“How did all of you get through the police line?” he demands.
“We simply walked,” Barry tells him. “I’m Barry Krantz, owner of the Raptors hockey team.” He doesn’t sound pushy or entitled, like he expects to be treated differently. He says it matter-of-factly.
“And I’m Cherese King, Mr. Hutchinson attorney.”
The detective’s expression sours.
She reaches through the seat and hands me a thumb drive. “That is a copy of the text messages and voicemails Joseph Ayers left Daisy Canton when she had him served with a restraining order. There are also copies of the hospital photos from when he nearly beat her to death last year.”
Has he killed her yet? Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be lying dead in that parking garage on the cold concrete floor.
“Is she dead?” I whisper. “Is that why you won’t let me go over there?”
“Who?” the detective asks.
“Daisy!” I shout.
“No, there was no Daisy on scene.”
“Then he took her.”
“Who?”
“Asswipe! Can’t you pay attention?”
“Calling me names is not…”
“He wasn’t calling you names,” Collin cuts in. “Asswipe is what we call her ex, Joseph Ayers.”
“The football player from Texas? The one who just declared for the draft? Those are some serious allegations.”
“Take the thumb drive, look at the evidence, and then tell us if you think they’re serious allegations or not. Now, my client is leaving. If you have questions for him, call me.” She hands me her card and I pass both the card and the thumb drive to the detective. “Mr. Hutchinson, we can leave now.”
“I need to see him at the station,” the detective says as I start the car. “There are questions he needs to answer.”
Cherese smiles. “I’m sure there are, but seeing as he gave you his alibi, you’ll need time to check that. I’ve contacted our criminal division at the firm, and they assure me they’ll have our very best criminal attorney with Mr. Hutchinson at the station bright and early in the morning. Not a minute before. He’s in no condition to answer questions tonight seeing as how his girlfriend is missing, and the police don’t seem to be looking for her. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Detective, we’ll see you first thing in the morning.”
Cherese taps my shoulder and I put the Jeep in gear, driving away from the scowling detective and heading to the one place that always feel safe to me—my mother’s.
CHAPTER 40
Daisy
My body bouncesas I’m dragged down a set of stairs. I can feel it every time my flesh meets the cold metal stairs, every time my head bounces against the hard metal steps. The concrete floor scrapes my face as I am pulled across it.
“Go to the store. We’re going to need a lot of bleach to clean up the mess.” He leaves me laying there and walks over to what I think is a table, but my vision is a little blurry. And I can’t move. Why can’t I move?
Bleach? My mind’s a little fuzzy, but I understand what he wants with bleach. He’s going to kill me.
“Why the fuck do you want bleach? I signed up to scare the bitch, not kill her.”
“What did you think I was going to do? Beat her and then let her blab to everyone it was me? Fuck no. She’s going to disappear so she can’t cause me any more problems. She’s mine to do with as I want. If she’d kept her fucking mouth shut and been a good girl, none of this would be necessary.”
“Dude, I did not sign on for this…”
“You want your shot in the NFL or not?”
“You know I do.”
