Brock smiled. A real, show-your-teeth smile. Fuck, yeah, he’d drawn a winner. “Exactly.”
“The file listed the evidence gathered, and I saw the crime scene photos. What about your examination of the scene? Did the fire destroy evidence? Was there any indication as to why this guy was at the warehouse or how he got there?”
“None. Of course, the first responders annihilated any tire tracks around the building. There was little physical evidence on scene. No tracks. The floor was concrete, and it was dry ground. Fingerprints were nonexistent. The arson investigator on scene told me the accelerant used was probably gasoline. The person who torched the warehouse wasn’t a professional. More than likely the fire was an attempt to try to hide the crime. The ME has orders to push the tox and histology to the front of the queue, but we have a couple weeks minimum to wait for those. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get a ping off of one of his lovers or the wife. We’ve got the techs downloading his phone information, and we are tracing his moves based on the apps and the receipts in his wallet to build his last twenty-four to forty-eight.”
“What does this guy do? Is he a socialite or a businessman? If he is a businessman, does he have enemies?”
“On the list of avenues to travel down and explore. Come on, I’ll show you where we work, and then we’ll head out and talk to his lovers.”
“Perfect, but I’m going to need coffee. How much is the coffee fund, and where did you get that thermos impersonating a mug? I gotta get me one.” She nodded at his cup. He glanced at Davidson. “Boss, I like this one.”
“Well, she’s not yours to keep.” Davidson moved a stack of paperwork toward him. “Jordan will be back, and we are finally getting Couch back from deployment. Get out of my office, and find me the bastard who killed this guy. Shut my door on your way out.”
He held the door open for her and followed her out. “Coffee is this way.” He pointed her to the break room. She grabbed an oversized Styrofoam cup and emptied the pot. Before he could set down his cup, she’d dumped the old grinds and filter. “Grounds and new filter?”
He nodded to the cupboard where they were stored. She filled the filter and slid it back into the slot, flipping the switch to start the water and brewing process.
“You can show me the staplers and paperclips later. All I need is a notebook and pen, which I already have. Which way to interrogation?”
“Down on the second floor.” He nodded toward the door and the woman got bonus points when she headed to the stairs.
“What do you know about the lovers?” She asked as they hit the stairs.
He filled her in on the conversation with Ava this morning.
“So… the night Samuel was killed, he was supposed to be with Chloe?”
“Correct.”
“And she’s here?”
“According to the text I received while you were making coffee, yes. Both of Samuel’s lovers are here, waiting in different interview rooms.”
“I say we let her wait. If she’s involved, she can afford to sweat it out.” Kallie took a swig of her coffee.
“Agreed.” He nodded at the interview room down the hall. “The man we are meeting now is Garrett Hoftslater. He and Samuel spent the weekends together.”
“Man?” She glanced up at him.
He nodded, waiting for her reaction.
“Roger that.” She stopped outside the door. “I’m assuming you’ll want to take the lead in the questioning.”
“Only because I know more about the relationships than you do. Once we get done with this, I’ll let you take the lead on Chloe Connors’ interview. From what Ms. Dall told me this morning, Chloe is emotional. I don’t do the sympathy factor well.”
“Fuck. Tears.” Kallie rolled her eyes.
Brock smiled at her before he reached for the interview room door. He wiped the smile off his face and opened the door.
The man sitting at the table surprised him. For some reason he’d been expecting a smaller man. Garrett Hoftslater was big, buff, and bearded. “Mr. Hoftslater, thank you for coming in. I’m Detective King, this is Detective Redman. I’m sorry we couldn’t do this at your residence, but time is of the essence in this situation. May I say I’m sorry for your loss.” He extended his hand and the big guy took it. “We need to ask you some questions.”
“Absolutely. Anything I can do to help. I got to tell you, this just doesn’t seem real.” Garrett glanced at the ceiling and blinked back emotion before he cleared his throat. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Can you tell me the last time you saw or talked to Samuel Treyson?”
“Monday morning as he left. We spent the weekend together. Saturday was just lounging around. Sunday, we went to the Marauders game. He has a Skybox. We came home afterward.”
He flipped open his notebook. “You were in a relationship with Mr. Treyson?”
Garrett nodded. “For the last two and a half years.”
“And you knew about Chloe and Ava?”
“And his wife. Yeah.”
“You were okay with the division of his attention?”
“Fuck no, but I was the last one added, you know. I hated sharing him. Hated knowing he was with those women, but Sam was upfront when I met him. He told me about them. I gave him something they couldn’t. It was… enough. Not ideal by any sense of the imagination, but I loved the guy, you know? I took what he could give.”
“You’ve met his other lovers?”
“Of course. We’ve gone on vacations together. Ava and Chloe are nice. I’d just rather not share his attention. I’m a selfish prick, but I’m honest about it.” The man leaned forward. “When you find who did this, you better put them somewhere I can’t get to them. I’d like nothing more than to shred them limb from limb. They took the best part of my life from me.”
“I understand your anger, Mr. Hoftslater, but threats like that serve no purpose other than to put you on our scope. Do you know anyone who would have any reason to harm Samuel?”
The man snorted. “Have you talked to his old man? That guy is a class ‘A’ bastard. He’s the only one I could imagine hurting Sam. The guy was so kind and gentle. Everyone liked him. He had a magnetism to him. People were just attracted to him, you know?”
He made a sound of agreement before he continued, “Did he have any conflicts that you were aware of? Anyone that didn’t get along with him?”
“No, not to my knowledge…” The guy looked away suddenly.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing really. He told me he’d had an unpleasant conversation with someone about a month ago. Maybe a little more than that.”
“Did he say what it was about?”
Garrett shrugged and sighed.
“Mr. Hoftslater, we need to know. Any information you give us can help bring Samuel’s killer to justice.”
“He was interested in bringing another person into the mix. Said he found someone he could see working with the blend we have now.”
“You don’t seem too happy about it.”
“Would you be? Who was he going to take days away from to add a new person?” The guy pushed back in his chair. “But he said the significant other objected to his advances.”
“Would that stop Samuel from pursuing this person?”
“Samuel was a nice guy, but he was rich and used to getting his way. I don’t know if he stopped.”
“Did you get the person’s name?”
The guy gave a snort of disgust. “Ah, that would be a no. I didn’t want to know anything else about another lover. We had quite an argument about it.”
“So, you were disenfranchised from Samuel?”
This time the man laughed. “Disenfranchised? Fuck no. Make up sex from that argument was amazing. I love… loved that man. I’d have married him in a fucking heartbeat. Did I want to share him? Absolutely not, but I’d never hurt anyone he cared about. That isn’t who I am.”
“Do you know what he was doing Wednesday night?�
��
The guy shook his head slowly. “Wednesday nights he’s with Chloe. You’d have to talk to her.”
“Can I verify your contact information; in case we have any follow up questions?”
“Absolutely.” The man rattled off his number, and he jotted it down before he rose from his chair and extended his hand. “Thank you for coming down to talk with us. I’ll call you if there are any further questions.”
Garrett stood. He paused before he squared up and turned to face him directly. “Detective, he was a good man. I didn’t catch the vibe from you, but man, just because he had an alternate lifestyle, he’s… he didn’t deserve this. Sam, he deserves justice, too.”
“Mr. Hoftslater, nobody deserves what happened to Samuel. Who the man had relationships with only factors into the investigation should his lovers have something to hide or something to do with his murder. All my victims deserve justice, and I will do everything I can to ensure they get it.”
Garrett’s shoulders slumped. “Thank you.”
“We’ll be in contact. I’ll have an officer come escort you out. Do you need a ride home?”
“No, thank you. I’ll grab an Uber.”
He nodded to the man and opened the door for him to exit. He grabbed a patrol to escort him out before they continued to the next interview. He looked at his new partner. “What do you think?”
“His mannerisms were consistent with the tone of his words. I didn’t get the impression he’d been hedging. Did you know about the new mix in the dynamics of the relationship?”
“No. Ava didn’t mention it when we spoke with her this morning. Maybe she wasn’t aware. Let’s see if Chloe knew anything about it.” He glanced at his notebook and tapped it with his pen. “It would cut someone’s time with him. Jealousy is one hell of a motive.”
“Motivation to kill. When you examined the crime scene, did you get the feeling it was a crime of passion?”
He shook his head. “My gut instinct was the man was surprised. No defensive marks, his clothes weren't ripped or torn, his hair wasn’t mussed. I think he met someone he knew there, and they killed him. The wound was clean. I didn’t see anything that would indicate the person was indecisive.”
“How did he get to the warehouse?” They turned and started walking to the interview room where Chloe had been temporarily shelved.
“We're looking for his vehicles. We have all the data off his phone being downloaded, and it should be on our desks when we get done with the witness interviews, but as far as I could tell, the ride share apps on his phone were inactive. That suggests he drove himself.” He stopped at the next interview room door.
Kallie cocked her head. She arched an eyebrow and nodded at the door. “You taking the lead again?”
“Nope. She’s yours. Word of warning, the waterworks will be flowing on this one. Ava was a mess this morning, but she said Chloe was going to be the one to take it the hardest.”
“No problem.” She winked at him and opened the door.
A petite woman lifted her head. Her red-rimmed, puffy eyes glanced up at them. Her nose and face were blotched, and she looked like shit, but there was an elfin beauty under all the emotion. She was, maybe, ninety pounds soaking wet and as thin as a twig.
“Chloe Connors?” The woman nodded her head and hiccupped a shattered breath.
“I’m Detective Redman, this is Detective King. We’re looking into Samuel Treyson’s murder.”
The woman dissolved into sobs again. She said something completely unintelligible and blew her nose.
“I know. Don’t worry about it.” Kallie reached over and patted the woman’s arm. “Take your time. We know it’s a difficult time.”
He blinked at his partner. How the hell did she know what was said? Kallie grabbed her notebook and placed her pen beside the paper, waiting until Chloe’s tears abated a bit.
“I’m s-so s-sorry.” Chloe blew her nose again. “I just c-can’t believe h-he’s gone.”
“I understand, but we need to ask you a couple questions, okay?” Kallie’s voice was soft and warm, a soothing balm against the woman’s emotional tempest.
“Sure.” Chloe ripped another tissue from the almost empty travel pack in front of her.
“The night Mr. Treyson was murdered, he was supposed to be with you? Right?”
She nodded and blew her nose again. “He called me about 6:30 and told me he had a meeting come up suddenly and he’d see me on our next night.”
“Was that common?”
“Yes and no. Sammy tried to keep his meetings during the workday, but sometimes things came up.”
“Did he say who he was meeting?”
She shook her head. “Sammy didn’t tell me anything about work. We blocked out the world when we were together. I don’t own a television, and I disable the internet so he can disconnect completely. The pressures of his life were so massive. When he came to me, it was just us.”
“Did Mr. Treyson ever mention he wanted to bring another person into your relationship?”
Chloe’s big blue eyes jerked up to Kallie and then fired at him. “Who told you about the others? We aren’t supposed to tell anyone.”
“We’ve already spoken to Ava and Garrett. Garrett said Mr. Treyson was considering adding another to your group.”
She sat up and reached toward Kallie. “You can’t say anything. His father will cause trouble.”
“We don’t release information about ongoing investigations, ma’am.” Kallie gave the standard answer. Chloe’s eyes shot toward him. He nodded his head, confirming Kallie’s statement. Chloe tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and glanced at him again. She shrugged, eventually giving in to the need to talk. “He mentioned he might consider it...”
“Do you know what days this person was going to take?” Kallie’s quiet question earned a slow shake of Chloe’s head.
“Mr. Treyson didn’t say?”
“He said he wanted another with me and Ava. He wanted to watch us. Ava and I doubled a couple times, but there is no chemistry there. It wasn’t exciting… for anyone.”
“And the new person? Have you met them?”
Chloe shook her head. “Sammy… he hadn’t talked about it for a month or so. I’d hoped that I was... That we were enough.” She shrugged and sniffed. “It’s hard knowing you’re not enough to keep the spark in the relationship, you know?”
“Mr. Treyson said that?”
She nodded. “I’m really vanilla. I just loved him. Ava, she’s so confident, and she takes charge. I… I just want to be with him, you know? I’d do anything he asked me to do.”
“Do you think Ava or Garrett would be upset about bringing another into the relationship?”
She sucked in a shuddering breath. “Ava, she likes multiples. She’s the one that talked me into the nights with her. I don’t think she’d care. I don’t talk to Garrett. He doesn’t like us. He barely talks to us when we go on vacation.”
“Do you think he’d hurt Samuel?”
“No. Never. Garrett loved him as much as I did.” Her tears started to fall again. “How did he die?”
“All we can say is that he was murdered.”
“Where?”
Kallie glanced at him and he nodded. She gave a slight nod and answered, “In an abandoned warehouse.”
“An abandoned warehouse? Someone made him go then.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He despised anything dirty. He absolutely hated anything that wasn’t clean. He couldn’t tolerate any type of bugs or spiders. If he was there, it was because he was being forced into meeting someone there.”
He cleared his throat and both women turned his way. “How did Mr. Treyson travel?”
“He has a car service he sometimes uses, and he owns several cars. We didn’t go out, but Ava and he were always doing things on their nights. I don’t know about what he did with Garrett.”
Kallie took back the interview. “Do you know anyone that would hu
rt him?”
“You mean besides his dad?” She shook her head. “He was so nice. To everyone.”
“Why do you think his father would wish him harm?”
“Sammy told us the stuff his father did when he was growing up. He’d never win father of the year. I don’t know if he’d actually want to hurt Sammy now that he’s taken over the business here in Hope City, but if anyone would, it would be that horrible man.” Chloe dropped her head into her hands. “What am I going to do without him?”
Kallie reached forward once again and laid her hand on Chloe’s forearm. “It’s moments like this when people discover how strong they actually are. Don’t look at the vast amount of time in front of you. Look at the next minute, and get through that. Sometimes the most important parts of our lives are lived with each tick of the second hand. Think of getting through minute by minute, not hour by hour.”
Chloe shook her head, her big eyes bright with unshed tears. “Who did you lose?”
A sad smile spread across Kallie’s face. “Someone I thought I would have forever to love.”
“Then you know what this feels like?”
“I do. Do we have contact numbers?” Kallie shifted her gaze to him. He saw the pain in those big brown eyes. He nodded. She turned back to Chloe. “Can we get you a ride back to your apartment?”
“Please? I… Yes, please.”
“Hang tight here, and an officer will come back for you, okay?”
Chloe nodded and sniffed as an answer. They both stood and left the interview room. Neither spoke until they hit the stairway. “The father?” she asked.
“Number one on the list to talk to after the wife.”
“When do we talk to her?”
He glanced at his watch. “After we refill with coffee. She lives in Briar Hill.”
“You say that as if it means something.” Kallie up-ended her coffee cup and downed what remained in her mug as they walked to the stairs.
“Richest neighborhood in the city.” They finished the climb in silence. He opened the door to the break room and held it open for her.
Kallie’s forehead scrunched in concentration. “Davidson said the Treysons were well connected?”
“Founding family of Hope City. Sebastian Treyson is worth billions. From what we’ve learned, Samuel was the heir apparent.”
A Hope City Duet Page 6