An Evil Mind--A Suspense Novel by Tim Kizer Read Free Book Online

asked when he sat down.
    “He… He was a friend. I’m not really close with him right now.”
    “Why?”
    “Because he’s in prison.”
    “How close were you with Edward before he went to prison?”
    “As I said, he was a friend.”
    “Was he your best friend?”
    “I wouldn’t say so.” Novak scratched his shoulder.
    “How long have you known Edward?”
    “About ten years.”
    “Do you keep in touch with him?”
    “No.”
    “Do you know why he’s in prison?”
    “Yes. He killed someone.”
    “You visited him in the county jail on December twentieth. What did you talk about?”
    “I asked him how he was doing. He said, “Not too good.””
    “What else did he say?”
    “He said he was innocent.”
    “Do you think he’s innocent?”
    Novak shrugged. “I don’t know. I kinda want to believe that he didn’t do it.”
    “You visited him again on January twenty-fourth. What did you talk about that day?”
    “Ed said that he didn’t want to talk and told me to go home. He asked me not to visit him anymore.”
    “Did he explain why he didn’t want you to visit him?”
    “He said he was depressed.”
    “Has Edward called you since January?”
    “No.”
    “Did you follow his trial?”
    “Not really.”
    “Do you know how he killed the victim?”
    “He stabbed her to death with a knife.”
    “Did Edward tell you that?”
    “No. I read it on the Internet.”
    “What did Edward tell you about the murder he was convicted of?”
    “Only that he didn’t do it.”
    “Did he ask you to help him with an alibi?”
    “No.”
    “When was the last time Edward called you from jail?”
    “It was in December. I don’t remember the exact date.”
    “Did he trust you?”
    “I guess so.”
    “Why didn’t you visit Edward after the trial?”
    “Because he asked me not to visit him.”
    Novak looked longingly at the muted TV.
    “Where were you on the night of August twenty-third?”
    “I don’t remember. It was so long ago.”
    “Did you visit Austin in August?”
    Novak shook his head. “No, I didn’t. What day of the week was August twenty-third?”
    “Wednesday.”
    Novak grabbed his cellphone from the coffee table and tapped on its screen. “I think I know where I was on that day.” He scrolled down the screen and said, “I was in Waco visiting my cousin.”
    Waco was one hundred miles from Austin.
    “When did you go home?”
    “The next morning.”
    “I need your cousin’s name, phone number, and address.”
    After giving Mark the requested information, Novak said, “What are you investigating?”
    “I can’t tell you that. Can I have your cell number?”
    Novak told Mark his number, and he wrote it down.
    “Did Edward ask you to help him prove his innocence?” Mark asked.
    “No.”
    “Did he ask you to kill anyone?”
    “What?” Novak raised his eyebrows. “Kill?”
    Mark nodded.
    “No. He never asked me to kill anyone.”
    “I’m going to listen to recordings of your conversations with Edward, and if it turns out that you lied to me, you’ll be charged with obstruction of justice. It’s a serious offense. You could go to jail for a year. So let me ask you again: Did Edward ask you to kill anyone?”
    “No, he didn’t. I swear.”
     
    4
    Later that day, Mark called Novak’s cousin, whose name was Randy Polansky. Randy said that Novak had been in Waco from eleven p.m. on August 23 to nine a.m. on August 24. 
    He thought about talking to Jeff Phillips on Friday but decided it could wait until next week.
    On Friday, Mark contacted Edward Phillips’s last cellphone company and found out that Phillips had never received any text messages or calls from Sam Curtis, which meant that they hadn’t known each other before becoming cellmates.
     
     
     

Chapter 8
     
    1
    When Mark woke up on Saturday morning, he found he still wanted to follow Sam Curtis. He figured five hours would be enough.
    At three o’clock, he went into the kitchen and made four ham sandwiches