Page 62 of Justice Delayed

“Reinvestigate the Thompson case.” Fallon finished for him. “Obviously, details were overlooked if ransom money is turning up nearly two decades later. You already have an in with Harman, and with Seth’s assistance, you’ll be able to go through the material quicker.”

Brogan couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t being fired. In fact, Fallon was giving him carte blanche to dig deep into the case. “Thank you, sir.”

His editor dismissively waved his hand. “Don’t thank me. Unearth the truth and write the kind of investigative piece I know you’re capable of writing.”

Brogan swallowed the unexpected complement with gratitude. “I will.”

“I expect daily updates. Now get to work.” Fallon turned to his computer.

Brogan and Seth moved as one to the door. Brogan had just pulled it open when Fallon spoke again. “The paper can spare you two for a week to work on this assignment. Use your time wisely.”

ChapterTwenty-Five

“Jared Thompson?”

Jared glanced up from his phone. An older man with slightly familiar features and a woman a few years younger than himself stood beside his table at the De Clieu coffee shop in downtown Fairfax. “Who’s asking?”

The woman reached into her pocket and produced a badge. “I’m Detective Lauren Collier, and my partner, Detective Mark Livingston, with the Fairfax County Police Department. We’d like to ask you a few questions about TJ Williams.”

At the mention of Snake’s real name, Jared didn’t react outwardly, keeping his expression puzzled. “Who?”

Livingston pulled out a chair and sat down across from Jared while his partner remained standing. “If you want to play the I-don’t-know-anyone-named-Williams game, that’s fine. We’ll just move what could have been a quiet conversation to the police station.” The lines on the detective’s face hardened. “What’s it going to be?”

Jared fiddled with his phone. He’d rather not be hauled in for formal questioning, but he also wanted to distance himself from Snake. “Now that I recall, I might have known someone named TJ, but he went by the nickname Snake. Is that the same person you’re talking about?”

The expression on Livingston’s face didn’t change. “One and the same.”

“Wasn’t this TJ character murdered recently?” Jared was pleased with how casual the question came out. The tension that had been mounting in his neck and shoulders since the detectives introduced themselves dissolved. They had nothing to tie him to Snake recently—he’d made sure of that.

“Yes, he was,” Livingston said. “You admit to knowing TJ Williams, aka Snake?”

“Yeah, I did, a long time ago.” Jared paused, debating how truthful to be and deciding a partial truth should satisfy their inquiries. “I used to buy drugs from him, mostly prescription pain pills.”

“When was the last time you saw him?” Livingston leaned back in his chair, his tone less adversarial.

“I don’t know. Maybe fifteen, sixteen years ago?” Jared shrugged. “As I said, it’s been a long time.”

“So you wouldn’t have been at Van Dyke Park’s soccer fields last Wednesday?” Collier asked.

Jared’s heart rate accelerated. “No, I don’t have kids.” That was a safe answer.

“This would have been at night, around eight,” Livingston clarified.

“I was home at eight,” Jared said.

“Can anyone vouch for you?” Collier’s tone warned him she already knew what he would say.

“No, I was alone.” Jared looked from one detective to the other. “What’s this all about?”

A faint smile crossed Livingston’s lips. “I’m glad you asked. We have three witnesses who said they saw a man bearing your description pass them as they left Snake on Wednesday about that time.”

Jared snorted. “They were probably buying from him, so how reliable is what they say?”

“Reliable enough that we’re talking to you.” Collier’s calm voice grated Jared’s nerves.

“Why were you meeting with Snake if you’ve been clean for years?” Livingston asked.

“I wasn’t.” Jared had had enough. He didn’t have to talk to them, a fact his father’s pricey lawyer had hammered into him years ago. “I’ve got to go.” He pushed to his feet.

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