Page 123 of Mistletoe and Malice
Colton took another sip from his cup of black coffee, the strong brew scalding a path down his throat. Hopefully, it would be the jolt he needed to keep him on his feet.
Instead of being with the one he most wanted to be, this first day of the New Year had been spent at HPD Central Patrol Division. First with John putting together their case for the DA, and now watching the bedside interrogation of Warren Everett unfold from a monitor in their version of Tech Ops.
The vermin would heal from the bullets Colton had put through his shoulder and leg, since they had missed any major arteries. The off-center-mass shots had been to incapacitate him, not take him out before he could answer for his crimes.
Starting with the murder of Terence Drummond, found with a gunshot wound to the back. Questioning of the kitchen manager revealed he’d never met Terence and had no idea someone else had shown up in his place.
“What precipitated the beating of Miss Jansen?” John, standing at the head of the bed, continued the questioning that had begun nearly an hour ago.
Warren dipped his head and stared at his hands. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
“Doesn’t matter. We have her statement. Said she got curious when the theater manager told them the police were looking for you. Went through your things when you weren’t home, found a waiter’s uniform with Terence’s name badge, a brown wig, and a gun. When she asked about the uniform and name tag, you shrugged it off as a friend letting you work the Hudson ball at The Cheshire in his place to make some extra money. Last thing she remembers is asking you why the cops wanted to talk to you. Sound about right?”
“Like I said. I don’t know nothin’ about that.”
The Assistant DA assigned to the case crossed his arms. “Terms of the deal you accepted require full disclosure.”
Everett scowled at the man standing next to John. “I plead the Fifth.”
“Full. Disclosure. Do I need to spell that for you?”
Warren pinned his gaze on someone sitting off-camera. “Can’t you object or somethin’?”
Court-appointed defense attorney, apparently. “I told you the terms. No death penalty for a full confession.”
With a sigh, Everett focused on his hands again. “I didn’t mean to hurt her that bad. Just teach her a lesson about stayin’ in her lane.”
John consulted his notes. “Concussion, dislocated shoulder, fractured ribs, multiple contusions.” He looked back at Everett. “Pretty harsh lesson.”
When Warren said nothing, John flipped the page in his notebook. “So, why Caitlyn Mulaney? More than a year after you last saw her?”
“Caitlyn.” The man all but spat her name. “That uppity rich girl didn’t know a good thing when it was right in front her. Still, I waited for her. Thought she’d come around.”
“Waited? Or stalked?”
“Waited,” he repeated with a glare.
“Here’s the thing. Our cyber guys have your laptop and cell phone. They notified me fifteen minutes ago that they got in. Guess you know what they found.”
“So, I like to take pictures.”
“Over three hundred photos of Caitlyn over the last year. Walking into the country club, shopping, pulling in and out of her garage, out with Shane, among others. They also found the online aliases you used to comment on her social media posts and the messages you sent sliding into her DMs. If you werewaitingfor her to come around, why kill her?”
Everett’s face reddened and fists clenched in his lap. “Shane took everything from me. I made sure Caitlyn was the last.”
Heat traveled up Colton’s spine. Killed an innocent girl out of spite. How sick was this guy?
“How’d you know about Shane and Cait?” John asked.
“You kidding? Her life played out on social media. Then Shane started appearing all over her posts. Pretty clear they had a thing going.” He shook his head. “Last straw.”
“Is that how you knew their routine? By tailing them?”
“Watched them for a couple of weeks. Creatures of habit. He came over to her house every night. Always between 6:45 and seven. Sometimes they went out. Sometimes they stayed in, but he never spent the night. Idiot.”
Colton’s jaw flexed. Made sense a man like Warren Everett would have no regard for a woman’s virtue. Would never understand how Shane doing so was a deeper expression of his love and respect for Caitlyn than a man only interested in something physical.
“You took a credit card out in Shane’s name?”
