Page 56 of Outlaw Ridge: Griff
“I told her to rein him in,” Rhett muttered. “Told her Everett needed to be more careful. I wasn’t going to be the one cleaning up his mess when it blew back on the department. The whole town would’ve lost their minds if they found out.”
Griff didn’t buy a damn word of it. He kept his thoughts to himself, but inside, the conclusion was settling in fast. Rhett hadn’t gone to Catherine towarnher. He’d gone toleverageher.
And she paid.
Not for protection. Not for discretion. But for silence.
Griff shifted in his chair, his tone sharpening just enough to signal the change in direction. “Let’s talk about your whereabouts. Where were you at the time of Hannah Cole’s murder?” Griff asked.
Rhett’s jaw twitched. “To hell if I know. It was fifteen damn years ago. I didn’t exactly keep a diary.”
“Then where were you at the time ofCatherine’sdeath?” Griff pressed.
Rhett sat up a little straighter. “At home. Working on a security proposal for a client. I was drafting it on my laptop. I can pull the computer logs if you want proof.”
Griff leaned back slightly. “I do. And the client’s contact info.”
Rhett’s face tightened for a beat, just a flicker, but it was enough. A flash of anger passed through his eyes before he nodded once, jerky and defensive.
His lawyer jumped in again, voice firm. “My client is cooperating in good faith. There are no grounds for charges at this time, and we expect that to be reflected in how this interview is handled going forward.”
Griff didn’t bother answering her directly. He looked at Rhett. “We’ll be turning over everything to the district attorney,” he said calmly. “Given what we’ve learned, charges are likely forthcoming. That’s not my call. It’s theirs.”
Rhett’s chair screeched as he shoved back from the table and got to his feet, fury practically radiating off him. “This is bullshit,” he snapped. “I gave you what you wanted.”
Then he stormed out of the room, his lawyer scrambling after him.
Griff didn’t move. He just watched the door swing closed.
One suspect down.
Two to go.
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Chapter Thirteen
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Lily sat at the interview table, fingers lightly drumming against her notepad, her gaze fixed on the door as if willing Margo to appear.
It had been nearly an hour since Rhett had stormed out of the station, and the fallout was already in motion. Everything—his admission, the hush money trail, the lack of a clear alibi—had been packaged and turned over to the district attorney. In a day or two, Rhett Hale might be facing criminal charges.
Not for murder.
Not yet.
But the possibility was real.
Rhett had the means to have killed Catherine and orchestrated the attacks against Griff and her. He’d carried a weapon for most of his adult life. He had tactical knowledge, investigative experience, and he knew how to avoid leaving evidence behind. He also had a motive. Or maybemotives.
For Hannah, it could have been rage. He could have been in love with her himself. There were still gaps in that timeline, still things he hadn’t said.
And for Catherine…
If she’d threatened to expose him for accepting hush money, or if their relationship had soured in some darker, more dangerous way, she could have become a liability. Maybe shewas done paying him. Maybe she wanted to cut ties. Maybe she’d finally had enough.
And Rhett didn’t like loose ends.
