Storm's Cage by Mary Stone (uplifting novels .TXT) 📕

long as neither Elana nor Gabriel realized the real reason she was here.

Pressing down on the cool metal lever, Amelia shoved the wooden door inward with her shoulder.

Gabriel froze mid-sentence as his dark green eyes shifted to face Amelia. “Who are you?”

Amelia shot him a flat look as she waited for the door to latch.

Without speaking, she strode to the corner of the small room, pulled over a chair, and stepped up on top of the seat. Ignoring the way her stomach flip-flopped as she balanced on the rickety perch, Amelia tilted the digital video camera down to check the power. She pulled a couple cables loose for good measure.

As she hopped back to the tiled floor, she ignored the incredulous stares of Gabriel and his lawyer. Brushing off the front of her shirt, she scooted the chair back to the table and took a seat.

“To answer your question, Mr. Badoni, I’m Special Agent Amelia Storm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Gabriel’s gaze shifted between his lawyer, Elana, and Amelia.

Clearing her throat, the lawyer pushed a piece of caramel-tipped hair over her shoulder and folded her hands. “I’m sorry, Agent. When did this case come under federal jurisdiction?”

Amelia forced herself to rein in her shit-eating grin as she glared at the lawyer. “It’s not.”

The woman opened and closed her mouth before she shook her head. “I’m sorry. If it’s not under federal jurisdiction, then why are you here instead of the Chicago Police Department?”

Amelia straightened her back. “Because I happen to be a specialist in the Leóne family, and I think that’s who killed Ian Strausbaugh.” She pointed to Gabriel. “Not your client. I’m certain your client is innocent.”

A crease formed in the center of Elana’s forehead. “Then why are we scheduled for a grand jury hearing tomorrow?”

“Because there’s physical evidence that supposedly ties your client to Detective Strausbaugh’s murder. And because…” Amelia pinned Gabriel with a withering stare. “Your client is lying to the CPD about his alibi.”

Gabriel opened his mouth to reply, but Elana cut him off with an upraised hand. “What exactly makes you think that my client is lying about his alibi? Mr. Badoni was at home with his wife all night. Mrs. Badoni has already confirmed this.”

“No, he wasn’t.” Amelia’s matter-of-fact tone was so final, she might as well have just told them the solution to a math problem. Before either of the two could interject, she laced her fingers together and continued. “Your client has three DUIs, and he hasn’t ever applied for a restricted driver’s license after receiving the last citation. Is that correct, Mr. Badoni?”

Blinking in confusion, Gabriel nodded. “That’s correct.”

Amelia speared him with a look that dared him to try to lie to her. “So, you don’t drive then, correct?”

Another nod. “Right.”

“Okay, good. I’m glad we got that out of the way.” She leaned forward, her eyes still locked on Gabriel’s. “Now, I happen to be privy to a little piece of information that’s going to make the difference between you walking away from this or you going to prison for the rest of your life. I know where you were on the night that Ian Strausbaugh was murdered.”

Badoni gulped as his eyes grew wider, but he was quick to temper the surprise. “I don’t know what—”

Amelia brought an open hand down on the laminate table with a resounding smack.

As Elana and Gabriel both jumped, Amelia leaned forward. “I’m talking right now, Mr. Badoni. I know where you were. You were overseeing an underground gambling match hosted every Monday night by the D’Amato family.”

Gabriel looked absolutely terrified as he shook his head wildly. “You can’t prove that.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t care about that. Really, I don’t. Not morally, not legally. I don’t care. What I do care about is that you’ve been lying to the CPD about it, and that’s what’s keeping them convinced that you killed Ian Strausbaugh. When, honestly, you and I both know you wouldn’t have been that sloppy if Alex Passarelli had ordered you to kill a cop, right?”

When Gabriel’s eyes widened this time, the shock remained. “Who the hell are you?”

Amelia waved a dismissive hand. “I already told you that. We’ve got the same goal here, okay? I don’t want you to go to prison for Strausbaugh’s murder because you didn’t do it, and I want to find the person who did.” She looked from Gabriel to his lawyer. “Now, are you ready to stop bullshitting me?”

Elana’s nostrils flared as she turned her gaze to Gabriel.

The man clenched his jaw. “Okay. Fine. I was downtown that night. I’m not going to tell you what I was doing—”

“I already told you I don’t care.” Amelia crossed her arms. “But go ahead. How’d you get there? Did you take an Uber, or did you take the L?”

Gabriel raised his shackled wrists to scratch the side of his nose. “The L. I left at about eight, right after dinner.”

“Perfect.” Amelia flattened her hands on the table. “There are cameras everywhere at the L. And there are probably security cameras near the building you went to.”

His face twisted into a mask of uncertainty. “I…I can’t tell them where I was. If I do, then…”

The terror was back. This man knew exactly what would happen to him if he told the truth. Amelia almost felt sorry for him.

“You don’t have to tell them why you were there, but yes, you do have to tell them that you were there. Make up something embarrassing. Say you were there for a swinger’s party or a furry convention.” She scoffed. “Move the next gambling match if you need to. If you don’t give these two detectives an alibi…a real one…then you’re going to go down for the premeditated murder of a police officer. The ballistics from your weapon, which was found near the scene, is all the jury needs to hand you life without parole. Are you following me? Picking up what I’m laying down?”

Though the color drained from Gabriel’s cheeks, he