He hadn’t really pegged Harper as his double—possible triple—murderer, but it was still disappointing to realise they might have to rule him out totally. “Can anyone verify that you were there, at that time?”
A slight hesitation was enough to tell Michael that Harper was about to lie to him, or at least omit something. “I got there about twelve thirty and went to one of the upstairs bars. The barman might remember serving me.”
“Doubtful.” In Michael’s experience, bartenders rarely remembered specific customers unless they did something to stand out. “Anyone else?”
“Um…” He bit his lip, and Michael was wondering whether he’d been too hasty in assuming Harper was innocent when Nash—silent as a mouse up until this point—suddenly spoke up.
“He met me there.” He gave Harper a quick shake of his head when he went to speak. “And Will, the barman, will probably remember us because I made it rather obvious that I like him. And we always go to his bar. We stayed there till about 4.30 a.m.”
Damn. They knew Crossford was alive and eating at 12.35 a.m. thanks to his McDonald’s receipt. And the coroner’s report would likely put time of death between 12.35 a.m. and 3.30 a.m. according to Peters. Looked like Harper wasn’t their man.Or shifter.Michael turned back to Harper. “Why didn’t you just say that?” His brain worked overtime as he put two and two together. “Is there a reason you didn’t want to involve Mr Nash? Even though he gives you an alibi?”
Harper looked torn, and Nash had paled significantly.
Tilting his head to one side, Michael gave Nash a quick once-over. He had the same toned shifter build as Harper, could easily take on both him and Frank and not break a sweat, but for some reason, Michael couldn’t imagine him fighting. Not like he could Harper. And he shut that thought down quickly before his imagination got away from him. “Where were you before you met Mr Harper at Lycanis?”
“Is this necessary for your investigation?” Lax interrupted. “I don’t see why you need to know Harry’s whereabouts before then?”
“I’m trying to establish a timeline.”
Lax hummed and glanced down at his phone as it buzzed in his hand. “Well, I’d also like to point out, since no one’s mentioned it yet, that Lycanis has security cameras not only on the doors but positioned around the club and covering all five bars too.” He grinned, showing more teeth than Michael was comfortable with. “Shifters can get a little rowdy with each other sometimes. Helps to keep them in check if they know their actions are being recorded.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “Thank you, but I assure you we’d have found that out for ourselves when we visited the club to check out their story.” He pointed at Harper and Nash. “Which we will do after leaving here.”
Lax’s smile remained in place. “I thought I’d save us all some time and cut to the chase. Look.” He clasped his hand in front of him, expression turning serious. “Both Aaron and Harry have alibis—which the security cameras will verify—for the time of the murder.”
Raising both eyebrows, Michael asked. “And you know this how?”
Lax shrugged. “I called in a favour and had the cameras checked already. They’re both there for the times stated.” He paused and met Michael’s gaze. “And if the murder occurred outside of that timeframe, you and Detective Coldwell wouldn’t look so disappointed.”
Two things occurred to Michael in that moment. One, he wasn’t allthatdisappointed Harper wasn’t their killer, so that must be all Frank. And two, he was beginning to realise why no one had called for a lawyer. By the sounds of it, they already had one, or someone they considered close enough.
Lax went on to add. “Apart from the bloodied tape in Crossford’s bag—which Aaron has accounted for—you have nothing connecting him to the murder, and he has a solid alibi. I believe we’re done here.”
No. If nothing else, they had someone who could testify that Smith had a connection to Crossford. Michael wasn’t about to let that go. “We’d like you both to come into the station, repeat what you’ve told us, and sign a written statement. And if needed, testify in court.”
“No.” Lax spoke, not Thomas, but his tone was final as if he was the alpha. “There’s nothing to be gained from the information they provided, only proving their innocence. Which we’ve established already.”
Shifters hated being involved with either the human police or legal system, so the refusal didn’t come as all that much of a surprise.
Michael didn’t react. “There’s still the matter of causing aggravated bodily harm to a human without provocation.”
“They were fighting each other! How is thatwithout provocation?”
“We only have Harper’s word since Crossford can’t corroborate, and I don’t see any other witness coming forward. And that—”
“I saw them fight.” Nash’s outburst silenced the room.
Harper put his head in his hands, shaking it lightly. So that’s why he hadn’t wanted to involve Nash.
“You were there?” Michael asked.
“Yes. And I watched them fight, and then both of them walked away from it.”
“Well, that brings us to the second charge of being involved with illegal fighting. I am bound by law to report these findings to my superiors, who will then contact the alpha council to agree on a suitable punishment.”
Now Alpha Thomas weighed in. “Neither Aaron nor Harry will be involved in any more of Smith’s fights or any other illegal activity. I’ve already dealt with the matter and meted out suitable punishments, as is my right as alpha.”
“With respect, that would be true for internal pack matters, Alpha Thomas, but since Harper has confessed to both crimes, I am legally bound to report them to the appropriate authorities.”
