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“I vote using the lesser-of-two-evils philosophy.”
Kara laughed. He was happy to hear the sound. He parked in the garage and turned off the ignition. “We’re going to find Craig’s killer.”
“I want the killer, but I really want the person who hired him.”
35
By the time Matt and Kara arrived upstairs, Elena Gomez had Juan Perez and Steve Colangelo in separate rooms, each with their own rep.
“What’s your take?” Matt asked Elena.
“Steve is angry, belligerent, wants to leave. Juan is confused.”
“Is it fake?”
“Genuine.” She handed Matt their files. “Juan graduated from the academy five years ago, has several commendations in his file for going above and beyond, was on graveyard until eight months ago when he requested and was moved to days after his wife had their first child. His wife is an elementary teacher in Santa Clarita, where they live. The shift moved him from one precinct in the division to another. They don’t ride with partners on day shift—we don’t have the numbers to double up—but if they’re responding to certain calls, they wait for backup.
“Steve,” she continued, “is a ten-year veteran of the force. He and Juan have worked the same precinct and shift since Juan’s transfer. Steve is divorced, and his ex-wife and daughter moved out of state. He has a couple of commendations in his file early in his career, but several dings in the last two years.”
“Since the divorce,” Matt guessed.
Elena nodded. “The divorce rate is high—it’s a stressful job, as you know. None of the dings are serious. They were all off-duty related—but he drinks, then he fights. Last time he was suspended for two weeks without pay. That was six months ago, and he’s been clean ever since.”
“Can I see?” Kara asked.
Matt handed her the file. She skimmed through it, frowned, tapped on the report. “This bar, where he was suspended for fighting? It’s a known gambling spot. Colton and I—” She hesitated a second, then said, “We worked an undercover gig nearby, learned about it, sent it up to Vice. Don’t know what they did with the intel.”
“Could he have a gambling problem?” Matt asked Elena.
“Something to ask.”
“Maybe something to ask Juan,” Kara said.
“Kara, do you mind watching from observation?” Matt asked.
She shook her head. “If Steve used my gun, I don’t want to jeopardize the case by being in the room.”
Kara watched through the glass as Matt and Elena took Juan’s room first.
Juan’s rep was seasoned, tough but reasonable. They set some ground rules for the interview, and Matt and Elena gave in on most everything.
“Lieutenant, I want to cooperate,” Juan said. “I don’t know what you think I did, but I will answer any and all questions to the best of my ability.”
“I appreciate that, Officer. You have an outstanding record with the department, and I hope we can resolve this quickly,” Elena said. “You gave a statement on Monday after the shooting in the park that you saw a woman running from the scene that you identified as Violet Halliday, who is known to you.”
“Yes.”
“You stated that you did not see her with a gun, and you did not see her shoot anyone, correct?”
“Yes, correct.”
“Where was she when you noticed her?”
“Can I bring up a map on my phone?”
Elena nodded.
Juan pulled out his phone and brought up a satellite image of the park and sidewalk. “I was here, across the street on the sidewalk. I was leaving early because of a dentist appointment—I asked for the time off last month.”
