"Hello Dan."
"Ma'am." The chubby boy gulped nervously.
"I believe you met Inspector Dillion?"
Dan nodded his head.
"I understand that you've decided our questions."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good. That's very smart, Dan." Kiera smiled as warmingly as she could. She might not be traumatized over her recent experience but she was still angry. Which was why she didn't object to Dillon being present. And why she was happy Alec wasn't listening in. Or at least she didn't think he was. He'd been quiet since it happened. She assumed he was busy helping his mother with the funeral and the farm. She was trying to avoid contacting him. It seemed insensitive to ask him to hack for her under the circumstances. She had, however, texting him each day to make sure he was okay. His replies were a curt yes but at least he was answering.
"First I need to tell you that this conversation, everything since we walked in has been taped. And those tapes can be submitted as evidence should you go to trial. Do you understand this?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Second, I need to remind you that you have a right to have an attorney present. Do you understand this?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"And you have knowingly and thoughtfully waived this right?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
Kiera slipped into HUD mode. His heart was racing, fear was coming off him like steam. "Are you nervous?"
"No. A little."
"Dan, we aren't here to get you into trouble. If anything we're here to try to help you get out of some of it. We can't control what charges they will bring against you, or the others but if you help us , we can, we will, tell prosecutors what you did and strongly recommend they take it into consideration."
His pulse slowed, a little. And for the first time in several minutes he looked up at her. "Okay."
"Please state your full name for the record."
"Daniel Andrew Fields."
"And you are a resident of Surrey?"
"yes."
"And how old are you?"
"19."
"And you were present at the incident on the Randol farm Friday?"
"yes ma'am."
Kiera continued her questions slowly but without pause. She watched Dan carefully, looking for any signs that he might be lying. Her CMR was recording the whole thing, including her HUD caught herself thinking that Alec would be giddy to download the data, see how it all worked. Well if it was any other case. He'd set up a connection to a server for her to download her recordings but this one she thought it best to keep to herself.
"okay so lets go back to before the incident. What can you tell me about how it all came together?"
"I'm not sure I understand what you're asking."
"Where did you plan it, whose idea was it. What exactly was the idea, the target? Did you speak to anyone else?
"I didn't talk to anyone else but I don't about Hoyt. He was always hanging out at that tattoo shop with that fellow that got arrested."
"Francis Hall."
"That one. He talked Hoyt and Julian and Gates into going to town to help him with a big demonstration. You know, the smash up when that lady was kidnapped."
"You didn't go?"
"No. I was home sick."
"So Hoyt was your leader. You're contact to anyone else, if there was someone."
"I guess."
"And this whole thing got started how?"
"It was after that riot. We didn't talk to Julian for like a couple of weeks. His dad took away his phone, his computer, and his truck keys. He was pretty pissed about it. At his dad, at his brother for ratting him out.
"One weekend Hoyt grabs us and says lets go to the meeting at the Randol farm. Time for us to get involved in things. Not just wait for someone to come up with something for us to do. Figured it was a way to talk to Julian. It was right after those Libr8 guys started posting the videos about Vickersdale. They bankrupted Julian's dad, took away their farm. I suppose Hoyt thought it would cheer Julian up to know that someone else hated them too.
"We hung out at the meeting and when it was over, Hoyt jumped up and told Julian's stepmom and that we'd clean things up. When they were all out of the room, Hoyt snuck his phone over to Julian so he could see the video. He told Julian that we should be a part of that. Not sitting around just talking but doing things."
"And how did Julian react to that?"
"He was in. No big shock after the riots. Did you know his dad hit him? Julian said it was the first time he'd seen his dad angry about anything. Said it was stupid that he couldn't get that angry about what happened and hit them. But he wasn't like his dad."
"So he set up his father to take the fall as payback?"
"No."
"But you just said that Roland hit him. Sounds like Julian was pretty angry about that."
"Yeah but he didn't do it."
"You're sure?"
"Pretty sure."
"And why's that?"
"About a month later there was another meeting. We went, the four of us. Hoyt said he wanted to talk to Julian and Julian's mother said there was fresh pie in the kitchen. So we grabbed some pie and hung out in the kitchen taking. Hoyt said he thought we should do something big, something that would get everyone's attention."
"Did he mention a bomb?"
"No. But he had a bunch of ideas about where. Downtown around the bank buildings. Vickersdale headquarters or one of their farms. He said that would get Libr8's attention. Show them we had what it takes, that we agreed with them.
"Hoyt was messing with some stuff on the table. Mail and stuff. There was this one page. Some kind of receipt. Hoyt asked Julian want it was and he said it was fertilizer for the fields. Hoyt didn't say anything but he had this look in his eye like he was thinking of something. A little bit later Mrs Randol asked Julian to help her with something. I guess the meeting had broken up and she was cleaning up. When Julian was out of the room, Hoyt wrote some numbers down on an envelope and stuffed it in his pocket."
Dan paused.
"Was there anything else?"
Dan shrugged. "Not really. Just that Hoyt called Julian and asked if it would be okay if he put some stuff in their storage barn. Said it was just some old furniture and stuff. His mom wouldn't get rid of it but a pipe in the basement was leaking and he was afraid it might break. Can I go to the bathroom?"
Kiera nodded. "I think that's enough for today." She gestured through the observation mirror to the officers on standby. "Wait, one more question. Is there anyone or anywhere that Julian would go if he was in trouble."
"Not anywhere I know."
"So Hoyt was the mastermind of the whole thing?"
"Maybe. Or maybe Dan was just protecting his own ass. It's pretty easy to pin the blame on a dead guy. He can't defend himself."
"You really think that?" Carlos picked at the tray of food in front of him.
"No, I don't. And I think Dillion does either. Dan seems like the classic follower, does what he's told and is just grateful he's not the one getting picked on."
"His story pan out?"
"Kind of. I went to the supply company to see what they could tell me. They said that Roland Randol called in a special order, 3 of them actually. He wasn't due for his standard delivery for almost a full month but no one thought anything about it. Didn't think anything about him claiming he picked up an extra hand for the summer. College kid doing a work study sort of thing and the kid was going to come pick up the orders."
"They seriously didn't question it?"
"No. The Randol family's been doing business with them for years, half a century. Roland's as trustworthy as they come. Why would they question it?
Carlos shock his head. "And to think, if the kid had just spaced it out a bit more, skipped a week, they might not have caught it."
"Terrifying thought. According to Dan they were coming to retrieve the van when Julian texted that something was going on. Whatever they were planning must have been soon."
"And he didn't know?"
"He claims only Hoyt knew the whole plan."
"And he doesn't know where Julian's hiding?"
"You sound concerned."
"Maybe I am." Carlos flinched. "Or maybe it's just these top notch drugs they have me on. But I just can't say he meant to plug the trigger. I know he played tough but for a moment, right as the gun went off, he seemed surprised. And running was his idea. Maybe it was just the massive blood loss but I remember thinking he wasn't trying to get away so much as to get them and the explosives away from his family. Putting us in the pantry, that took us out of the line of fire. And he was the one willing to call for help after they were gone. If he'd been an adult, I might have suspected he was a deep undercover."
"I had that thought too. Told Dillon as much. He said he trusted my instincts, put out an APB on Julian with a very firm 'do not use deadly force'.
"I'm sorry Detective but visiting hours are over." The nurse said firmly.
Kiera nodded. "I'll let you get your sleep. And I'll be back with an update. I promise."
"Hey Cameron." Carlos called out. "Promise me something else."
"What's that?"
"You'll be careful. These guys are a nasty bunch. And this kid, he's alone and scared, traumatized. That makes him dangerous. I know you don't want anything to happen to him but it's not worth you going down."
"Worried I might die and you'll have to find a new partner?"
"Damn straight."
