Page 5 of Twin Threats In Austin
Chapter Two
Whatever was going on between Camden Remington and Kage Durham needed to stop so Rochelle could assess the situation. Bringing the man who’d arrested Kage didn’t seem like the brightest idea, considering the sheer amount of rage coming off Kage in waves.
“Would you mind taking another look at the photo?” Rochelle asked. At this point, the assumption was that Justina was still alive. Rochelle would like to keep it that way. Could they get to the victim before it was too late?
“What does this have to do with me?” Kage asked, not hiding the contempt in his voice. The man was well-spoken, tall, and most would consider him attractive.
Rochelle needed to come at this from a different angle. “Does the nameJustina Worthmean anything to you?”
“Should it, Detective?” Kage continued the game of answering questions with another question.
“That’s what we’re here to find out, Mr. Durham,” she stated in as calm a voice as she could.
Kage offered a cursory glance at the photo. “Like I said, I’ve never seen this woman before in my life, but you can tell whoever’s in charge to cut it out with the shadow on me. I can’t turn around without someone following.”
“What does that mean?” Rochelle asked, cocking her head to one side, and raising an eyebrow. Was the man delusional? Or did he have a mental condition she wasn’t aware of? Paranoia?
“Ever since my release, someone has been following me,” Kage said with a frustrated sigh. “At first, I thought it was you.” He flicked his gaze at Camden. “But I’m sure the federal government wouldn’t waste valuable resources on a small-time criminal like me.”
“Justina Worth is missing,” Rochelle stated as plainly as she could to bring the gravity of the current situation front and center. Kage was too busy licking his wounds from his arrest and incarceration, and clearly blamed Camden for it, which was misguided at best. “This is serious. We’re trying to locate her and thought you—”
Kage leaned in, cutting her off with his glare. “Like I already said. Never heard that name in my life.” He bared his teeth like an agitated dog warning its adversary to back off.
“Where were you last Saturday night?” Rochelle asked, needing to redirect.
“I went out for a drink at a nearby nightclub,” Kage stated. “Is that against the law now?”
“Depends on what you did while you were there and after you left,” Rochelle returned.
“I didn’t do anything except have a nonalcoholic beer, realized the place was way too crowded, and then I left,” he said, his voice taut.
“What time did you exit the nightclub?” Rochelle asked.
Kage shrugged. “I’m not exactly certain.”
“You must have a rough idea,” Camden declared, his voice a study in calm.
“Before midnight,” Kage said with another exasperated sigh.
“I could call your parole officer,” Camden said. “See how she feels about you going to a place where alcohol is served.”
“What are you accusing me of this time?” Kage asked, impatience edged in his tone. “Because my parole officer isn’tgoing to care about me stepping out when I didn’t drink alcohol or cause a problem.”
“Are you denying your conviction, Kage?” Camden continued. “Or the fact that you need to watch your p’s and q’s or risk going back to prison?”
“No one said I was,” Kage countered. “But I deserve to know why you showed up here, asking my whereabouts while simultaneously asking if I know of a Justina What’s-her-name. Are you asking if I had anything to do with this woman’s disappearance? Because that’s outta line. I messed up before and paid my dues.” He swept his hand across his body like he was showing the newest model of an expensive automobile. “As you can see, I’m living the high life here. I lost all my business because of that jail sentence.”
Nice that he wasn’t taking responsibility for the fact thathewas the one who’d committed the crimes that had cost his livelihood, she thought sarcastically. No, it was law enforcement’s fault for busting him. What about the lives he’d destroyed by stealing folks’ identities?
It was just like a perp to blame others for their fate because they got caught.
“We’re trying to find a missing person,” Rochelle said, attempting to bring the conversation back to the point of their visit. A muscle in Camden’s jaw ticked as tensions increased. “And we’ll be speaking to anyone and everyone who might be connected to the case so we can find this person alive.”
Kage shook his head. Those bared teeth came out again. “Once a criminal, always a criminal. Is that it?”
“I’d personally appreciate it if you wouldn’t waste our time,” Rochelle said out of frustration. Trying to keep Kage on topic was proving impossible when he had nothing but venom for law-enforcement officers.
Camden took a step toward Kage. “The next time we come here, it’ll be with your parole officer, and we won’t be asking your permission to enter your apartment.”
