Chapter 20
The cops brought her over to the PPD station, just as Margo had expected. If they'd just been after her for the stolen car, they would have kept her in New Jersey. It was a bit of a drive, during which she had time to think through her options.
On the surface, there was very little reason anyone could think she'd killed Jia. They'd never met even once. They lived in the same town, but had radically different jobs. There was no evidence she'd met Goswin before either. It was a non-starter, really. Until you factored in Tin. Most murders were committed by family members—usually a spouse or significant other. If they thought Tin had killed Jia, then Margo's involvement suddenly became a lot more believable. What better way to shield yourself from suspicion than by insisting the death was a murder, and hiring a PI to investigate it? Someone who knew about the murder, and had helped do it.
A jury might see her involvement not as a setup, but as a cover up—where she was using her position as a PI to make sure there was no evidence pointing back to her.
That was assuming she even made it in front of a jury at all. If Goswin got twitchy enough, he might just arrange for her to be silenced permanently. With the unlocked exciter, he could probably compel some poor bastard inside the police station to make sure she died in her cell.
Margo took a deep breath. At least she still had some time. She'd be under a lot of scrutiny at first—far too much for Goswin to do anything drastic to her. Whatever evidence he'd planted would have to be examined, and she would be questioned about it. She'd taken part in police interrogations before, and knew how it went. She hoped Connor would be the one asking the questions. Detective Malley, as he was known to them. He was a good guy. He certainly wouldn't believe the story about the exciters if she told him, but he would at least hear her out.
Connor was there, thankfully. He'd obviously been expecting her, because the look he gave her upon arriving wasn't surprised at all. He witnessed her getting booked, and then waited until they were alone before talking to her through the bars.
"What the hell is going on, Margo? We got a tip this morning, claiming you murdered Jia Haldar, and were investigating her death to cover your tracks. I wasn't part of the team that searched your house, but they must have found something, because they issued the arrest warrant right after!"
"I'm being set up," she said urgently. "The person who really killed Jia is trying to get me off his trail. He already tried kidnapping me at Beb's house, and then tried to kill me when I was up in Jersey City this morning! He couldn't find me after that, so he got you to do it for him."
Connor flipped through his file from the other side of the bars. "Would that be your client, this 'Tin' person who attacked a pair of US Marshals last week?"
Margo shook her head. "No, it's someone else. It's a long story, but I need to call Beb. I need to warn her!"
"Your phone is in Evidence by now. I can't let you use it." He glanced up at the camera, and then leaned in a bit closer. "I'm sorry Margo, but Beb needs to come in, too. She's wanted for questioning in this whole mess."
"Then you call her for me! I can give you her number. Let me talk her in." He still looked skeptical, but Margo gripped the bars tightly. "You know me, Connor. I didn't do this. I may be a pain in your ass sometimes, but I'm not a murderer. And you have to know Beb couldn't be part of this either. Please. Call her, and let me talk to her."
She held her breath for a moment as he considered it. Truthfully, she had no intention of getting Beb to come in. The stakes were much higher than just their fates, if Jia had been telling the truth. She did need to talk to her, though.
Grumbling, Connor pulled out his phone and put in the number she gave him. He put it on speaker, and she gestured for him to stay quiet. After a moment, Beb's voice filtered through it. "Hello?"
"Beb. It's Margo. Are you all right?"
"Margo! Yeah, I'm fine—are you? I heard..." she trailed off for a moment.
"Yes, I've been arrested. It's all right, though," Margo said, hoping she was sounding sincere to Connor but not to Beb. "Listen, I need you to come to the PPD station near my office. The cops need to talk to you about that case I've been working on."
"You're kidding. They'll take your case away from you!"
"I know. This is more important, though. Listen, Beb. The cops are a community we can trust. You need to tell them everything you know. Do you understand?"
"Are you sure? You had some pretty harsh things to say about them yesterday."
Margo glanced up at Connor, who glowered at her briefly. "I'm sure. I'll see you soon, ok?"
"All right. I'll see you soon." The line disconnected.
Connor put his phone away, looking relieved. "How long can we expect her to take?"
"She's in Jersey City, so a few hours at least," Margo said carefully, not sure how much they already knew. If Goswin had told them enough to get her arrested, he could have easily told them much more.
There was a knock from the far side of the door, and Connor went over there. Margo breathed her own sigh of relief. She'd instructed Beb to tell the Community everything, and it seemed she'd understood perfectly. Margo didn't entirely trust them, but if Beb and Tin failed, they would probably be killed. Margo wouldn't last long either, and Goswin would probably get away with his multiple murders. At least the Community had the resources to use the truth to help people. If word got out about the exciters' true function, they could help people deal with it.
Connor closed the door again after his conversation with whoever had been out there, and he scowled again. "Your lawyer is asking to see you."
-.-
Connor escorted her to one of the interview rooms, still looking sour about the whole ordeal. Inside was a man she'd never seen before. "You must have friends in high places, Margo," Connor said with obvious disdain. "Your lawyer here was already waiting at the station when we brought you in. Someday you'll have to tell me how you're so well informed all the time."
Margo kept her face even with some effort. She hadn't called any lawyer; she hadn't even had access to her phone during the trip! This man had to have been sent by Goswin. Was he going to kill her the moment Connor stepped out of the room?
No, that would bring a ton of unwanted attention, and for the moment, Goswin was still interested in staying hidden. The cameras might not record voices, but it would be a bit hard to hide murdering a suspect right here. "He's very dedicated to his job," she said sarcastically. "Give us a minute, would you?"
Connor gave her a snide look, but he did leave them alone. Margo was still cuffed to the table, but she didn't let her discomfort show as she looked up at the stranger. "So, who are you, really?"
He smiled thinly. "As far as everyone else is concerned, I'm Matt Reisinger. I'm a lawyer you hired two weeks ago for special cases."
"All right, Matt. Why are you here? Do you have some ridiculous threat or message to give me? Are you supposed to tell me to be quiet and not make any ripples or I'll end up in jail for murder?"
The lawyer-puppet shook his head as he took out his phone and dialed a number. "I'm just the messenger. Mr. Goswin would like a word with you." He set the phone down in front of her, face up. It made for an awkward viewing angle, but Margo could make out a face on the other end. A familiar one. Margo noticed 'Matt Reisinger' put in earplugs—probably noise-cancelling ones—as she leaned over the phone. He was being paid to not know what was about to be said.
"Hello, Margo," Eberhard Goswin greeted her. He actually sounded friendly, despite the circumstances. Margo recognized the stonework behind his head. He was in the AFI offices, safely and comfortably pulling the strings, while she was here in holding because of it.
"I have to compliment you," he started off in the same tone as before. "A lot of people have been potential complications to my plans, but you and your friends jumped right past that and became direct threats. That's quite rare, you should know. Only a handful of people have ever needed my personal attention over the past four years. I'm sure you remember their names: Alfred Poe, Alice Draper, and of course, my dear Jia. They only had to die because they already knew the truth about the exciters. You found it out on your own. Very impressive."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Margo said aggressively, and falsely. "Whatever it was they knew about the exciters, I never found out. I only know you killed them because Tin tipped me off. And because you just admitted it right now."
Goswin gave her an admonishing look. "You know, for a PI, you're a remarkably bad liar. It's the thought that counts, though. I suppose you were hoping that if I thought you knew nothing, I might let you and your friends go?"
"It was worth a try," Margo grumbled. "Nice touch there by the way: framing me for Jia's murder. Was that supposed to be some kind of ironic payback against me?"
"Not at all. I really do respect your skills. I knew that Tin would suspect me after Jia's death, so I arranged a Witness Protection escape route. You found me anyway, and led him straight to me. I could use someone with your experience in my organization."
Margo stared down at the phone. "You're kidding. You had me arrested just so you could offer me a job?"
A faint chuckle filtered through the phone. "No, you're too much of a lone wolf for that. Think of it more as an arrangement. A business offer for you, from one entrepreneur to another."
She scoffed down at him. "You're no businessman. You're just a janitor-turned-thief-turned-murderer. You happened to be dating a very impressive woman and you stole her invention and used it for yourself. Then you killed her to keep her from sharing it with the world."
He nodded. "So you have seen the message. I was listening when she recorded it! You know as well as I do how much chaos that unlocking all the exciters would cause. How much death and destruction would result from everybody having access to that power, all over the world! I had to stop that from happening."
"And what, trying to convince her to hold off just wasn't on the table? I heard you while you were doped up. You never tried to talk her out of it. You never even let her know you were aware of her plans! Don't pretend you killed her to spare anyone else. You did it for your own profit and nothing more."
Goswin gave her a pained look. "Maybe so, but I did it anyway. I headed off a global catastrophe. Now that you're in police custody, there's no way to prevent you from telling people about the exciters, but I don't think you'll do that. You may be a lone wolf, but you still care about the rule of law. You know that it will go out the window if you tell anyone."
They locked gazes through the phone for a few more moments, but Margo could tell he wasn't bluffing. She'd argued the same thing to Tin and Beb just a few hours ago. "All right. What's your offer?"
"We both know that Tin will never stop coming after me. He's obsessed with revenge, and he won't rest until I'm dead. Tell me where he's hiding, and I'll stop him. After that, you and your friend Miss Rossi will be free to go. The evidence condemning you will turn out to have been planted by Tin himself, and you'll be exonerated. What's more, I'm even willing to unlock an exciter and give it to you, provided you keep the secret like I do."
Margo had expected a bribe, but not one of this magnitude. An unlocked exciter, all to herself? She hadn't even considered the possibility before. All that had mattered was keeping herself and Beb safe.
"Think about it, Margo," Goswin went on, as if he could read her mind. "With this technology, there won't be a single case you can't solve. Forget about business as usual; you'll become a world-renowned sleuth in no time! Miss Rossi's inventions will be catapulted into the public eye, and she'll become famous as well. As she should be—I've had my engineers look at her designs, and they are genius."
He paused for just a moment. "It took me countless hours of planning, and years of execution, to take control of AFI without anyone knowing I'd done so. If I could do that with this technology, imagine what someone with your skills could do!"
Margo shook her head, trying to clear it. "What makes you think I care about fame, or business interests at all?"
He raised his eyebrows politely. "So you spent days in close contact with a known felon, just because you liked his company? I've been to your office and to Miss Rossi's home, Margo. I know what went on there. You saw this as a business opportunity, didn't you? You didn't call the police on him the moment you found out what he'd done. I suspect because you wanted to bring him in yourself. That would have been quite a boost to your business, wouldn't it? By the way, if you do accept my offer, you're going to want to change your business name."
Margo scowled, but he was right about her motivations. Her initial ones, anyway. "And all I have to do is turn in a man who was willing to risk his life to save mine? That exciter of yours might as well be worth twenty silver pieces!"
Goswin looked confused for a moment. "Ah, yes, that quaint Community drama you experienced. They are an amusing little group, aren't they? No, Tin knew that they would never hurt you or Miss Rossi. He's a warrior, not just a soldier. He can read people, and see their desperation. Despite their fear of me, you were never in any real danger from the Community. That's why I've left them alone all these years."
He hesitated. "But Tin will come after me: we both know that. He'll do whatever it takes to end me, no matter the cost. I'd prefer to defend myself with a minimum of bloodshed, which would incidentally make you and Miss Rossi very rich, powerful people in the process. If necessary though, I will use brute force instead. I'll use the exciter to track him down and kill him, and a lot of people, both my own security forces and innocents on the way, will probably die in the process."
Goswin's voice had gotten noticeably more angry at the end, but he visibly calmed himself. "I don't expect an immediate answer," he said after a moment. "Think about it for a while. You'll have at least a day in custody before bail can even be arranged. Still, you should know that if I find Tin without your help, my offer will be rescinded."
He gave her one final nod and ended the call. Margo glared at it for a few moments, before Reisinger took out his earplugs and retrieved the phone. "I'll be here in the police station when you come to a decision," he said deferentially. "Just have them look for me."
Then Reisinger was gone as well, leaving her alone with her thoughts again.
