Page 57 of Outlaw Ridge: Griff
Lily glanced at the empty chair across from her. Margo was next. Another knot in this twisted tangle of secrets, lies, and lives lost.
She felt Griff’s presence beside her, quiet, steady, and she took some comfort in it. But the weight pressing down on her chest hadn’t eased. Not with so many questions still unanswered.
Not with a killer still out there.
The silence in the interview room wasn’t uncomfortable, not with Griff beside her—but it was charged. Tense. Like the calm before a storm they both knew was still rolling in.
Lily leaned back slightly in her chair, exhaling slowly. Her gaze slid toward Griff, drawn to him as it always was when her thoughts got too heavy. He wasn’t even looking at her, just going over the notes in their interview file. His jaw was tight, his thumb tapping a slow rhythm against his coffee cup.
When he finally looked up, their eyes locked.
And there it was.
The storm behind his eyes, fury at what had been done to Catherine, to Hannah, to Bobby Ray. Frustration that they were so close and still chasing shadows. But beneath all that, just beneath, was the simmering heat that hadn’t let up since that first kiss. Maybe even before that.
Lily felt it crackling through her chest.
“I’m not great at relationships,” she said quietly, surprising herself. “I’ve always been all in on the job. And most people… don’t wait around for that.”
Griff didn’t hesitate. He gave her a small smile, wry and knowing. “Same here.”
She didn’t smile back—but her lips twitched. It was good to hear it. Even better to believe it.
“But,” he added, shifting just slightly toward her, “that probably won’t cool down the heat.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but the door creaked open, halting the moment.
Margo stepped in, her face pale but composed, followed by a man in a dark suit and rimless glasses. Her attorney, no doubt.
The emotional spell between Lily and Griff snapped into something sharper, professional. Focused. It was time to get answers.
Margo slid into the seat across from Lily, her arms folding loosely, shoulders tight beneath a slate-gray sweater. Her lawyer took the chair beside her, setting a sleek leather folder on the table without a word. Lily didn’t recognize him. Definitely not local.
The man was composed, maybe early forties. Polished in that out-of-town way that screamed big firm, bigger retainer.
Lily clicked on the recorder. “This is Deputy Lily Oliver, joined by Deputy Griff Abrams. We’re conducting a recorded interview with Margo Cole regarding the homicide of Catherine Langston and the cold case involving Hannah Cole. Also present is Ms. Cole’s legal counsel.” She glanced at the attorney. “Please state your name for the recording.”
“David Kellerman,” he said smoothly. “Representing Ms. Cole.”
Lily gave a small nod and turned her attention back to Margo. “You were previously advised of your Miranda rights,” she said. “Do you need me to repeat them?”
Margo shook her head quickly, voice low. “No.”
“Then let’s get started.” Lily pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and uncapped her pen, her tone even but firm. “Margo, we need your whereabouts for the day before yesterday between5:00 and 5:45 p.m.—when someone fired multiple rounds at Deputy Abrams and me at my burned-out home.”
Griff remained quiet beside her, but she could feel the tension building in him, same as it was building in her.
Margo looked from Lily to Griff, then back again. “I didn’t shoot at anyone,” she said quickly. “And I didn’t kill Catherine.”
“Then tell us where you were,” Lily said, not blinking.
Kellerman leaned forward, his voice low but firm. “My client is willing to answer that, but I’d like to clarify that this is a voluntary statement.”
“It is,” Lily said. “For now.”
Margo let out a slow breath and finally spoke. “I was at the house. My mother’s. Going through boxes in the garage. I’ve been cleaning out the property so I can sell it.”
“Alone?” Lily asked.
