Accused

by Sharon C. Cooper

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Adams said, his smug tone grating on Kenton’s nerve. “How well do you know Mr. Hoakley?”

  “I don’t really know him at all,” Kenton said truthfully.

  “That’s interesting. We heard that you and Mr. Hoakley had a run in at a restaurant, as well as exchanged heated words last night. Are you telling me that you beat up a guy you didn’t know?”

  Kenton could feel Laz’s gaze on him. They both knew that there were only one or two reasons why detectives would show up asking questions.

  Kenton rubbed the back of his neck, hoping to ease some of the tension building. “Exactly why are you here?”

  “We need to ask you a few questions. How about coming down to the station with us,” Ashton said only loud enough for them to hear. Kenton appreciated the fact that he was trying to keep the visit as calm as possible. He was conscious of the receptionist looking at them from across the room.

  “You can’t ask your questions now?” Laz asked.

  “We’d rather talk to Mr. Bailey privately.” Adams gave Laz a sideways glance. This guy had to have serious balls to be looking at Laz as if ready to get something jumping off. Clearly, he didn’t know who he was dealing with. “We can either talk here privately, or you can come down to the station. We’ll also want to speak with the woman who was with you the other night,” Adams said.

  Ashton made eye contact with Kenton and then nodded toward the door. “Why don’t we take a ride.”

  There was no way they’d know that Kenton had been at the restaurant that night unless there were surveillance cameras in the parking lot. If that was the case, and if Ashton had seen the video, he had to know Egypt was the woman who’d been with him. And until Kenton figured her real reason for not wanting to go to the cops about Ross, he didn’t want to reveal her name just yet.

  “You know what? I don’t th—”

  “Let me see your hands, Mr. Bailey.” Detective Adams smug expression grew harder, and he eased the front of his suit jacket back, revealing his holster and gun.

  Kenton almost laughed. Was that move supposed to intimidate him? Besides roughing up Ross a little, he hadn’t done anything wrong, and this guy had the audacity to try and flex.

  “Let me see your hands,” Adams repeated, his voice rising and impatience showing. “Palms down. Now!”

  Kenton huffed out a breath and did as he was told. His chest tightened when he had to reveal his slightly bruised knuckles on his right hand. The only way someone would notice the fading bruises is if they were looking down hard at his hands the way the detective was doing now. It didn’t prove anything, but the restaurant’s surveillance video would confirm the altercation. It would also show what happened to Egypt.

  “This is bullshit. What’s really going on here?” Laz asked Ashton.

  “What’s going on is that this doesn’t concern you!” Adams snapped.

  Laz got in his face. “Look here, asshole. I don’t know what your beef is, but don’t come here trying to flex. If you have a problem with me, then let’s take this shit outside.”

  Kenton got between the two men and faced Laz. “Chill, man. I got this. In the meantime, can you take care of getting someone to fill in for me?”

  Laz glanced at his watch and cursed under his breath. They needed to be at their client’s house soon. “Yeah, I’ll handle it, and Ashton, I’ll catch you later.” He didn’t bother saying anything to Adams, only glared at him before walking off and mumbling something about calling Journey.

  Journey Ramsey-Dimas, his seven-month pregnant wife, was an Atlanta assistant district attorney. More than that, she was a good friend with connections. Kenton would answer a few of their questions, and if the situation warranted a lawyer, he knew Journey would only be a call away. Or he could contact Supreme’s attorney.

  “Okay, it’s just us. Tell me what this is about.” Kenton didn’t bother looking at Adams, deciding he already didn’t like the guy. Instead, he gave his full attention to Ashton.

  “We’re investigating an incident that happened at a restaurant the other night, as well as…” Ashton’s voice trailed off.

  “As well as what?” Kenton prompted.

  “The murder of Ross Hoakley.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Yawning, Egypt typed command after command, trying to hack into Hoakley Manufacturing. She really didn’t have to go to such extremes, but a few minutes ago, she had slipped through one of their systems authentications. Which was odd. Hoakley wasn’t a small business and used to have a more secure system. Now the excitement of seeing how deep she could go spurred her on.

  What were the chances that Ross’s soon-to-be ex-wife would come to Supreme Security for protection? Hamilton had admitted to forgetting that Egypt had worked for Hoakley prior to joining Supreme’s team. And after a long conversation, she told him everything she knew about Ross, except that they’d dated.

  Technically, the night before, she had found more than enough useful information about Meesha, Ross and his company, including the couple’s pending divorce, and financial records. She also learned that Ross’s company was currently being sued. The pleadings had already been filed, and from what she could gather, Hoakley was being accused of overbilling one of their customers for the last five years.

  Egypt eyed the thick file folder sitting on the corner of the desk. Out of all the data she found, what disturbed her the most were the numerous sexual assault charges against Ross. All of the cases settled out of court but knowing he had a pattern of assault was alarming. Kenton had been right. If Ross assaulted her, he had probably done it to someone else or would do it to others.

  That was partly why she dug deeper into Ross’s background. Guilt haunted her for not reporting the incident from the other night, as well the one years ago. Back then, had it not been for Ross’s assistant walking into his office, Egypt couldn’t be sure that she would’ve been able to fight him off. Scared and embarrassed, she had gotten out of there in a hurry, and for the next few weeks, stayed clear of Ross. A month later, she had landed the job at Supreme Security.

  Huffing out an exhausting breath Egypt got back to work. She might not be willing to report Ross’s abuse, but if she found something shady going on with his company, she would report it, anonymously of course.

  There was a knock on her door, and Egypt made her screen go black.

  “Come in.”

  “What’s up, your majesty?” Laz asked, his penetrating hazel-green eyes zoning in on her as he strolled into the office. Egypt could so see what her friend, Journey, his wife, saw in him. The man screamed testosterone with his powerful build and a swagger that would make any woman take a second or third look.

  “I told you guys to stop calling me that, and before you say it, don’t call me Queen either.” Her boss, Hamilton, had once mentioned her being the queen of Supreme, and the guys had been referring to her as that ever since.

  “All right, all right. I won’t say it.”

  “Okay, then what can I do for you?” Egypt asked. “Wait.” She glanced at the time. “Laz, you shouldn’t be here. You and Kenton have less than an hour to get to Mrs. Brockman’s house.”

  “That’s why I’m here. We have a little problem.”

  A sense of foreboding settled in Egypt’s chest, and she braced herself for bad news. She prayed nothing had happened to Kenton. Normally by now, he would’ve stopped in and wished her a good morning. So far, she hadn’t seen or heard from him since the day before.

  “Where is Kenton? Is he okay?” she asked, hoping Laz didn’t pick up on the quiver in her voice. Considering how he was looking at her, it was safe to say she didn’t hide her concern well.

  “He’s been held up with…something,” Laz said with a slight hesitation while studying her as if she knew what that something was. “Can you move a couple of people around and put someone else with me this morning? I know the client wanted at least two of us with her all day.”

  “Are you going
to tell me where Kenton is?”

  “I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon, but in the meantime, hook me up with someone else.”

  Since he didn’t sound too concerned about Kenton’s whereabouts, Egypt tried to tap down the anxiety swirling inside of her. She worried about all of them whenever they went on assignments, especially ones like the one they were headed to. Mrs. Brockman, a wealthy socialite who had used their services in the past, was dealing with an abusive husband who had been recently released from jail. She was comfortable with the security she had at her estate, but out in public, she wanted personal protection.

  “Myles is on standby today,” Egypt said of the former CIA agent, Myles Carrington. He’d been with Supreme for a few years. “I’ll give him a call. Do you want to meet him at the client’s house or—”

  “Tell him to be ready in ten.” Laz headed to the door but slowed and turned to her. “Did you happen to hang out with Kenton the other night?”

  Egypt was slow to respond. She’d made Kenton promise not to mention that night to anyone. Had he told Laz? “Why do you ask?”

  After a short hesitation, he gave a slight shrug. “He’s been…different the last couple of days. I was wondering if the change had anything to do with you.”

  She couldn’t tell if he was fishing for information or if he was telling the truth about Kenton. Then the left corner of his mouth lifted into a slight grin, and Egypt bit her bottom lip debating on what to say.

  “Ah, I see.”

  “I didn’t say any—”

  He lifted his hand and headed for the door. “No need to say another word. As for Kenton, he’ll be in touch.” He left the office as quickly as he had entered.

  Egypt sat back in her seat. What was that all about?

  Whatever it was, it involved Kenton, and she hoped that he was okay.

  *

  “I don’t care what you think you know. I didn’t kill the guy,” Kenton said for the umpteenth time in the last twenty minutes.

  Dropping his head back, he blew out an annoyed breath and stared up at the single-bulb light fixture that hung over the metal table. He hadn’t been at the police station long, but sitting in an interrogation room with Detective Adams was frustrating as hell. Especially when Kenton knew they had nothing on him, and he had a feeling Adams knew he was innocent too.

  “I think that you beat the man to death as payback for striking your woman.”

  Kenton didn’t say anything. He didn’t bother correcting his assumption that Egypt was his woman, because in Kenton’s heart, she was. But this was the first time Adams had mentioned how Hoakley had been killed, and probably didn’t realize he had slipped up.

  “So far, neither you or Ashton have given sufficient proof that I had anything to do with Hoakley’s death. I sure as hell didn’t beat him to death. Now since I haven’t been formally charged, I’m assuming you don’t have any evidence to suggest otherwise. I think it’s time you let me get back to work.”

  Adams had asked him a few questions regarding the restaurant incident but mainly kept circling back to the altercation in Ross’s driveway the night before. Ross had a security camera in the front of his home, but not on the side of the house where a neighbor had found his body. He’d been killed between eight p.m. and midnight.

  Adams placed his palms on the table and leaned forward, the smug smirk on his face growing.

  “Did you not tell Hoakley that if he ever put his hands on your woman again that you would kill him?”

  Anger stirred inside of Kenton. Adams was like a persistent, irritating gnat that wouldn’t leave him alone. Kenton didn’t have to answer any more questions. He already knew they didn’t have enough to hold him. The only reason Kenton hadn’t left yet was because he wanted to learn more about the murder. But each time he thought about how Ross had manhandled Egypt, made him want to punch something.

  “Answer the damn question!”

  “That asshole slapped her!” Kenton snapped, pissed that he let this guy rile him. “You saw the video, detective. Hoakley is almost twice her size, and he backhanded her. What the hell wou—”

  “Ross Hoakley might’ve been bigger than her, but he’s dead now. So answer the question. Did you or did you not tell him that if he put his hands on the woman again that you would kill him?”

  Kenton reined in his frustration and studied Adams. He wasn’t trying to get the truth and solve a case. No, this was a man trying to intimidate, and Kenton wasn’t interested in stroking his ego or helping him make a name for himself.

  Instead of answering the detective’s question, he said, “Usually when someone is murdered, you look at the spouse first. Have you done that? Have you even questioned other people in his life, people he worked with? Why are you in such a hurry to pin this on me?”

  “Answer the damn question!” Adams yelled.

  “You know what? I’m done. I didn’t kill Hoakley, and I’m not saying another word without a lawyer. So how about that phone call now?”

  Adams banged a hand on the steel table. “Innocent people don’t usually need a lawyer. If you want to call your attorney, that must mean you have—”

  “You won’t need that phone call, Mr. Bailey,” Ashton said, his tone formal when he strolled back into the room. He had been missing in action for most of the questioning.

  Kenton spotted someone behind him and smiled when he realized it was Journey. He stood when she walked in.

  Over seven months pregnant, she was as stunning as ever wearing one of her jazzy, skirt suits. The woman had a way of looking professional while being stylish enough to be mistaken for a runway model, even with her large belly. Kenton had often heard people say that pregnant women had a glow, and in Journey’s case, it was true. Her smooth brown skin glimmered, appearing healthier than what it had been a few weeks ago.

  She had given them all a scare. Laz had been a wreck. They’d gotten a call saying that she had fainted at work and had been rushed to the hospital. He and a few of Supreme’s men had gone to be by Laz’s side. Mainly to make sure he didn’t go postal while waiting for news on Journey’s condition. Finally, after a few hours, it had been determined that she’d been dehydrated, and in need of rest. She had been released the same day.

  Kenton was glad to see her at the station. He didn’t know if Laz had called her, or if she happened to be in the building, which wouldn’t have been unusual.

  “This is no longer our case,” Ashton said to Adams. “It’s a federal case now.”

  Hmm…interesting. What the hell had Hoakley been involved in? A few possible scenarios came to mind.

  Money laundering.

  Drug trafficking.

  Sex crimes.

  Whatever the situation, Kenton was sure the murder hadn’t been random.

  Ashton stayed near the door with his hand on the handle. “You’re free to leave, man.”

  “Thanks.” Kenton glared at Adams and then walked out of the room with Journey. “Good morning, ADA Ramsey,” he finally greeted.

  “That’s Mrs. Journey Ramsey-Dimas to you.”

  Kenton laughed and pulled her in for a hug. They had become good friends while she and Laz were dating. Once they married, Journey had officially become part of Supreme Security’s family.

  “How you doin’ this morning?”

  “I’m fine. However, there was a time when I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Laz…and maybe even Angelo in an interrogation room, but you? Never would’ve imagined.”

  “I know. There are some places I try never to end up. How much do you know?” Kenton asked as they walked side by side through the squad room and headed to the hallway. They passed several desks where detectives were either on the phone or chatting animatedly to each other. The sight brought back memories of Kenton’s time with the FBI and the fact that he didn’t miss the agency.

  “So, you and Egypt, huh?” Journey said, grinning.

  Kenton chuckled but gave nothing away. He remembered Laz saying something s
imilar months ago.

  “What’s happening with this case? Why are the feds involved?” Kenton asked.

  “Oh no you don’t,” Journey whispered, getting in his face and stabbing him in the chest with her pointy finger. At only 5’6”, she was a force to be reckoned with, making her a fierce prosecutor. “I’m not giving you any information until you give me answers. What the hell was Egypt doing with Hoakley? And why didn’t she file a report against him the other night? I saw the video.”

  “Don’t get me started about that,” Kenton mumbled.

  “Considering how hard that man hit her, I’m glad you punched him.”

  Kenton sighed. The detectives had shown him the surveillance video, only making him wish he had punched Hoakley harder. “Let’s talk over there.” He nodded toward a quiet corner away from prying ears. “First of all, any information about Egypt, you’ll have to get from her. As far as Hoakley, he was very much alive when I left him yesterday.”

  “I’m sure, but that doesn’t mean the feds won’t pay you a visit.”

  “Yeah, I know. What’s up with that anyway? Why is it their case now?”

  Journey shook her head and gave a slight shrug, letting Kenton know that whatever she knew, she probably couldn’t go into details. “All I can say is that Ross Hoakley was under investigation. The feds are being tight-lipped. So good luck in getting any info out of them.”

  Kenton still had friends in the agency and could make a few calls. He only wanted to make sure whatever Hoakley was involved in didn’t touch Egypt. More importantly, whatever she was hiding, because he knew she was hiding something, he hoped it didn’t involve Ross Hoakley or Hoakley Manufacturing.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I’m sorry, sir. Mr. Crosby still hasn’t made it in,” Egypt said to a caller, who had been trying to reach Hamilton for most of the morning. Hamilton had called and left a voice message while Egypt had been away from her desk, saying that something had come up and that he would be in touch.