Home Invasion - J. A. Johnstone [10]
Or maybe she just felt that way because he had dragged his feet about promoting her to chief after Whit Bradford retired and the rest of the city council had had to push him into it.
“There’s no doubt about what happened, is there? The two men broke in, and McNamara was just defending himself and his wife?”
“That was Pete’s statement,” Alex said, recalling the painful ordeal of taking that statement from the sobbing, distraught old man. “That’s the way all the evidence looked to me. Pending the report from the sheriff’s crime scene team, which I don’t expect to change anything, that’s how my report will read, too.”
“Good.” Ruiz sounded relieved. “Let’s stick with that.”
Alex frowned. Even in her grogginess, she sensed that something else was going on.
“What is it, Ed?” she asked. “Why would anybody even doubt what Pete McNamara said?”
The silence on the other end of the phone told her that the mayor didn’t want to answer. When Ruiz finally spoke, his voice was edgy with nervousness. “Mr. Navarre has regained consciousness.”
“Who?”
“Emilio Navarre. The man who was wounded by McNamara.”
“How do you know his name? He didn’t have any I.D. on him. Did Delgado question him? He should’ve known better than that.”
“No, as far as I’m aware, Officer Delgado didn’t question the man. Mr. Navarre told his lawyer who he is.”
Alex’s stomach gave a lurch at the word “lawyer.” In her work as a cop, she had run into plenty of attorneys who were decent people, but there was always a core of truth to any cliché, and the sleazy lawyer stereotype was no exception.
“He has a lawyer already?” Alex asked, trying not to clench her teeth in distaste. “Who?”
“I don’t recall his name. He’s from San Antonio, evidently a partner in a large firm there.”
Alex closed her eyes and gave her head a shake. “Wait a minute. How did a lawyer get all the way out here from San Antonio already?”
Home was a drive of several hours from the Alamo City.
“Private jet,” Ruiz said. “Mr. Navarre regained consciousness a couple of hours ago and demanded a phone. Since he hasn’t been formally arrested, Officer Delgado couldn’t stop the hospital personnel from providing one. Navarre dialed a number he evidently knew by heart.”
“And less than two hours later he’s got a high-powered lawyer with a private jet. Ed, this isn’t good.”
“I know.” Ruiz sounded miserable. “I know. The only bright spot I can think of is that the city can’t be held liable in any way. The county contracts with the ambulance service, and they’re the only ones who touched him except the doctors and nurses at the hospital.”
Alex swallowed her irritation. As mayor, it was Ruiz’s job to look out for the city’s best interests, even if in doing it he sometimes came across as a little callous.
“He’s not going to sue the city or anybody else,” Alex said. “He’s the one in the wrong here. He’s just lawyering up because he knows that he can be convicted of first-degree murder, even though he didn’t pull the trigger on Inez McNamara. Accident or not, she was killed in the commission of a felony that he was a party to.”
“Are you certain that he didn’t fire?”
“Well, no. But the sheriff’s people have his gun. I’m sure they’ll test it and see if it was fired recently. They may be able to test Navarre’s hands for residue, too, although it may be too late for that.”
“It would be better if he fired his weapon.”
“Better for who?”
“Pete McNamara.”
Alex felt sick again. “Oh, no, Ed. You’re not saying what I think you’re saying.”
“Navarre’s lawyer has already put out a statement calling for McNamara’s arrest on charges of murder and attempted murder.”
“That’s crazy! They broke into his house. They shot at him.”
“Only the dead man. That’s why murder charges probably wouldn’t stick. But if Navarre didn’t fire his gun …”
Wearily, Alex scrubbed a hand over her face. She couldn’t believe this was happening. How could a man be attacked by intruders in his own home, see