“Buchanan could be lying.” Finch makes a good point.
Captain Billings stands up, handing Finch his copy of the lineup. “I’m starting to think everyone’s lying.”
He’s not the only one.
“Go on in there, Golden. Follow up with his claim that he was there to visit Daisy.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “Okay.”
Finch stays in the booth just as Dan returns from Buchanan’s house after sending the pink envelope off to be fingerprinted. Meanwhile, I step into the interrogation room to speak with Dorian. “I talked to Daisy.”
Not only that, but we’ve had a chance to search his car since it was parked right outside our door. There, we got the hat and his cell. Luckily the district attorney made sure to include his cell phone in the search; otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to download his text messages to the deceased. We also downloaded messages between Dorian and Daisy from the day of the murder. There were none from her asking Dorian to stop by the building. Call records do show the two spoke that day for less than two minutes. She could have asked him to stop by, but there’s no way of knowing. I’ll need to ask her about that exchange after I speak with Dorian.
“And?” Dorian’s acting quite cocky considering he’s been cooped up in this little room in the police station for the last couple of hours.
“She denies your claim that she asked you to visit.”
“She would.”
“What do you mean?”
Ignoring my question, he has one of his own. “So, she’s living with you now?”
I quickly look at the two-way glass, but I choose not to respond. “What did you mean by ‘she would’?”
“You know.” He sighs, leaning back in his chair. Crossing one leg over the other, he says, “I’m not sure you’re the person I should be speaking to. As a matter of fact, I’d like my attorney.”
“You haven’t been Mirandized—”
“Then let me talk to the person in charge,” he sneers. “After you let me call my attorney.”
I’m losing patience with this man. “If you’re innocent, why wouldn’t you just answer my questions?”
“Says the man living with my daughter.”
I hear the door open and already know who’s entered.
“Dr. Buchanan.” Captain Billings holds out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Okay. He’s the good cop. I’m the fucking stupid one.
“Golden, will you please go ask Detective Turnbull to join me?” the captain says.
“Yep.”
As I stand to leave, Dorian says, “Hey.”
I turn to face him. “What?” I want to wring this guy’s neck, but I do my best to stay calm.
“I’m just curious.” He scratches his chin. “Which Daisy have you been living with?”
“Excuse me?” What the fuck does that mean?
Then the asshole laughs.
I turn and am out of the room so fast, it’d make your head spin.
When I see Dan, he’s scowling.
“You too?” I snap.
“You’re living with the eyewitness?”
“She’s staying with me.” I run my fingers through my hair. “She had nowhere else to go.”
Standing, Dan moves past me, stopping when we’re only a foot apart. “Better not be screwing her.”
“Eat shit, Dan.”
“Jesus,” he mumbles. “You’re fucked, man.”
I know.
I should leave, but I need to watch the rest of this show. Pulling up a stool as Dan joins Billings in the interrogation room, I sit close to the two-way glass.
“You gonna do anything about that cop and my daughter?” Buchanan asks my boss.
“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” the captain says diplomatically. Covering his own ass, no doubt.
“My daughter insinuated earlier that she’s staying with that cop.”
“I’ll check into that.” Billings sits back in his seat. “So, what did Daisy want?”
“Want?”
Impertinent asshole.
“Want. The night of the murder. You said she asked you to stop by. What did she want?”
He scoffs. “The same shit she always wants.”
“Which is?”
“You know,” Buchanan sighs like he’s bored. “I really want a lawyer.”
“We’re making the call as we speak.” The captain reassures. “What does Daisy usually need when she calls you?”
Buchanan sighs and rests his head back on his shoulders. Raising it again, he looks directly at the captain. “She’s got issues.”
“Issues?” Dan asks.
“Problems.”
The captain takes this one. “Problems?”
“She….” He leans forward and whispers, “Mental problems.”
Fucking lies.
“It’s why I pay all her bills, take care of her,” he continues. “It’s also the reason her mother left. She couldn’t take it anymore.”
What kind of father spews shit like this about his child?
“I’m sorry.” The captain leans closer. “Can you be more specific?”
Buchanan sits up suddenly. “Not without my lawyer present.”
“Very well,” Billings says resignedly. Dan stands first, then the captain. “We’ll let you know when he gets here.”
“Great.”
God, Dorian Buchanan is a smug bastard.
The minute the two are through the door of the booth, it slams shut and the captain yells, “My office. Now!”
Yeah. I’m screwed.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Daisy
It’s been hours and I’m still in a jail cell. And it’s all my goddamn father’s fault.
God, I hate him.
Everything is all his fault. Everything.
I was so close to having everything exactly how I wanted it, but then he did what he always does and fucked it up.
“Ahhhhh!” I scream as loud as I can from my cell. “Let me out of here!”
I hear the pounding of footsteps and smile inwardly. It’s working.
“What’s wrong?” asks a young cop I’ve never seen before.
Doing my best to get the waterworks going, I sob, “I c-can’t be in here. I’m s-scared of small spaces.”
“You’re claustrophobic?” asks the other cop who joined him. A much older one.
“I am. I’ve always been a-afraid.” I sniffle and cover my eyes. It’s true, though. Ever since my pathetic excuse for a father had me locked up in the loony bin at age eight, where they housed me in a room that was, at most, five-by-five feet. I had a tiny cot and that was it.
“Can’t I wait out there?” I point in the direction they just came from. “I’ll apologize to my father. I was just upset. I didn’t mean to push him.”
“Miss…,” the
