CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Either they’re all telling the truth or every single one of them is a very good liar.”
Ava cringed at the comment from Frank as they drove back to the precinct—not because it was such a blatant statement, but because she knew it was true. To a detective who rested easily on the stereotypes of the black community, this case was already closed. A group of colored people—colored people in a jazz band at that—were present when a wealthy white man had been murdered. None of them would fess up to it and a white passerby claimed to have seen Carter Epps attack the wealthy white man.
Case closed.
But for Ava, there were two nagging aspects to it all. If the band members, Leon, and Tony were indeed lying, why was it Carter who took the fall? And if they were indeed lying, which of the band members were they trying to protect?
“Do you have any hunches?” Ava asked.
“I have one, but it seems a bit out there.”
“Let’s hear it anyway.”
“What if it was Carter? What if Carter Epps murdered Monty Lincoln, but Tony put him up to it?”
“Under what pretense?” Ava asked.
“No pretense. I just wonder if maybe Tony needed a way to get Monty Lincoln off his back because he didn’t want to even be tempted to sell the club. Think about it…a small club owner trying to stay afloat in this economy—at some point, the money Monty Lincoln is offering has got to start seeming like a very nice way out. So maybe Tony slid Carter some money to take care of it. Maybe Tony just straight up didn’t like Monty. He certainly didn’t seem the least bit affected or upset about the man’s death.”
It didn’t feel right to her, but she shrugged all the same. “It’s an avenue to look down for sure. But first, I want to ask Carter if he was aware that Monty Lincoln was assaulting Ma. And to see if the secret relationship between Leon and Ma was as secret as Leon thought.”
“You think there might be a jealous lover sort of thing going on somewhere in the group?”
“I’m not sure,” she said with a grin. “But I think it has just as much of a chance as your theory.”
“So call it. Do we start visiting band members and hit it all over again or focus on Carter for now?”
“I’d say Carter. I’m thinking time behind those bars is making him a bit softer—which is why he told us about Robert Love, I’m assuming. I think after a while, if there is some secret keeping going on, he’s not going to care and he’ll tell us more and more with the hopes of getting out of there.”
“Yeah, let’s bank on that,” Frank said as he weaved his way through mid-afternoon traffic. They spent the rest of the trip to the precinct in silence, both thinking over the theories that had just been doled out. Ava couldn’t help but wonder if maybe they were starting to complicate things. Maybe the answer to it all was a bit easier than they were thinking. Maybe these convoluted theories would eventually lead them astray.
Frank parked behind the station and they made their way directly to the holding cells. Ava noted that a few officers they passed along the way gave them peculiar looks and then looked away quickly when their eyes connected. It very much seemed like they knew something that Ava and Frank did not. A little knot of worry formed in her stomach as they drew closer to the cells.
When they arrived, she suddenly became aware of what those knowing looks from the other officers were all about.
Carter Epps was no longer in his cell. The cell was empty, the door cracked slightly open.
“Where is he?” Ava asked, not realizing until after she voiced it just how dumb the question was.
“No clue,” Frank said. “I very seriously doubt they would have released him. I mean, the only other reason I could think his cell would be empty would be…ah, damn.”
“What, Frank?”
Frank looked at the empty cell and then redirected his gaze down the hallway, his hands on his hips. He was clearly trying to make a decision and Ava did not like that he was remaining quiet for so long.
“Frank?”
He looked at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I need you to stay calm and not fly off the handle, okay? You getting upset and loud is only going to make this worse. But I’m pretty sure the only reason they’d remove him from his cell so soon after the alleged crime is to march him in front of a judge.”
“What? But we never heard anything about that.”
“I know. And I imagine it was on purpose.” He looked back down the hallway and then back to her with a frown on his face. “Listen…I know it’s going to be hard for you, but I need you to go back to the car, okay? Wait for me out there and I’ll go speak to some of the boys, maybe even Minard. I’ll find out what happened and if they did send him to court—”
“Then we’ll make an appearance.”
Frank grimaced, clearly not liking the idea. But in the end, he nodded and started back down the hall. Ava followed and veered off to the left at the first intersection, heading for the exit and the parked cars in the lot.