Page 76 of Little Buried Secrets

Foley nodded. “His college roommate’s father.”

“Why call a lawyer if he’s not guilty of anything?” I asked.

“We’ve been asking ourselves the same question. Asked him too, come to think of it.”

“What did he say?”

“He believes you’re trying to pin Margot’s murder on him.”

“He’s not wrong. I’ll pin him to the wall if he’s guilty.”

“When Isaac first came in, I was trying to get a read on him, but his lawyer arrived before I got the chance. Next thing I know, the lawyer’s applying all kinds of pressure. He claimed we had no right bringing Isaac in for questioning. He also accused us of being buddies with the judge who signed off on the search warrant, which is complete crap, of course. Everything we do is by the book.”

It made sense now why neither Foley nor Whitlock had followed up with me. They’d been shut down at the start. There wasn’t much to say about their time with Isaac.

“I’m guessing he was released almost as soon as he arrived,” I said.

“Yep. It was late, and I was tired, and I didn’t have it in me to go a bunch of rounds with his lawyer. I have no problem hauling Isaac back in here, but before I do, I’ll make sure I’m prepared for anything his lawyer throws at me.”

“I’m glad I got the chance to talk to Isaac before the lawyer got involved,” I said.

“You’ve spent more time with Isaac than we have. What’s your take on him?”

“Seemed guilty to me, but maybe it’s because I wanted him to be. He lied to me, he lied to Whitlock. And his story about taking a piece of the basket off Margot’s bike is just weird.”

“Higgins and Decker searched the place,” he said. “They didn’t find anything.”

“Out of everyone I’ve talked to so far, Isaac strikes me as the type of person who could be capable of murder,” I said. “It’s not just his demeanor. It’s a look he gets in his eyes. I’m not sure how to explain it except to say it’s like he has a screw loose.”

“I know the one. Saw it myself. That’s why we’re doing our due diligence, retracing his steps from the time he arrived home for the holidays to now.”

“I can have Hunter look into his background more too.”

Foley tapped a thumb to the steering wheel. “I should warn you. Isaac’s lawyer is no joke.”

“Noted. Thanks for the heads-up.”

“If you see him again, don’t provoke him. The kid must have brought you up at least a half a dozen times while we were questioning him. It’s almost like he has some weird obsession with you.”

“And here I was thinking we were on the road to being best friends,” I said. “Bummer.”

I laughed.

Foley did not.

He wagged a finger in the air, saying, “I mean it, Georgiana. I know how you are sometimes. Might be best to steer clear of the kid. Not forever, but for now.”

“Okay. I got it.”

“What’s on your agenda for the rest of the day?”

“I’m working this morning, but promised Giovanni that I’d take the rest of the day off.”

“Not a bad idea. I think we could all use a break. Who knows? Maybe it will help us see things from a different perspective.”

“Before I go, I wanted you to know I spoke to Coach Warren this morning.”

“I heard.”

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