The Truth (Mommy's House 2)

Part Eighteen

I was sitting alone across the table from Emilio, who had a smug expression slathered across his face. He had dark eyes that watched me, and lips that would pull into a smirk every few seconds as I waited for Jared to come in.

"What, are you scared to talk to me alone?" Emilio asked, a grin widening across his mouth.

I just glared at him with disgust.

The door opened and Jared walked in. I hadn't seen Jared in a while, as he had been focusing on a different case for obvious reasons. I knew that what had happened regarding him and this case had affected him. He could no longer put on his ignorant act anymore - he was now filled with pure guilt.

"What's so funny?" Jared asked Emilio, sitting down beside me. "Do you think this is funny?"

"Nope," Emilio said, a smirk still on his lips beneath his wiry mustache.

"Wanna know what's actually funny? You'll be in prison soon. You won't be in your little isolated custody room anymore," Jared said with a smile.

"You think I care?" Emilio asked with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

"Oh, you'll care. You'll care when the inmates find out what you've done to a bunch of little kids. They'll be passing you around and calling you Sally before you know it," Jared said, and I took a deep breath.

"All right, Jared, he gets it," I said, before shuffling my papers. "So, Emilio, you lied to us."

"About what?" Emilio asked while looking down at his handcuffed hands.

"Where is Steven?" I asked him, my voice stern.

Emilio's head snapped up instantly. "He's... six feet under."

"Not according to what we've heard. Listen, I'm not asking you to comply. I'm telling you that you need to tell us the truth. Where is Steven?" I asked again, leaning closer to him.

Emilio looked a bit frightened. He tried to maintain a tough shell, but I could see straight through it. His eyes were wide and I could hear his foot tapping anxiously against the metal leg of the table.

"I said he's dead, okay? Dead as a doornail," Emilio responded, lifting his shoulders and shaking his head. "You people think I know everything."

"You know where he is, I can tell by the way your voice is shaking that you know," I informed him.

Emilio narrowed his eyes, flicking his gaze between Jared and me. "I won't say a word to you," he said.

I clenched my fists in frustration, before Jared spoke up.

"We actually got a hold of Steven over the phone. James wasn't going to tell you that, but I'm going to," Jared lied. "He ratted you out, he told us all about your business... everything."

Emilio furrowed his eyebrows. "What about it?" he asked quietly.

Jared sat back down. "That's confidential information."

"He didn't, Steven would never do that," Emilio said. "And why are you asking me where he is if you got a hold of him?"

"He actually called us," I decided to continue the lie. "Anonymously. He told us everything you did, but of course he wants to save his own ass, so he said it was all you. We don't believe that, though."

Emilio shifted in his seat, staring at the table. This guy wasn't too bright for believing us, but I was glad it was working.

"I knew he would do that," Emilio said angrily, his teeth clenched. "That motherfucker."