Page 36 of Bait and Switch (Subtle Deceptions #2)

Stevens barked out a dry, dead-sounding laugh.

“That’s rich, coming from you. But don’t you worry, I have measures in place to make sure the information I tucked away over the years gets to the right people.

I just want to hear you say it out loud.

Confess, tell these people just how lawless you are.

” Stevens side-eyed the group watching and caught Casey’s eye, then turned back to Rizzi.

“Let’s start with Maya Crane—although there are more names, of course there are.

I know most, not all, but most of them.”

The mention of the girl whose murder his brother was currently serving time in prison for had Casey pushing closer so that he was standing directly behind Gabe. He wanted to hear every word, he needed to.

Rizzi spotted him then, his flat dark gaze meeting Casey’s through the glass. For the first time in his life, Casey saw a flicker of worry, just a tease of it, cross Rizzi’s face. It wasn’t much, but fear looked damn good on the asshole.

“Come on now, don’t be shy, Eli. I’ve said one name for you.

All that’s left is for you to fill in a few of the details.

Just one or two things no one else would know or do you need me to add another?

I’ve always wondered about Suzie Warner too.

The jig, as they say, is up, my friend.” He leaned a few inches closer to his hostage.

“I won’t miss the family jewels from here. ”

“I—” Rizzi swallowed and glanced around again, no longer calm, clocking the gathered officers who were now waiting for him to speak.

Not one of those present was actively looking to disarm Stevens; they too wanted to know what Rizzi was hiding.

At the mention of a murdered girl and a missing girl, the atmosphere in the bullpen became almost electric.

Bree Eagan shifted her stance, seemingly impatient to hear what was coming next but also ready to intervene as needed. Casey wondered how Rizzi had managed to hire someone so competent.

“Eli…” Stevens waggled his Glock again, his hand steady.

“Maya Crane’s death was… unfortunate,” Rizzi protested, his eyes were wide with panic. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time! If she hadn’t—” He cut himself off. “You helped, you made sure evidence went away, was swept under the rug.”

Casey’s jaw clenched, his molars grinding against each other at Rizzi’s use of the word unfortunate. It bothered Stevens too,

“When you kill someone to silence them, it’s murder, Eli. And yes, I did help pesky evidence go away. An innocent young man, Mickie Lundin, went to jail in your place.” Stevens nodded. Had he glanced in Casey’s direction again?

“That girl’s death was an accident! She wasn’t supposed to die. The situation got out of control, you know how young men are.”

Stevens shook his head, disappointed, and waved the gun again. “More.”

Rizzi’s gaze darted toward the crowd of watching law enforcement officers, then he licked his lips and swallowed. “All the Crane girl needed to do was stay quiet, but she wasn’t going to do that, was she? She had to be dealt with.”

There was a collective gasp from those watching, including Casey. What had happened to Maya was her being dealt with ?

“And the guilt for what happened afterward is mine. Thank you, Eli, that’s what I needed you to say out loud, with witnesses.”

Rizzi appeared to be speechless. That or he was trying to figure out what to say that would get Stevens to point his gun a different direction.

Stevens spoke again, “And my son, Peter? Why did you have him killed?”

Rizzi shook his head. Casey didn’t know if that meant it hadn’t been on his orders, he didn’t know, or he flat-out refused to answer.

“See, Eli, his murder was the last straw for me, which is saying a lot when you consider all we’ve collaborated on for years.”

Somehow, Casey knew—everyone witnessing had to know—what was coming next, but it still seemed to happen in slow motion as well as too fast for anyone to stop.

The weapon in Stevens’s hand was no longer pointed at the sheriff; instead, the old lawyer directed the business end at himself.

Casey thought he saw him mouth I’m sorry before pulling the trigger without hesitation.

There was a fleeting, weighty silence and then the station erupted into chaos. A few deputies slapped hands over their mouths and turned away from the gruesome sight. Casey also had to look away and noted that Gabe was slightly green and turned his back on the scene at the same time.

Casey had been so fixated on what was happening that he hadn’t realized Elton had joined them. He’d been early Special Forces—a Frogman in the fifties—and now merely shook his head and muttered, “What a waste.”

Before the gun thumped to the carpet, Deputy Eagan took charge.

“Eli Rizzi, I am taking you into custody for the murder of Maya Crane.”

Casey expected Rizzi to fight her off, to try and escape, but perhaps he realized the jig was up.

Or Stevens’s self-inflicted death had shocked him into silence.

He stood up and turned around. Deputy Eagan cuffed Rizzi and read him his rights, then she and the deputy who’d initially tried to keep them out of the building led their now ex-boss away, presumably to a holding cell.

“No one, and I do mean absolutely no one, is to leave this building without my express permission,” Eagan called out, then disappeared with the former Twana County sheriff.

Deputy Eagan wasn’t gone for more than a few minutes, which made Casey wonder if she didn’t trust everyone to obey her directive. Looking around at the still pale faces, he didn’t blame her.

Surveying the bullpen, her eyes landed on Casey, Gabe, and Elton. Pointing at them and then to the interview room, she said, “You three, get in there and keep your butts in chairs until I come and get you. Do not think about leaving the premises until someone has questioned you.”

Elton held out the signed confession almost as a peace offering, the papers crumpled from being stuffed under his arm. “I received this today. I’m going to hang on to it for now, to see it gets to the right people. But you can read it if you like.”

Eagan quickly scanned Stevens’s confession and handed it back to him. “We’ll need to make a copy of this. Please, into the room now.”

“Well,” said Gabe with what had to be feigned brightness, “that was a bit more excitement than I expected from my morning. How about you two?”