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“Inconsistencies?”
“Mm-hm.” He paused for effect. “Tell me about Christian Lockett.”
Avianna froze. Ms. Jones looked down at her daughter as if she, too, was curious, and when Avianna finally moved, it was to look up at her mother in fear. “What about him?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
“Why did you tell me he cheated on you with Nyleah?”
“I…he…he did.”
“That’s not what he told me.”
She brought her eyes back to his. They were wide with fear. “You talked to him?”
“Of course. This is an investigation, Miss Jones. My job requires me to verify information given to me. I wish I could take everyone’s word for it, but it doesn’t work that way.”
Avianna didn’t respond to that. She simply sighed and cleared her throat.
No one spoke for several moments until Webb had finally had enough. “Alright, look. If there’s something you’d rather not say in front of your mother, I understand. Would you like to speak with me alone, or with you, me, and your attorney?” He nodded in Will’s direction.
“You’re asking me to leave?” Ms. Jones asked, although the answer should have been clear.
“I’m asking for whatever it takes to get the truth, and it seems to me Avianna isn’t comfortable telling the truth in front of you.”
And just like that, the haughtiness made its return. “I told you the truth,” Avianna spat. “Chris is the one who’s lying. And that’s all I have to say about it.”
Webb sat back in his seat, disappointed but not surprised. “Will, do you have any advice for your client?”
Will had been chewing gum and watching, more spectator than advocate. He stood up straight and cleared his throat as if he hadn’t expected to have to speak. He quickly pushed his gum to the side of his mouth. “Not at this time. She’s told you the truth, and her statement hasn’t changed. It seems to me the ball is in your court.”
It wasn’t a good idea to antagonize an attorney, so Webb kept his true thoughts to himself. Instead of telling Mr. Will Strozier, Esquire that he was completely useless, he turned his attention back to Avianna. “Miss Jones, I’m sure your lawyer has advised you of this already, so allow me to reiterate it for you. If you’re lying to me, and I find out, that could mean trouble for you. And I know you’re a good student with a bright future who doesn’t want trouble.”
Avianna looked at her mother again, then to Will, and it struck Webb that neither one of them had her best interest at heart. He supposed he didn’t either, but at least he was acting in the interest of bringing justice to the family of a murdered girl. Their only interest was covering up.
“Do you have any more questions, Detective?” Will asked.
“For now, no.”
They left without fanfare, leaving Webb stewing in his cubicle. She was definitely hiding something, but what? And did it even have anything to do with Nyleah’s murder, or was it simply a teenage girl keeping secrets from her mother?
There seemed to be a lot of secrets involved with this group.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Marcuswassittingatthe kitchen table when Ladonna got home, a glass of something brown in front of him, along with a single sheet of white paper. And he didn’t look happy.
“Hey,” she called as she walked into the kitchen. “Did you already eat?”
“Yeah, I heated up some chicken from last night.”
"Okay, good." She toed her shoes off. “How was your day?”
He grunted, as usual.
“What is that?" She gestured toward the sheet of paper.
He glanced down as if he had forgotten the paper was in front of him, then he quickly picked it up and folded it in half. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. It was a proxy question that was meant to communicate exactly how curious she was about whatever was written on that paper.
