Page 91 of Seven Deadly Sins

“But you knew he did.”

“No.” His eyes widened.

“My client has nothing more to say without an arrest warrant.” The lawyer stood and looked down his nose at them. “These are preposterous claims against Mr. Washington. Come Lawrence. They cannot legally keep you.”

“Leaving, Mr. Washington, will be looked at as an admission of guilt.” Not really, but Harper was grasping at straws.

~

Tired of standing to the side, Liam approached the table. “You may go, sir, but we will be watching you. Without speaking to us, we have no reason to offer you protection. You do know what happens to Mr. Thompson’s followers when they talk to us, don’t you?”

“Enough.” The lawyer gripped Washington’s arm.

“Wait.” He yanked free. “My wife and I need protection.”

“Are you willing to talk?” Liam smiled.

“Yes.” Against the lawyer’s protests, his client dismissed him and resumed his seat. “What do you want to know?”

Liam sat next to Harper, pressing his knee against hers in a congratulatory way. “Where did Mr. Thompson hold his meetings other than the country club?”

The man rattled off an address. “It’s a converted warehouse.”

“How often were the meetings held?”

“Bi-weekly at first, but since all this started happening, they got sporadic. The last meeting was at the country club. There hasn’t been any since Mr. Thompson’s face was plastered on the news.”

“During the meetings, did Mr. Thompson ever mention his methods of making the world a better place?”

“No. He only spoke about the need.” The man shrugged. “Got boring sometimes, but we all agreed the world needed help.”

They weren’t getting anywhere. “Were you aware some of the followers had no qualms about doing Mr. Thompson’s bidding?”

He swallowed hard. A look of panic crossed his face. “He did, on occasion, ask us how much we were willing to do for the cause. A few said anything.”

“You?”

“I committed to donations of my money, not to kill.”

“So, you were aware?”

He hung his head. “We all were.”

“I’m going to need a list of those willing to do anything.”

Harper left and returned with a pad of paper and a pen. She flashed Liam a grin and slid the pad across the table.

They soon had five names that matched a couple of those waiting to be questioned, and others that matched men dead that day. Waiting was a Mr. Preston and a Mr. Carter. He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s talk to Mr. Carter first.” Finally, they were getting somewhere.

The man met their gazes with a stony one of his own. He plopped in the chair across from them and crossed his arms.

Harper showed him her phone.Gluttony is not a secret vice – Orson Wells.

Liam understood the quote, but how did it pertain to their case? What person had Robert targeted? It sounded like someone who would be well known. He forced his mind to focus on the man in front of him.

“We’ve been told, sir, that you were willing to do anything for Mr. Thompson. Did that involve killing someone?”

His face darkened. “Not yet.”