weapon?â
âYeah,â Grant said. âHe had a gun in the pocket of his jacket and he aimed it at me.â
âDid you actually see the gun?â she asked. âDid he remove it from his pocket?â
âNo,â Grant spat. âBut I wasnât about to risk my life for a few thousand dollars, especially when itâs not even my money.â
Smart decision. Wannabe heroes often ended up hurt ⦠or dead.
âTell me, Grant,â the detective said. âWho doesnât like you?â
He issued a snide snort. âEvery other man on the planet. They know they canât compete with guys like me.â
âGuys like you ,â Jackson said. âWhat exactly do you mean by that?â
He gave her a patronizing look. âI mean guys with a face and body like mine.â
Seriously? Grant Dawson really needed to be taken down a peg or two.
Jackson closed her eyes for a moment. She was probably counting to ten herself. When she opened her eyes, she asked, âWho around the bank has a bone to pick with you? Who have you pissed off?â
I had a feeling that list could be very long.
âLast week one of the other tellers got mad when he found out Iâd fooled around with his girlfriend. Like itâs my fault she wanted to trade up.â He rolled his eyes. âWhat a loser.â
Less than two minutes with this guy and already I didnât like the condescending jerk. He wasnât Prince Charming. He was Prince Charm less . âSo, in your opinion, this other teller is a âloserâ?â
Grant rolled his eyes and twirled a finger in the air. âHavenât we already established that?â
My hand played over the baton on my belt. But as tempting as it would be to smack some respect into this arrogant twerp, doing so would only land me in hot water. I only liked to be in hot water if it was bubbly and scented with lavender. Besides, Grantâs judgmental comments might be intentionally harsh. It was possible he was trying to throw us off track.
Jackson tossed Grant a pointed look. âJust stick to the facts, son. Keep the commentary to yourself.â
The smile he offered was as insincere as it was condescending. âWhatever you say, sarge.â
Jackson remained calm. She had years of experience dealing with witnesses, many of whom were uncooperative and belligerent. No doubt sheâd dealt with an occasional narcissist, too. âYou said the other teller got upset when he found out youâd been seeing his girlfriend. Howâd he find out?â
Grant raised a nonchalant shoulder. âI mightâve let it slip. But the guy totally overreacted. He even had the nerve to throw a punch at me.â
âHe hit you?â I asked.
âNo. He was on the other side of the counter. I pulled back and he missed.â
âHe swung across the counter?â Jackson said. âSeems like his chances of hurting you were pretty slim.â
âThatâs not the point.â Condescension virtually dripped from his words, as if he were speaking to the stupidest people heâd ever met. He put his hands on the table and leaned forward. âThe point is he took it to a physical level. He tried to assault me, for Godâs sake! Serenaâs the one he shouldâve been mad at. Not me. I didnât owe the guy anything.â
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. âSounds like you at least owed him an apology.â
Grantâs only reply was an eye roll.
I kept on. âI take it this other teller wasnât working this morning?â
âHell, no!â Grant cut me a look that was equal parts incredulity and derision, as though my question was the most ridiculous thing heâd ever heard. âChris got canned.â
âChris?â I put my pen to my pad. âWhatâs his full name?â
âChristopher Vogel.â
âAnd the girlfriend?â I
Son Of Rosemary (v0.9) (htm)