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“The truth.” Tate released a sharp laugh. “Who even remembers what that is?”
Kaden glanced toward the stack of files on the desk. “I’m sure there’s someone in law enforcement who can jog those reluctant memories if you don’t want to talk to me.”
Tate pinched his lips. As if he wanted to tell Kaden to go to hell. But he wasn’t stupid. He knew Kaden had the upper hand. At least for now.
“Okay. Fine,” he muttered. “I met Officer Zimmerman.”
“And you paid her bribes?”
“Not me.”
“Ryan Burke?”
“Yes.”
Kaden considered his next question. He wasn’t a professional cop, with experience in interviewing a suspect. He was a stuntman and a mechanic who was completely out of his comfort zone.
“And Armstrong?” he at last demanded. There had to be a reason the three men were reluctant friends. “Why would he be involved?”
Tate looked disgusted at the mention of the judge. “Burke paid off the bitch to get rid of the violations, but she also insisted that the meatpacking plant build its own lagoon.”
Kaden arched his brows, genuinely surprised. He had no idea Vanna possessed morals when it came to her job.
“Thank God someone was concerned about the health of the citizens of Pike,” he said dryly.
“Only after she bled us dry,” Tate rasped
Kaden refused to be distracted. “That still doesn’t explain the judge’s involvement.”
“Burke refused to pay for the new lagoon.” There was an ancient bitterness in the older man’s voice. “He threatened to move the plant to another town that would offer him better incentives if we didn’t finance the changes. We couldn’t allow that to happen. The plant is the biggest employer in town.”
“And you were afraid you would lose your position as mayor?”
Tate sniffed. “I was thinking of my constituents.”
Kaden glared at the slimeball in disbelief. “You were allowing them to be poisoned.”
The mayor waved aside the inconvenient reminder. “We had to keep the plant in Pike, so the judge used the funds from the Chamber of Commerce to finance the building of the lagoon and the new parking lot.”
Kaden’s lips twisted at the memory of the men in the diner complaining about paying for a new pool for Ryan Burke. It was possible they weren’t exaggerating.
“So why go to all that effort and then kill her?” he abruptly demanded. “Did she keep pressing for more money?”
“No one killed her.”
“Obviously, someone did,” Kaden snapped. “Her body was found in your town.”
“Well, it wasn’t any of us.” Tate spread his hands in frustration. “Why would we kill her after we invested thousands of dollars to keep her mouth shut?”
It was a legitimate question. They’d gone to a lot of trouble to satisfy Vanna and her demands. There could be only one reason for them to snap.
“Like I said, maybe she wanted more.”
“No.” Tate sliced his hand through the air. “Officer Zimmerman made her demands. We gave her exactly what she wanted. End of story.”
Kaden hesitated. Tate had reached the limit of what he was willing to admit. And in truth, Kaden wasn’t nearly as convinced the man was responsible for the crime wave in Pike as he had been when he first arrived at the courthouse.
Frustration blasted through him. For once, he truly thought he had the answers he needed. Now he felt as if he was once again stumbling through the dark.
