worked.”
“He just thought I was a punk because of my injuries, now he knows better,”
The door opened and a rookie cop, Sierra, handed Jo a sheet of paper. Nico leered at Sierra until she left the room.
“Damn, who does the hiring around here? Whoever he is has got an eye for tasty tail, you included, Detective.”
Jo held up the sheet she just received.
“We found the stun gun you hid in the trunk of your car, along with the roll of duct tape, and the prongs on the weapon correspond with the faint burn marks on the back of Timothy Hearn’s neck.”
Nico cursed silently. One of the other motel guests must have seen him driving the Chevy and pointed it out to the cops.
“I don’t know anything about a car, and Hearn could have gotten those marks anywhere.”
“There’s blood on the walls and ceiling of your room, cast-off from the bat as you continually raised it to strike. If you had only wanted to defend yourself, you could have disabled Mr. Hearn with the stun gun and then called the police.”
“The guy broke into my room in the middle of the night. Maybe I was too scared to think straight.”
“You weren’t scared; you were actually lying in wait for him, weren’t you? You knew that he would try something, didn’t you?”
Nico sent her a sly smile.
“There’s no way to prove that, and anyway, Hearn won’t be pressing charges.”
Jo reached into the manila folder again, and took out several sheets of paper.
“This is a second statement by Mrs. Hearn, in it, she details the conspiracy between you and her husband, the campaign of fear that was used to get Patrick Taggart to sell him the bar. She also states that she was alone with Timothy Hearn on the night of Charles Woolley’s murder, and that you intimidated Hearn into providing you an alibi.”
Nico’s look of self-assuredness slipped a bit, but he shrugged and smiled.
“The bitch doesn’t know anything. That’s... what do they call it, hearsay? And besides, she already told you cops that I was there with them, right?”
“Wrong. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Hearn ever gave a formal statement saying that you were present with them on that date. When you were rendered comatose last year, I suspended the investigation. Mr. Hearn did make a verbal assertion that you and he were together, but we now know from Mrs. Hearn that he made it under a threat of violence.”
Nico stared down at the table and was silent as he thought over his options. When he looked up, he was smiling again.
“Tim Hearn will still tell you that I was there with him. I own his ass now. He would blow me if I told him to.”
“You think he fears you that much?”
“After the beat down I gave him? Hell yeah, he’ll do anything I say.”
“You did beat him severely,”
“And you can’t charge me for it. There’s no way he’ll press charges, because he knows that even if I did time for it, that I’d be back. So, can I leave now?”
Jo stood.
“Yes, I think we’re done.”
Nico stood, and then looked on with wide eyes as Jo took out her handcuffs.
“Nico Umbria, you are under arrest for the murder of Charles Woolley. Please turn around sir, so that I can cuff you.”
“What?”
“We’re arresting you for murder based on Rachel Hearn’s statement, now turn around.”
Nico looked disgusted, but did as ordered.
“This is bullshit! Tim Hearn will back me up and then it will be our word against the wife.”
“I’m sorry to say that Mr. Hearn will be unavailable to comment.”
“Why?”
“Timothy Hearn is dead. He died earlier from a cerebral hemorrhage, a cerebral hemorrhage that the doctors say was a direct result of the beating you inflicted on him. Along with the murder charge, you’re also being charged with manslaughter in the death of Timothy Hearn.”
Nico’s mouth dropped open as the color drained from his face. Jo read him his rights, and then marched him into a cell.
11
I n a plea bargain arrangement, Nico Umbria pleaded
“He just thought I was a punk because of my injuries, now he knows better,”
The door opened and a rookie cop, Sierra, handed Jo a sheet of paper. Nico leered at Sierra until she left the room.
“Damn, who does the hiring around here? Whoever he is has got an eye for tasty tail, you included, Detective.”
Jo held up the sheet she just received.
“We found the stun gun you hid in the trunk of your car, along with the roll of duct tape, and the prongs on the weapon correspond with the faint burn marks on the back of Timothy Hearn’s neck.”
Nico cursed silently. One of the other motel guests must have seen him driving the Chevy and pointed it out to the cops.
“I don’t know anything about a car, and Hearn could have gotten those marks anywhere.”
“There’s blood on the walls and ceiling of your room, cast-off from the bat as you continually raised it to strike. If you had only wanted to defend yourself, you could have disabled Mr. Hearn with the stun gun and then called the police.”
“The guy broke into my room in the middle of the night. Maybe I was too scared to think straight.”
“You weren’t scared; you were actually lying in wait for him, weren’t you? You knew that he would try something, didn’t you?”
Nico sent her a sly smile.
“There’s no way to prove that, and anyway, Hearn won’t be pressing charges.”
Jo reached into the manila folder again, and took out several sheets of paper.
“This is a second statement by Mrs. Hearn, in it, she details the conspiracy between you and her husband, the campaign of fear that was used to get Patrick Taggart to sell him the bar. She also states that she was alone with Timothy Hearn on the night of Charles Woolley’s murder, and that you intimidated Hearn into providing you an alibi.”
Nico’s look of self-assuredness slipped a bit, but he shrugged and smiled.
“The bitch doesn’t know anything. That’s... what do they call it, hearsay? And besides, she already told you cops that I was there with them, right?”
“Wrong. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Hearn ever gave a formal statement saying that you were present with them on that date. When you were rendered comatose last year, I suspended the investigation. Mr. Hearn did make a verbal assertion that you and he were together, but we now know from Mrs. Hearn that he made it under a threat of violence.”
Nico stared down at the table and was silent as he thought over his options. When he looked up, he was smiling again.
“Tim Hearn will still tell you that I was there with him. I own his ass now. He would blow me if I told him to.”
“You think he fears you that much?”
“After the beat down I gave him? Hell yeah, he’ll do anything I say.”
“You did beat him severely,”
“And you can’t charge me for it. There’s no way he’ll press charges, because he knows that even if I did time for it, that I’d be back. So, can I leave now?”
Jo stood.
“Yes, I think we’re done.”
Nico stood, and then looked on with wide eyes as Jo took out her handcuffs.
“Nico Umbria, you are under arrest for the murder of Charles Woolley. Please turn around sir, so that I can cuff you.”
“What?”
“We’re arresting you for murder based on Rachel Hearn’s statement, now turn around.”
Nico looked disgusted, but did as ordered.
“This is bullshit! Tim Hearn will back me up and then it will be our word against the wife.”
“I’m sorry to say that Mr. Hearn will be unavailable to comment.”
“Why?”
“Timothy Hearn is dead. He died earlier from a cerebral hemorrhage, a cerebral hemorrhage that the doctors say was a direct result of the beating you inflicted on him. Along with the murder charge, you’re also being charged with manslaughter in the death of Timothy Hearn.”
Nico’s mouth dropped open as the color drained from his face. Jo read him his rights, and then marched him into a cell.
11
I n a plea bargain arrangement, Nico Umbria pleaded
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