Page 32 of Secrets and Lies

Logan said nothing. It was better to let Gage handle it at this point. He appeared to be telling the truth. He was being logical and calm.

Logan, on the other hand, was feeling the tension. His gut was tight, and he struggled to keep his breathing even. It was always like this when he went to court. They used to call him Satan because he was so cool and calm, but if they’d only known what he was really feeling, his adversaries would have been shocked. He glanced at his brother. Gage, too, was calm under pressure. They all were. Must have gotten it from their mom. Their father grew increasingly agitated when he was upset.

Montrose crossed his arms over his chest. “Nice try. You should stop lying to us and tell us the truth. You know you can help yourself here. You tell us who hired you to steal the statue, and we might be able to put a good word in for you with the D.A.”

“No one hired me to steal the statue. I did not steal anything from the Met. You cannot possibly have video of me with the statue, because it did not happen. I will say again, I did not steal anything from the Met.”

Montrose started to snarl something, but Connors held up a hand to stop his partner. “So, you are saying it wasn’t you with the statue.”

“Yes,” Gage agreed. “That is exactly what I am saying.”

Connors took a different tack. “You were in Naval Intelligence.”

Gage glanced at Logan, as if to ask where the hell this was going? Logan had no idea, but his gut was telling him to be wary.

“Yes, I was,” Gage confirmed.

“And in your job in Naval Intelligence… you acquired a certain set of skills,” Connors continued.

“Who am I? Liam Neeson?” Gage retorted.

Montrose pushed off the wall. “Just answer the question.”

Gage shrugged. “I acquired skills, yes.”

“If you wanted to break into a building like the Met, would those skills have allowed you to do so?”

Logan touched his brother’s arm and then spoke. “My client will not answer that question. Anything he may have done or skills he may have acquired during his time in the military are not open for discussion. You do not have the clearance level required for that knowledge.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Montrose started. “Just answer the fucking question.” He was pacing now.

“Detective Montrose, I will advise you to treat my client with the respect he deserves. He is a decorated Naval officer and cannot answer your questions without violating national security protocols or his oath to the Constitution.”

Logan turned to Connors. “As for this video, if you do, in fact, have a video of my client with the statue, then I can reliably tell you it’s a fake. My client has never held the statue in question, and my client did not steal anything from the Met.”

“A fake. That’s what you’re going with?” Montrose demanded.

“It has to be a fake,” Gage stated. “I haven’t held any statue.”

“Why don’t you show us the video?” Logan offered. “If you are so confident in its authenticity, then it shouldn’t matter if we see it.”

“Oh no. No way. You’ll see it in court, Counselor,” Montrose barked.

Logan ignored the detective’s outburst and locked gazes with Connors. “Youknow there’s something wrong with this case. Why did it come down on high from the D.A.’s office to search my client’s apartment without any kind of police investigation?”

“We were already assigned the break-in at the Met and were investigating when the D.A.’s office sent the warrant.” Connors’ eyes narrowed. “And just how did you know the warrant came through the D.A.’s office?”

Logan ignored the question. “You might have been assigned the case but you were nowhere near having a suspect until the D.A’s office threw the warrant into your lap along with my client as your suspect. You still haven’t had time to investigate fully, and now you want to arrest my client. It’s all too fast and too neat. And where did this video come from? Did it suddenly turn up? Did the D.A.’s office just drop it in your lap, saying they got it from a source? Go arrest Gage Callahan?”

Connors frowned, and Logan knew he’d hit the truth. “Someone is trying to frame my client.”

It was Connors’ turn to scoff. “Seriously? That’s what you’re going with? He’s being framed? I thought you would come up with something more original, Counselor. I’ve known you a while, but you are starting to disappoint.”

“If you’re so sure of your case, show us the video,” Logan countered. “Let us see what you’re talking about. I can guarantee that if this gets all the way to court, I am going to roast you, your partner, and the NYPD when I prove the video is fake. I willmake sure the press gets the message in vivid detail. NYPD is falling for deep fakes. No one is safe.”

Connors’ face went hard. He stood and gestured to Montrose. They both left the room.

Gage looked at Logan. “Maybe we pushed too hard?” he asked.

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