Faris glanced around the room as if suddenly fascinated by the light fixtures.
“Gov.” Xander twisted around to face the detective, and whispered, “Either he talks or I’ll force it out of him.”
“You heard the officer,” Elmahdy said firmly. “Sit down or you’re going to have to leave. Don’t ruin this. We might not get another chance to talk to him. They could ban you from visiting again.”
“Fine. Shall I make the offer, then?”
Elmahdy nodded. “He’ll bite. Believe me.”
Glowering, Xander turned back to the prisoner and crossed his arms. He glared at him. Saw himself wrapping his hands around his neck and crushing him.
“We have a deal for you,” Xander started, testing the waters, watching for a sign Faris’s interest was piqued.
The man’s mouth remained in a straight line.
“A private flat,” Xander continued through his teeth, “here at Tora. You’ll have a bed, a kitchen, books, whatever. No more cage.”
Faris blinked slowly.
“All you have to do is tell us what you know.”
A grin spread across Faris’s face. “That sounds splendid. But I won’t say a word. That is, unless you can give me something else.”
“So you do know something?” Xander placed both hands on the table.
“I want an early release. Today.”
Elmahdy sputtered. “Out of the question.”
“Then I’m afraid I can’t help you.” Faris frowned and lifted his hands, palms up. The chains linking his handcuffs clattered.
Xander leaned forward, his upper lip twitching. “Stop lying. You know exactly what’s going on.”
“Even if I did know something, I don’t see why I should help.” Faris held his gaze. “I really don’t care what happens to the girl. She is responsible for my son’s death, as are you, and until you both are given adequate punishment for what you’ve done, I have nothing to say.”
“We’re not responsible and you know that,” Xander shot back. “If Amir hadn’t tried to burn her to death, and then go and stab me, she wouldn’t have shot him. And you’ve been complicit in everything that’s happened to her. You’re not fooling anyone. You know where she is. Tell us.”
“Oh. Well. You now have me completely convinced. You want to know where she is?” Faris’s lips contorted. “She’s probably lying in some shallow ditch, slowly being eaten by the vultures.”
Xander leaped from his seat and lunged over the table.
“Harrison, stop!” Elmahdy called out.
Dodging Elmahdy’s attempt to grab him, Xander pulled Faris from his seat by his collar. He ignored the guards’ shouts of warning, then planted a fist squarely onto Faris’s jaw to the sound of a sickening crunch. A tooth flew across the room.
The guards yelled and ran toward them. Xander released Faris, stepping back to get a good look at the damage. Blood covered his cheek, flowing freely from his nostrils. Before Xander could decide if it looked broken or not, an officer grabbed him by the arm and shoved him toward the door.
“Both of you, out. Now.”
Xander threw Faris one last dirty look. Smeared by blood, Faris’s mouth tugged up into a sly smile. Xander’s stomach twisted into a knot. He should have slugged him a second time.
“Was punching him really necessary?” Elmahdy growled once they had retrieved their belongings and had been shown the way to the parking lot. “I knew this was going to be a waste of time.”
“He called her a cow.” Xander threw his hands up in the air. “Did you even listen to that bloke? He knows something. Just from the look on his face, you can tell he knows what’s going on. He knows where she is.”
“Oh, you can read minds?”
“Of course not. But who else would want something to happen to her? Who?”
“Mr. Harrison.” Elmahdy stopped when they reached the car and met Xander’s eyes with a solemn gaze. He wet his lips, glanced down at the keys in his hands, then looked back up. “I have a few questions for you.”
Xander’s heart squeezed painfully as he watched the detective. Had Elmahdy heard something new? With one hand, he gripped the strap of his backpack and nodded.
“How would you describe Ms. Sterling’s behavior in the months, weeks, or days before she vanished?”
Her behavior?
Elmahdy continued, “Did she seem depressed? Distant? Unhappy? Distracted?”
“I… no. No, she didn’t.”
“Did you perhaps talk with each other less than usual? Did she mention any new friends or colleagues?”
Xander frowned. “What are you getting at?”
“I hate to say this, but have you considered the possibility she ran away?”
A wintry breath swept over Xander, chilling his blood. “You can’t be serious.”
