you're doing in town?"

Carefully, I considered his question. "I am here for supplies, but I also came to retrieve something. Don't waste a question on what because I won't answer it. And no, it has nothing to do with those two dead women. What's your relationship with the next town over?"

"I don't have a relationship with them, but they often shop in town. What did your wife say to you when she visited last night?"

Ah, so the officers had confessed about their late-night visitors. Or maybe cameras had picked them up. I raised my eyebrows. "That's a personal question. She's pretty furious that I've been arrested. She's unhappy about how I'm being treated. She thinks maybe you're trying to pin this murder on me."

"Perhaps your wife and I should have a talk."

I snorted. "I would not recommend that."

"You get one more question, Mr. Bishop."

I did. I glanced at the camera and lowered my voice. "Exactly how well do you know the officers who work with you, Detective?"

"Not well at all," he answered immediately. "One final question for you. Did you somehow manage to switch the bodies in the morgue and the pictures in my file last night?"

"That's a weirdly specific question. It also sounds pretty impossible to do, especially for someone who was in jail all night long. however it's a question my lawyer might be interested in.

When is he coming? Or should you just release me and we forget any of this ever happened?"

The detective stood. "I don't think I'm quite done with you yet."