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“I have no idea.”
“Have all of you,” Spencer said, gesturing at him, then the other three across the hall, “seen the body?”
“I can’t speak for them,” he answered, folding his arms.
“Who found it first?” he asked.
Ryder pressed his lips together, his words about the truth coming back to mock him. If the detective was just going through the motions, then it didn’t matter what he said. But he was surprised when he heard his reply.
“I did,” he said.
There. He’d done it. He’d lied for her, possibly opening himself up to more scrutiny. Especially since he didn’t know what Montgomery or Jackal would say about the body.
“And where is the body?” Spencer asked.
“Out on the property behind the compound.”
“Can you take me to it when it gets light out?”
“Possibly.”
“Why possibly?”
“I have a job to finish before I leave town. And I’m leaving town today.”
“You have a job to finish? At a company where somebody ended up dead?” Spencer asked, and Ryder thought he saw a hint of a smile play around his mouth.
“That’s right,” he replied.
“But you’re a witness to a murder,” Spencer said calmly.
“How do you know it’s murder? And besides, you’re just making this look good, so you said,” Ryder countered, giving the man a conspiratorial smile. “Look, I’m just here to do a job, like you are. I don’t like being up at 3 a.m. any more than you do, covering for rich assholes.”
He saw a light of understanding come into Spencer’s eyes, and the man leaned forward on the table.
“Isn’t that the truth?” Spencer muttered. “My boss told me not to dig too deep and to feel free to use the word ‘misadventure,’ in my report, but I’ll be honest with you. My gut is telling me Montgomery Meyer may be more involved here than he lets on.”
Ryder nodded, glancing over at Montgomery as he pretended to consider Spencer’s words.
“If you’re not supposed to dig, would it matter if he was involved?” Ryder asked.
The detective shrugged nonchalantly. “Probably not. It just doesn’t sit well with me, a rich asshole getting out of trouble by calling a senator.”
Ryder nodded, giving Spencer a sympathetic look.
“All right,” Spencer said, sitting back and writing something in his notebook. “Tell me what was happening right before you found the body.”
Ryder obliged, constructing a version of the truth that would keep Nita out of the spotlight. He explained that there had been a party for a group of European clients, with Ryder overseeing the security operations. Then a call had come in, alerting him to someone lurking outside the fence near the compound. Investigating further, Ryder had stumbled upon a shallow pit containing a decaying body.
“How did find you the body?” Spencer inquired, his voice professional.
Ryder recalled the horror etched on Nita’s face and replied, “I stumbled on it.”
Spencer nodded.
“Where was Mr. Meyer when you found it?” Spencer asked.
“I don’t recall,” he answered.
