Midnight Crossing (Josie Gray Mysteries #5)(48)

The jailer already had Josh Mooney sitting in the interrogation room next to his court-appointed attorney. The attorney had met with Josh at eight that morning to discuss the case against him. Josie was surprised that meeting had been pulled together so quickly, but a looming murder charge usually speeds the process.

The attorney was Oliver Greene, a public defender from Presidio. Greene was an expat with a dignified bearing and a soft British accent. He managed every client as if their case were the most important of his career, but he never resorted to unnecessary drama. He was one of Josie’s favorite attorneys to work with.

Josie and Otto sat down across from them. After the preliminaries were finished, Greene gave his standard verbal warning to Josh.

“I expect you to consult with me about anything that might be considered incriminating. That may not always be clear. If you aren’t sure, don’t answer the question until you’ve checked with me first. Do you understand?”

Josh nodded his head vigorously and Josie glanced at Greene, who looked weary. She wondered how he tolerated most of the people he dealt with. At least when Josie arrested someone she could stick him in a jail cell and move on. Greene had to have extended conversations with lowlifes like Josh Mooney.

Josie began the interview with a list of charges brought against him, which included rape, the federal charge of kidnapping across a national border, and the threat of a potential murder charge. The prosecutor wasn’t yet sure how the rape charges would be handled, since the rapes occurred in a foreign country, but he had assured Josie he would pursue the steepest penalty under the law, including extradition if appropriate.

At the word murder Josh slapped both hands down on the interview table and tipped his chair forward like a little kid. “Okay. I might have done some things wrong, but I never killed anyone. You have got the wrong man.”

“You were looking for her. You spent several nights outside my home searching for her. When you couldn’t catch her, you shot her in the back.”

“Someone else was looking for her too,” he said.

“Who?”

“I don’t know her name.”

“Her name?” Josie asked.

“Yeah, the lady I work for.”

“What’s her name?”

“She won’t tell me.”

“Does she live in Artemis?”

He hesitated a moment and shifted in his seat. “Maybe.”

“Do you think your boss killed Renata?”

“I don’t know. I swear I don’t know what happened to her.”

Josie paused and looked at Josh for a long moment before continuing. “I’m going to ask you something that I already know the answer to. If you answer truthfully, then I’ll be more inclined to think I can trust you. If you lie to me, your credibility drops to zero.”

Had the subject matter not been so serious, Josh’s wide-eyed stare would have been comical.

“I have two different witnesses who gave me your name, and one who identified you in a photograph, as being responsible for repeatedly raping both Isabella and Renata on the trip from Guatemala to the U.S. Do you admit to that?”

Greene cut Josh off before he could speak, as Josie assumed he would. “I would suggest you not answer that question until we’ve had a chance to talk.”

Josh looked at Greene, and then back at Josie. He shrugged, as if to say, What can I do? He won’t let me answer.

“How many times did you drive out to the pasture where Renata’s body was found?”

Josh looked at his attorney, who nodded for him to answer.

“A couple times.”

“I need exact dates.”

“Okay, sure.” He held a hand up, staring at his fingers as he ticked the days off, mumbling to himself. He finally said, “It was Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”

“What time did you go out each night?”

“It was about two in the morning. Something like that. So I guess it would be Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at about two in the morning.”

“Who went with you?”

He hesitated and Josie sensed a lie formulating in his brain.

“Don’t do it, Josh. Don’t start telling me lies. I want the truth.”

Greene said, “If you aren’t sure about an answer, we can stop the interview. We’ll chat for a moment, and then reconvene with Chief Gray again when you feel more confident.”

Josh looked confused. “Sure.”

“Who went with you each of those nights?” Josie asked.

“The first night, Ryan came with me.”

“That would have been Saturday night, into early Sunday morning?” she asked.

“Yeah. Then I went by myself.”

“Why didn’t Ryan go back with you?”

“You can’t trust him. He signed on for the trip. Then things got tough and he quit.”

“Who went with you on Sunday, into Monday morning?”

“Nobody. I went by myself.”

Josie was getting frustrated. She looked over and saw Otto scowling at Josh.

“Let me get this straight. You drove out alone to the location where Renata was murdered, on the day that she was murdered, and you’re telling me you had nothing to do with her murder later that night?” she asked.

“That’s what I’m saying. I didn’t want to kill her. I wanted to deliver her. I don’t make money off dead girls. Right?”