The Cold Road (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The offices were a mess. James walked through, his arm in a sling and his mind still being cleared of the meds. He could not afford to enter the interview room and accuse a man of murdering his own daughter, along with other things, if the fact that he was out of his heads on painkillers could be turned against him. Without them, his arm was thudding painfully. He could feel his blood running through his veins; feel the stitching that pierced his skin together. Even worse, he could feel a pressure in his chest as he tried to move through the blackness enveloping his brain from the pain.

He paused at the corner of his desk and watched the people around him. They moved as if in slow motion, but he knew that everyone was running crazy with the workload pushing on them.

Franks entered the office from the other side of the room and waved his arm to catch James's attention. James pushed himself off the bench and hurried over. He glanced behind himself, concerned for just a moment that maybe the nurse was on his tail. He joined Franks and together they headed down the hall to the Nook.

'The lawyer's in there,' said Franks and groaned. 'Together they've barely said more than 10 words. The lawyer, Cassey, said they're waiting for something to show up. He was mysterious about it so I've no idea. Perette's alibi maybe? Who knows. We're really going to have to push it.'

'Heinrich returned yet with the info we need on the knife?'

'Yeah. Which is why we're doing this now. It's a partial print belonging to Paul. The blood matches Lindsey's, it should be solid.' Franks chewed his lip nervously. 'It should be enough to convict him, maybe it'll even hold up in a court, but something about Perette just now,' he shook his head. 'I don't' know.'

'It's bullshit to think the rest of the cult didn't know who else was there. I think that was just a lie Belberra told,' said James. 'As soon as this is done, I want to talk to the others. I mean, seriously, traveling together and moving a body? Left alone they would talk, enquire about each other, it's human nature when the boss isn't around to question.'

'Heh,' scoffed Franks. 'They're freaks, the lot of them. Who knows what goes on in their heads? If Belberra had them under his thumb it would probably frighten them to be quiet to each other.'

James allowed a small smile of appreciation to cross his lips as he looked at Franks. The man didn't object to him wanting to talk to the others, even though Cindy was one of them he would question.

They reached the door to the Nook and the two men squeezed in. There was barely room for the four of them, but they shuffled and made it work. The introductions were brief. No one was there to be friendly.

'I hope you have something to accuse my client of, Detectives. You cannot arrest a man and then hold him without explaining the charges against him,' Cassey said, clasping his arms against his chest.

'Yourclientalready knows the charges against him,' snapped James. 'He's been arrested on charges for murder. Charges that we can prove. Last night, between the hours of hours of seven and midnight, Paul Perette and a number of associates murdered 7-year-old Lindsey Perette. We have evidence to put his associates at the scene of the crime, as well as the crime scene of Catherine White.'

'It's all very well placingknown-associatesat crime scenes, but that does not place my client there,' interrupted Cassey. 'What evidence do you have to convict my client?'

'We found a partial print of Perette on the knife used to kill Lindsey Perette-'

'A partial print? Really? Is that all? If you compare enough prints from different people, you'll find partials of most of them overlap.'

'We also have eye witness accounts of Perette at the scene of Lindsey Perette's murder,' James said quickly, jumping in before Franks could reply. 'Members of the group confessed to Mr Perette joining them, Rico Belberra also confessed all before his death.'