“No, I’ll go.” I motioned for her to stay where she was, and she sat down again. “Kanesha won’t like it, I’m sure, but she’s probably already so annoyed at me it won’t make much difference.”

A few feet from the kitchen I could hear the low murmur of voices. Then one rose above the rest—Justin’s.

“Yes, I went back, but he was dead. I keep telling you that. Why do you keep asking me?”

The note of near-hysteria in the boy’s voice worried me. When I stepped into the kitchen, I could see Diesel in Justin’s lap, peering angrily at Kanesha. He looked like he was ready to launch himself over the table at her.

“Diesel, no.”

At the sound of my voice, the cat warbled, and I could tell he was upset. But some of the tension left his body, and he sat back against Justin. The signs of exhaustion in Justin’s face emboldened me.

Kanesha stood up and faced me. “I’d appreciate it if you’d remove that cat from the room.”

I didn’t care for the way she said that cat. “It’s his house too, and if he wants to be in this room, he can. What are you doing that’s upsetting him?”

The surprise in the deputy’s face pleased me. Obviously she hadn’t expected me to talk back to her. I pressed my advantage without allowing her to answer.

“I think you’ve had enough time now to ask Justin your questions,” I said. “He’s had a long and very upsetting day. Unless you’re going to charge him with something, I think this interview should be over.”

Over Kanesha’s shoulder, I caught sight of a smirking Bates. That wasn’t good. Kanesha might take it out on Justin because she knew she had to prove herself in front of her good ol’ boy of a subordinate.

“I am conducting an investigation into what looks like homicide, Mr. Harris.” Kanesha enunciated each word so carefully, I could tell she was furious. “I will conduct the investigation as I see fit, and that means questioning anyone with any connection to the victim.” The intensity of her gaze made me want to take a step back. “Do you understand that?”

“I do.” A smarter man would have tucked tail and run. She was one pissed-off deputy, but another look at Justin’s face was all I needed to make me stand my ground. “My point is, you’ve questioned Justin and his mother. You’ve pushed your luck far enough as it is, since Justin hasn’t had time to talk to a lawyer. They’re both very upset about what happened, and if you have a humane bone in your body, you’ll give them time to recover. They haven’t even had their dinner yet, and neither have I. You can continue this tomorrow.”