Page 21 of Deputies Under Fire
If Brenda had murdered Mellie, then who the hell had killed Brenda?
Chapter Seven
Eden was silently cursing right along with the profanity Rory was muttering. This wasn’t just a setback to the case they were building against Ike, it could be the kiss the death.
She snapped back toward the observation window when she heard a phone ring. Not Rory’s, but one of Ike’s lawyers, Stephen Arnette. Livvy hadn’t yet gotten started with the questions, but the lawyer took one look at his phone and stood.
“I need to take this,” Arnette insisted. “So hold off on the interview until I get back.” With that, he stepped out of the room.
It was tempting to try to listen in on the conversation, but Eden didn’t want to do anything that Ike’s lawyers could legally use against them, and Arnette could argue the call fell under the umbrella of client-attorney privilege. Instead, Rory used the time to text Livvy and let her know what was going on.
And, of course, Livvy’s reaction wasn’t good.
She tipped her eyes to the ceiling for a moment, and Eden figured she was doing some silent cursing as well.
It didn’t take long—less than two minutes—before the lawyer came back in the room. Arnette certainly hadn’t bothered to plaster on a poker face, and unlike Livvy, he was practically gloating.
He sank back down into his chair, and the other lawyers and Ike huddled around Arnette while they had a brief, whispered conversation before he turned his attention back to Livvy.
“I demand my client’s immediate release,” Arnette said. “I’ve just learned information that proves his innocence.”
Sweet heaven. Did Arnette know about the burner phone or the bugs? Or maybe he knew about both? If so, there was a serious leak at either SAPD or among the CSIs.
“Really?” Livvy asked in a discussing-the-weather tone. “And what info would that be?”
“Unless you’re completely out of touch with this investigation, Deputy,” Arnette stated, “then you’re aware that someone planted three listening devices in his home.” His tone was both scolding and condescending. “Clearly, the real killer did that to obtain knowledge of my client’s whereabouts so he could then be set up to take the blame for those poor murdered women.”
“Uh-huh,” Livvy countered, managing some condescension of her own. “And how exactly did you come by this information?”
Arnette didn’t quite smile, but it was close enough. “I got it through an anonymous tip.”
“So you have no idea if the tip is true,” Livvy retorted.
That wiped some of the smugness off Arnette’s face. “It is. I have confirmation from someone I trust. And, no, I’m not required to give you that name.”
There were some situations in which a lawyer could be compelled to do just that as long as it didn’t violate the attorney-client privilege, but this wasn’t a fight worth taking on. The cat was out of the bag, and they’d have to deal with it. That, and the burner phone that’d been found at Brenda’s house. That phone implied she had been the one to create Ike’s hit list of enemies.
Implied.
But Eden also knew it could have been planted. Perhaps by the same person who’d planted those listening devices at Ike’s.
“You have no actual proof that I killed those women,” Ike stated, leaning forward and looking Livvy straight in the eyes. “Because I didn’t do it. Someone is playing you, Deputy Walsh.”He fanned his hand around. “Playing you and the whole damn police force, and whoever it is, they’re making you all look like fools.”
Eden wished she could say for sure that wasn’t happening, but there were certainly a lot of pieces that didn’t fit.
“Is my client free to go?” Arnette snapped.
“Not quite yet. Just a few more questions.” Livvy managed a relaxed pose despite this interview having been derailed. “When was the last time you were in Brenda Watford’s house?”
“Eight months ago,” Ike said without hesitation.
“Wow, you seem so sure,” she commented, and she didn’t wait for him or his lawyers to respond. “So if we study the traffic-cam feed in and around Brenda’s office, we won’t see you.”
Ike pulled back his shoulders. “I might be on them. I often go to San Antonio to visit friends and to eat out.”
“Were any of those friends or restaurants near Brenda’s house?” she continued.
“I don’t think so.” Ike’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you asking that?”
