Cemetery Club by J. G. Faherty Read Free Book Online Page B

back to the police station, hopefully to find a judge on duty who’d sign Todd’s release.
    Everything changed when, on his way through the lobby with his breakfast, he picked up a copy of the local paper from the rack by the front desk.
    ‘Bloodbath shocks Rocky Point!’
    Five minutes later he was on his way to the police station.
    Cory squeezed between the photographers and reporters crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the sergeant’s desk, only to have a uniformed cop tell him he had to wait with the rest of the press.
    “You don’t understand. I’m here on official business,” Cory said to the officer.
    “Yeah, you and all these other jerks. Now move back.”
    As he tried to find a way around the human obstacle, he spotted Chief Travers entering through a side door at the back of the station.
    “Travers! Travers, it’s Cory Miles. Tell this guy to let me through.”
    Travers looked over and frowned. For a moment Cory thought the man was going to ignore him. Then the Chief came over and tapped the desk sergeant on the shoulder.
    “Let him through,” he said, raising his voice over the cries of “Chief! Chief! Give us a statement!” from the gathered press. “He’s Randolph’s attorney.”
    Cory smiled and stepped forward but his victory was short-lived as the crowd of reporters immediately turned on him and shouted a barrage of questions.
    “What’s Mr. Randolph’s status?”
    “Is it true he ate the bodies after he killed them?”
    “What kind of defense are you preparing?”
    A series of flashes momentarily blinded him and when he opened his eyes, a bouquet of microphones had blossomed in front of his face.
    “Um, no comment. Please, I’ll provide a statement later. Right now I have to see my client.” He turned away and found Chief Travers grinning in a decidedly evil fashion.
    “You did that on purpose,” Cory said, as he and Travers entered the Chief’s office.
    “First time I’ve smiled all day.” Travers shut the door and sat down behind his desk, motioning for Cory to take one of the other chairs. “Lemme guess. You’re here to get Randolph released. Well, too bad. Judge Beckett ain’t in yet.”
    Cory took the morning newspaper from his briefcase and slammed it on the desk so that the headline faced Travers.
    “I don’t have to wait for the judge anymore. According to this, you had five more murders last night. And unless one of your boys let my client out for a midnight stroll, he’s got a rock-solid alibi. Between that and the eyewitnesses that place him at the library on the afternoon of the first murder, you don’t have enough to hold my client another minute.”
    Travers’ lips tightened until they almost disappeared. When he spoke, his tone carried a bitter edge. “It’s bullshit and you know it counselor. The time of death could be wrong for Frank Adams. Your buddy Randolph could have somebody else working for him, one of his nut house buddies. God knows they let enough loonies out of that place when it closed. And Randolph’s a convicted killer.”
    Cory leaned back and allowed himself his own malicious smile. “Not good enough and we both know it. Now let him go, and you can get to work finding the real killer.”
    “Fine.” Travers stood up so fast his chair rolled back, banging into a file cabinet. “But he’s still remanded into your custody Miles. One fuck-up and you’re both back here faster than you can say ‘ habus corpus ’.”
    “Whatever you say, Chief. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to take my client out the back, rather than face the press. He’s been through enough.”
    “Don’t push your luck, son.”
    “Gee, and I figured you wouldn’t want Todd’s face all over the newspapers, what with those cuts and bruises and all.”
    Travers glared at him and then called out to the desk sergeant. “Harris! Escort Mr. Miles to Randolph’s cell.”
    “Thanks Chief.” Cory headed down the hall and then stopped, turning back. “Hey