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“Tori, don’t say anything else,” Kerr said.
Gonzo took great satisfaction in the thin film of sweat forming on the lawyer’s upper lip.
“I need to get out of here! If I tell them what Randy did, they’ll let me go.”
Kerr’s gaze collided with Gonzo’s. “No, they won’t.”
“But he just said that!”
“That’s not what he said. If you know how or why Rachel was killed, you’re in big trouble. So keep your mouth shut.”
“I want to go home,” she said tearfully. “I have homework to do.”
“If you’d like to make a statement about what happened, I’ll be glad to tell the prosecutor that you cooperated in helping us figure out how Rachel was killed.”
“What kind of time would she be looking at?”
“As an accessory to murder? That’s a long stretch.”
Tori’s gaze darted between them as she tried to keep up. “What does that mean? A long stretch?”
“Tori, the evidence shows that you were involved in Rachel’s murder,” Gonzo said, “regardless of whether you were the one to press on her carotid artery or if you paid someone to do it for you.”
All the color left her complexion as the reality of her situation seemed to sink in. “I didn’t touch her!”
“But Randy did, didn’t he?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know what he did!”
“Did he do what you asked him to?” Gonzo asked.
“I didn’t ask him to do anything!”
“Why’d you pay him ten grand, then? Just for shits and grins?”
“I…” She wiped away tears as she swallowed hard. “He… he was blackmailing me.”
Gonzo wanted to laugh at the sheer madness of this situation. It would be hilarious if an innocent young woman wasn’t dead in the morgue because of Tori’s jealousy. “He was blackmailing you. Okay… Let’s start with how you met him.”
She glanced at Kerr. “Do I have to tell him that?”
Kerr rubbed at his jaw, looking as if he were the one who was about to get arrested for murder. He clearly had no idea what she ought to do.
“Mr. Kerr, have you defended a client in a capital murder case before?”
“Murder?” Tori screeched. “I didn’t murder anyone! I was with Gordon all night. Ask him! He’ll tell you.”
“You told me you left for a time to go for a walk. Did you meet up with Randy then?”
“I’ve never met him.”
“How did you find him?”
“I… I don’t think I should say anything else.”
Gonzo gave her a minute to change her mind, but when it became apparent that she wouldn’t, he stood. “I’ll have someone escort you back downstairs.”
“I can’t go back there,” she said, sobbing. To Kerr, she said, “Do something! You’re supposed to be helping me.”
