The Truthing Tree: (San Juan Islands Mystery Book 8) by D.W. Ulsterman

Author:D.W. Ulsterman [Ulsterman, D.W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

R

oland sat on the floor of the cell with his back against the wall, arms wrapped around his bent knees, head down, looking as small and defenseless as Adele could recall ever seeing him. Then his head lifted. He saw her, nodded and grinned, and the old familiar Roland returned. Adele silently marveled at the speed of the transformation—how easily he could go from appearing so weak and helpless to the casually confident arrogance that fit him like a second skin. “Hey,” he said. “Are you alone?”

“Lucas is waiting in his office.”

“That was good of him to give us a chance to talk. How’s he holding up? I don’t know how close Sandra and he really were but regardless none of this can be easy for him.”

Adele walked to the front of the cell and gripped the bars. “It’s not Lucas I’m worried about right now. How are you doing?”

Roland got up off the floor, tucked his dress shirt into his slacks, ran his fingers through his tousled hair, and then shrugged. “This place is a dump, but the rent is cheap.”

“This is serious, Roland. You’re in big trouble.”

“It’s clearly a setup. I’m confident Lucas will figure all of that out and if he doesn’t, I’ll have my attorneys help him to get there. Either way, the county has to actually charge me or let me go by tomorrow.”

“Did you do it?”

Roland scowled. “Kill Sandra? C’mon, you know better than to ask me that.”

“A bank lobby full of people witnessed you threatening her.”

“So?”

“You two had that screaming match and then hours later she’s dead.”

“I didn’t do it. Period. End of story.”

“Why did you decide to fire her? You said before that you couldn’t do that until the lawsuit she had already threatened against you was sorted out.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Just like that?”

“Yeah, just like that.”

“What about the blood on her door and the syringe?”

“I told you; I’m being set up. Lucas already checked me over. I don’t have any cuts or abrasions. That blood didn’t come from me.”

“But it’s your blood.”

“Whatever.”

“Saying whatever isn’t much of a defense if this goes to court.”

“This isn’t going to court. It’ll all be sorted soon.” Roland sounded less than convinced of his own words. “Are you helping Lucas with the investigation?”

“Yes.”

Roland went up to the bars and put his hands over Adele’s fingers. “That’s good.”

“It might not be good enough.”

“I believe in you. I always have.”

Adele pulled her hands away. “Tell me about the altercation in the lobby.”

Roland turned, walked back to the wall, and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor again, looking annoyed and sad. “Sandra betrayed her own legacy with my family. She betrayed me. All those years I trusted her, respected her, apparently none of it meant anything. I couldn’t allow her to continue in her position. I just couldn’t. So, I marched into her office and told her to get out. She tried to threaten the lawsuit again, promised I was going to lose everything.

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