She didn’t say another word, just sat in one of the visitors’ chairs and let it sink in. Finn shook his head a few times, his shock evident, and it took some serious willpower not to gloat. She was pretty damn proud of herself as she glanced over at the lined sheet of beer-stained paper, on which she’d transcribed Gideon’s revised statement.
Ah, the triumphant rush of getting the truth out of a liar. She couldn’t even credit her superior interrogation skills for this meeting. When she’d gone to see him, she hadn’t had a real game plan, not until she’d seen the look on his face when she’d mentioned testifying in court.
At that moment, she’d glimpsed something that Finn and his deputies had obviously missed: embarrassment.
Poor man was mortified by the state in which he’d found his life. He might blame Cole for that state, but not enough to have an entire courtroom of people judge him. Or worse, pity him. All she’d had to do was mention what lay ahead for him if he stuck to his story, and he’d completely caved.
“I can’t believe this.” Finn released a mumbled curse. “Did you get it on tape?”
“Yes, and he’s also willing to come in and sign a typed statement if you’d like.”
Another curse.
Jamie didn’t bother hiding her irritation. “You can’t tell me you’re angry about this, Finn. I got the truth from Gideon.”
“You backed up the alibi of my top suspect,” he shot back. “Hell, make that my only suspect.”
“And that’s a bad thing because…?” She gritted her teeth. “Now we can start looking in the right direction, find the real killer.”
Finn stared at her in frustration. “How, exactly? We’ve got zero leads, Jamie. This case is at a standstill.” He suddenly cocked his head. “Besides…Cole’s alibi…it might not even mean anything.”
She huffed out a breath. “What do you mean?”
“He could still be responsible. He could’ve hired someone to kill Teresa—Lord knows he has the money.”
She swallowed down a rush of incredulity. “So now he hired a hit man?”
“Maybe. Or maybe he did do it himself. Time of death isn’t always accurate, you know that.”
“And you’re developing a bad case of tunnel vision,” she retorted, unable to control her irritation.
She’d gotten the truth out of Gideon, and even with that, Finn couldn’t give Cole a break. He was like a dog with a bone, refusing to let it go even after he’d gnawed it all away.
“You need to accept that Cole might not be your killer. Actually, admit that he isn’t the killer,” Jamie said flatly. “It’s time to look at other suspects.”
“Yeah, like who? Tell me, who had a stronger motive than Cole?”
Jamie went quiet, pressing her hands on her thighs. She mulled over the question, but the frustration seeping from Finn’s body found its way into her, making her head hurt. “How about Valerie Matthews?” she finally suggested. “Maybe she hated her sister for marrying a millionaire.”
Finn arched a brow. “That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
“She could have a motive we don’t know about. And God knows that woman is a tad unstable.” She suddenly remembered the note on her car, which she’d dropped off at the station with Anna before heading to Cole’s house earlier. “And she wrote me a threatening note.”
“Yeah, about that,” Finn said. He pulled open the top drawer of his desk and removed the note, which was now in a plastic evidence baggie. “We tested it and there were no prints.”
Jamie’s shoulders sagged. “None? Well, Valerie could have wiped it clean before she left it on my car.”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure Valerie wrote this,” Finn admitted, a frown pinching his lips.
“But she pretty much said those same words to me verbatim in the diner.”
“Maybe, but this isn’t really her style. Valerie is all about knee-jerk reactions. She freaks out, yells for a bit, then forgets about it. Writing a note and leaving it on a car takes thought, planning. Valerie’s not a planner. Or a thinker.”
“Well, if Valerie didn’t leave it, then who did?”
Jamie’s question hung in the room for a moment. Before either of them could attempt to answer it, Finn’s cell phone went off. He lifted the phone to his ear and said, “Finnegan,” then listened for a moment. “Yep, she’s here…no, that’s good news…I’ll tell her to meet you there.”
Finn hung up. “Anna’s on her way to Parker Smith’s house. He just got off work and agreed to another interview. You still want to sit in, right?” When she nodded, Finn reached for a pad of paper on his desk. “Let me write down the address for you.”
“You’re not coming along?”
“Can’t. I’m meeting with the mayor in about ten minutes.”
He scrawled down Smith’s address and handed it to her. “Anna said she’ll wait for you by the gas station near Parker’s house, that way the two of you can arrive together.”
“Sounds good.”
She tucked the address into her purse and stood up, already heading for the door. Finn’s voice stopped her before she could cross the threshold.
“Jamie…”