Page 39 of Say Now
"Honestly, I can’t talk about it.It’s sensitive, and I made a promise.And I only know the surface of it all.This case was already connected to the past, but I think it’s even more tangled.When it’s all done, tangled or untangled, I can talk more about it."
"Oh, I did get a possibility with the soil.There is a construction site over in the industrial district that is building a new warehouse, and they’ve been working continuously.They hired one of those machines that heats the ground so they can dig to lay foundations.Your guy might have picked up the soil from there.He could get some fresh stuff that would have been nice and warm.Unless you have something already."
"No, nothing.Not a lot of soil is sold commercially at this time of year.He could have bought it a while back or dug it himself and kept it in a warmed garage, but that’s a lot of forward planning.Maybe he’s capable of that, but the surveillance photos only go back a month.I’ll check out your find—just send me over the address."
A hurried knock at the door.
"Hey, I’ll call you back.I have someone at the door."
"All right," Derek said warmly.
Alison ended the call and went to the door.She found Claire on the other side of the door, pupils wide, but a frown on her lips.
"They found him," Claire said."Captain Kent is on his way to pick him up now.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
When Alison and Claire entered the police station, there was a sense of jubilation in the air.Tommy Castanello had been brought in without any problems.Alison knew that Claire would feel it more than Dale, but she was not looking forward to the veiled gloating when he spotted them.
Which he did almost immediately.
He walked toward them with his arms out and a wide smile on his face.
"Hey, this was a team effort," he said."We wouldn’t have done this without all of our departments working together.I want to thank you for your help in this case, Special Agent Martinez."
Dale held out his hand, and to Claire’s credit, she took it and shook it.Alison could feel the resentment radiating from Claire, but she kept her outer self under control, and Alison had to admire that.
And she wasn't the only one who was keeping their emotions in check.Dale still had his anger, but he covered it with the smugness of a man who took over and got the win.
Alison wondered what he would have really done if he had gotten a chance to be alone with the killer.Had there been that chance when Tommy was brought in?Could he have orchestrated that but chose not to for the greater good?
"Where was he?"Alison asked, breaking some of the tension.
"He was spotted out in a remote diner near the state border," Kent said."Can you believe that he just stopped in there for a late-night meal, sitting in a booth all by himself as bold as brass?A couple of state troopers went in to get some coffee, spotted him, and arrested him on the spot.I went out there to pick him up, and now, he’s safely behind bars.Maybe we got lucky in the end, but three people saved feels like a lot more than luck."
"Has he said anything yet?"Alison asked.
"Only that he wants his lawyer," Kent said."I sent an officer down to pick the lawyer up.I don't want this to drag out any more than it has to.He would have wasted our time and had us wait until morning.Now, he’ll be ready to talk tonight."
"I want to talk with him," Claire said.
"Easy there," Kent said."I’ll be the one to talk with him first, but Dr.Payne, I would like you in there with me.He was silent the entire ride back here, and I don't think he’s about to spill his guts to us, so I want you to do what you did back at the apartment, and let me know that we have our guy.I mean, we have him, but I want you to confirm it.See what he’s hiding and help me get into his head.We know he did it, he knows we know, and if we get him to admit it in the interview room, then we have a slam dunk.This will go to trial, and I want him put away for the rest of his life.Can you help with that?"
"Yeah, I can."
"Good," Kent said."When I’m done with him, the FBI can take a shot if they want, but not tonight.Maybe you should just go home and come back in the morning."
"I’m not going anywhere," Claire said.
"You can do whatever you want," Kent said."Just don't try to swoop in and steal this from under me.As I said, this was some good teamwork."
Claire didn’t say a word until Captain Kent had walked away."Is that him trying to get under my skin, or is he just an arrogant son-of-a-gun?"
"It might just be both," Alison admitted."Listen, I'm on your team.We started this together, and we will end this together.I'm in with Tommy.This is now not only about putting away the guy who killed three people, but about finding the connection to Arturo and what happened to him.I can lay the groundwork tonight, suss him out, and then tomorrow, when you interview him, I'll be in there with you.If someone from inside the force was going after Arturo, then the FBI needs to find out.Two interviews for two different things.We play this right, and we get both.That means playing nice with Kent for now so you get access once he gets what he needs."
"I guess we have our killer," Claire said."That’s all that matters.Do you think you’ll get a confession out of him?"
"I don't know.There’s enough to put him away.A confession would make things go a lot smoother, but a jury will likely convict him no matter what."
