Page 66 of Savage in the Streets
“You don’t have to worry about it anymore. It’s in my hands, and I’m going to take care of everything,” I say, hoping to god that this all checks out and we’re not being given the runaround.
“What’s the next step?” she asks.
“Now, I talk to Alvarez.”
Chapter 19
Ashton
The old womanfidgets on the other side of the mirrored glass, dour-faced with long bags drooping down her cheeks. Detective Brawner plays her well, offering a cup of coffee, making sure she has enough sugar, making it seem like he cares.
Her name is Abigail, and up until eight months ago, she was Moxie’s estranged mother. A woman whose past is littered with regret and bad decisions. She thinks she’s come into the precinct to talk more about the fraud case where she implicated Bailey. Little does she know that if she’s not careful, she’ll be spending a lot of time behind bars.
Brawner starts talking about his own kids, how they never call him anymore, blaming him for every little mistake. Little lies that will help Abigail relate to him. Trust him. She’s completely unaware that her daughter is in a separate interrogation room being worked on by another detective.
Brawner’s questions are innocuous enough. Most people wouldn’t think twice about them, but they get her talking, establishing what she thinks is a bond between them.
And, like every heartbroken mother whose child only calls when it serves them, she concurs, recalling situations the detective is already well aware of due to Moxie’s prior history and run-ins with the law.
Finally, after developing a good rapport with Abigail, Brawner’s questions become more direct: Why didn’t you reveal that your daughter is a part of the Blood Angels? Why didn’t you tell anyone that your daughter was in a relationship with Jim Savage, the father of the accused? And have you ever actually met Bailey Savage in real life?
That’s when she realized she was being played. She transformed herself into a stone-cold wall of silence, what little good it does her.
Brawner has a way with interrogations. She’s in over her head.
It wasn’t until a detective finally broke Moxie and she implicated her own mother, that Abigail finally began talking.
Big Jim had been the one to convince Abigail to lie, and it was Moxie that planted the evidence in Bailey’s apartment. I’m actually shocked by how well their plan had come together and glad that Bailey had me to fight the case for her, because she surely would have served hard time.
“Looks like we got her,” Alvarez says with a smile on his face. “Her, Moxie, and Big Jim Savage.”
“But not Caleb,” I say.
“With the pieces coming together like they are, there’s a strong case against him. We’ll play him and Big Jim against each other like we did Moxie and Abigail,” Alvarez says.
I snicker. “I’m sure if Big Jim goes down, he’ll be more than happy to drag his son with him.”
Alvarez returns with, “Who knows, maybe it will be Bailey that gives him up.”
My brow draws inward. “Bailey? She was set up by Big Jim. She wouldn’t—”
Alvarez folds his arms across his chest. “So she says.”
As enraged as I am, I make it a point not to show it.
“The thought of putting the three remaining Savages behind bars must be awfully tempting. It would surely make a name for yourself…while exposing you to considerable risk.”
His eyes darken. “Are you threatening me?”
“Oh, it’s not a threat. I am very good at what I do, and my father’s a damn legend. You can be the man that puts Big Jim away, and perhaps as a bonus, his son. Or you can be the man that let all three walk away unscathed, because as much as I hate Bailey’s father and brother, I’d make damn sure they got off just to fuck you over.”
Alvarez’s lip sneers upward, but he says nothing.
“You should be ashamed of yourself. You know she’s not guilty. She’s helping you make your case, and it’s still not enough.”
“Cool your jets, bro—it was only a joke.”
“First, I’m not your bro. Second, I’m not stupid enough to believe that.” I give a rough chuckle, one that lets him know how far beneath me I believe he is. “Third, you don’t want to fuck with me.”
