In the Beginning (Volkov Bratva #1)(84)

Even as she spoke, Roger shook his head. “The men my client has information on are dangerous. He fears for his life.”

Although Margaret was inclined to believe them—after all, his client was in a wheelchair—but she refused to give.

Realizing this, Roger leaned over to whisper in his client’s ear. He shook his head adamantly, refusing to speak. Margaret tapped her pen against her legal pad, already tired of playing their game. They had five minutes before she walked out the door…

“Okay,” Anatoly said shifting in his chair, wincing in pain. “There was a doctor, in Michigan. Thompson or something.”

She masked her surprise, crossing her legs as she snuck a glance back at the glass where she knew Lauren and Detective Rodriguez was watching. The girl couldn’t be any older than her early twenties. She had to be this doctor’s daughter.

Making another note on her pad, she stood. “Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen.”

Walking out, Detective Rodriguez was already at the door to greet her.

“What the hell is going on?”

Rodriguez cleared his throat, producing a folder with various reports and documents inside. “This was in Ross’ car. About fifteen or so years ago, Doctor Cameron Thompson was found murdered in his home, three shots to the chest. Zero prints, no hairs, no fibers, but the shell casings were left on the floor.

“Now Detective Ross was the lead on the case, but after years without a suspect, the case went cold.” He jerked his thumb back to the room where Lauren was waiting. “Lauren is the vic’s daughter and she moved up here around August and from what I gathered, she’s dating Mishca Volkov.”

That got Margaret’s attention. People in her position made it a point to learn about anyone that was believed to be involved in organized crime. Though there was hardly any evidence against the youngest Volkov, it was abundantly clear that his father was involved in shady dealings, though it was never enough to convict.

“There has to be a connection,” Rodriguez went on. “Now I’m thinking, the Russians put out a hit on the doc and thought Ross found new evidence to implicate one of them—probably one of the higher-ups.”

“But what reason would they have to put out a hit on a doctor from Michigan?”

“Not a clue, but these guys are very organized and ruthless. Anatoly is low on the food chain, if he knows something about this murder, the order had to come from somewhere up top. If we get him to flip, we can take down at least one of the Vory v Zakone’s members.”

Margaret nodded along, already deciding how she would proceed with this. “What does the girl know?”

“Nothing,” said Rodriguez shrugging. “From what I can tell, she has no idea what her boyfriend is involved in, but if they get wind of her talking to us, she may be in danger. I think we should park a car outside her apartment.”

“Get it done and have her stay here. I want to question her afterwards.”

With a final nod in his direction, Margaret went back into interrogation.

“I want to make something perfectly clear before I agree to any deals,” she said retaking her seat. “Your client has already pled guilty and will serve the maximum sentence, but—” she stressed as Roger made to protest, “—whether your client wants to spend his days in a minimum security facility with constant protective detail is up to him.”

“And with regard to immunity?”

“Your client will not be charged as he is actively participating in the investigation.”

Anatoly still looked dubious. “I want it in writing.”

Margaret waved a hand towards the mirror, signaling for one of the men inside to have the paperwork drawn up. Withdrawing a tape recorder from her bag, she pressed ‘record.’

“Mr. Stonosky, can you tell me what happened that night?”

Anatoly looked to Roger, waiting for his nod. “Years ago, I got a call from my Captain. He told me he had a job for me. I don’t ask any questions, just get the details. We fly out to Michigan and pay a visit to the doctor.”

“Who is your Captain?”

“Viktor Volkov.”

Margaret made a note. “You said, ‘we.’ Who did you fly out to Michigan with?”

“My Captain.”

“Did you question him about your…assignment?”

He shook his head. “You don’t question your superiors. You do, you die. Besides, kill orders are only approved by the Boss.”

“Who is the Boss?”

Anatoly scrubbed a hand down his face, fear flashing in the depths of his eyes. “Protective custody, right?”

“Yes, Mr. Stonosky.”

“The Boss is Mikhail Volkov.”

“Did you know Doctor Thompson beforehand?”

“No, but I’ve seen him around the Boss. Worked on his kids, like their physician.”

That was…unexpected. She could only imagine what the girl was thinking at this point. “How long was Doctor Thompson their private physician?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay. Run me through the events of the night of the murder.”

“We get to Michigan, stole a car, and went over to the doc’s place. He recognizes us, lets us in. No one else was home so we weren’t worried about witnessed. Then, my Captain shot him three times in the chest.”