Page 131 of What She Saw
“This is a fucking setup,” Colton shouted.
Taggart tightened the cuffs. “We’ll talk about that at the station.”
“Why can’t we talk about this here?”
Taggart wanted him in the interview room. He wanted to control the situation.
“Does this have to do with those missing women?” Colton demanded. “I’ve been out here searching with the volunteers in the woods. I want them found more than anyone.”
Taggart moved Colton toward his cruiser.
Colton glanced toward the barn. The muscles in his body tightened and he braced his feet. The shock of the moment had worn off, and he was grasping what had happened. “You’ve made a mistake, man.”
“We’ll see,” Taggart said.
“Why do you think it’s me?” The veins in his neck bulged as he strained to look back at Taggart. “I’m not your guy!”
Taggart refused to engage.
“Did you find the girls?” Colton demanded. “Has someone found the bodies?”
Taggart didn’t respond.
“You can’t prove anything without bodies.” Colton’s expression was bright with worry. “You need bodies to prove there’s even been a death.”
Taggart shoved him toward the police car. The fucker was guilty. But Colton was right—without the bodies, proving the case would be difficult. Countless volunteers had been searching for over a week around the Nelson farm. But there’d been no sign of the missingwomen. Taggart didn’t need bodies to know the women were dead. The mementos proved the connection between the missing women and Colton, but juries liked to have a corpse.
Taggart opened his vehicle’s back door. Colton stiffened. “Do not fuck with me.” Tension radiated through the promoter’s lean, muscular body. “You’re making a mistake, man. I never hurt anyone.”
Taggart shoved him into the back seat and slammed the door. Colton stared out the passenger window at Taggart. Brown eyes had hardened. All traces of humor were gone.
“He doesn’t act like a killer,” Deputy Paxton said.
“Did you expect a confession?” Taggart asked.
“He looked baffled.”
“Did he? Confusion can be read multiple ways. My guess is Colton wasn’t expecting us. He’s doing mental gymnastics. He is wondering about what we found.”
Paxton dropped his voice. “Are you sure about this?”
“I sure as hell am.”
“Do you think he’ll tell us where the bodies are?”
“He has every reason not to.”
The Dawson police station was too small for a legitimate interview room, so Taggart had Colton brought from his cell to the conference room. The department didn’t have a video camera, so he’d visited the local appliance store. When he’d explained why he needed the camera, the store owner had been happy to lend it to him. The Sony Handycam now sat on the credenza. A glowing red light indicated it was recording.
Colton still wore the clothes he’d been wearing that morning. Dark circles ringed under his eyes and the smirk was long gone. “What the hell is going on? You can’t keep me without filing charges.”
“I can hold you for twenty-four hours without charges.” Taggart pulled out a chair and angled it toward Colton. He tossed a file on the table. “But I bet you know the legal system pretty well, don’t you?”
“This is bullshit.”
“You’ve been arrested before.”
Colton sat back. “We both know you know that.”
