Page 22 of All He Takes
"What stores, man?"
"The antique store where you planted the photos." Nicky leaned forward on the table. They'd wasted enough time trying to get him to fess up--it was time to lay all the cards down. "You drove your car to Harriet Antiques on August 18th, Jimmy. We have the security footage. We saw your car, and we can place it at the scene, so if you didn't take the photos, where did they come from and why did you plant them?"
Jimmy lifted his head, a bewildered look on his face, and for a moment Nicky thought maybe he was ready to fess up. But then he said, "Wait... August 18th?"
"Yes, Jimmy," Ken said. "You know what you did on that date."
"I do! And I wasn't in any damn antique shop!"
Nicky and Ken exchanged a glance.
"Go on," Nicky said.
"I was at work, man," he said. "You can get the security footage from my boss. At Greg's Auto Body back in Stoneycreek. I worked day and night that day after I fucked up on someone's car. I was there all day, man. I wasn't where you think I was."
Nicky didn't like the sound of that. If Jimmy really had an alibi--and they could confirm it with security footage--then that would clear him. But it would be a preposterous coincidence. The Hana Kuma car was rare, and Jimmy's model was the same as the one they were looking for.
They'd already proven that he was in possession of the same model of car, and he had cocaine in his trunk. Even if he had a perfect alibi, there was no way he wasn't involved...
But if he wasn't, then they were wasting time on him, and the real killer was still out there--potentially with another victim.
She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. "We'll get the security footage," Nicky said. "You won't be going anywhere for a while."
"C'mon, man, the drugs weren't mine," Jimmy sputtered. "Let me go!"
But Nicky and Ken were already standing. Nicky couldn't waste another second on this guy. They had to confirm his alibi. But even if it checked out, Jimmy wasn't going anywhere for a long time--not with that much cocaine in his possession.
"Sorry, Jimmy," Ken said as they made their way to the door. "End of the road."
CHAPTER TEN
She was getting it all wrong. As she tried to contort her body into the pose he wanted, he seethed with anger at seeing the awkward angles she produced.
"No, no, not like that!" he yelled. "My camera would fucking break if I took photos of you looking like that!"
She whimpered like a pathetic, scared mutt. In his basement studio, he had everything perfect: the lighting, the mood, the set. He was going for a vintage, pinup style, but this woman--who he had trusted to be his perfect model--was failing him.
"Please," she begged, standing upright in front of the couch, "l-let me go, please."
"You will pose for me," he said through gritted teeth. "And you will do it right. Try again."
He held his camera up to her, and she sat back down, trying to cross her legs the way he'd wanted.
"Good," he said. "Now arch your back. Give the camera a smile."
With a pained, uncomfortable look, she managed to arch her back, pushing her chest forward and opening her mouth into something that resembled a smile.
"No," he said. "Too wide. Try it again."
As she tried to arch her back again, he took a step closer to her, and then another, until he was right behind her.
"Oh," she said, trying to scoot away from him. "Okay."
He grabbed her shoulder with one hand, holding the camera with the other.
"Oh, no, no, no," he said. "I need you to stay still."
"I'm not comfortable with it," she said, shaking her head. "Please, don't."
