Tate started to get up when he saw Mario come down the hall towards him. Mario shook his head as he hurried to join him, sitting down on the bench next to him.
When Tate quirked an eyebrow in question, Mario said, “I don’t know what happened but they said we can leave. Underwood is talking to them now and asked us to wait for him.” He leaned back to rest his head against the wall with a deep sigh.
“Sounds like they have some new evidence if you ask me.”
“Maybe. A man came in and gave Forson a folder. When Oates read what was in it he didn’t seem happy.”
Tate chuckled. “I think he thought he had it all wrapped up with us as the murderers so I guess he probably wouldn’t be.”
As they then waited silently for Underwood’s return Mario’s hand crept out to touch Tate’s. Surprised, Tate took it and squeezed it reassuringly while he gave Mario a smile.
Mario’s return smile was barely that. When he said, “I’m such a wuss,” Tate shook his head.
“Not at all. There’s not a damned thing wrong with being frightened under the circumstances, especially when you know you’re innocent but have no clue how to prove it. I know I’m not feeling ready to dance a tarantella at the moment.”
“Dance a tarantella?” Mario’s lips quirked up in a bit of a grin.
“There, that’s better.” Tate squeezed his hand again. “I hoped that would get a real smile out of you.”
They went back again to staring silently at the people coming and going in the entry area of the station, both of them still tense and trying not to show it too much.
Finally Underwood joined them. He suggested they go to a coffee spot across the street where he’d fill them in on what had happened. Mario and Tate agreed, relieved to get out of there.
Once they were settled, their drinks of choice in front of them Underwood filled the two men in.
“To start with,” he said, “you two are off the hook so to speak. Mario, your car came up clean, not a trace of evidence that Jonah had been in it, no blood stains, his or anyone else’s.” He chuckled. “I think Detective Oates was somewhat put out by that to tell the truth.”
“I’m sure,” Tate said. “He was ready to have us drawn and quartered as insane killers.”
Underwood nodded and continued. “Jonah was, as I’m certain you’ve been told, found beaten to death in an alley. Evidence says it was done with a baseball bat and some sort of pipe which indicates that more than one assailant was involved. What I find interesting, as do the detectives once I pointed it out to them, is the fact that whoever did it went to great pains to frame the two of you for the crime.”
“That makes absolutely no sense,” Tate said. “We barely know each other when it comes right down to it. Mario hired me to put up better security on his place because Jonah was stalking him. Jonah’s death happened less than two days after Mario first came to my office.”
“Who was the witness?” Mario asked.
“They wouldn’t tell me but I got the impression from a comment from one of the detectives that it was someone close to Jonah.”
Tate shot a look at Mario. “According to you there wasn’t anyone like that.”
“Unless his roommate…” Mario replied pensively.
“If it was him, why involve me in this too?” Tate asked.
“Because Jonah did when he went off on you?”
No comments:
Post a Comment