Page 130 of See You Again
Cami suspected that if James wasn’t with her, Mark would have lingered over lunch. “We'll just do coffee, too.”
After the server walked away, Cami pulled out the envelope Vincent had left for her. “A former employee of Matt Crawford’s heard the podcast and came forward with this evidence.”
Mark pulled on a pair of latex gloves before opening the envelope and pulling out a sealed clear bag, clearly containing a gold signature necklace with a chunk of hair still caught in the broken clasp.
Mark blew out a hard breath. “Amy’s necklace.”
“I think so. He cleaned the SUV that the Crawfords traveled to Stoverton in. He found this under the seat.”
The detective’s jaw hardened. “Why didn’t he bring this forward before?”
“He didn’t know about the case. It wasn’t until he heard our episodes that he put it together.”
“Why didn’t he bring it to me himself?” Mark asked, his eyes glinting with suspicion.
“He’s a private guy,” James said dryly, and the detective’s eyes flicked briefly to him before returning to Cami.
“What good does this do? If he won’t testify, it won’t even get in front of a judge. It’s going to be hard to prove he found it where he said he did.”
“I thought if you could at least run the DNA, we would know it was Amy’s and that Matt Crawford is guilty. Then you could concentrate your investigation on getting proof instead of pursuing other suspects.”
Mark stared at her, frustration lining his face. “What proof? He lawyered up. We can’t even talk to him.”
James lifted the cup of coffee the server placed in front of him. “We can easily establish that the person who came forward took care of the SUV. He was the head of security for Bloom Communications. Convincing him to testify gives you a shot at getting it admitted.” A ghost of a smile played at the edges of his mouth. “As his attorney, I would need an immunity deal in place before, of course.”
Mark narrowed his eyes. “Immunity?”
“From prosecution for the theft of the necklace.” James’s eyes were cold, and Cami suddenly felt like she had a glimpse of what he might look like in a courtroom. “It wasn’t his vehicle, and he kept property he found inside. If you want him on the stand testifying to that, he’d need immunity.”
“I’m not going to charge him with theft,” Mark scoffed.
“You need the deal so that when the defense tries to suppress it, you have established the evidence’s credibility. My client admitting to stealing it, puts it in Crawford’s car.”
The vinyl of the booth creaked as Mark leaned back and assessed James.
“Who are you? Exactly?”
James gave the detective a wolfish smile. “James Bloom.”
Mark leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table, and turned a fierce look on Cami. “As in James Bloom, Bloom Communications? As in Matt Crawford’s stepbrother?” He shook his head in disgust. “I was wrong about you. You're involved with a person of interest’s family member, and he also just happens to be your informant’s lawyer? You’ve crossed the line, Camellia”
“Watch your tone,” James warned, his body vibrating with menace next to her.
Cami placed her hand on his thigh to calm him. “I understand how this looks, but let me explain.” She looked at James out of the corner of her eye, and though his hard thigh muscle was still twitching under her hand, he gave her a slight nod.
“There is suspicion that Matt Crawford is connected to at least three other known deaths. And, since I started mentioning Matt Crawford on the podcast, someone has threatened me more than once. He’s rattled. He is going to make a mistake.”
The detective’s forehead wrinkled in concern. “What threats? Are you all right?”
“That’s not important. It’s not going to stop me from pursuing this. The episodes have already brought forward the necklace. Maybe there is someone out there he confided in.”
Mark’s gaze went between the two of them. “Who are these other victims?”
“My father, for one,” James snapped. “Our former housekeeper, who was helping investigate my father’s death, and my father's physician. Dr. Keller had finally agreed to tell us what he knew about my father’s death when he was murdered, too. We also have good reason to believe that Matt Crawford is Dr. Keller’s biological son, which fits with the forensic evidence you already have.”
“Your father was a media mogul. If he was murdered, it would have been in the news, and I don't remember hearing anything.”
“Proving he was murdered has been a… challenge.” The muscle in his jaw ticked at the detective’s dubious expression. “I don’t believe Crawford personally murdered my father, but I believe he helped his mother do so. Under the terms of the current will, signed less than two days before his death, his widow inherited the entire estate, which she then used to install Matt as CEO at Bloom Communications.” James’s words became more clipped the longer he spoke. “But as I said, it’s been difficult to prove. When Cami told me of his connection to Amy, we decided to work together.”