Page 45 of Close

Daniels’s face hardened instantly.“You publicly called Harrington a ‘grave robber in modern clothing’ during a Tribal Council meeting.Your exact words.”He leaned forward again.“Did it make you angry when they approved his research anyway?”

“I disagreed with—”

“Did it make youangry?”Daniels’s voice echoed off the bare walls.

Through the one-way glass, Kari clenched her fists at the deliberate intimidation tactics.She felt utterly helpless, which only made this more infuriating.

“I felt the Council made a mistake,” Thomas answered evenly.

Daniels switched gears again, pacing slowly now.“Tell me about Rachel Delgado.”

“I never met her.”

“Really?Environmental activist fighting the same mining company you filed complaints against?Never reached out to her?Never coordinated efforts?”

“No.”

Daniels laughed, the sound utterly devoid of humor.“So it’s just coincidence that both victims were connected to causes you were personally invested in?”

“Yes.”

“And it’s coincidence that both were killed using ceremonial elements from your traditions?”

“I know nothing about how they died.”

Daniels abruptly pulled out the chair across from Thomas and sat, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.His voice dropped to a near whisper.

“Let me tell you what I think happened, Thomas.I think you followed Harrington that night.I think you confronted him for trespassing where he didn’t belong.I think he dismissed you—just like the Council did—and something in you snapped.”

Thomas remained silent, his eyes steady on Daniels.

“You’re a big man, Thomas.Strong.”Daniels nodded at Thomas’s hands.“Those hands could easily break a man’s neck, couldn’t they?”

“I did not kill Dr.Harrington.”

“And Delgado?What happened there?Did she stumble onto something that connected you to Harrington’s death?Was she getting too close to the mining operation you had personal interest in?”

Thomas’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.“I have never met Rachel Delgado.I did not kill her.”

Daniels slapped the table again.“Where were you this morning between 4 and 7 AM?”

“Running, as I do every morning.”

“Alone?How convenient.Again.”

“There were other runners.”

“Names?”

“I don’t know them.”

“Of course you don’t.”Daniels stood again, looming over Thomas.“Where did you learn the ceremonial arrangements?From your grandfather?The traditional healer?”

For the first time, Thomas seemed off-balance.“Leave my grandfather out of this.”

“Hit a nerve, did I?”Daniels smiled coldly.“The ceremonial arrangements at both scenes were distinctive.Very specific.”

“I know nothing about that.”

---