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Gonzo put the pages of text messages sent from Tori to Rachel on the table, turning them so Teller could see them. “She may not have met her, but she harassed her for months after seeing a post on Facebook that linked the man she thought of as hers with Rachel. We asked Rachel’s mother why she didn’t block Tori, and she said her daughter wanted to be able to show Gordon how his ex-girlfriend was behaving, when the time was right. According to Rachel’s mother, she thought Tori was pathetic, not dangerous.”
Tori did not like being described as pathetic. Her face got very red, and her breathing deepened. The transformation was so complete that Gonzo could picture her arranging a murder.
Gonzo put a printout of the post that had started the trouble on the table. “After the Facebook post went live, Tori paid more than three thousand dollars for someone at GW to keep tabs on Rachel and to keep her posted on the status of Gordon Reilly’s relationship with her. We believe Tori knew Randy Bryant from the Milwaukee area, where they both are from. Here are the canceled checks and the texts she exchanged with Bryant, as well as proof of a ten-thousand-dollar payment and a forty-two-minute phone call Tori had with Bryant the day before Rachel was found dead. We believe Tori and Randy made their plans to kill Rachel during that phone call.
“We also have an eyewitness who can put Bryant in Rachel’s dorm at the time of her murder and can tie his prints to a pizza box that the eyewitness said he was carrying when he came to Rachel’s dorm, and a print matched the one found on Rachel’s neck. The medical examiner has determined that Rachel died because her carotid artery was compromised.”
“So where is he?”
“His case is separate from Tori’s.” Gonzo made sure he never blinked as he held Teller’s gaze.
“I’d like to speak to my client, please.”
Freddie turned off the recorder as they got up to leave the room.
“That guy is no idiot,” Freddie said when they were in the hallway.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Can we pull this off without Randy?”
“We’re going to try like hell.”
They waited a long time before Kerr came to the door to summon them.
When they were back inside, Freddie reactivated the recorder, again noted who was present and then sat next to Gonzo.
“We’d like to make a deal,” Teller said.
“What kind of deal?”
“Tori will plead guilty to harassing and stalking Rachel, but that’s it.”
“That’s nowhere near enough.”
“That’s our offer.”
“I’m not sure if you’re aware how this works, Mr. Teller, but we’re the ones who offer deals, not you.”
“You can’t put my client anywhere near Rachel Fortier on the night she was murdered.”
“Actually, we have a forty-eight-minute period in which she was somewhere other than Gordon Reilly’s room. That time frame coincides with the time of death provided by the medical examiner. When we get the ping data from her cell phone, I believe we’ll see she was either at or near Rachel’s dorm at the time of the murder.”
“You can’t prove she laid a finger on that woman, so you can’t charge her with murder.”
“We can and will charge her with murder for hire and accessory to murder.” Again, Gonzo met the other man’s intense gaze. “Randy Bryant is prepared to testify that Tori paid him to kill Rachel.”
Gonzo prayed that Cruz wouldn’t react to the bald-faced lie.
To his credit, Cruz remained silent.
Gonzo had no idea if this gambit would work, but he was determined that someone would pay for Rachel’s death. If he had to choose between Tori and Randy, he would’ve chosen her as the one who orchestrated it. “We’ll consult with the AUSA and let you know what they’re prepared to offer.”
When they emerged from the room, Gonzo said, “Go see what you can do to slow down Bryant’s release. We don’t need him posting something about being released before we can nail this down.”
“Got it. Thankfully, cell reception is almost nonexistent in the interrogation rooms.”
“Let’s hope so.”
