Mel

2:50 PM, Saturday, February 14th

Muskingum County Sheriff’s Department

I personally paraded Victor Voll through the squad bay in handcuffs. By a lucky stroke of fate, Erin Voll was seated, cuffed, next to Shane’s desk as we walked through. I shot Shane a ‘what’s up look as the spouses glared at each other. He tipped his head toward his phone and then, rolled his eyes.

Young Mrs. Voll isn’t getting any cooperation from the people she hopes will save her sorry ass... It took all I had not to smile at her.

Thinking fast as I headed toward the open door of interview room one, I asked Shane over my shoulder, Where’s Donaldson?”

“Two,” Shane called back to me.

“Get him out here too.” I pointed to an empty bench seat we used occasionally for suspects that was a good thirty feet from where Erin Voll was currently sitting.

Once I was sure the elder Voll was comfy in a room – as comfy as he could be cuffed to the leg of a table that was bolted to the floor, I locked him inside and went back out to the bay just as one of my deputies was bringing Donaldson out of room two.

Joe Treadway was coming through with Major Foote. “Put him in two,” I told him.”

Back at Shane’s desk, a curious Erin Voll was all eyes on Donaldson. Ignoring her for the moment, I instead pointed at Janet’s desk, “Mason?”

“She’s still out on that Moxhala call.”

“Any word?”

He nodded. “Biker; shot. Had ID on him.”

“Is that right?” I jerked a thumb back toward the interview rooms. “We confiscated pistols from both of those two and one of the other three losers we just collared. If Kreskie gets a bullet out of him, I’ll bet you a Coke, one of those three shot him.”

I grinned at the wide eyed Erin as Shane replied back, “No deal. That’s a sucker bet.”

Talking to Shane but looking back and forth between Voll and Donaldson, I said, “Well I’d bet that Foote took out a rival for her hubbies job,” I smiled again at Erin, “but I’ll bet you’re going to be very glad to be in police custody when hubby finds out that you two were plotting to murder him. He probably won’t be very happy at all when he hears that.”

Erin Voll had the nerve to smile sweetly. “I’m not worried about him anymore,” she told us. “I have Conal now.”

“You mean Floyd Donaldson over there?” I pointed at the sullen man chained to the bench, trying to stare me down.

“His name’s Conal Floyd,” she informed me.

Donaldson couldn’t stay out of the conversation. It was his turn to smile as he ground out through his teeth, “It’s Preacher, bitch, and all you got was laid. I don’t want you around anymore than he’s going to want you when he finds out what you’ve been up to.”

Erin’s smug look turned to shock.

“Poor you,” I told the conniving young woman. “No man, no drugs, no trust fund money either and you’re going to jail to boot. Ain’t that a kick in the teeth?”