Chapter 8 - Dean Mercer Talks
Dean Mercer was held in a private interview room at the county sheriff’s office.
He looked older than Silvio remembered.
Grey hair.
Unshaven face.
Grease still beneath his fingernails.
Silvio sat across from him.
Dean looked at the detective beside the door.
“I said just him.”
Silvio leaned back.
“You don’t set conditions.”
Dean smiled bitterly.
“Then enjoy guessing.”
Silvio studied him.
“You sabotaged Mateo’s boat.”
Dean’s smile disappeared.
“You removed the fuel valve lock.”
Nothing.
“You falsified the inspection report.”
Nothing.
“You helped Grant steal trust money.”
Dean looked toward the table.
That was the first reaction.
Silvio leaned forward.
“Ethan and Mia almost died yesterday.”
Dean looked up.
“I didn’t touch those kids.”
“You photographed them outside school.”
Dean’s face changed.
Silvio placed the photo on the table.
“You were carrying this.”
Dean stared at it.
“I was watching them.”
“For Grant.”
“No.”
“For who?”
Dean rubbed both hands over his face.
“You don’t understand.”
“Explain.”
Dean lowered his hands.
“Grant stopped controlling this a long time ago.”
Silvio said nothing.
Dean continued.
“The money was his idea.”
“The insurance policies were his idea.”
“Blackmailing your father was his idea.”
“And the boat?”
Dean hesitated.
“I loosened the valve.”
Silvio’s eyes hardened.
“You killed my brother.”
“No.”
“You sabotaged the boat.”
“To force Mateo back to shore.”
“With a fuel leak?”
“It wasn’t supposed to explode.”
Dean’s voice cracked.
“I loosened it enough for the engine to fail.”
“That was the order.”
“Whose order?”
Dean looked toward the mirrored glass.
Then back at Silvio.
“Arturo.”
Silvio stared at him.
“My father ordered you to sabotage Mateo’s boat?”
“He wanted Mateo frightened.”
“Why?”
“Because Mateo was planning to take the fraud evidence to federal investigators.”
Silvio could barely process the words.
“Dad wanted to stop him?”
“Arturo said the scandal would destroy the company.”
Dean swallowed.
“He said he needed twenty-four hours.”
“So he ordered you to disable the boat.”
“Yes.”
“Then what caused the explosion?”
“Grant changed the job.”
Silvio went still.
Dean continued.
“He paid me to damage the line further.”
“I refused.”
“So Grant did it himself.”
Silvio’s eyes narrowed.
“You saw him?”
“I saw him leave the engine compartment.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Because I had already touched the boat.”
Dean laughed bitterly.
“I knew how it would look.”
Silvio leaned closer.
“What happened after the boat left?”
“Arturo realized the engine was leaking.”
“He told Mateo to cut power.”
“They argued.”
“Mateo accused him of protecting Grant.”
“Then the fire started.”
Dean’s breathing became uneven.
“Arturo jumped.”
“Mateo didn’t get out in time.”
Silvio clenched his jaw.
“And our father spent the next year covering it up.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Guilt.”
“Blackmail.”
“Fear.”
“All of it.”
Silvio stared at the table.
Then he remembered the children.
“What were you doing at their school?”
Dean looked at him.
“Trying to figure out who else was watching them.”
Silvio frowned.
“What?”
“Grant hired me again two months ago.”
“For what?”
“To make Ethan and Mia’s deaths look accidental before Monday.”
Silvio’s hand closed into a fist.
Dean raised both palms.
“I refused.”
“But I pretended I was still working for him.”
“Why?”
“Because Grant scared me.”
“He told me if I disappeared, he’d give police everything from Mateo’s boat and make me the only person responsible.”
Silvio’s voice turned cold.
“What was Grant’s plan?”
Dean stared at him.
“The SUV was Plan B.”
“What was Plan A?”
Dean looked almost ashamed.
“The pool.”
Silvio remembered Ethan being pulled from the estate pool three weeks earlier.
Everyone had believed he slipped.
Dean continued.
“The railing near the deep end was loosened.”
“Grant expected both kids to be there.”
“Only Ethan went near it.”
Silvio’s stomach turned.
“That was not an accident.”
“No.”
“What’s Plan C?”
Dean’s eyes met his.
“If the car failed?”
“Yes.”
Dean swallowed.
“He planned to take them somewhere tonight.”
“Where?”
“The old north lodge.”
Silvio stood.
“Why?”
May you like
Dean’s face went pale.
“Because there’s a gas furnace.”
