AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’ve got this all wrong,” Barry snapped. “I am not involved with any murder.”
Alan laid a hand on Barry’s arm and gave him a reprimanding look. “You may need to be reminded, but my client is currently under house arrest. That means he needs to wear an ankle monitor twenty-four seven. If he so much as leaves his property, it alerts his probation officer. He can’t be involved in what you suspect him of.”
“We’re well aware of Mr.Holden’s situation.” She leveled her gaze at Barry. “Do you have regular dealings with Eco-Friendly Auto Recyclers?”
Barry turned to his lawyer for permission to speak, and he gestured to him to go ahead. “Yes.”
She pulled a photograph from a folder of the license plates affixed to the Mercedes. “Do you recognize these plates?”
Barry leaned forward, putting his nose to within inches of the picture. Then he sat back. “Nope.”
“Huh.” Amanda looked at Trent, and they played as if they were having a silent conversation about Barry and his future.
“Wait, why are you so interested?”
Again, Alan admonished Barry to keep quiet. “Get to the point, Detectives.” The lawyer’s tone was impatient and condescending.
“These plates went to Eco-Friendly, where your client just admitted he conducts business,” Amanda said.
“So what?” Alan volleyed back.
“So what is the owner of this company has a side hustle of selling license plates. The ones put on a stolen car this morning were purchased by your client.”
“Oh, please, how could you ever prove that?” the lawyer said.
“We have a witness who has gone on record,” she tossed back.
“Pft. I doubt that. They’d risk jailtime themselves.”
“You doubt me, we can move forward with your client going before a judge in the morning.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Barry blurted out.
Alan took a deep breath. “Let’s say my client bought those plates. There’s no proof that he was involved with what happened this morning.”
“Please. Those plates were last known to be in his possession,” Trent interjected. “That makes them, and how they are used, his responsibility in the eyes of the law.”
“We’d like to believe you’re innocent,” Amanda told Barry, leaning across the table, playing Good Cop. “But unless you can tell us who you passed the plates on to, you’ll be going back to jail.”
“I’m not involved,” Barry hissed.
Amanda stared him down. “The plates you purchased were used in the commission of a crime. Possibly one or more before today.”
“Oh, please, Detective. Are you stooping so low as to threaten my client?” Alan shifted his chair to face Barry and spoke to him. “They have nothing against you that will hold up in court.”
“Hmm. That’s where you’re wrong, Mr.Gaines. I told you about the witness. You must also know that if your client even falls under suspicion of a crime, he can face jailtime.”
Alan cleared his throat, and his cheeks flushed.
“If your client cooperates, this will go much smoother for him.” She drilled eye contact with Barry and came at him with her words. “We heard you like to facilitate things. Let’s be honest, that really means you help people carry out crimes. That’s no secret, and your future behind bars is certain. It’s just a matter of when. A windowless cell will make house arrest look like a dream.”
“What is it you need from him, Detective?” Alan asked.
Amanda pulled out a photo of Katherine, and pushed it across the table to Barry. “Do you know her?”
Barry lifted it, and a few moments later, shook his head.
“What about the name Katherine Graves?” she asked.
