Page 25 of Nothing Hiding

She wondered what Wyatt, walking in next to her, thought of it.

Seeing that he was already uncomfortable, she sat down, frowning slightly, and let the silence build. She wanted him to feel the pressure of not speaking, so that he would be more likely to spill the information when their conversation started.

Griggs was squirming in his seat, his eyes shifting from Juliette to Wyatt and back again. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his lips were pressed tightly together.

Wyatt leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him, also looking deliberately casual, and as if he could spend all day here, relaxing, while worst-case scenarios boiled in their suspect’s mind.

A trickle of sweat wormed its way down Griggs’s throbbing temple. It was time to talk. The tension had reached a snapping point.

"Mr. Griggs," she began, wondering if, now that she was speaking, his hazel eyes would focus on her instead of darting around in search of a way out.

His gaze did rest on her briefly, but then he looked down at his long fingered, tightly clamped hands that were clasped on the desk in front of him.

"You ran from me. You went to very extreme lengths to try to avoid the police. I'm wondering why that was?"

Griggs swallowed hard, looking up at Juliette with fear in his eyes. "I-I was scared. I saw the police, and I panicked. I didn't do anything wrong, I swear. I don't even know what this is about."

"How long have you been working for the exhibition?" she asked, wanting to distract him with a question he wasn't expecting to jolt him out of the version he was trying to give them.

"Working? For the exhibition?" He looked startled. "Er—well, it's a pop-up event, and it's been running two weeks, and I work for the organizing company. They—er—they do different events all around London and the south of England."

"What does your job involve?"

"I'm in charge of the exhibitors' entrance, which is at the back of the expo.”

“What does that involve?”

“I need to make sure everyone coming in has the correct authorization and check what’s brought in and out."

"And was it busy this morning?"

"Yes," he nodded. "A lot of people were bringing in new models, new dresses, for the Saturday expo. They opened a few new areas."

Now that he was talking about his work, their suspect was positively babbling, looking very different in his demeanor. But Juliette needed to probe further. What angle would get them close to the reason for his behavior?

"Anyone suspicious come through the gate this morning?" Wyatt asked, as she was wondering what the best angle of approach would be.

That was a great question. She could see it wrenched him out of his babbling mindset and back into the guilty, furtive mode.

Griggs hesitated, lowering his gaze. Juliette could see his mind working, weighing the pros and cons of his answer. Finally, he looked back up at them, a hint of desperation in his eyes.

"I'm not sure, there were so many people coming and going.It was so busy, it's hard to keep track of everyone."

"But that's your job. To keep track." Juliette frowned more deeply.

He stared at her, now openly defensive. "Look, it's just—it's just an expo! I mean, how was I to know that a criminal would come along and use it as his dumping ground? Everyone who comes in has the right ticket!"

Juliette was starting to see where this was going. She thought that Griggs had been neglecting his role as the guardian of that exhibitors' gate.

"Were you there all morning?" she queried. "Or did you perhaps step out for a while?"

"I-I was there! All morning, of course! Why would I step out?"

"But you don't seem to have taken notice of everyone. Are you sure you didn't miss anyone coming in?"

Now, he was looking as furtive as he'd done when he walked in, and Juliette thought she was getting to the gist of it.

"You'd better be truthful," she threatened. "If you did step out, or walk away from your post, the timing might be important. Tell us!"

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