Firebreak (Josie Gray Mysteries #4)(76)

TWENTY-TWO

Josie pulled into her parking place at the police department on Monday morning and felt her cell phone buzz. She opened her phone and found a text from Nick. It read: Staying in Marfa again tomorrow night. How about dinner? You cook. I’ll clean up. Or the other way around.

Josie grinned and texted back: Other way around. See you at 6. It was a great feeling, the flutter in her stomach at the thought of seeing Nick again. She thought about Dillon, and she hoped he would find that same sensation of excitement and anticipation again too. She sighed at her own realization. She was making progress.

Once in the office, Josie filled Otto in on her visit to the trauma center the night before and her conversation with Paula.

“You realize, even if Hank did help Billy commit suicide, we’re still a long way from Ferris,” Otto said.

“Those two deaths have to be connected.”

“Yeah, well, we’re missing the connection,” he said. “How do you want to do this?”

“Let’s shake Hank up. Confront him with lying. Tell him we’ve got him cold on the pills and we’ve confirmed he was at the scene of Billy’s death. Make it clear we think he’s connected to Ferris’s death, and see what shakes out. Let’s question him at the jail in the interrogation room rather than here. You take the observation room. I’ll be the hard-ass.”

He nodded.

“And let’s call Brenda and ask if she’ll come by for follow-up. I’d like to have them both there to clarify their stories.”

Otto sat down at his desk and picked up his phone. “I’ll call the jail to find out when they have a room open.”

*

At 3:00 p.m., Turner bustled into the jail with Brenda, already irritated that she’d had to cancel a meeting that afternoon to be there. Brenda looked stressed, as if she had no idea what might be coming next. Otto set them up in the conference room and assured them that he and Josie would meet with them as soon as possible.

“This isn’t a doctor’s office,” Turner said. “You’ve got fifteen minutes before I walk.”

Hank arrived a few minutes later wearing blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a Western shirt that stretched tight over his beer belly. His hair looked unkempt and his bloodshot eyes gave the appearance that he hadn’t slept well. Josie made small talk as they walked down the hallway and into the interrogation room. He sat down in the chair across from Josie and asked if he needed an attorney.

“You’re the only one that can answer that. I’m not filing charges, but I have some tough questions. If you think you need an attorney, go ahead and make the call.”

“I haven’t done anything!”

“Then why did you lie to Brenda?”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t lie to anybody.” Hank looked offended at the question.

“Why did you call and check on Billy the morning after his suicide when you knew he was dead?”

Hank clenched his teeth, his jaw muscles flexing, and he said nothing.

“You did it because you were there when he died. You knew you’d helped kill Billy Nix and you felt guilty.”

“That’s not true.”

“We know you bought a baggie full of Oxy and Ambien. And that you delivered them to Billy. Your truck has been positively identified at the scene,” Josie said.

Hank stared at her in silence.

“How could you call yourself Billy’s friend, and then help him commit suicide?”

“Billy did this to himself.”

“Tell me the truth, Hank.”

Hank stared at his hand as he rubbed the edge of the table with his thumbnail.

“You know what happened to Ferris Sinclair, don’t you?”

Hank said nothing.

“Billy asked you to buy him the pills and meet him at the park to end his life. Why?”

Hank continued staring down at the table, refusing to make eye contact.

After several minutes of silence, Otto entered the room carrying two Styrofoam cups of coffee and set them on the table.

“Can I get you some cream or sugar?” Otto asked.

Hank held a hand up to indicate he didn’t want either, and Otto sat down at the table with them. Sometimes a brief interruption was all that was needed to change the thought process of the person being interrogated.

“Tell us what happened, Hank. Help us put this to rest. Too many people are suffering.” Her voice was quiet. They sat for a long while, waiting him out.

He finally scooted his chair back and crossed his arms over his chest. He sighed heavily and said, “Ferris was at their house. Billy and Brenda’s. He’d been staying there off and on for a while. They’d fought over him staying there. Brenda suspected Ferris and Billy were screwing around. Billy denied it, but not very convincingly. Brenda finally gave Billy an ultimatum. He had to choose: Brenda or Ferris.”

“And he chose his wife,” Josie said.

Hank nodded. “Brenda knew Billy didn’t care about Ferris, not really. Ferris was a distraction. Somebody to stroke his ego, to make him feel like he was something special.”

“How did Billy take the ultimatum?”

“Billy knew Brenda was serious. It was the day of the evacuation and Ferris was at their house. Billy sent Brenda to town so he could end things. He said he needed to explain things to Ferris. To end it for good. Brenda left with the car packed, ready to leave for Austin as soon as Billy was done. He said he needed an hour. He planned to give Ferris their old truck to drive back to Presidio for the evacuation.”