Finally, the interview wound down. Thorne had been impervious to every question, never giving the least indication of discomfort until Ezra stood up to thank him for coming.
Taking Thorne’s hand, he held on with a strong grip instead of letting go after the perfunctory handshake. “By the way, I wanted to express my sincere regret over the disappearance of your wife.
For the first time, Thorne was off balance, angry. “My wife walked away of her own volition. She abandoned my children and me. It was painful, but it happened a long time ago and has nothing to do with what’s going on now. That’s over and done with, and I would appreciate you not mentioning it again.”
Ezra released his hand.
Phillip said, straightening his tie and regaining his composure. “It’s a rather painful memory as I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course, just expressing my concern,” Ezra said.
Phillip made a business of looking at his wristwatch before straightening his cufflinks.
“He would have a Rolex, the pretentious prick,” Raleigh said.
“Just the same, detective, I think it’s time we proceed with District Attorney General Boucher’s interview. He is here as a courtesy after all.”
“I believe that’s former District Attorney General Boucher, Mr. Thorne.”
“For now.” Phillip paused at the door before turning back to Ezra. “And detective, if I were you, I’d forget about that note. It was almost certainly a sick prank of some sort. If one of my associates hadn’t insisted on turning it in, it would have been thrown away.”
“I thought you said you thought it might be important to the General’s case,” Ezra said.
Phillip’s face froze, his smug composure slipping as his eyes widened for a heartbeat. His mouth opened, then closed again, thepracticed response clearly failing him. After another beat, he said, “Yes, but that was before I read the note.”
Ezra gave Phillip a Gomer Pyle grin, playing the country bumpkin policeman to a tee. “That’s right,” he said. “I’ll wait here for you and the General.”
“Ha! I bet not many people can say they’ve put a look like that on Thorne’s face,” said Raleigh.
Jaxon bet so, too. When Ezra got off work, Jaxon was buying the man a beer. Then a thought occurred to him. Maybe the note wasn’t meant to be on the floor right inside the door. Maybe it was meant to be harder to find.
Jaxon’s hands clenched at his sides. If it had been up to Thorne, they would have had no warning that Tazzy was in danger. The man was cold as ice. Jaxon wouldn’t put anything past the man. As a matter of fact, after Thorne’s reaction to Ezra’s questions about the man’s wife, Jaxon was beginning to wonder what exactly had happened to Thorne’s wife all those years ago. He’d be willing to bet no one had heard that whole story. He needed to talk to Ravage again. With the biker’s knowledge of the Society’s inner workings, maybe he could make more out of the interview.
Jaxon exhaled hard, thinking out loud about Thorne. “Zane said his father was worse than the General in some ways… more calculating. The General screws up and then uses fear, intimidation, and murder to cover his tracks. Phillip, on the other hand, never loses control. That’s what makes his reaction to Ezra’s question about his wife so interesting. It caught him off guard. And the fact that he would mention the note again means he really wishes it’d never come to light.”
Raleigh nodded. “You know him better than I thought you did. We’ll keep digging into his past. But right now it’s time for the main event.” He held his hand up like he was ringing a bell. “Ding, ding, ding.”
As if in answer, the interview door opened, and the General entered.
Alexander Boucher looked every bit the arrogant son of a bitch hewas. He wore a new crisp shirt and slacks, even though he was supposed to be under monitoring at Graceview. Phillip Thorne followed him in.
The General sat down and leaned back in the chair, as relaxed as if he were in his own living room.
Before Ezra could say a word, Thorne held up his hand. “Before we get started. I need to explain some things on the record.”
Ezra nodded and pressed a button on the table to start the recording. “Okay, we’ve started. Go ahead.”
“First, it is against my advice that Mr. Boucher is conducting this interview and, in my opinion, considering his indictment and consequent state of mind, he doesn’t fully understand the potential ramifications.”
Addressing the General, he continued. “Second, Mr. Boucher, you should be made aware that this interview is being recorded and that people are watching us through that mirror. Guard what you say and only answer what’s asked. Don’t volunteer anything. It doesn’t go against you to claim the fifth any time you are even slightly concerned that an answer might accidentally incriminate you.”
The General let out a low chuckle. “I know the spiel, Phillip. I’ve been on the other side of that glass many times. If I’d actually done anything—which I haven’t—none of the idiots at the DPD or Sabre Security would ever catch me. They’re all too slow, including this supposed detective here.”
Phillip’s voice sharpened. “Alexander, that’s enough. They’re listening.”
The General just smiled and waved toward the glass. “Hello, Jaxon. I hear you escaped prison on a technicality. Never would have happened if I’d still been in charge.”
Jaxon’s jaw tightened, but he stayed silent.