Page 65 of No Good Deed

He grinned. “All part of the small town service aimed at making you want to stay.”

She smiled. “You’re all very persuasive.”

“Good. Now, let me catch you up on a few things. Last night, before Troy found you, a deputy a few towns south of here pulled over a silver Accord. The owner and driver was Chad Westerlake from Chicago.”

“That’s not a common name. He has to be connected to Ethan.”

He nodded. “Tessa and Tansy worked their magic and discovered the two men are cousins. Chad hasn’t admitted to the connection yet, and says he was simply on a road trip exploring New England. But Chad has a record for some break and enters along with a few assaults. His fingerprints match the one we found on Troy’s garage. Once the DNA results come back from the gum, I’m confident they’ll match him as well. My guess is that Chad is the one who attacked you, and broke into your car, with Ethan coordinating everything.”

That made sense. “Ethan isn’t the type to get dirty himself, but I can see him hiring someone else. What did Ethan say about his cousin?”

“I haven’t told him yet. I wanted to speak with you, first. Have you heard Ethan mention a cousin, or Chad in particular? Have you ever met any of Ethan’s family?”

Piper shook her head. “Never. We rarely spoke and always about work projects.”

“Did he ever bring family members or friends to the office?”

“Not that I remember, but I didn’t pay much attention to him.”

Marcus grinned. “The pompous ass would hate knowing that. How do you feel about leading the questioning when we go in?”

Her stomach tightened at the thought. “Why?” Oreo stirred from where he’d settled in her lap and she soothed him with pats.

“He’s been muttering a lot since he’s been here. He’s focused on you and keeps repeating that it’s your fault he’s behind bars.”

She rolled her eyes. “He’s an idiot.”

Marcus nodded. “Agreed. His arrogance and superiority complex might cause him to reveal more than he wants if you’re doing the questioning. He’s not impressed with my badge and expects that he can get me fired. He’s used to being the one running the show and doesn’t like being questioned. If you ask him anything, it might make him lose some control.”

As long as he remained behind those bars, out of control would be okay. “What would you like me to ask?”

“Whatever you want. I believe he’s likely a blackmailer, and that the data on the spreadsheet proves that. We haven’t unlocked the code yet, but we will. If people are paying blackmail to keep Westerlake quiet, they’re going to be pissed about their information being revealed to the police. I can use that to pressure him to talk later on.”

She thought about it for a moment. “If I could get him to admit to hiring Chad for the other attacks and break-ins, that would help, wouldn’t it?”

Marcus shrugged. “Probably, but I don’t think he’s the type to hold up well in an interrogation, either. Equal parts arrogant and scared. This is more about you, and what you need. If you don’t want to see him, you don’t need to.”

That was tempting, but Piper wanted answers. She also wanted to stop being afraid of this man. Confronting him with his own stupidity while he was behind bars should do that. “What do you think he’s afraid of?”

Another shrug. “Jail time, for sure. The man believes he’s too smart to get caught. He thinks he’ll figure a way to wriggle out of this. A man like him won’t do well in prison with the lack of privacy and amenities. He’s complained about those already. He might also be afraid of the people he’s blackmailing, but we don’t have those names yet.”

Piper mulled over her options for a moment. “Okay, I’ll speak with him and see if I can get some answers.”

Marcus studied her. “If he makes you uncomfortable or you change your mind, get up and walk out.”

“I will.”

Marcus stood and waited for her to settle Oreo in his bed behind the counter. She wasn’t exposing her dog to that man.

She held in a groan when she straightened. The pain was better today, but she still hurt. The aches reminded her of what Ethan had done to her, and reinforced her decision. She wanted to face him, show him he hadn’t won.

Her phone beeped with a text from Tessa Flores, the data analyst out at Midnight Lake who had been working on the USB.

She smiled as she showed it to Marcus.

Time to see how Ethan coped with fear.

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