Sorry it took awhile for an update...not a big one, but hope you like!!!
Chapter 13
Sophia walked into the room were Daniel Perez was being held. She looked at him and shot him a small smile as her eyebrows rose. She then took a seat in front of him.
“Look, I know my rights—you can’t hold me here for no reason a’tall,” he nervously said as he pulled his cigarettes out of his coat pocket. He had developed large sweat rings under his arms, and his hair looked greasier now compared to when he first walked into the police station.
“Aren’t you just a smart guy! Tell me this Mr. Perez—where does participation in sexual crimes get you?” Sophia asked him as she leaned over into his personal space. Daniel Perez opened his mouth, and then immediately closed it. He began to nervously pick at the skin around his thumb nail.
“I will give you a hint. Your answer should have been TIME IN PRISON.”
“No, I haven’t done nothing wrong. I’m a good cit-a-zon. I offer a cheap place for people to stay,” Daniel said as he nervously looked around.
“I am thoroughly touched,” Sophia mocked as she lightly touched her hand to her heart. “Why don’t you tell me what kind of cut you get to supply a place for women to get raped?”
“Uhh…I don’t get whatcha askin me?”
Brass had elected to have Sophia interrogate the country man that failed to get a high school diploma. They assumed that a woman with clout might make him nervous enough to come clean. Quite possibly they were right.
“Your buddy Jake has come clean. He said that you two had a little operation going,” Sophia said as she folded her arms across her chest. She watched as the little worm wiggled to the accusation. “Does Catherine Willows ring any bells?”
“Jake—I dun’t…,” he stopped abruptly as he noticed a woman with reddish-blonde hair walk by his window. It seemed to him that she had looked into the room and starred at him. “Why is she here?” He asked a bit more nervous than before. Sophia looked up in time to see Catherine as she walked by.
“That would be Ms. Willows. She’s a crime scene investigator for Las Vegas Police Department. So Mr. Perez—the number one question here is do you honestly want to let your buddy in the next room get the deal as you go to prison, and become the next best thing since sliced bread to all those hungry prison men? I might add they aren’t gentle.”
He continued to stare after Catherine as he bit on his nail. He licked his lips in nervousness. No one told him she was a cop. “Was she hurt? I rememb'r her comin in for a room, but with her boyfriend. She was drunk nearly passed out, but she'd paid for a room.” He spit his nail out as he got up and went to the window. He saw Catherine talking to another cop. This was not good for him he concluded. He flashed back to the first night he saw her, obviously drugged not able to walk on her own as the guy dug through her purse and supplied her credit card. He remembered her too clearly because he had a bad feeling about her—-for some reason that night he developed a conscious.
She was beautiful, yet fragile as her head bounced around on her neck from lack of support when the guy dragged her to her awaited destination. “Hello…Mr. Perez?” Sophia shouted in order to get his attention.
“What kinda deal I get if I talk?” Daniel asked suddenly as he bit at his thumb again until it bled.