Page 41 of Devious Gambit

“Yes.”

“And you identified him as Adam Sweeney?”

“Yes.”

“Who was the other assailant you identified?”

I faltered. “Liam Greene.”

“Did you see him clearly?”

“Yes.”

“Without a head covering?”

“Yes, but it all happened really fast and Sweeney had me pinned against the wall, face first.”

“So, how did you see Greene?”

I was starting to doubt myself. “He yelled Sweeney’s name and said they had to go. When Adam let me go, I saw Greene then from behind. At that point a bunch of students walked by and Sweeney and Greene took their face coverings off, so they wouldn’t look suspicious, I guess.” I dropped my face into my hands. Normally my cheeks would be burning, yet on this particular occasion my skin felt like ice.

“Unfortunately, Greene has an alibi for that night. He said he was with a female friend and she’s corroborated with that story.”

“Oh? I swore it was him. Those two are always together.”

She sighed. “The girl could also be lying,” she told me, under her breath, turning the recorder off on her cell. “Thank you so much for your time, Rhys.” She shook my hand and stood to leave, pausing once she reached the door. “By any slight chance have you overheard anyone wanting to harm Adam Sweeney?”

“No,” I answered when I really felt like saying ‘Pick a number.’ “Do you think he was harmed, not a suicide or…accident?”

“I guess we won’t know for sure until his body emerges. For now, he’s just another ‘missing persons’ statistic.”

I wished she’d hurry up and leave because my nerves couldn’t handle much more of it.

“Just one more thing…” Mathias said as she opened the door. “There’s a large bullet hole in the outside wall, probably fired from a shotgun. Do you know how it got there?”

“It’s always been there,” I lied.

“It looks fresh to me and the bullet’s been removed.”

“Oh?” I raised my shoulders, feigning innocence.

“Going by the angle into the wood, I’d say it was fired from the ground, but in reasonably close proximity.”

“Oh?” I didn’t know what else to say.

“Does your landlady own a shotgun?”

“I don’t know.” I’m not a natural liar, so I wasn’t finding this easy. I wished she’d just leave me in peace.

“If you remember anything else about that Friday or maybe hear rumors about Sweeney’s disappearance, you’ll let me know, won’t you.”

“Yes.”

“I know Adam and his father were not the most likeable of men, but there’s a grieving mother and wife, and sister and daughter, sitting at home hoping for a resolution.”

I felt as if I’d been smacked in the face with a cold fish. I hadn’t thought about Adam Sweeney having a loving mother and sister. I only saw one side of him, the horrible violent side, and preferred all signs of humility to be kept out of it. They’d be utterly beside themselves to lose a father/husband, and son/brother, in such a short space of time and under suspicious circumstances.

The guilt stormed through my body like a fire-breathing dragon. I was two breaths away from confessing everything, until I heard Marjorie call from the bottom of my apartment steps. “Fancy a hot chocolate on this Wintery day, officer?”

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