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“Seems to me you should be talking to her. She’s the one who reported the theft.”
“Theft.” Sutter snorted. “I was at the house on Saturday morning before my flight to New York. Saoirse had already gone back to the Ranch. Nothing was missing. She didn’t steal anything.”
“You’re sure of that?” The police chief flipped a page in the notepad on his desk and wrote. “You in the habit of checking your mother’s bedroom and her jewelry?”
“I’m in the habit of knowing where my guests are and what they’re doing. Saoirse never even saw my mother’s jewelry. She was in my mother’s bedroom one time, the night of our first date, for less than ten minutes. She was never out of my sight and never touched anything.”
“Did you see your mother’s jewelry after that night?”
“I did, actually. She keeps it in the bedroom safe. The gun safe’s in there, too. I checked that the gun safe was locked before I left on Saturday. Nothing was out of place.”
Chief Stanley tapped his pen on his notepad. “And that’s the only place she keeps her jewelry? In the safe? Not in her dresser or anywhere else?”
“When she’s not at the house, it’s all in the safe.”
“Well, I’ll have to follow up with your mother to verify that.”
“You can release Saoirse in the meanwhile. She hasn’t stolen anything.”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss the case against Miss Fay with you, Mr. James. Thank you for this information but I think it’s time you go.”
Sutter grunted. “After I’ve seen Saoirse.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you there, son. Best you go on home and speak to your mother about all this. Try to get it straightened out.”
“I don’t have anything to say to my mother. I do, however, have a great deal to say to the police commission. I’m assuming they open in two hours. I’ll just wait in the hall.”
Chief Stanley shrugged. “Suit yourself but I hear those chairs are uncomfortable.”
They certainly are, Sutter thought. But it didn’t deter him from leaving the chief’s office and returning to the hard, plastic chair to wait.
He didn’t have to wait long, however. As people arrived for the day shift and the building grew busy around him, his phone began going off with notification after notification. The first call he took was Derek Hawkins, who promised to join him at the police station before the day was out. The second call he took was from Jared Stark who had been contacted by the company lawyer. Sutter didn’t understand everything he had to say, although he wasn’t sure if it was because he was using unfamiliar words like “habeas corpus” or because of his lack of sleep. What he did understand is that he felt there was a good chance he could get to see Saoirse before lunchtime.
“Do it,” Sutter told him. “Whatever it costs. I need to know she’s safe and has medical attention.”
Jared went over the details of Saoirse’s medical condition from Sutter carefully, repeating back to him the medications she was on. Before they hung up, the lawyer assured him that Saoirse’s welfare was now his highest priority, too.
Grimly satisfied, Sutter called the company lawyer to see if he could get an appointment today with the police commission. He blew out a frustrated breath when Andy told him the three commissioners had already denied requests for an interview today.
“They’re circling the wagons,” Sutter said.
“Jared Stark will nuke their wagons from orbit,” Andy replied, drawing a tired smile out of Sutter. “I spoke to five different people about the best criminal lawyer in Ravalli County. They all said Stark is some unholy hybrid of rottweiler, tiger, and shark and they live in fear of his calls.”
Sutter chuckled. “Good.”
“Sutter.” Andy cleared his throat. “Your mother called me.”
“You don’t work for her.”
“No, I don’t,” Andy agreed. “I know exactly who I work for and where you fall in the chain of command. But I also know she’s your mother and until yesterday, she held considerable influence with key company decision-makers. I didn’t tell her anything, but I wanted you to know she called me and told me she’d take it as a personal favor if I backed off and left this to the family to deal with. She pointed out that Saoirse’s not a company employee, or even a family member of a company employee.”
“Are you saying you want me to put a ring on it before you’ll help me get Saoirse out of the bullshit my mother dropped her in?”
“No, I’m saying that you’ve been groomed to take over Whitley James but you haven’t even put your feet behind your desk yet and you’re using company resources to get your girlfriend out of jail. It doesn’t look good, Sutter. Your first board meeting should be about your vision for Whitley James and Winterwyne, not how you spent fifty grand on your first day springing your girlfriend from some Western pokey.”
Sutter rubbed his hand through his hair as he considered this. The words burned in his already sour and rocky gut. But he’d known Andy Marks for most of his life. Andy’s father had been the company’s lawyer until his retirement two years ago. Andy was ten years older than Sutter but they’d been in the same generation of “company kids” and Sutter had looked up to the older boy. Andy was a Beta Theta Pi brother. One of the reasons Sutter considered U.T. Austin was because Andy had gone to law school there. Uncle Jux had always reposed his complete faith in Andy’s father; Sutter had every reason to repose the same faith in the son.
“I hear what you’re saying, Andy. Give me your advice.”
