Read Chapter 1 of The Past is Falsified…
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Silas
With hopes that the Ghost���s latest victim, Ashley Lewis, would pull through the night, Silas Warren now faced the daunting task of avoiding the press on his way into his office.
Up ahead near the front of the building, he could see the small crowd gathered on the front steps of the precinct. There were at least a dozen of them, all geared up and ready with their microphones and recording devices.
Silas pulled into the empty space beside Madison���s borrowed van and killed the engine. Only then did he notice that Madison sat behind the wheel. When he opened his door to get out, she came around to meet him.
���I can���t believe this mob,��� she said. ���I���d hoped they would have dispersed by now. That���s why I waited for you.�����
She seemed shaken up, and Silas couldn���t blame her. Just looking at the crowd of people and knowing their expectations was enough to make his skin crawl. They were like a hungry pack of wolves, ready to devour them if they said or did the wrong thing.
���They must have caught wind of the Lewis family coming in. That���s one reason I wish they had let us come to the hospital.���
���Could you imagine this chaos there? It���s probably best they do come here.���
���I had hoped they���d gotten all they needed at the scene last night.��� Once the word had gotten out that a woman had been attacked and left for dead, the press had come down to the site and were all over it. Thankfully, this time, Fletcher didn���t see it as an opportunity to make another public speech, but that left things up to Silas, who still didn���t want the public to be in a state of panic.��
He also didn���t feel like doing damage control for the department, which already had enough black eyes to conceal. If too much got out, they���d realize the biggest blemish of them all���that they had arrested and convicted the wrong man five years ago, and because of that, he was murdered in prison, where he didn���t belong.
���They know there���s a murderer on the loose,��� she said. ���There���s no denying it now. Let���s just hope they don���t realize which murderer.���
���That���s why I want to keep details of the case private.�����
They approached the building. He took her by the arm when the reporters saw them and flocked toward them like a committee of vultures.
���Detective Warren,��� said one man, who held a black microphone in his face. ���Is it true that there is another murderer running wild in the city?���
Silas kept his head down and hoped that Madison was doing the same.
���Have you spoken to the Lewis family, and do you believe that family was involved in the crime?��� asked another voice from the sea of bodies, who had all crowded around with extended arms and eager eyes.
A female reporter bullied her way past the others. ���Do you have a suspect, detective? Is there any reason for the public to be concerned or was this a personal crime?���
���I have no comments at this time.��� He pushed his way inside the building and helped Madison safely along with him. She had kept her head up, showing her strength. Maybe she wasn���t as afraid of them as he thought.
Once they were inside the front room of the department, they thought they had left the mob behind, only to see that one of the vultures sat perched in wait of her prey.
���Detective Warren,��� said Roxanne Reade, who was leaning on the corner of Stanton���s desk as if she had rented it for the day. She pushed away and walked over to join them. ���Just the man I wanted to talk to. I hear that you���re talking to the Lewis family this morning.���
���Well, I hate to disappoint you since you���ve been waiting, but I don���t have anything to say at this time.��� He wasn���t going to give her any special treatment.
���I thought you might say that. And it���s a shame, really, since I���ve done you such a great favor by not throwing you under the bus.���
���I���m afraid I don���t know what you���re talking about,��� he said. There were several ways she could do so, but Silas hoped whatever she had going with Captain Fletcher would prevent it.
Madison spoke up. ���Silas, we really should go. We have a few things to do still.���
Roxanne gave her a sympathetic look and turned her attention back to Silas. ���I���ve already spoken privately with Ashley Lewis���s aunt,��� she continued as Silas walked away. ���I���m sure you met her last night.���
���Of course we did.��� He stopped hoping she wouldn���t follow him twice. ���She is the one who found her niece.��� He had a feeling she knew more than he wanted her to. She had made a smart move going to the aunt, who had firsthand knowledge of not only what happened when they arrived, but exact details of how she found the body.
Silas bit his lip as his disdain for Roxanne Reade grew stronger.
Roxanne, seemingly unaffected, smoothed down the lapel of her blazer. ���Yes. That���s right. She told me a few things that I know were of concern to the family, and I have to say, I find them rather interesting. Of course, I haven���t reported on anything yet. But I was hoping you and I could come to some agreement before I do.���
Silas leaned in closer, realizing she was there to bargain. ���What do you want?��� She wasn���t sitting on exclusive information for nothing. Everything she did was designed to further her career.
���Well, I know that Ashley���s family is upset and that they���re trying to figure out why her care was delayed. I also know that they have gotten their lawyers involved and are considering a suit against the department. I can���t imagine what that might do to your career.��� She turned her gaze upon Madison. ���Or yours.���
Silas hadn���t heard of any such thing, nor had he gotten the impression that was about to happen. There were a few blunders but nothing that prevented them from getting Ashley the care she needed. ���I���ve spoken to her aunt myself, and she didn���t say any such thing. But I wonder who might have put those ideas in her head.��� He couldn���t believe Roxanne would mislead a victim���s family in such a way.
Roxanne narrowed her already beady eyes. ���What about the details of the murder? I spoke with her about how she found her niece, and I must say, it sure sounded familiar. There���s no denying it���s the same type of crime. Do you expect the public won���t put the pieces together?���
���I guess that depends on which pieces of the puzzle you give them, doesn���t it?��� Silas didn���t expect any favors for free.
���Exactly my point. So, ask yourself, why should I withhold anything? Maybe I should tell them that there is a serial killer on the loose. The crimes were just like the past three.���
He let out an exasperated breath. ���I don���t know, Reade. Maybe because it���s the decent thing to do?���
���Appealing to my sense of morality, detective?��� She smiled. ���The public needs to be informed���especially if their lives are in danger. That���s more important than your opinion on what���s right and wrong.���
���Your interference could hurt the investigation,��� he said. ���More women might die. That doesn���t bother you at all?���
���My job is to report the news. It���s your job to catch the bad guys.��� She shrugged. ���The blood���s on your hands, not mine.���
His shoulders tensed. ���If you were a man, I���d hit you.���
She laughed. ���If you were a man, I���d be scared.���
Steam all but shot out of his ears, and his nails dug into his palms. He would never hit a woman but he wanted to hit something.
Reade sighed. ���Oh, relax. We don���t have to be enemies. I know things that can help.�����
He forced himself to breathe and unclench everything. She wanted him to lose his temper, and she was damn good at provoking him. He couldn���t play her game.��
���It sounds like you already know everything, Reade. It makes me wonder who you���ve been talking to.��� He knew one person in particular but there could be others.��
���I���ve got eyes and ears all over the place, but mostly, I pay attention.��� She squared her shoulders. ���Look, whatever you think of me, we can still have a friendly working relationship.���
���Did Captain Fletcher remove your lips from his ass?��� Silas asked with a grin. ���Why are you sniffing around me?���
���My lips are always where they need to be,��� she said. ���But he won���t be around for too much longer.���
He frowned. ���Do you know something I don���t?���
���So many things, yes.��� She shook her head. ���But for the good captain, it doesn���t take a detective to see the scandal looming on the horizon. His time is almost up.���
Silas kept his expression neutral, not wanting to give anything away. The reporter had to be fishing for info. She couldn���t have connected all the dots about imprisoning the wrong man, and he wasn���t about to help her.
He shrugged. ���I���ll believe it when I see it.�����
���When he���s gone, I still need friends in the department.�����
He snorted. ���Friends.���
���Sources then. Whatever. It would make things a hell of a lot easier on us both.���
Silas crossed his arms over his chest. ���What do you want specifically?���
���All I want is exclusive rights and an interview when this is all over and the killer is caught. That���s not a lot to ask for, considering what I know.���
���Absolutely not,��� Silas said. ���You���ll get information the same as everyone else. And all the stuff you know? Release it and it���ll make you look bad. Or else you would have already.���
���I���m playing nice,��� she said. ���If you think I���m bluffing, try me. But I don���t think it would work out well for you. And all I���m asking for is first dibs. You can, of course, still make your regular press statements. I���ll play fair and give you some power. You can decide when the information is released. I want you to look at us like a family, you and me. A well-oiled machine, if you will. We���ll work together. It might come in handy to make this deal with me, especially if the rumor about the family suing is true.���
���Did you offer her something for an exclusive deal?��� Madison asked.��
She must have felt the same as him. If Reade had planted ideas and offered the woman the same thing, she must have been turned down once already. Or at least left to wonder.
The woman���s posture changed, becoming a lot more rigid. ���You know how these things are for families. They���ll have deals coming at them in all directions. But you? You���re going to be seen as the villain. The man who let a young, innocent victim lie dying while you and your girlfriend treated her as if she were a lost cause.���
Madison balled up her fists. ���That���s bullshit. We went into a scene that had already been assessed. If you want to throw the blame anywhere, you can throw it at the rookie who responded in the first place. Not us. And for your information, we���re the ones who saved her life, so I���d watch what you say. I���m sure you want it to be factual, you know, so nothing happens to your career.���
Reade smiled. ���You picked a feisty one, detective. That could either hurt or help. I guess you���ll have to wait and see.���
���If I take your deal, how do I know you won���t use the information against me anyway? From what it seems to me, you���re in thick with a lot of people, including Captain Fletcher. How do I know our deal trumps others?���
���I guess you���d just have to trust me,��� Reade said with a slight shrug and a grin that made his skin crawl.
Silas chuckled. ���Not as far as I can throw you.��� He started for his office with Madison in tow. He had to get ready to greet the family, and this woman had put him in a bad mood.
���I know about Jeffery Wade,��� she said, coming after them with heavy steps.
Silas exchanged a glance with Madison. She looked as shocked as he felt.��
���What do you know?��� Madison asked, her voice thick.
���Not here,��� Silas said. He motioned for Reade to go into his office.��
Madison followed her inside and he closed the door behind them.
���Talk fast,��� he said.��
She leaned in close to them both. ���I know about Fletcher���s mistakes,��� she whispered. ���You know what I���m talking about. Jeffery Wade was innocent. Fletcher got the wrong man.���
���Uh-huh,��� Silas said, sounding bored. ���And I���m sure you have evidence supporting those allegations?���
���Some,��� she said. ���More importantly, Jeffery Wade���s loved ones would want to know that he died an innocent man and that he was in that prison cell all those years for nothing. That���s the least we could give them, right? The smallest act of kindness you can give him now���to clear his name. Tell me, Detective Warren, wouldn���t something like that destroy the entire department and your credibility?���
The fact that she was willing to go against Fletcher and bring this up seemed a little odd to him. It made him wonder if Captain Fletcher had put her up to it. Maybe this was a test?��
Maybe he was just acting paranoid, but he wasn���t going to take the bait. Not today. But she had him, and she knew it.
���I���ll be in touch,��� he said, opening his office door. ���I have work to do. The blood���s on my hands, remember?���
Reade walked to the doorway and turned around. ���I hope you really give this some thought,��� she said. ���It���s really that easy, Warren. You���d be a fool not to take my offer.���
���I guess today I���ll just have to be a fool.���
She shook her head. ���Think about this. An interview just might be what you have to do to shake this killer up a bit.���
���No way. I���m sure you know the reason we���re keeping a tight lid on things. He���s risky, a loose cannon. You let me handle the case. I have leads to follow, and for now, all I can promise is that you���ll find out more when I do.��� He closed his office door in her face and turned to see Madison shaking her head.
���That woman is trouble. She���s got a lot of ammo against the department and us, and she���s trying to create more trouble with the Lewises.���
���She���s not going to release it,��� he said. ���She���s testing us, and if I know Fletcher, he���s the one who put her up to it.���
���Let���s hope that she���s not right about the Lewises. Can you believe if they really think they���d have a case?���
Silas knew it wasn���t going to do the family any good to delay or hinder the investigation that way. If they wanted the crime solved, they���d leave them alone.
���What would happen if they do that?��� she asked. ���We���ll be out of a job, for sure, but you know the case will be taken away from us. They���ll probably have the Feds come in and take it over.���
���Look, we can���t focus on the negatives and worry ourselves. All we can do now is hope that Ashley heals and pulls through. She���s going to tell us who he is. And with her being under a twenty-four-hour guard, we���ll know as soon as she comes around.���
���And if she doesn���t?��� she asked.
���Well, let���s just hope that this time, her family and friends can tell us something that���s going to help. We���re not going to stop working on this case and following the leads. And we���re not going to let Roxanne Reade fuck with our heads either.���
His desk phone rang, and he picked it up, hoping it was the call he expected. ���Detective Warren,��� he said.
���Hey, it���s Lacey,��� said the familiar voice that was a bit gloomier than it had been in the past. ���Captain Fletcher wanted me to let you know that the Lewis Family is here.���
���Thanks, we���ll be right down.���
She quickly ended the call without another word and no further comments on him having a good day as she would have in the past. The kind, friendly banter was gone between them, and while it was a shame, it was also for the best.
Silas put the receiver down on the base and sighed. ���They���re here. Are you ready to talk to them?���
���As ready as I���ll ever be,��� she said with a helpless look of regret. ���Let���s just hope Roxanne Reade didn���t stop them to chat.���
Silas sighed. ���Not if she knows what���s good for her.���
