“So you’ve been in contact with him?” Sheriff Duggan asked.
Tanner shrugged one shoulder. “Some. Trying to help him get a job and get away from the people and situations that always seem to land him back in prison.”
“You ever been in Anders’s car?” Whitaker asked.
Tanner nodded. “Yes, a couple of weeks ago. He wouldn’t come inside the station to talk, so I went out to him.”
Whitaker gave a tiny snort of disbelief. “Convenient.”
Tanner turned to glare at the man. “If anything, that shows I wasn’t trying to kill him.”
Sheriff Duggan nodded. “I can see that. But here’s the real problem. We found this.” She tapped on an electronic tablet then spun it around so Tanner could see it. “This is a copy of all Anders’s texts for the last few days. We need you to address one in particular, Tanner.”
Tanner looked down at the one she was pointing to.
Peter: I can’t get rid of this Dempsey cop. He’s on my ass all the time.
Bugaboo2: Just tell him to go to hell.
Peter: Cop is scary. He’s threatening me. Seriously. So I’m a no-go for this weekend. Sorry.
Tanner tensed. “That’s not what it looks like. I knew some of his old friends were pressuring him back into the lifestyle he was trying to get out of. I told him to use me as an excuse to say no.”
Whitaker raised an eyebrow. “Convenient that it’s your word against someone who can’t say anything further.”
Tanner turned to the sheriff. With every passing minute, this was looking worse and worse for him. “Do I need a lawyer? I feel a little like I need a lawyer.”
The sheriff shook her head. “You’re not being formally charged. I already talked to Ryan Fletcher this morning. He has no interest in pursuing this case at this time. Says it’s all circumstantial. And, like me, he doesn’t think you had anything to do with it.”
Tanner nodded.
Whitaker all but threw up his hands. “We’ve got Dempsey’s fingerprints in the victim’s car. A text from the vic claiming Dempsey was threatening him. And he’s got no alibi.Worsethan no alibi.”
Tanner’s eyebrows narrowed. “What the hell is worse than no alibi?”
He expected Sheriff Duggan to jump in, too, but she didn’t. When he glanced over, her lips were tight.
“Worse than no alibi is that the place you were supposedly staking out was vandalized last night,” Whitaker said. “Guess you missed it, if you were even there at all. Of course,notbeing there would’ve given you plenty of time to drive to get to Anders, even if he was across the county.”
“Or I stayed at the Dunwoody shop like I said, and the vandals came in after I left around four in the morning.”
Whitaker held both hands out in front of him and shrugged. “Just sayin’. Anybody else would already be in a holding cell.”
“But we’re not dealing with someone else,” SheriffDuggan interjected. “Tanner has no motive for killing either Newkirk or Anders.”
“Except they were both violent criminals that kept getting put back on the streets,” Whitaker said in a low, reasonable voice. That voice was so much more dangerous than his yelled threats. “Dempsey said it himself. Sometimes you feel like you’re fighting a losing battle. Maybe he decided to do something about it.”
Sheriff Duggan steepled her fingers in front of her lips. “Like I said, I don’t think you did this. But until we get it sorted out, you’re going to need to go on admin leave. I need your badge and your gun, Tanner.”
He remained silent, not even glancing at Whitaker as he took both off his belt and slid them across the desk.
The sheriff took them and put them in a drawer. “I still need you to schedule a visit with Dr. Michalski. He told me you’ve missed the last couple of scheduled sessions.”
Tanner gritted his teeth. “I was busy.”
Whitaker gave a slight cough/laugh. Tanner wanted to punch him in the face but refrained, knowing it wouldn’t do anything but get him more admin leave. He stood.
“We’ll be in touch soon, Tanner,” the sheriff said. “Give us a chance to work on your behalf. Take this time to get caught up on your appointments with Dr. Michalski and any reports you’re behind on. That way when the dust clears, you’re able to hit the ground running. We’re all on the same side.”
