“Definitely,” KC agreed. “River and Reese must be proud of how dedicated you are.”
Shay didn’t say anything, and he wasn’t particularly relaxed, despite what he was aiming for.
KC cleared his throat and picked up one of the printouts, holding it casually in front of himself. “Can you tell me a little bit about yesterday? Describe your day.”
Shay let out a breath. “Uh, all right. I’d say yesterday was great. We chilled by the pool, we worked up a sweat to prepare for the event, we threw burgers on the grill, and then at breakfastthis morning, my Owners decided to accuse me of leading some ridiculous prank.”
I sighed.
KC and I weren’t new at interrogating brats together, and we had our own protocol. Which Shay hadn’t experienced yet. Now was a great time.
KC scratched his forehead. “Do I need to bring out crayons to explain to you how a suspect should describe their day?”
Tension ticked in Shay’s jaw for a quick beat.
“You’re right about one thing, though,” I added. “The prank was ridiculous.”
There, back to aloofness. Curious, curious. What was he hiding with that expression, one might wonder.
“The countdown was particularly overdramatic,” KC noted with a nod. “Like a bad writer overdoing it to build up to something ominous. We’re supposed to do what, wait over three months for something that may or may not happen?”
I laughed. “It’ll be a toy gun that pops off a flag that says boom.”
So much aloofness.
KC chuckled. “Eh, you tried, Shay. That’s what matters. You’ve only been with us a year, and you’ve come a long way. All we need to know now is who you planned this prank with, and then we can go downstairs again.”
I nodded. “You’ll have new opportunities to plan better pranks. This ain’t a big deal, kid. If anything, we appreciate you trying to keep us on our toes. Hell, it’s our bread and butter, innit? The push and pull between us.”
Shay drew a deep breath and loosened his tie. “Minimization,” he whispered to himself.
“Pardon?” KC asked.
“Minimization,” Shay repeated. “Minimization and maximization—it’s an interrogation technique where youminimize the crime and maximize the evidence. It’s supposed to pressure me into confessing, but I’m innocent.”
I withheld my smile, but damn ifIdidn’t feel proud right then and there. And I was sure River and Reese felt ten feet tall on the other side of the viewing window.
More than that, I bet Shay felt good as hell, showing off to his Owners.
Look what I know, Master.
KC picked up his pen, ready to make a note. “And around what time today did you look that up online?”
The corners of Shay’s eyes tightened, and I detected an ounce of defensiveness.
“I didn’t look that up today,” he said. “You think this is my first interrogation?”
KC lifted a shoulder. “You’re acting like it. But let’s get back on track. Give us a proper rundown of yesterday.”
We caught on pretty quick that Shay fed off reactions of others. If we had paced or shown any impatience, he would’ve calmed down and felt in control. Instead…we didn’t show a damn thing. We sat there, relaxed, and asked our questions—and it was beginning to frustrate him.
He may be good, but we were better.
“Still doesn’t make sense.” I shrugged. “Why would you drive all the way out there to have lunch on your own, when the same joint has four locations closer to where you were running your errands that day?” I pointed to the receipt Reese had printed out and slid it closer to Shay. “You could’ve ordered those two burgers and two sodas closer to your aunt’s house.”
He scowled at me. “What’re you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything,” I replied. “I’m flat out saying that you drove to that particular location because it was obviously closer to whoever you were meeting up with.”
