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Clare sat across from them, sideways at the bench so she didn’t have to swing her legs in and out. Getting caught somewhere unawares was never a good plan, nor was sitting so it took an extra few seconds to get moving. “You wanted to see me?” She needed to be working the case, but if this was important to Selena, then it would help her feel like she was doing good in the girl’s life.
Alex looked at the surface of the picnic table for a second, then glanced aside at Selena. “You’re sure?”
She squeezed his forearm. “Absolutely.”
He looked at Clare. “You’re not a cop?”
She shook her head. “No. And I never have been.”
“If I confess a crime to you, are you obligated to tell the cops what you know?”
Now there was a telling question. Clare needed to be truthful, but she also wanted him to tell her what he had to say rather than shutting down. “There are ways to play something like that. Ways that work out best for everyone involved and not just the police and their ability to close the case. We have to take people’s lives into account, and their freedom.”
If he’d done something, he would need to face justice. She wasn’t about to help him get away with committing a crime.
For good measure, she added, “Everyone deserves to be treated fairly.”
Alex stared at her for a second, then nodded. “Okay.” He took a second. “The group of guys who robbed that bank? I know who they are because I’m one of them.”
She hadn’t recognized his voice, which meant he wasn’t the one she had spoken to.
Without her asking, he said, “I was in the vault. I can tell you what happened when that teller was shot.”
Clare nodded. “Okay. Why are you telling me this now?”
Selena clung to Alex’s arm. “He’s in danger. If they find out he talked, they will kill him like they killed the other guy. But he stopped, and there’s nothing he can do.”
She appreciated everything Selena had just said, but she also needed to hear it from Alex.
He continued, “I didn’t know they were going to kill him. Selena’s right. I can’t get out.”
Clare needed as much information as she could get from him before they decided how to move forward. “How did you hook up with them in the first place?”
“Online, mostly. I never met any of them before, but we followed each other and started chatting in DMs.”
An electronic record meant that Vanguard could pull the history of those conversations, give or take which app they used. Even an app that was historically untraceable could be accessed if Alex gave them permission to use his account.
“Can you ID them all?” She figured he had at least seen their faces, unless they wore those ski masks every time they saw each other.
He nodded. “I know their tags, not their real names. But I can point out their faces if you have pictures. We all deleted our other accounts after we teamed up, so there’s no way to connect us online.”
Clare needed to ask the hard question. “Would you be willing to go back in wearing a wire? It’s not an actual wire these days, and they use Bluetooth. Get a recording of them talking specifically about what you have all done. Maybe specifically from the person who is the mastermind.” She’d be shocked if there was not one clear leader from the group.
Selena gasped. “He could get killed if they find out he’s informing on them to the police.”
Clare wondered if that was all this was. “It’s the first thing the cops are going to ask Alex if he’s willing to do.” She paused for a second. “Were you there when the van went over?”
He nodded, and she got a vibe from his expression.
“Did you help push?”
Another nod.
“Participating will get you in trouble. The police will have the leverage they need to get you to cooperate because you’ll be convinced it’ll keep you from jail. However, it’s all about the deal you can make with the district attorney.” She tapped her finger on the top of the picnic table. “You need a great lawyer in your corner.”
Alex sniffed. “I didn’t think he’d actually do it. Then all of a sudden the van was going over the edge. I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”
“We’re going to figure this out.” She glanced between them. “You did the right thing, bringing this to me. Because if the police find you first, then you’re painted forever as one of them. Coming forward sets you apart as willing to do the right thing.” Clare stood up. The two of them did the same, and she rounded the picnic table to their side. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to come over to Vanguard and hang out there for a while until we formulate the plan.”
