"Mr. Colter, you've agreed to speak with us without your attorney present. Are you sure you want to do this?" Detective John Cena carefully studied the older man sitting across the table from him.
Zeb Colter shrugged. He raised his manacled hands in front of him almost jokingly. "An attorney is only going to put whatever spin on it that he wants. I've dealt with them on both sides of the investigation." He lowered his hands and deliberately stared at what he knew was a two-way mirror. "But if Special District Attorney Adam Cole wants to ask me a question, let him come in here and do it himself."
Cena's partner, Detective A. J. Styles chuckled. "I'm sure he will. But we've got some questions for you."
Colter shrugged again and waited.
"Why did you falsify the evidence in the Renee Young murder case?" Cena asked.
Colter leaned back in his chair. "I've known Jack Swagger his entire life. I knew his daddy. We served together in the Army." He glared across the table at the two detectives. "You two serve in the Army? Marines?"
"No, sir," Cena politely answered.
Styles shook his head.
"Figures," Colter grunted. "You think this 'thin blue line' makes you brothers." He raised his voice. "You become brothers with the man in that foxhole with you. Jack's daddy was a good man. Served his country. Then got spit on afterwards." He glared around the room. "Jack was a teenager when his daddy died. His mother'd run off years ago. He went to live with his grandparents until he turned 18, but I stayed in touch with him. I told him to go to college and get a degree in Criminology. A man like Jack was needed on the police force. I was already here in the lab when he graduated and joined the force."
"And Renee Young?" Styles asked.
"Jack loved that woman," Colter snarled. "I told her that she was nothing but trash and just using him. Getting him to give her information for that stupid column of hers."
"Did he kill her?"
Colter glared at Styles. "I just told you that he loved that woman!" he shouted. "No, he didn't kill her! Jon Moxley did!"
"You falsified the DNA evidence that framed Mr. Moxley," Cena calmly retorted.
"Oh, he did it." Colter dismissively waved his manacled hands. "People saw them arguing. Saw him angry with her. Threatened her!"
"No one gave that testimony."
"Then you're a piss poor investigator," Colter snorted. "Man breaks up with a woman, he's angry. Mad!"
"A man sees the woman he loves with another man gets mad, too," Styles pointed out.
Colter's eyes narrowed. "Jack was worried about her. He knew she was only trying to get a story out of that bastard."
"Why didn't he recuse himself from the investigation?" Cena asked. "He had a conflict of interest."
"Are you stupid? Everybody knows Moxley's part of that Bloodline gang!" Colter yelled. "They've got half the cops on their payroll. Jack knew Moxley would never be brought to trial unless he did the investigating!"
"And you falsifying the evidence," Styles pointed out.
"Moxley's guilty of killing that woman. And probably guilty of a hell of a lot more. And I didn't falsify anything." Colter leaned back in his chair. "No more questions without my lawyer." He glanced again at the two-way mirror. "And that goes for you, too, Mr. Special District Attorney Adam Cole."
On the other side of the two-way mirror, Adam Cole slowly smiled. "Already got what I need," he muttered. He waited until Cena and Styles joined him in the adjacent interrogation room. "You think Swagger killed her?" he asked.
"He was the lead investigator," Styles sighed. "He brought all the collected evidence to Colter. Would be easy to make sure nothing that incriminated him ever saw the light of day."
"I know the evidence was retested at the State Police Lab." Cole watched as Colter was led out of the interrogation room. "Matched to a Bray Wyatt?"
"Wyatt was some sort of street preacher," Styles grunted. "Spoke in parables and riddles. Had some people that he called his 'family'. Cult leader most likely. Hasn't been seen since Young's murder although some of his 'family' have been seen off and on."
"The defense is going to claim Colter's work was correct, and ours is wrong so they can throw suspicion back onto this Moxley guy," Cole sighed. "Send the evidence to the FBI. Have everything retested. I want to cut off that line of attack from the beginning."
Cena nodded. "We'll get it out to them today. You want to be here when we interrogate Swagger?"
Cole nodded. "Call me when you bring him over."
The two detectives watched as he walked away.
"You know, we have three viable suspects. Swagger, Wyatt and Moxley," Styles commented.
Cena silently nodded. "And who's to say that the evidence is so compromised that Wyatt's a suspect?" he sourly asked.
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"And I tell you, she was so fine!" Ric Flair's laugh boomed across the speakerphone.
Hunter wryly grinned at Orton. "You never get close to anything other than fine," he chuckled.
Orton smirked and shook his head.
"You're an inspiration to us all," Shawn Michaels laughed.
"So, what's so important that we need to discuss at this ungodly hour of the morning?" Ric asked, becoming more serious.
"It's nearly noon here, Ric," Shawn teased.
"Ungodly hour of the morning," Ric retorted. "Hunter?"
"I need to make some changes here," Hunter crisply advised. "Because of that, I need to send two people away. Because of their…family associations, they need to be reassigned. It needs to be handled carefully. I don't want to fight an internal war."
He heard Ric hum under his breath.
"No other way?" Shawn asked. "Maybe reassign everybody?"
"That was an option," Hunter admitted. "But while reassignment may work for these two individuals, I'm afraid it won't work with the third."
"Permanent reassignment or temporary?" Ric asked.
Orton briefly smiled. Ric might seem a genial elderly man only interested in the good life of wine, women, and song; but he was as tough an individual as anyone would want to meet. He'd have no problem making a 'temporary reassignment' very temporary.
"Permanent," Hunter firmly said. "I actually think under the proper supervision, they'll become very good assets. Ric, you knew both their fathers. Do you think you can take them on?"
There was silence for a few minutes. "Dallas and Axel?"
Hunter looked surprised. "Yeah." Once again, Ric had surprised him.
"I'll take Dallas. I was very fond of Axel's father. That could complicate things," Ric stated.
"I'll take Axel," Shawn spoke up.
"Good. I'll let you know when they're reassigned," Hunter promised. "Thank you both. I think they have potential."
"We'll find out," Ric cheerfully answered.
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"You've been advised of your rights, Mr. Swagger. Do you want to answer our questions?"
Jack Swagger studied the two detectives sitting across the table from him. Then his blue eyes flickered to where Adam Cole casually leaned against the wall of the interrogation room, arms folded across his chest. "Ask away."
"Why did you frame Jon Moxley for the murder of Renee Young?" Cena asked.
"I didn't. He murdered her," Swagger calmly answered.
"The evidence shows otherwise," Styles shrugged.
Swagger grunted. "The Bloodline owns half the force. You think they don't own part of the State Police?"
"I'd like to discuss that with you in greater detail," Cole spoke up.
Swagger stared into Cole's eyes. "Then you'll give me and Zeb a sweet deal."
"You and Zeb Colter falsified evidence against Moxley," Cole calmly replied. "Every case you've every worked, every case Colter's ever touched…those pieces of evidence are going to be retested. Moxley probably isn't the only one the two of you framed. Why would I give either of you a deal? You've betrayed your oath as a police officer, and Colter…"
"Zeb is a great man!" Swagger's voice raised. "You talked about him with respect!"
Styles looked at Cena who glanced over his shoulder at Cole.
"I'm done here," Cole announced as he walked towards the door.
"So are we," Cena agreed.
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Seth had wanted to work in his great-uncle's office after the bookstore reopened. But after an hour of looking up every couple of minutes, expecting to see John Rollins standing in front of him with a glower on his face, he closed the files and went to join Bayley and Finn in the bookstore.
He was behind the desk, looking through the ledger listing rare books his great-uncle had been researching for customers. Seth started to make a list of the customers so he could contact them about the change in ownership, and if they still wanted him to look for their books.
"Excuse me. The young lady over there said I needed to talk to you about looking for a rare book."
Startled, Seth looked up to see a well-dressed bald man gently smiling at him.
"I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you."
"No, it's just that I was reviewing some information about rare books that my great-uncle was researching," Seth smiled. "I'm Seth Rollins." He held out his hand.
"Antonio Cesaro. Owner and Manager of the Davenport Diamond Casino." Antonio shook Seth's hand.
"Wow, you just opened up, right?" Seth leaned against the counter.
Cesaro nodded. "This past weekend. I hope you'll visit sometime. But, that's not why I'm here. First, my condolences on the death Mr. Rollins." He eyed the bookstore with appreciation. "I admire anyone who dedicates himself to books in this electronic age."
"Thank you," Seth quietly responded.
"As to why I'm here, I spoke to Mr. Rollins a few weeks ago about possibly looking for a first edition for me. Signed if possible. We only spoke briefly because I was heavily invested in the opening of the casino," Antonio explained.
"What are you looking for?" Seth curiously asked.
"A first edition of Don Quixote de La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra," Cesaro answered.
Seth whistled under his breath. "That's gonna be…"
Cesaro chuckled. "Almost impossible is what Mr. Rollins said." He shrugged. "I'm patient. I know what I want."
"Also going to be really expensive," Seth warned.
Cesaro pleasantly smiled. "I've no doubt." He slid a business card across the counter to Seth. "This is my personal number and personal email address. I'd like you to try to find it for me."
Seth nodded. "I'll do my best," he promised, taking the card.
"Thank you. I'll be in touch." Cesaro nodded and walked out of the bookstore.
Seth watched him get into a BMW that was idling in front of the bookstore, then watched as the car was driven away.
Inside the car, Cesaro clicked his seatbelt and comfortably settled into the seat.
"Mission accomplished?" Sheamus casually asked, keeping an eye on the traffic around them.
"Of course," Cesaro smiled. "I'll keep feeding young Mr. Rollins books to track down and become his friend."
"Get him into the casino and you'll wind up owning the bookstore," Sheamus laughed.
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The two men exchanged worried looks as the elevator door opened. Halfway down the hallway, Hunter Helmsley genially smiled as they slowly exited the elevator.
"Mr. Dallas. Mr. Axel. Thank you for joining me." Hunter indicated the open door to his left. "Come in."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mike Mizannin was irritated beyond belief. His partner had been out all day and wasn't returning phone calls. That's wasn't all that unusual since both men concentrated on their business during the day and rarely returned each other's calls until later in the evening. But it long past time that his partner should have called him back.
And Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas had gone silent as well.
Miz picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. "Curtis! Wherever you and Dallas are, get to the office now!" He slammed the receiver back onto the phone's cradle.
"They won't be coming."
Miz' blue eyes widened as he spun around. "Orton," he breathed.
The last thing he saw was the gun in his face.