Joey didn’t know what to say. “So what? You want to get your vaccine approved so you can take it?”
He laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t turn it down if we find out it works. I’d sign up for the first trials if I could somehow guarantee I wouldn’t be in the placebo group. But no… I’m not actually optimistic enough to think we’ll have that kind of breakthrough before it’s too late for me.”
“You might though, right? If we can stop whoever is trying to sabotage this gene therapy?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
Joey finished the last of her dinner. “Well, I guess I better get to work then.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be a buzzkill on this call.”
She shook her head. “No, it was good. I like knowing more about you and why you are the man I know today. Sometime, I’d like to hear your side of the Jared story. He told me pieces.”
Cole smiled warmly. “Oh, yeah… That’s a pretty good story. Another time, I suppose.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“Back at you.”
CHAPTERTWENTY
A lawyer Colehad never seen before met him at the police station and climbed into the back of the town car with him. “Hi, Mr. Kensington. Phillip Bankston. I’m a senior partner from Presley, Fisher, and Caldwell. I’ve been assigned your case.”
“Where’s Constance?” he asked, referring to the lawyer he usually dealt with from the firm.
“Constance is a contract attorney, Mr. Kensington. Right now, you are in need of a criminal defense attorney.” Cole’s gut churned as Bankston blathered on. “Now, your retainer with our firm covers all legal matters, and I’ll walk through this with you every step of the way.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you for coming.”
Bankston nodded and waved a hand. “It’s my job. Now, when we go in there, don’t say anything without checking with me. You know that, right? They claim you’re just here for further questioning, but I’ve got word from the DA’s office that they want you for this. They feel like they’ve got a solid case and are planning to pursue you as the killer.”
Cole shook his head. “This is crazy. I would never hurt Laura.”
At least not intentionally. Getting her involved in the search for the saboteur had been a mistake, one he’d regretted every minute since he’d done it. But that didn’t make him the killer. He heard Joey’s reassurances in his mind.
“I know that. You know that. Jared up there knows that,” his lawyer said with a nod toward the driver’s seat. “But these guys can only see the surface. And on the surface? It looks bad, Mr. Kensington.”
Yeah, that sounded about right. Unfortunately, it was a lot easier and more fun to pin the murder inside the pharmaceutical company on the man who knew the victim and was there covered in her blood when the police arrived. Just like Joey had assumed he was part of the Syndicate just because he was rich, others were inclined to believe the same—that he would do whatever it took to get ahead. Including kill his friend.
His stomach roiled at the thought. If he were arrested, Laura’s husband and children would see it. Would they believe that he had done such a thing?
He told Bankston about the suspected corporate espionage taking place at Zia, and how Laura had recently been brought in as a part of the investigation. Bankston nodded along. “If it seems like we need to, we’ll tell the police about it. I’ll tell you when. Otherwise, nothing.”
“So what? We just go in there and don’t say anything?”
“Yep. You can confirm anything that you already told them the night of the murder. But if they read you your rights, you’re not saying another word. Got it?”
Cole blew out a breath. “Yeah, got it.’
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Just a sec.” He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Joey. She needed to know what was going on. And why she might not get dinner delivered tonight. He hesitated though. He didn’t want to send that message. It made it a bit too real. “Jared, can you make sure Joey gets dinner tonight if I’m held up here for some reason?”
His driver gave a small salute. “You got it. Food for Joey. Done.”
“Thanks.” With a deep breath, Cole stepped out of the car.
He was unsurprised when the detective’s further questions turned into an interrogation. It helped to have his lawyer sitting next to him in the windowless room. And that he wasn’t shaky with adrenaline and guilt like he had been Friday night.