Page 35 of Secret Stalker

Chapter Eleven

As soon as Max stepped inside the break room, Reggie jumped out of her chair and rushed toward the door.

Max shut the door and stepped in front of her, blocking her way. “You try to leave without answering my questions and I’ll slap you in jail.”

“On what charges?” she demanded.

“Conspiracy to commit armed robbery, for one. I can think of at least half a dozen other charges. You don’t believe me, try it.”

She glared at him, then turned around in a huff and plopped down on the plastic chair.

He eyed one of the delicate-looking chairs, not confident at all that it would be able to hold him up. But he took his chances and carefully sat down. The chair squeaked in protest but seemed sturdier than it looked. He rested his forearms on the table.

“Which one of those five yokels the other day was your boyfriend?”

She shook her head. “None of them. I don’t... I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“You’re a pretty good actress. I bought your scared act and thought I was protecting you when the gunmen stormed the place. Let me guess. That whole screaming thing was to let your boyfriend know something had gone wrong with the plan. As soon as you saw me in line you were worried, because a cop being there didn’t figure into the whole plan, did it?”

She wouldn’t look him in the eye. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Some guys with guns came in the store and one of them shot at me. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be dead. Not that I’m thanking you or anything.”

“Yeah. I’m not holding my breath for a kumbaya moment with you, either.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“That doesn’t surprise me, either. Try going to church sometime. Learn a few hymns. Learn not to hang with gangbangers hell-bent on spending the rest of their lives in prison and dragging you with them.”

She blinked, a shadow of fear flashing in her eyes before she looked away. Crossing her arms, she seemed to be trying for a jaded, world-weary look. If he hadn’t seen her eyes, he’d probably have bought her routine. He wasn’t kidding when he’d said she was a good actress. And he supposed there was a remote possibility that she really was telling the truth. But he wasn’t counting on it. Not since Bex had told him one of the gunmen had mentioned a Reggie. He figured he’d lead with that and see where the conversation went from there.

“See, here’s the thing, Reggie. I don’t believe you. Wanna know why? Because one of the customers hiding in the store during the shooting overheard a couple of those gunmen talking about the whole thing. You know, the plan to go after Bex Kane? The plan where you called them when she came into the store. And later, you called them saying she was heading toward the front. I thought you looked familiar when I saw you at the register and now I know why. You walked past the deli when Bex was there. I’m guessing that was your reconnaissance so you could estimate how much longer it would be before Bex would check out. So your buddies could time it with their entrance. What did you do, fake a price check or tell the manager you needed a bathroom break when Bex walked into the store? So you could keep an eye on her and warn your buddies when it looked like she was about done shopping?”

Her eyes were like saucers now and looked like they were about to bug out of her head. He hadn’t actually seen her near the deli. But based on what Bex had said, he figured she must have hidden close by, maybe one aisle over, peeking through the shelves to watch Bex. It only made sense. And from the borderline terrified expression on the girl’s face now, he knew he’d guessed right.

He glanced at his watch. He didn’t have much time before Reggie’s father arrived. No question the man would put an end to the interview and insist on a lawyer if the cops wanted to talk to her again. Her dad was an ex-con and had no love for the police. He also knew the system, and his rights. And his daughter’s.

He was lucky Reggie had even come back to the store with the other employees for an interview. The manager must have called her when her father wasn’t home, or he’d never have let her come in. Max decided it was time to play hardball, to turn the screws and try to get as much info as possible before he lost his chance.

“The way I see it, Reggie, you have two options. One, I haul you off to jail and arrest you on attempted-murder charges.”

“But I didn’t do anything. I was with you. And then the manager put me in the cooler with the others. I had no part in this.”

“I already told you I have a witness, so you can drop the act. There’s no question that you knew about the assault ahead of time, helped plan it and now you’re trying to cover it up. That’s conspiracy to commit murder. Makes you just as guilty as if you’d worn one of those masks and pulled the trigger. You can forget college or whatever else you might have planned. You’re going to spend your twenties inside a maximum-security prison.”

She swallowed, hard. “What’s the second option?”

He had her. If he could just get her to give him the info before Daddy dearest showed up.

“You give me their names, for starters. Oh, we know most of them. Some of them are turning deals in the hospital and lockup,” he lied. He wasn’t counting Lenny, since he didn’t know enough to help with the case. “Then you have to tell me exactly why they were trying to kill Bex Kane.”

“If...if I do that, do I still go to jail?”

“Prison, Reggie. Yeah, you’re doing time no matter what. But I could put a good word in with the judge and try to get you in a minimum-security facility for a reduced sentence.” He shrugged. “If you fully cooperate, who knows? Maybe you’ll even get off with only probation.”

He was lying through his teeth. But she didn’t know that. A commotion sounded from out in the main part of the grocery store. It sounded like Colby arguing with someone—probably Reggie’s father. Max was almost out of time.

“Tell me right now, Reggie. Names. Or I take you to jail.”

She spewed the names out like a rapid spitting a kayak down a rain-swollen river.

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