Page 117 of Wanted
Knox looked like he wanted to say something more, opened his mouth, brows drawn together tightly, but then just nodded. Their silent agreement was set in place in case the cops would try to cross examine them.
Seeing Knox taken away felt like having his arms and legs ripped off, but Liv trusted him. As the cops led him to another vehicle, he let himself relax, glad that he was still whole.
If push came to shove. He’d take the blame for Vlad’s death and set Knox free.
Chapter 38
Liv
The interrogation room wasa white box with walls that felt as though they were about to crush Liv and bright light that had already given him a headache. But he had been seen by a doctor so at least the pain wasn’t an omen of impending death.
“Look, all I’m saying is that you need to be careful with him. He has a serious heart condition, but he tries to always hide it. And you don’t want him to get seriously ill on your watch, right?” Liv tried, flinching when the chains cuffing his wrist to the table rattled, reminding him that he wasn’t here on his own terms.
The policeman rolled his eyes as if this wasn’t a serious matter. He sat in a chair opposite Liv, his bright eyes like icicles.
“Your buddy’s being taken care of. In fact, he’s feeling so good, he had no trouble confessing that you killed Mr. Sidorov. So you should worry about yourself, not him.”
The tiniest echo of a sting made Liv twitch, but then sense took over, and he shook his head and took a sip from a paper cup ofwater he’d been offered. Knox wouldn’t have pushed him under the bus. Not in a million years.
“He probably also told you about our secret stash then.”
The cop squinted at him and tapped his pen against the table. “No, but I’m all ears.”
Liv shrugged, meeting his gaze. “Can’t believe he hadn’t told you about the crystals. Witchy girls are all over that. Great money.”
“It would really be quicker and more painless for everyone if you confessed and stopped wasting my time.”
“I have nothing to confess.”
The cop cocked his head and looked into a thin file. “Then why did you run after Mr. Sidorov’s disappearance? If you have nothing to hide, then how come you emerge all the way in Pennsylvania?”
Liv spread his arms as far as the chain allowed. Which wasn’t far. “Because I’ve been pissing off the local cops for a while. I’m from a bad part of town, and I’ve caused more than enough trouble in my life. I was afraid they’d try to pin that dude’s death on me.”
“So Mr. Macy killed him.”
It was more of a statement than a question, and that chilled Liv to the bone. These cops just wanted to close a case, to show off that they did something, and would throw either of them to the wolves to do that. Because who would truly mourn Vlad, besides maybe his youngest kids, who hadn’t yet experienced what a terrible man he could be?
“Couldn’t have. I was with him.”
“Your ex-girlfriend… who was Mr. Macy’s girlfriend before that,” the cop said matter-of-factly but raised his eyebrows, “she claims you left your home at two in the morning to pick up Mr. Macy from Mr. Sidorov’s property. And then, all of youdisappeared, but we found DNA that matches Mr. Sidorov’s. Are you really expecting us to believe you had nothing to do with it?”
Liv shrugged, determined to play the fool for as long as it took. But if push came to shove, and it was between him and Knox, he would confess to what he’d done. Too bad their grand escape would surely not play in his favor. “Yeah, that’s right. The guy was alive and kicking when we last saw him.”
The door opened for a man who wasn’t wearing a uniform but an elegant suit. He was in his forties, with slicked back dark hair, and he pulled out a cigarette as soon as he entered.
Liv frowned when he sawFrankhover just outside.
“I’m taking it from here, Travis,” the suit said to Liv’s interrogator.
The cop opened his mouth but after a silent two-second standoff, he tightened his lips and left the room.
Liv blinked, staring at Frank, then at the one-way mirror to his left. His stomach sank and he leaned forward. “Is something wrong with Knox?”
Frank closed the door, then got to the corner of the room, stood on his toes and turned off the camera that had been eying Liv with its red light. “No, but this is your one chance, so you better listen to what my friend Ross has to offer you.”
Liv’s skin tightened around him, becoming so rigid he couldn’t move. “Yeah. Sure,” he muttered, moving his gaze from Frank to the tired features with puffed up bags under the eyes.
Ross sat down and took a big drag of smoke. “Let’s get this clear. I don’t give a shit about Vladimir Sidorov. In fact, I’m glad to hear he’s gone. He was a small fish, and you are an even tinier one. But you see, we found the body, we found your car, and we’ve got a lot of blanks to fill. We can either use those blanks to put the two of you behind bars, because I’m sure it was one of you who ended Vlad, or I can put you on the witness stand.”
