Page 20 of Our Lips Are Sealed
“Never before then?”
“We almost did when we were younger, but I put an end to it before we went too far.”
“And why did you do that?”
Annoyed, Samuel leaned forward to be heard clearly by the recording. “Because I didn’t think it was right to fuck the girl who was basically my stepsister.”
Liam thought there might be more to it but left it alone.
“Have you spent much time in Missouri?”
“Never.”
“Do you have any friends from the area?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Can you tell me about your mother?”
The question caught Samuel off guard. “What do you want to know?”
“What was she like?”
“My mom was great. She was caring and an amazing person.”
“When she died, how did you handle it?”
Samuel’s head tilted to the side as he studied Liam. “What does this have to do with the investigation?”
“They’re standard questions.”
“Bullshit.”
Liam had told his father that Samuel was clever enough to smell the psych evaluation questions a mile away. “The question is part of a psychological evaluation, and we use it to understand our interviewees better.”
“Don’t you need to get my permission before engaging in those types of questions?”
“Not really, but would you have given it?”
“Of course, but I don’t care for it being done without my consent.”
The man was right, but his statement only added to Liam’s ammunition. “Do you find you need to be in charge all the time?”
“It’s a hard habit to break.”
“What happens when you’re not in control?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
No, he probably wouldn’t. Liam was willing to bet Samuel always kept his emotions in check. But every man had a pressure point.
“After Lauderdale, you came here. Comparatively, Firewater is a smaller development when put against Lauderdale. Why trade down?”
“This beach is special to my father, and I wanted to ensure the person in charge handled it correctly.”
“Did the fact that Evangeline Eddins still live in the area come into play when making your decision to take on Firewater?”
“Yes.”
