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“Look,” Larry said. “Those two are still at large, and they probably think I ratted them out. Believe me, my time behind bars is limited. Meaning, they’re not going to let me live. And the more I tell you, the shorter my time on this earth will be.”
“Not necessarily. My offer to pay for the best lawyer in Colorado still stands. If you help me find these two.”
Larry rolled his eyes. “I don’t know where they hole up. They never told me. You think I’m lying to you? What would I have to gain at this point?”
Jonah let out a laugh. “Hell, yes, I think you’re lying to me. You’ve been lying to me this whole time. I looked you straight in the eye and asked you if Tom Simpson was one of Talon’s abductors. You told me no.”
“I never said no. At least not that I recall. I said I wasn’t rolling over on them, whoever they were.”
“You knew I was on the right path, yet you said nothing. I’ve found them now. I know who they both are, although one of them does go by a dozen different names.”
“Look, all I can tell you is this. Don’t underestimate those two. They’re way beyond psychopaths, especially Mathias. That man is dangerous.”
“Uncle, are you concerned about me?”
“Stop with your bullshit. I’m trying to be straight with you here. I don’t fucking know where they are. I have never known where they are, but I know what they are. They’re both criminally insane.”
Jonah scoffed. “That’s an interesting assessment, coming from someone who’s criminally insane.”
“Look, I’m far from perfect. Okay? I have certain urges that most people don’t have. I’m not proud of it, and I’m serving my time, but I’m telling you again. Don’t underestimate the two of them. They make me look like a fucking angel.”
Again, as far as I could tell, he wasn’t lying. Of course, pathological liars were often very good at it and left no evidence that they were lying. But what if Larry was telling the truth? What if he was, as he’d put it, an angel compared to the other two? He probably wasn’t as good at lying as they were.
I decided to chime in. “Larry, there has to be something you can tell us about those two.” I kept my voice as soft and feminine as I could. Perhaps Larry would respond to that. Perhaps not. But it was worth a try.
“Sorry, Dr. Carmichael.”
Jonah stood. “This is a fucking waste of our time.”
I touched his forearm. God, he was so tense. “Let’s not leave yet,” I said. “Let me ask a few questions.”
Jonah sat back down. “Melanie, I think you’re walking toward a dead end, but go for it if you want to.”
I bit my lip and looked straight at Larry Wade. “What high school did you go to?”
“That’s probably a matter of public record,” he said.
“Maybe it is, but I don’t have access to those records right now. Why don’t you tell me where you went?”
“Tejon Prep School in Grand Junction.”
“Good. Tom Simpson told us that you and he went to the same high school. Or rather, he told Jonah.”
Larry stiffened.
“Did anyone else we know go to that high school? Theodore Mathias, perhaps?”
Larry stiffened further, but he did not answer.
“All right, let’s attack this from another angle,” I said. “You want to live through tonight?”
Jonah looked at me, his eyes unreadable. Perhaps he hadn’t thought that I could play hardball.
“Lady,” Larry said, “I’ve had a contract out on my life since I got here. Do I want to live through tonight? Sure. But you can’t give me any guarantee that I will.”
“Don’t ever refer to her as ‘lady’ again. She’s Dr. Carmichael,” Jonah said.
I squeezed his thigh, hopefully showing him that it was okay, as long as Larry was talking.
