Keeping with Killers (The Salingers Book 1) Read Online Free

night of Sunday October sixth, leading into the early hours of Monday seventh?'
    Is that when it happened? Blake had to think about that one. It was two nights ago, going by what Wilkes had told the machine. His mind was foggy too, but he scrambled through it, mulled it over, and decided it was probably accurate. 'I was at home, sleeping.' It wasn't the best answer he could give, but it was the truth.
    'I see,' Wilkes went on, 'and were you alone on the night in question?'
    Shit. He had known it would come, and he didn't like to give the answer. 'I was alone, yes.' That stung. No company meant no alibi, and no alibi could only mean bad things for him. He could almost see a grin weaving itself into the inspector's expression. It was obviously the answer he had wanted.
    'Could you tell me about your relationship with Mister Val Salinger?' Wilkes had a very professional manner, very thorough and formal. This seemed like more of a presentation to him, and an in-depth flicker through of all the questions–all of the right ones. No prejudice, no judgement whatsoever.
    That was more than could be said for his colleague.
    'Okay.' Blake paused. The answer to this wouldn't look too great either. He could go into detail, but what was the point? When it came to making a solid defence from the law, he figured that less was probably more. 'He is my father.'
    Wilkes nodded, almost approvingly. 'Do you keep in contact?'
    'No.' Blake adjusted his collar.
    Howard lunged forward, leaning his fists on the table. 'Why not, Mister Salinger? Did you have a falling out? A little disagreement, perhaps? Something that caused you to be angry or upset–to react instinctively?'
    'Wha–no, not at all. We just distanced.' This was getting a little too much for him. He was worried that he might say something that would land him in trouble, and that certainly wouldn't have helped matters. 'Look, while I'm waiting for my solicitor, I don't have to talk. I know that.' His voice wavered. He sounded unsure of himself. 'I will answer straightforward questions until she gets here, but I won't be forced into a corner.' But when would she arrive? Marcy was his father's wife, and she was - according to his father - an incredibly talented solicitor.
    'She's not coming,' said Howard, standing up straight.
    'When was the last time you made contact with your father?' Wilkes took the reins again, finally showing some balls and huffing at his partner. 'And we do appreciate your cooperation, despite appearances.'
    At last, some humanity! But what about Marcy? Was she really not coming, or had he just said that to plant the seed of doubt?
    'A year ago, I guess. Look, we never got along. Detective, you've asked me several questions and told me nothing, so may I ask you something?' Easy, Blake.
    Wilkes craned his neck and looked up at his partner, as if to ask for permission. He didn't seem to get it, but Wilkes nodded anyway.
    'I woke up this morning and went to work, just like I usually do. My close friends were as close this morning as they were last week, and my distant relatives were ever distant. When I got to the office, I had a meeting, took a piss, and the next thing I know I'm being hauled into the police station and accused of something I didn't even know had happened.' Blake's hands were shaking. He was losing his patience, becoming sloppy. 'Now, I've answered all your questions and I'm happy to answer even more, but I won't be saying a damn word until you've told me what you know about my father.'
    They both looked taken aback, shocked by the sudden outburst.
    The door swung open and a female officer in uniform came in with a handful of see-through bags. Without looking at anyone else, she put them on the table and nodded at Wilkes before leaving the room.
    'Right on time,' said the inspector.
    Blake eyed them, trying to see what they contained.
    Wilkes looked down at one of the bags, separated it from the others and slapped it down onto the table between them.