Page 53 of Outlaw Ridge: Griff
He glanced at Lily, who gave a nod of agreement. Even if this could be construed as withholding information or obstructing back then, fifteen years was a long time. In his mind, Sharon had been scared, not complicit. And legally, the statute of limitations had already done its work.
For her,anyway.
But not for Everett.
There was no statute of limitations on murder.
“Thank you for telling us,” Griff added. “This helps more than you know.”
“I’ll come by this afternoon,” Sharon said, her voice still fragile but more resolute. “I’ll bring anything I can remember.”
“We’ll be here,” he said, then ended the call.
The room went quiet again. He looked at Lily, who was already walking back toward the evidence board.
“One more lie down,” she said.
“And one alibi gone,” Griff replied.
And Everett Langston had just climbed higher on their suspect list.
The knock at the door came quick and sharp. Griff looked up from the board just as Hallie pushed it open.
“Rhett just got here,” she said. “Brought his lawyer. I’ve got them waiting in interview room one.”
Lily straightened beside the board, shoulders rolling back like a switch had flipped. Game face on.
Hallie didn’t stop there. “Also, we found Catherine’s car. Parked off a trail not far from where her body was discovered. Tucked in behind a tree line.”
Griff frowned. “So she might’ve driven to the scene willingly.”
“Looks that way,” Hallie said. “We’re having it processed now.”
Lily crossed her arms, brow furrowed. “Still no sign of her phone?”
“No,” Hallie confirmed. “But the phone company turned over her call records. Catherine received a call about an hour before her estimated time of death. Number’s a burner. Untraceable.”
Griff cursed under his breath. “So someone lured her out there.”
“That’s our working theory,” Hallie agreed. “And it doesn’t clear Everett. He’s got the resources, and the motive, to get a burner and make that call.”
Griff nodded. “We’ll work that angle.”
Hallie stepped back, giving them room. “Good. I’ll leave you to it.”
She shut the door behind her, and Griff looked at Lily. “Time to see how many lies Rhett’s lawyer is going to let him tell,” he muttered.
Griff grabbed the folder from the edge of the desk, and they went down the hall to the wing that housed the interview room. They stepped in together, the air inside as tight and sharp as the expressions waiting for them.
Rhett sat stiffly at the table, arms crossed, his jaw locked in a permanent clench. His suit looked a size too small and ten years out of date. Across from him sat his attorney—Valerie Pike.
Griff had seen her in court before. Sharp. Ice-veined. Not easily rattled. Today, she wore a navy suit, her dark hair pulled back into a precise knot. Her eyes flicked toward him with polite disdain.
Lily moved to the corner of the table and turned on the recorder. Her voice was even as she read the standard case information into the log. Names, date, time, and case number.
When she finished, Griff pulled out a chair but remained standing as he met Rhett’s glare dead-on. “Before we begin, I’m going to read you your Miranda rights.”
Rhett’s lip curled like Griff had spit on his shoes. “Are you serious?”
