Page 126 of State of Suspense

“True. Sam ripped him a new one,” Freddie told Gonzo.

“It needed to be done. He’s an arrogant asshole.”

Cox looked up, caught her watching him and frowned.

“No time like the present.”

As she walked to Cox’s table, she took great satisfaction in watching him realize she was coming to speak to him. He became less animated the closer she got. “A word, General Cox?”

He forced a smile. “Of course.”

They walked to a corner of the massive tent that glittered with strands of lights and gleaming crystal.

“Is this necessary?” he asked with a scowl.

“If it wasn’t, do you think I would’ve left my husband’s side to come speak to you?”

“What do you want?”

“Tell me about your assistant.”

He hadn’t expected that. “What about him?”

“Who is he? Where does he come from?”

“Why in the world do you care about him?”

“Because I’ve chosen to.”

She stared at him without blinking until he finally realized she wouldn’t back down.

“This isn’t the time or the place.”

“I decide when, and I decide where. I couldn’t care less about your lofty title or anything other than getting justice for my friend Tom Forrester.”

He didn’t like her referring to Tom as her friend.

“Do you know what it means to be a true friend, General Cox? It means when your true friend is murdered, you do whatever you can to find the person who did it and make them pay, starting with answering questions from the lead detective on the case. I know it’s been decades since you tried a criminal case, but you should know by now how this works.”

“Enough.”

“Who is Henry Allston, and why was he so weird about giving me his name earlier?”

“He’s my nephew. I raised him. My first wife and I did, I should say.”

“And you’ve disclosed that your assistant is actually a family member?”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Not formally.”

“Why not?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Aren’t you in charge of enforcing rules and regulations? Wouldn’t it be awkward for you if it came to light that your assistant is actually your nephew and you failed to disclose that through proper channels? Did the two of you lie on his background check?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Not at all. I’m merely pointing out that your lack of candor in this investigation is beginning to get tedious. We’re supposed to be on the same side, and yet, it took multiple conversations for you to come clean about your longtime relationship with Tom. Now it seems you’re trying to hide your personal connection to your assistant. You know what I often observe about people who lack candor?” When he only stared at her with a stone-faced expression, she said, “They tend to have something to hide.”

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