AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER29
Just before noon Danni and Matt left to meet with Ira HoffmanJr. Besides the images of HoffmanJr. talking with Thomas Johnston that Gabe had flagged, Danni found three images of Junior carrying on conversations with Jareb Moore. The contacts were brief, but they were all at the flash point of three separate riot incidents. Of course, she couldn’t know what was said in each conversation, but seeing the two men together on tape was interesting.
Matt drove. Bayside Heights was an exclusive neighborhood along LaRosa’s small, calm bay. Most of the homes there had docks with large yachts attached to them. Danni had read that when Ira HoffmanSr. retired, he gave his daughter the house they lived in here, the largest house in the Heights. He then bought IraJr. a house down the street. Senior himself had moved to an exclusive neighborhood on Balboa Island, in Orange County.
At the gate, Matt dealt with the security guard.
When the gate finally opened, she turned to him. “Sounded like you almost had to sign away your firstborn to get him to open the gate.”
“Just about. He called ahead so Junior was duly warned.”
While Danni preferred to catch people off guard, when they seemed more inclined to be honest, she didn’t mind that Hoffman would be prepared.
“I am a little fatalistic we’ll get anything out of him no matter what.”
“Forced to agree. I’m certain he’ll have an army of lawyers. I’m surprised he even decided to meet with us at all. I wonder what Harper said to get him to agree.”
At the house, they had one more gate to get through. Here there was an intercom to the Hoffman residence.
“Mr. Hoffman is expecting you.”
The gate swung open, and Matt proceeded up the drive to a large house on the water. Danni knew a little about Hoffman the businessman. Besides owning the Tribune, years ago his father got in on the ground level of a technology company and made millions. IraJr. was given the reins to the tech company as well and had apparently grown what he inherited and occupied the rarified air of a multimillionaire.
Private security met them as Matt parked the car. The guy looked like a Secret Service agent, dressed in a dark suit with an earpiece in his ear. As Matt and Danni exited the car, he approached with what looked to be a small lockbox.
“Good afternoon, Officers. Mr. Hoffman requests you leave your weapons with me before you enter the house. His residence is a gun-free zone.”
“What?” Matt started to object. Danni stopped him. Her father always said it was important to pick your battles, and this was a battle she did not want to have. They could not compel Hoffman to talk to them and he was not inclined to anyway. Rejecting his stupid rules would likely get them kicked out without anything at all. To have a fight over his petty game would be counterproductive.
“Just give us the key to the box,” she said to the guard.
He nodded, and she and Matt placed their weapons in the box. The guard locked the box and handed her the key. He then placed the box in their vehicle.
“This way, Officers.”
“It’s detectives,” Matt said. Danni could see he was getting petulant and said nothing.
They followed the security guard into the house. Ira Hoffman met them in what Danni considered a study but twice as big. It didn’t appear as though anyone worked in the study; it looked staged. As she figured, Hoffman was not alone. Three lawyers flanked him, two on one side, one on the other. It was the single attorney who addressed them. Danni knew of him. Everyone did. Brice Hampton was a celebrity lawyer; she’d seen him often on TV.
“Detectives Shaver and Grace. How can we help you this afternoon?”
Matt glanced at Danni. He wanted her to start.
Danni chose to address Hoffman, not Hampton. “Mr. Hoffman, we’re here to discuss your relationship with Thomas Johnston.”
“My client had no relationship with Thomas Johnston.”
Danni opened the file she had with her and withdrew two photos, screenshots she’d made of Hoffman talking to Johnston. She stepped forward to hand them to Hoffman, but Hampton intercepted her.
He took the photos and studied them for a minute. “These photos don’t prove any type of relationship.” He handed them back.
“Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Johnston obviously had a conversation. Can you tell me the nature of the conversation?”
“They were part of a crowd, an agitated crowd. They could have been discussing anything.”
Matt stepped forward. “We’re talking to anyone who had contact with Johnston before his death. Your client had a conversation with him. What did they talk about?”
“Surely you can’t think my client had anything to do with Mr. Johnston’s murder?”
