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Gary’s instincts told him Bruno had something to do with it.
“Ah, did he indeed?”
“And then he got another shock when Mr. Martin also refused to represent him. As per your instructions.”
“Yeah, that must have rocked Gianni’s world to its core.”
“Okay, what did you do?” Dan arched his eyebrows, and Gary mouthedLater.
“Me?” Bruno gave a good performance of sounding surprised.
“Surely Paul would have wanted Gianni to have representation.”
“Very possibly.” There was a pause. “Except… I called him last night. I told him what Gianni had done—the murders of Cheryl and James—and that he’d gotten away with too much for too long. It was time to face the music.ThenI told Paul it wouldn’t be in his best interests to provide Gianni with legal representation.” Another pause. “I reminded him of how much I knew.”
“No wonder you wanted protection. Why didn’t you tell me this when I interviewed you this morning?”
“Because when I’d finished talking to him, Paul said he’d think about it, so I wasn’t certain how things would go. He wasn’t happy, I can tell you that. I know why. He hated the idea of Gianni swinging in the wind without the family money to protect him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Gianni doesn’t have a personal fortune that would allow him to hire some big-shot lawyer. Well, he did have, but not anymore.” Bruno snorted. “And right now, I’d be willing to bet he’s sitting in his cell, wishing he’d saved some of the money he’d spent on his fast cars, his horses, his houses, his women….”
“You mean, he assumed the family money would be there for him, so he saw no need to save any of his own,” Gary concluded.
“Exactly.” Bruno paused. “Detective Mitchell, now you’ve got Gianni on the hook… please, don’t let him go. I’ll help in any way I can, but he can’t walk away from all this.”
“We will do everything within our power,” Gary assured him. “And we’ll keep you safe until he’s where he belongs—behind bars.”
“I’m counting on it. Will he make bail?”
“After being charged with three murders and with a court-appointed lawyer? I doubt it. He can sit in the cells for tonight.”
There was a pause, and then Riley was back. “Well done, boss. Sounds as if you’ve had a result.”
“It’s not over yet, but it’s looking good.”
Better than that—it was looking hopeful.
Saturday, August 4, 2018
4:00 p.m.
GARY WALKEDinto the morgue to find Del Maddox putting on his jacket. “It’s a little late for you, isn’t it?” If Del worked a Saturday he was usually gone by midday. Gary had been surprised to learn he was still there.
“Yeah, well, I wanted to clear my backlog. I’ve got an out-of-state wedding to attend, and I wasn’t about to leave my fridges full.”
Gary scanned his surroundings. The stainless-steel surfaces gleamed, everything in its place. “You’d make someone a wonderful husband,” Gary remarked.
“So I’m neat. Bite me.” Del arched his eyebrows. “Have I suffered a lapse of memory? I didn’t think I was working on one of your cases.” He frowned. “In fact, I thought I wouldn’t be seeing you for a while, now that you’re dealing exclusively with cold cases.”
“Your memory is fine. I called ahead, and they told me you were just finishing.” Gary smiled. “I’m here to take you for a drink.”
Del’s eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. “To what do I owe this honor?”
Gary took out his wallet and removed a photo. “I have a story to tell you, one I think will interest you. One you’re already familiar with, at least part of it.”
“Now you really have piqued my interest.” Gary handed him the photo, and he studied it. “Beautiful woman. Who is she?”
