The Perfect Emma

Chapter Forty-Six

Grayson Todd

"First new case!" Sabrina cried, sitting down at her desk and then spinning around in her chair excitedly. Gray merely chuckled at her in his own, rolling his eyes.

"Christ, we're barely done with this one," he muttered, looking up as someone he definitely recognized and rarely liked seeing approached. For once, not Hannah Westbrook. Gray sat up properly, staring up at the man. "Counselor McFee," he greeted, giving a confused expression.

"Detective," the District Attorney replied with a slight nod.

There could be but one reason the District Attorney was both at the LAPD and at Grayson's desk. The detective stood up to talk properly. "I assume you wanna talk about You-Know-Who?"

Warrick McFee once again nodded. "Mr. Matthews has decided to plead not guilty. His attorney is here."

"Unsurprising," Gray muttered, rolling his eyes. But, he knew what this meant. "I imagine interrogation isn't going to go well now, is it?" As much as he respected the right to an attorney and the right to plead the fifth, it was incredibly annoying during an interrogation when the suspect's lawyer keeps muttering "Don't answer that" to every other question. It did not help that this particular suspect was as well versed in the law as anyone else in this building.

"No, but it never was," McFee replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if he even confessed to his lawyer's face, just to giggle as he watched them defend him."

Gray pinched the bridge of his nose. Yeah, that sounded like something this new psychopathic lunatic Aaron would do.

....Actually, that even sounded like something "normal" Aaron might do.

But, if the DA was here now discussing this with Gray, it meant that the interrogation was soon, or apparently, now. "Regardless," continued McFee, "we have to try. And, since this is your case, Detective...."

Gray sighed, glancing back at Sabrina, who was merely watching curiously. He wasn't sure it was a good idea, being in the same room as Aaron right now, but, the DA was right. "Alright. Alright, let's....Let's do this, I guess." This wasn't going to go well, he knew it already.

Entering the interrogation room alone would not have been as easy as it was if he didn't have someone else with him. Sitting across from the man that had killed his wife wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

Catching him had been though, ironically.

"Counselor," he greeted the defense attorney. "Aaron."

Aaron grinned. Despite being cuffed to the table, he still waggled a hand in greeting. "Hey Gray~. It's been a minute."

Grayson took a subtle deep breath. He's testing you, Gray. Don't let him under your skin. "Where were you the night Lara Akers was killed?"

"Wow, straight to business," Aaron commented. "You haven't changed a bit."

"Answer the question," McFee barked from his position by the door.

Aaron rolled his eyes, tapping the table absently. "Let me see, Lara Akers, Lara Akers....Curly redhead? ME student? I remember her. She was here once. As for where I was when she was killed, I was at home." He grinned again, as if there was some joke only he got.

Of course, Gray got the joke. He'd been home alright. Killing Lara. "Do you have proof?"

"You could...check the security footage you stole from my house."

The detective resisted the urge to snap that it wasn't stolen, it was taken as evidence, but again, he knew it was all a clever ruse to get him to snap. He wouldn't indulge the asshole. "Where were you the night Emma Mabel disappeared?"