right. The boy might feel more comfortable if you were there. He’s the only witness we have.”
“Other than Lady Woo-Woo,” Stuart added, pointing at his head and making a circular gesture.
“Who?” Dani asked.
“They found an old woman wandering around in the vicinity, lost in space,” Stuart said. “Apparently she saw little green men landing in the woods. We’re sending a man to Mars to see if her story checks out.”
“I thought little green men came from Ireland,” Dani said.
“This one’s so weird, it wouldn’t shock me if leprechauns were involved,” Casey said. “I’m not ruling them out.”
7 .
Tommy recognized the lawyer who arrived with Claire Dorsett only because he knew him as a local real estate attorney who’d helped one of Tommy’s friends close on a house. Claire’s mascara was smeared from crying. The waiting room was stark and featureless, without magazines to read or art on the walls to look at, and the bare linoleum floor gave it the feel of a veterinarian’s clinic.
When a policewoman led Liam in, Tommy stepped aside as the boy rushed to hug his mother, burying his face in her chest and sobbing. At the same time, Dani stepped out of the elevator with three people Tommy didn’t recognize.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked her. “Liam would probably be more comfortable if he had someone there with him. Either me or his mom.”
“He probably would, but no friends or family present during questioning,” Dani said. “Just his lawyer. Did Claire find a good one?”
“She did if you’re trying to sell your house,” Tommy said.
Don’t try to be clever. Just be yourself .
“This is the preliminary investigation, not the trial,” Dani said. “Still informal. Liam’s not yet a person of interest. I’ll look out for him. What you could do is be with Claire. You can watch in Room 2 on closed circuit if you want.”
The interrogation room was windowless, with a plain desk, chairs, a TV camera mounted in the corner, and a television monitor on a stand. As Dani showed Tommy and Claire where to sit, the monitor showed Liam taking a seat in Room 1, his lawyer beside him.
“I don’t know how long we’ll be,” Dani said. “Liam’s not a suspect. He’s a good kid, Claire—don’t lose sight of that. He needs to know you believe in him.”
Claire sniffed and nodded. When they were alone, she turned to Tommy. “Thank you for being here,” she said. “I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.”
“Can’t think of one,” he said.
“My husband’s in Patagonia, on a fishing trip.”
“I know,” Tommy said. “Liam told me. He was a little hurt because his dad didn’t want to take him along.”
Claire looked surprised. “Liam hates fishing.”
“Not the point,” Tommy said.
On the monitor, he saw the district attorney look to Dani and then gesture toward Liam, asking Dani to begin. Impressive. She’d apparently done well for herself.
“Hi, Liam,” Dani said. “How you doing?”
“Okay,” Liam said, drying his eyes with a tissue and then dabbing at his nose. “I mean, not really. But I’m okay. I guess.”
“Do you know why you’re here?”
“No.”
“Did they tell you what your rights are?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Kind of weird, huh?” she said. “Being read your rights. Just like you’ve seen on TV a thousand times.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s important that you understand them. You do, don’t you?”
He nodded.
“Do you have any questions?”
“Am I under arrest?”
Dani looked at Irene, who shook her head.
“No,” Dani said. “We’re just trying to clear things up and figure out what happened.”
“Okay,” he said. “I don’t know if I know anything, but I’ll try.”
“This is Detective Casey,” Dani said. “He has some questions for you. If you have any questions about how to respond, you can ask your lawyer what the right thing to do is. Right now, we’re just trying to
“Other than Lady Woo-Woo,” Stuart added, pointing at his head and making a circular gesture.
“Who?” Dani asked.
“They found an old woman wandering around in the vicinity, lost in space,” Stuart said. “Apparently she saw little green men landing in the woods. We’re sending a man to Mars to see if her story checks out.”
“I thought little green men came from Ireland,” Dani said.
“This one’s so weird, it wouldn’t shock me if leprechauns were involved,” Casey said. “I’m not ruling them out.”
7 .
Tommy recognized the lawyer who arrived with Claire Dorsett only because he knew him as a local real estate attorney who’d helped one of Tommy’s friends close on a house. Claire’s mascara was smeared from crying. The waiting room was stark and featureless, without magazines to read or art on the walls to look at, and the bare linoleum floor gave it the feel of a veterinarian’s clinic.
When a policewoman led Liam in, Tommy stepped aside as the boy rushed to hug his mother, burying his face in her chest and sobbing. At the same time, Dani stepped out of the elevator with three people Tommy didn’t recognize.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked her. “Liam would probably be more comfortable if he had someone there with him. Either me or his mom.”
“He probably would, but no friends or family present during questioning,” Dani said. “Just his lawyer. Did Claire find a good one?”
“She did if you’re trying to sell your house,” Tommy said.
Don’t try to be clever. Just be yourself .
“This is the preliminary investigation, not the trial,” Dani said. “Still informal. Liam’s not yet a person of interest. I’ll look out for him. What you could do is be with Claire. You can watch in Room 2 on closed circuit if you want.”
The interrogation room was windowless, with a plain desk, chairs, a TV camera mounted in the corner, and a television monitor on a stand. As Dani showed Tommy and Claire where to sit, the monitor showed Liam taking a seat in Room 1, his lawyer beside him.
“I don’t know how long we’ll be,” Dani said. “Liam’s not a suspect. He’s a good kid, Claire—don’t lose sight of that. He needs to know you believe in him.”
Claire sniffed and nodded. When they were alone, she turned to Tommy. “Thank you for being here,” she said. “I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.”
“Can’t think of one,” he said.
“My husband’s in Patagonia, on a fishing trip.”
“I know,” Tommy said. “Liam told me. He was a little hurt because his dad didn’t want to take him along.”
Claire looked surprised. “Liam hates fishing.”
“Not the point,” Tommy said.
On the monitor, he saw the district attorney look to Dani and then gesture toward Liam, asking Dani to begin. Impressive. She’d apparently done well for herself.
“Hi, Liam,” Dani said. “How you doing?”
“Okay,” Liam said, drying his eyes with a tissue and then dabbing at his nose. “I mean, not really. But I’m okay. I guess.”
“Do you know why you’re here?”
“No.”
“Did they tell you what your rights are?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Kind of weird, huh?” she said. “Being read your rights. Just like you’ve seen on TV a thousand times.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s important that you understand them. You do, don’t you?”
He nodded.
“Do you have any questions?”
“Am I under arrest?”
Dani looked at Irene, who shook her head.
“No,” Dani said. “We’re just trying to clear things up and figure out what happened.”
“Okay,” he said. “I don’t know if I know anything, but I’ll try.”
“This is Detective Casey,” Dani said. “He has some questions for you. If you have any questions about how to respond, you can ask your lawyer what the right thing to do is. Right now, we’re just trying to
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