Page 9 of Dark ’N’ Deadly

“Nothing.” She shook her head, as if to clear it.

He pushed a button on the wall monitor and a red light illuminated, confirming they were being videotaped. “Have a seat.” He indicated for Tess to sit, while he dragged another chair from the corner and sat next to her. Dayne remained standing by the door to act as an additional witness.

After Jesse had signed the requisite waiver-of-rights form and stated his name for the record, the kid dug into the sandwich. Eric let him swallow a couple bites before commencing the interview.

“Where in Alabama are you from?” he asked.

As Jesse chewed on a chip, he glanced at Tess, who didn’t say a word. She stared intently at her brother. The only movement Eric detected was the slow twisting of one long red corkscrew tendril around her delicate finger.

“Elba,” Jesse answered before shoving another chip into his mouth.

“Give me an address.” If this was how the kid was going to play it, they’d be here until next week.

Again, Jesse looked to Tess before answering. Her finger had stilled. The shiny tendril was now tightly twisted around her index finger, calling attention to the purple polish on her nails—the same color as on her toes.

“715 Troy Road,” he answered, then bit off another hunk of sandwich and chewed.

“That’s a church.” Eric leaned back and crossed his arms. “In Coffee County.”

Jesse’s eyes widened and he swallowed. “How’d ya know that?”

“It doesn’t matter.” What did matter was that Coffee County was located in the putrid heart of Alabama’s sovereign citizen territory. And he did happen to know that church occasionally housed people who couldn’t afford other accommodations. “Did you ever live at that address?” he asked Tess.

“No,” she answered. “I left Alabama before Jesse moved there.”

He turned back to Jesse. “Do you work?”

The kid nodded. “At a lumber yard.”

“How do you get paid? By check or direct deposit to a bank account?” When the kid hesitated, then flicked his gaze to Tess, Eric already knew the answer. “Be straight with me, Jesse. Lying to a federal agent is a felony, so this isn’t the time to start.”

Considering Tess hadn’t uttered a single word, he couldn’t figure out why the kid constantly looked to her before answering. Her facial expression hadn’t changed, and her posture actually seemed more relaxed. Aside from the twisting of her hair, that was, something that reminded him how often he’d dreamed of sifting his fingers into that riotous mass of curls as he kissed her and—

Focus, man. Focus. And not with your dick.

Jesse swallowed then set down the sandwich. “I’m off the books, so I get paid in cash.”

“Then you’re not paying state or federal taxes.” Just as he figured.

“Uh, no.” Jesse shifted in the chair. “I know I gotta, but it’s hard makin’ any money without a college degree. The owner of the lumberyard helps me out by payin’ me off the books. I want to go to college someday, and I’ve been savin’ as much money as I can.”

That time, he hadn’t looked at his sister once, and the entire time, she’d been twisting that same curl around her finger. “Do you know what sovereign citizens are?”

A flicker of surprise flashed in the kid’s eyes. It was fleeting, but definitely there. Tess’s finger stilled, then Jesse said, “No.”

He had a theory. Now, it was time to test it out.

“How old are you?”

Tess’s finger twisted.

“Eighteen.”

“Have you ever been arrested before?” He’d already run the kid’s criminal history and knew he hadn’t. Didn’t mean he hadn’t committed a crime. It could very well mean he just hadn’t been caught yet.

More twisting.

“No.”