Travis Justice by Colleen Shannon Page B

ma’am , as Travis had requested, her gaze steady as she answered each question. All the while she stifled worry about Takeo, hoping, praying that Ernie was facing a less stringent inquisition. Perhaps he could at least get out on bail and find a way to get Takeo back.
    * * *
    In a separate interrogation room, Ernie kept his cuffed wrists resting on the table in front of him, looking quite at home. The two Austin detectives before him both recorded him and made handwritten notes in his file as he amiably answered their questions as briefly and truthfully as possible.
    Where did you learn to open safes like that? New Orleans.
    What else have you broken into? Nothing much lately. I’m reformed.
    What did you and Ms. Nakatomi intend to do with the blade? Ask Hana that.
    If you’ve reformed, why did you help her? She’s my friend and she needed me.
    And so on. At the end of the interrogation, the lead detective looked down at his notes. They were thick across the page, but he shoved them away in disgust. “You haven’t told us a damn thing we don’t already know.”
    Ernie smiled. “I answered every question I was asked, did I not? Was it my elocution or was my word choice a bit problematic for you?”
    The detective looked as if he wanted to hit him, then blew a bitter breath. “I think he just insulted us.”
    The other detective said, “I know he did.” They exchanged a look. “Time to call in the cavalry.”
    His colleague nodded.
    * * *
    In the adjacent interrogation room, Ms. Doyle reached into the file and pulled out a picture to shove on the table before Hana. “What can you tell us about this man?”
    Hana glanced down. Kai. She stared for a long time, debating what to say. They already knew from her previous arrest record that she’d worked for him, so lying would only exacerbate their suspicions. Yet, she didn’t dare tell them the truth: How could she claim she’d always intended to give the sword back if they knew Kai was blackmailing her to hand it over by kidnapping her son? Surely they’d believe she was still his paramour if they knew about Takeo.
    Takeo . . . the picture wavered before her eyes as she wondered what tender mercies his father would subject him to before she could rescue him. Above all, she had to get out of here. If she couldn’t obtain the sword as a bargaining chip, she had no choice but to invade the compound and rescue her son or die trying. If she could find it . . . she’d been forced to wear a hood when she was allowed inside several months ago to see Takeo.
    She shoved the file back across the desk toward the gray-eyed woman. “I’ll tell you everything I know . . . but only if we can make a deal that gives me total immunity from prosecution.”
    When John Travis’s eyes flared in rage, she stared right back, her spine as straight as the katana still lying on the table next to her.
    * * *
    In the rugged hills outside Austin, a cool, dank cavern was lit only by occasional walkway lamps and overhead fluorescents. They illuminated an uneven path through the labyrinth. The sub-chambers leading from the main path like rough rooms were partially carved by erosion in the limestone, but tunneled deeper by excavation. All had heavy metal doors with locks and key-card readers firmly anchored into the limestone.
    From above the main cavern, Kai’s stocky figure was, as usual, garbed in black as he came down two levels of precarious metal circular stairways. He was holding a small boy. Kai wore his usual arsenal: katana strapped in a sheath on his back, short blade, his tanto, fastened at his side, and a leather satchel holding various other weapons, such as throwing stars, attached to his belt.
    The little boy was restless and squirmed to be put down. “ Otosan, let me go. Where is my mama? You promised you’d take me to her.”
    Kai soothed the boy with a quick pat on plump little