The Right Call Read Online Free PDF Page B

shake.”
    “Excuse me if I don’t start weeping. His life’s going to go on, and he’ll hardly skip a beat. Mine won’t. Tal was my only son—my namesake. I’ll never get that back.”
    Brill studied Davison. Was she misreading him, or did he regard Tal more as a possession than a child? “I’m very sorry for your loss.”
    “ That’s two of us. I want the scum who did this.”
    “So do we.” Trent Norris picked up a pencil and bounced the eraser on the table. “Do you have any idea who would want to hurt Tal?”
    “No. That’s your job.”
    “Can you give us a list of his friends?”
    Davison paused, his face blank. “He was an adult. I don’t keep track of his friends. Ask his roommate.”
    “We did, sir.” Trent wrote something on his yellow ruled pad. “We were hoping to compare lists. We’re exploring every angle.”
    “While you’re exploring every angle , my son’s killer is on the loose.”
    “An important part of every investigation is the process of elimination.” Trent put his pencil down. “So let me start with you, Mr. Davison. Where were you tonight?”
    “Me? How dare you even suggest that I—”
    “It’s just a question, sir. No one is suggesting anything.”
    “Home with my pregnant wife. Ask her.”
    “Do you own a gun?”
    “Yes, and I have a license for it. A Smith and Wesson nine-millimeter compact. I bought it for protection out at the lake house. We keep it locked in the nightstand. The key is under the lamp.”
    “Does your wife know how to use it?” Trent said.
    “Yes. We both took lessons at the shooting range. I find the implication insulting.”
    “We’re not implying anything,” Brill said. “Captain Norris is just following protocol.”
    Trent made a notation on his pad. “When was the gun fired last?”
    Davison sighed. “Months ago. I don’t remember the exact date of our last lesson, but I can check my calendar.”
    “Let’s wait until we hear back from ballistics,” Brill said. “Tell me about your relationship with Tal.”
    “What do you want to know?”
    “Were you close?”
    Davison shrugged. “Not as close as we should’ve been. His mother and I divorced when he was little. I remarried and didn’t see much of him growing up.”
    “Was there tension between you?”
    “Just the usual father-son power struggles.”
    “Can you give some examples?” Brill asked.
    “Tal didn’t see the point of going to college. I disagreed. He thought he should be able to stay with me for the summer and not have a curfew. He was wrong. He thought it was none of my business that he drank too much. I told him as long as he was my son it was my business. Stuff like that. What does any of this have to do with you finding the killer?”
    “The more we know about Tal and the people in his life, the easier it will be to put pieces of the puzzle together. Like Captain Norris said, solving a crime involves a process of elimination.”
    “Let me tell you something.” Davison’s eyes turned to slits. “I have six daughters. Number seven is on the way. Tal was probably the only son I’ll ever have, my namesake—Winfield Talbot Davison the fourth. He came from a long line of business tycoons. Thanks to that scum you should be out looking for, there’s no male heir to carry on the family name and business.” He brought his fist down on the table. “I want justice.”
    Brill studied Davison’s stern expression. He wore the face of a demanding CEO, not a grieving father.
    “We all want justice,” she said. “Let’s go back to my question. So you and Tal weren’t close?”
    “Close enough. Frankly, I don’t see what that has to do with anything. You people are crossing the line here. Maybe it’s time I called my attorney.”
    Trent leaned forward on his elbows. “That’s certainly your right. But unless you have something to hide, you have nothing to fear from us.”
    Davison paused for a moment, then looked from Trent to Brill. “All right, let