Dirty Secrets

Part 88

10 DAYS LATER

At the police station, in a room scarcely large enough to accommodate the table and chairs, Lyla and her dad sat across from their attorney, David Olowe, a middle-aged man with a neatly-trimmed white mustache.

"It's best if you don't say anything," he instructed, straightening his paisley tie. "Let me do the talking." 

The detectives entered, eyes on Lyla. Morales took the seat beside the attorney and Steiger the metal chair next to his partner.

Lyla sat with arms crossed, glaring defiantly at them. She felt Morales' intimidating gaze, excavating for revelations behind her eyes. But Lyla would offer nothing. They'd wasted so much time and energy in pursuit of their twisted code of justice in which she and Jack were suspected criminals while Keenan and his mother were viewed as innocent victims. Lyla wanted to tell them that Rose Ames and her son got exactly what they deserved. Good had triumphed over evil. Morales and Steiger hadn't been instrumental in ensuring that justice was served. In fact, they had been impediments. It required every ounce of restraint to prevent Lyla from leaping across the table in a fit of rage. Instead, she repressed her outrage and embraced her familiar mantra.

Play the game.

She drew a deep cleansing breath, unable to wipe the hostile expression from her face.

"So," said the Perry's attorney. "Let's get to it."

Morales began. "We know that five months ago, according to phone records, Ms. Perry and her "friend," Jack Bentley were on the hill where the Ames family burial ground is located. The same location where the body of our missing person, Keenan Ames, was hastily buried."

"That's bullshit," Ryan muttered.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," said Lyla, breaking eye contact. "I told you that."

Olowe cleared his throat loudly. "Let me see if I got this straight. You asked my client to come in again to talk about something that happened five months ago? That she's already told you she knows nothing about?"

"I think she does," the detective replied.

"Phone records," said the attorney. "That's what you got. All you got." He shook his head. "During those five months, you've uncovered no forensic evidence that proves that my client and Jack Bentley were at the scene of that horrific incident. No witnesses have come forward."  

"Indulge me," said Morales, her eyes never leaving Lyla. "Two Sundays ago, on that very same hill, Mr. Ames' gravesite was desecrated. The body of a man named Dennis Butane was also found on the scene. Along with a vehicle registered in his name."

She slid a mug shot of Denny across the table toward Lyla. "According to the police report, this is the man that was with Rose Ames the night she was taken into custody in your front yard."

"I don't appreciate your dark insinuation," Olowe said.

"Could be him." Ryan shrugged. "Maybe." He pushed the mugshot back across the table toward Morales.

"That's quite a coincidence," the detective replied, tapping her pen against the table. "Same man. Same crime scene. And to further complicate matters, Keenan Ames' corpse is missing. Again."

"Ew." Lyla grimaced.

"Any phone records this time?" Olowe couldn't resist the jab.

The detective didn't respond.

Olowe referred to his notes. "According to your report, the only real evidence you have of this desecration are tracks from some... heavy equipment at the scene. Isn't that what you said? Perhaps a heavy-duty truck. Big one. Real big truck that you haven't located... And that's it."