Page 80 of State of Alert

She left him with Freddie to be fingerprinted and went to speak to Cameron Green. “How’d it go with Zeke Bellamy?”

“He was a bit hostile about being asked to come in for a chat, but he calmed down when we threatened to cuff him. We put him in interview two.”

“Do you want to come in with me?” she asked Cam.

“Sure.”

Sam and Cameron walked into the room where Zeke was being minded by Officer Keeney.

Sam nodded to the officer, who left the room. They sat across from Zeke, who had a lanky build, short, spiky hair dyed white-blond, brown eyes, sleeve tattoos on both arms and smallhoop earrings in both ears. She wondered if Zoe had been attracted to the bad-boy vibes he put out.

Sam engaged the recording device on the table.

“I’m Lieutenant Holland. This is Detective Green.”

“Why’d they take my phone? They can’t just do that.”

“We have warrants to examine it.”

“Examine it for what?”

“We won’t know until we complete our investigation.”

“I’m not sure what me or my phone has to do with anything.”

“You’re Zoe Myerson’s boyfriend, right?”

He shrugged. “So?”

“Her mother was murdered, Zeke.”

“Yes, I know. I still don’t understand what that’s got to do with me.”

“Where were you yesterday?”

His eyes bugged out of his head. “You thinkIkilled her?”

“I asked where you were.”

“I was at my house with Zoe for most of the day. My family was out at something with my sisters, and we had some time to ourselves.”

“What time did you meet up with Zoe?”

“Around noon? We met at Union Station, got some food and then took the Metro back to my house around two. We were still there when her dad called to ask her to come home.”

“Was it unusual for her to have that much time to spend with you?”

“Very. Her mom was a hard-ass about letting her do anything. She kept waiting to get a call or text demanding she come home, but that never happened.”

Because her mother was dead,Sam wanted to say but didn’t.

“Zoe must’ve talked to you about the situation with her mom.”

“She did. It was batshit crazy, if you ask me. Who doesn’t let a seventeen-year-old have a job or a boyfriend or a life? Zoecouldn’t wait to turn eighteen and get out from under her mother’s control.”

“Was she eager to speed that process along?”

He looked confused for a second, until her meaning registered with him. “What? No. She had a countdown on her phone to her eighteenth birthday. She was making plans for July to move in with some friends and figure out a life free of her mother. We talked about how she could suck it up for a few more months to have the rest of her life to do what she wanted.”

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