“I’m positive,” Trevor said.
His lips said one thing, but his eyes said another.
I tried to get him to open up. “Is that the truth?”
“Weren’t you listening to me?” Trevor asked.
“Yes.”
“All right then.” Trevor stared at David once more. “Are you really going to keep her locked up?”
“Of course,” David said. “I don’t know how many times you’re going to make me repeat myself. She confessed to murder.”
Trevor groaned and stormed away. As he made his way back to the front of the police station, he yelled, “This isn’t over.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Normally I didn’t make a habit of chasing after people who were irate, but I made an exception this time. There were a number of things that I still wanted to say to Trevor and I wasn’t going to let him out of my sight until I got them off of my chest.
At the same time, I felt like this conversation would go better without David’s presence. So, I told my husband to stay behind as I darted after Trevor.
Trevor was halfway across the parking lot before I managed to catch up with him.
“Trevor. Stop for a second,” I said.
“Why? What’s the point? You won’t listen to me,” he said.
“That’s not true.”
“Yeah? Then why do I feel like I just spent the last five minutes banging my head against a brick wall?”
“Just hear me out.”
He shook his head. “Nah. It’s useless—”
“Trevor. Just be quiet for a minute and listen to me,” I said. “I believe your mother is innocent.”
His eyes widened. “You do?”
I nodded.
“Then tell your husband to let my mother go,” Trevor said.
“I’m afraid that’s not how it works.”
He threw out his arms. “Then what good are you?”
“To start, I could help your mother get out of jail,” I said.
His eyes lit up. “Really?”
I nodded. “If you decide to be honest with me.”
His forehead wrinkled. “What are you talking about?”
“I have a feeling that you know a lot more about this case than you’re letting on.”
He groaned. “I already told you back there—”
“Trevor, this is just me and you talking. This is your chance to come clean,” I said. “Now I have no idea why your mother confessed to killing Jim, but I have a feeling that you know the reason. So why don’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know anything.”
“Trevor, you do realize how serious this situation is, don’t you?”
“Of course. My mom’s in jail.”
“It’s more than that. She’s looking at a life sentence—without parole. The odds are that she’ll never see the outside of a jail again until the day she dies.”
“You don’t have to keep saying that.”
“Yes, I do. Because I want the gravity of this case to sink in,” I replied. “That said, I’m not quite sure why you’re withholding information from me, but—”
He shook his head. “I’m not holding anything back.”
I held my pointer finger up. “My only interest is in discovering the truth. Now you can lie to yourself all that you want, but let me tell you something. If you have information that will exonerate your mother and you keep it to yourself, you’re going to end up regretting not telling me the truth. This could be your final chance to come clean. So, choose your words wisely.”
Even though Trevor had been combative throughout the entire investigation, I really thought that my little speech would spur him to finally be honest. Unfortunately, I was wrong.
Instead, he continued to be as unhelpful as ever. “This conversation is over.”
Trevor turned around and walked toward his car.
But I made sure to get the last word in. “Think about what I just said. Your mother’s freedom depends on it.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I trudged back to David’s desk. My husband only had to take one glance at my face to see how frustrated I was.
“You look like you could use a donut,” he said.
I took a peek at a box that was on the corner of his desk, expecting there to be chocolate-glazed donuts inside. Instead, I was in for a surprise.
“You seem to be out,” I said.
David’s eyebrows rose as he realized the box was empty. “I sure am. We’ll have to do something about that.”
My eyes filled with longing. “What I could really use is a cake.”
David grabbed his keys. “I’m up for getting a slice.”
I scoffed. “Forget a slice. I want an entire cake all to myself.”
He looked at me like I had two heads. “Are you serious?”
“Don’t tell my diet that. But yes, I could raid Mitchell’s Bakery right now and not think twice about it.”
“You’re right. Your diet wouldn’t appreciate that.”
“Probably not. But my taste buds would.”
David laughed.
“I’m just being honest,” I said. “Which is more than I can say about Trevor.”
“You don’t think he was telling the truth?”
“Not entirely.”
“Were you able to get the whole truth out of him?”
I shook my head.
David grimaced. “That’s a shame. Were you able to get anything else out of him?”
“Nothing useful.”
David scratched his chin. “Is there a chance that he doesn’t actually know anything?”
I threw out my arms. “Are you kidding me?”
He stared at me. “Does it look like I’m joking?”
“I thought you were with me on this one,” I said. “When we both spoke with him earlier, didn’t you get the sense that he was keeping something from us?”
“He was certainly nervous and combative.”
“Exactly.”
“That doesn’t mean he was concealing the truth.”
“It doesn’t make him look completely innocent either.”
“Sabrina, I know what you’re thinking. Maybe Trevor knows something that could lead to his mother being freed.”
“That thought did occur to me.”
“But just because you want that to be the case doesn’t mean it’s the truth.”
“I agree. Which is all the more reason to find out exactly what Trevor knows.”
“I’m just warning you. There’s a good chance that you aren’t going to like what you find out.”
“Probably not. But I’m currently looking at Kaitlin spending the rest of her life behind bars, so how much worse can things get?”
David winced. “As a detective, I’ve learned not to ask that question.”
“I’m not afraid of the truth. The only thing I’m scared of is the wrong person going to jail for this murder.”
“Don’t get me wrong. If Trevor does know something, I want to find out what it is. I’m just not nearly as convinced that he’s hiding something.”
“You’ll come around.”
“You seem awfully sure about that.”
“Did you see the look in his eyes when you asked him if he knew anything else about the case?” I asked.
David nodded.
I continued. “Because to me, his facial expression spoke volumes.”
“Let’s say you’re right about Trevor,” David said. “If he is hiding something, he’s clearly going out of his way to keep it from us.”
“I agree. Thankfully, there are ways to get answers.”
“Such as?”
“Keep having Deputy Peterson track Trevor’s movements.”
David was on the edge of his seat, clearly expecting me to elaborate.
When I didn’t, he scrunched his nose.
“And?” he asked.
“And we’ll see if Trevor slips up,” I said.
David looked deflated
. “Is that your big plan? Waiting around to see if Trevor makes a mistake?”
“I’m brainstorming some other ideas, but this is what I have right now.”
“Oh.”
“You seem disappointed.”
“I just thought you had some master plan.”
“Do you have a better idea?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not at the moment. Although, it’s not from a lack of effort.”
“I know what you mean. Great ideas don’t come easily.”
He groaned. “They sure don’t.”
“But until we come up with a better plan, this is what we have to work with.”
“That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.”
“Why don’t you have a little more faith?”
“Because this isn’t a great position to be in, waiting for Trevor to slip up,” David said. “Especially since the odds are that he won’t make a mistake.”
“I disagree,” I said.
His nose scrunched. “Really? If anything, after all that has happened, my guess is that Trevor will be more secretive than ever.”
“Normally, I would agree with you. But with his mother behind bars, he is an emotional powder keg, ready to explode. This is the most pressure-packed situation that he’s ever lived through. I think it’s only a matter of time before he cracks.”
“We’ll see if you’re right.”
“I’m going to pray that I am.”
“While you’re doing that, I’m going to radio Deputy Peterson and tell him to not let Trevor out of his sight.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
That evening, I did a great deal of praying. Not just that Trevor would slip up. But also, that we would discover who the real killer was—sooner rather than later.
The more I thought about the case, the more my instincts told me that Kaitlin was innocent. If my gut was right, it meant that Jim’s murderer was still out there somewhere. And with Kaitlin in jail, the guilty party probably believed that they would be able to get away with murder. That said, if they let their guard down too much, it could lead to their downfall.
But I was getting ahead of myself. There was still a pressing issue that demanded my attention. Namely, getting the truth out of Trevor.
Not surprisingly, with so many thoughts swirling in my head, I had trouble getting to sleep that night.
It turned out I wasn’t alone in my insomnia. As I rolled over in bed, I saw David staring out into the distance.
“I guess neither one of us is going to be sleeping well tonight,” I said.
David took a deep breath. “You aren’t kidding. At this rate, I might not get a wink.”
“Do you want to tell me what’s on your mind?”
“Not really.”
“Things must be really rough if you don’t even want to talk about it.”
He shook his head. “That’s not it.”
“Then what’s going on?”
“I just know that if I discuss my thoughts with you, it will take that much longer to nod off to sleep.”
I chuckled. “Let’s be honest. We’re both painfully still awake. So why not tell me what’s on your mind?”
“I think you already know.”
“You’re thinking about winning the lottery, aren’t you?” I joked.
He played along. “Oh yeah. It’s all I’ve thought about tonight.”
We both laughed.
“Wow. It feels really good to joke around a little,” he said.
“This has been an emotional rollercoaster of an investigation, hasn’t it?” I replied.
He nodded. “It sure has.”
“And it’s not even over yet.”
“The jury is still out on that one. Let’s not forget about Kaitlin’s confession.”
“Are you kidding? I can’t get it out of my mind. I just keep thinking about her sitting alone in that jail cell. Can you imagine what’s going through her mind?”
“How about the deep regret of knowing that she took her boyfriend’s life?”
“I still don’t believe she’s responsible for Jim’s death.”
“You’re the only one—”
I held my pointer finger up. “Trevor doesn’t believe that his mother is guilty either.”
“Trevor isn’t exactly a trustworthy source.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” I replied. “I have trouble believing a word he said. Which is another reason I’ve been having difficulty getting to sleep tonight.”
“I know you think Trevor is going to slip up soon, but I don’t think that’s going to happen tonight.”
“You’re probably right.”
“That said, if Trevor does make a blunder, Deputy Peterson will call me immediately.”
“I realize that.”
“So, you can rest easily knowing that we’re not going to miss any breaking news in the case.”
I scoffed. “I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be resting easily tonight. At this point, I would just settle for getting any kind of rest.”
“For that to happen, you’ll have to quiet your mind,” he said.
“That’s easier said than done.”
“I think you just need to tell yourself that if we’re going to get answers, it won’t be until tomorrow.”
“Is that what you’ve been telling yourself?”
He nodded.
“Then why were you still wide awake?”
“You’re not the only one with instincts around here. And mine keep asking me one thing—what if there really is more to this case than there appears to be?”
“Sounds like I’m rubbing off on you.”
“There are worse people to take after.”
“Don’t I know it? Although, few things are more annoying than being nagged by an unanswered question when you’re trying to sleep.”
“I can certainly relate to that. But I’m sure you’ll fall asleep soon.”
I squinted. “What makes you so sure?”
“Because at some point, exhaustion will just take over.”
“Let’s hope we both nod off before then.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
David and I did eventually drift off to sleep, but not until after midnight. When we woke up the next morning, we were both quite groggy. During times like that, I was grateful that coffee existed.
It was incredible how different I felt after I got some caffeine in my system. All it took was one latte for me to be ready to tackle the case again.
Unfortunately, when David and I arrived at the police station, nothing had changed. Kaitlin was still standing by her confession, there were no updates from Deputy Peterson about Trevor slipping up, and we had no new leads to chase down.
Within an hour, the effects of the caffeine were already wearing off. From there, I could usually count on my adrenaline to carry me. That wasn’t the case this time. Instead, I found myself struggling to keep frustration from creeping in.
Thankfully, just before lunchtime rolled in, there was a new development in the case.
David got a call from Deputy Peterson. Apparently, Trevor was on the move. Where was he headed exactly?
That was where things got really interesting. Of all the places for him to go, he decided to make his way over to the police station.
David and I walked into the lobby to see what this impromptu visit was about.
“What are you doing back here?” David asked.
“I want to speak to my mother,” Trevor said.
“So you didn’t come here to confess anything?” I asked.
Trevor’s body tensed up. He then shook his head. “No.”
I stared into his eyes. “Are you sure about that?”
He broke eye contact with me. “I’m positive.” Trevor turned his focus to David. “Now can I talk to my mother?”
David looked Trevor up and down, trying to read his body language. “What are you going to talk to her about?”
“That’s none of your busi
ness,” Trevor said.
David folded his arms. “Why are you being so secretive?”
“I have a right to privacy. Just like I have a right to see my mother,” Trevor said.
“You seem awfully jumpy this morning,” David said.
“Of course I am,” Trevor said. “My mother is in jail for a crime that she didn’t commit.”
“You keep saying that, but I’m yet to see any proof. Do you have some?” David asked.
Trevor groaned. “Are you going to let me see my mom or not?”
***
David could have pushed Trevor further, but it seemed like that wouldn’t get him anywhere. So, David allowed Trevor to speak with his mother.
There was no telling how long their conversation would last. It could be a few minutes or even a couple of hours.
Imagine my surprise then when after fifteen minutes, Trevor called for David.
“You all done?” David asked.
“Actually, my mother would like a few words with you,” Trevor said.
David’s nose scrunched. “About what?”
“I think it would be best if my mom did all the talking,” Trevor said.
***
What an odd response. But David was certainly intrigued. He walked over to Kaitlin’s cell, eager for answers.
“I heard that you wanted to speak with me,” David said.
Kaitlin nodded. “I sure do.”
“I’m all ears,” David said. “What’s this regarding?”
“I’d like to rescind my confession,” Kaitlin said.
David’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Detective, the truth is that I didn’t kill Jim,” Kaitlin said.
“But you told me—”
Kaitlin interrupted David. “I know what I said before. But it wasn’t true.”
“I can’t believe you lied to me.”
“I had a very good reason—”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” David said. “Now explain to me why you’d confess to murder only to take it back a day later.”
Kaitlin lowered her head. “It’s complicated.”
David looked across the cellblock at Trevor.
Mysteries of Treasure Cove Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 53