Page 99 of Stone Coast
I looked at Preston.
“She was with TJ Winchester last night.”
“How did you get the shiner?”
I hesitated, waiting for Preston to intervene.
“Irrelevant. She talked to Ray, left the club, and spent the night on TJ’s boat. Ray was found out in the alley this morning, and a medical examiner put the time of death between 3 and 5:00 AM. You have no witnesses putting her at the scene at that time. You’ve got no security footage.”
“Employees at the bar never saw her leave. We found traces of blood in a storeroom.”
I tried not to show any emotion on my face.
“You know what I think?” Dickhead said, staring me in the eyes. “I think you went up there and confronted Ray with some wild accusation. I think Ray didn’t take too kindly tothe conversation and smacked you around. His bodyguards say your friends stormed in and saved your ass. We found non-lethal projectiles in the storeroom.”
He let that hang there a moment.
“Now look, Ray wasn’t exactly a nice guy. And I have a suspicion that had it not been for your accomplices, you’d be at the bottom of the harbor right now. But that doesn’t justify murder. I think you were so hot about it, you went back up there and waited for him in the alley. Maybe you had help. Maybe your deputy friend.”
“Leave Tyson out of this.”
“Are you saying he was with you?”
I looked at him like he was an idiot. “How about you do some detective work? Tyson’s in Europe.”
Preston put a hand on my arm to reel me in. He said to Scarborough, “I suggest you charge her or let her go.”
Scarborough frowned and glared at me. “I just think it’s a little odd that everyone connected to Grayson‘s murder is turning up dead.”
“Karma’s a bitch,“ I said.
“See, statements like that make me think you’re karma. You’ve got a hell of a motive.”
I said nothing.
“Is she free to go?” Preston asked.
Scarborough hesitated a moment. “TJ corroborates your story. For now.” A frustrated sigh escaped his mouth, and hepushed away from the table. “Don’t leave town. I may have more questions for you.”
“I’m not supposed to leave town anyway,” I snarked.
“Careful, never know when a judge may revoke your bail.”
Scarborough walked across the room, knocked on the door, and a guard buzzed it open. He held the door for us, and I followed Preston out of the interrogation room.
I was shocked to see Tyson in the hallway.
Detective Dickhead gave him a look. “In Europe, huh? You’re not doing a good job of keeping her out of trouble.”
Tyson glared at him.
“By the way, where were you this morning?”
Tyson looked like he was going to body-slam the guy.
“Maybe you’re the one that’s cleaning up her mess,” Scarborough said.
“You’re welcome to check the flight logs. I just touched down in Coconut Key and drove into town.”
