Page 68 of 25 Alive

“Am I under arrest?”

“As of this moment, no, but I’m putting you under pre-charge detention. You know how it goes. You have the right to an attorney, you have the right to remain silent …”

Bernardi’s hand was flat on the table, and he used his arm as leverage to sharply get to his feet. “I want my lawyer.”

“Fine,” Cappy said. “Paul and I will take you upstairs to holding and you’ll get your phone call.”

Doors opened. Conklin and Alvarez left the observation room, ready to escort Bernardi up to the jail on the sixth floor.

Sonia Alvarez said, “Mr. Bernardi, please come with us.”

Bernardi ignored her completely.

Cappy stepped in. “Do what Alvarez says, Bernardi. Don’t make this whole thing worse.”

Chi said, “I’ll go upstairs with you, Doug. I’ll call your lawyer myself if you want. Save your one phone call to call your wife.”

I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I thought Bernardi was telling the truth. But hell. He was a cop once, and he knew the drill.

CHAPTER102

BAO, BRADY, ALVAREZ, Conklin, and I piled back into the war room for the post-interview wrap-up of Cappy and Chi’s interviews with Bernardi and Randall.

Some of us got comfortable. I hung my jacket on the back of my chair. Chi kicked off his shoes. Cappy took off his cap and fanned himself. I got up and turned on the air conditioner.

Alvarez typed on her phone, and Conklin asked Brady, “We have them, for what … another two days?”

“More or less. We want to use those hours well, so if we have to kick them, we’ll feel that we gave them the third degree without the rubber hose. Understand?”

Brady straddled his chair, facing us, and crossed his impressive arms over the chair back, saying, “Who wants to go first?’

Cappy said, “Me, of course. Look. I’m not attached to Bernardi or Randall, but I am still loyal to Jacobi. We’ve now interviewed two likely candidates for his murder, but we can’t charge them. Holding them for a couple of days isn’t enough.”

Brady thanked him, saying, “Right, Cappy. Most importantis to have the right guys, and these two strike me as unmotivated to kill a sixty-year-old man who lost the fight to keep them on staff.”

Cappy agreed, saying, “We’ll keep talking to them.”

Brady turned his head toward me. “Boxer. You’ve still got those external drives with Jacobi’s digital media?”

“I do.”

“So, go over them again and screen for anything useful. More pictures of Bernardi and/or Randall would be especially helpful.”

“Will do, Brady.”

Brady gave out more assignments. Alvarez and Conklin were to go back to Julio’s as they’d done before.

“Wear your badges outside your jackets. And take copies of the FBI photos of Bernardi and Randall. Chi, Cappy, if you hook a whopper, call me.”

My phone rang.

I looked down at the screen, but for a long moment I couldn’t see it. It was the stark, crazy fear of learning something that would change my life forever. I pressed the talk button.

“Chief Steinmetz?”

“Yes. Sergeant Boxer? Are you with Lieutenant Brady?”

“He’s right here.”

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