Page 62 of Cakewalk

A knock at the door stole his attention away from her and her tears. He walked over and let the cops back in, standing in silence as they nodded their thanks. He didn’t want to say anything else, afraid of what he might do. His heart felt like it had been ripped into a million pieces. It’d been crushed thoroughly when he’d found Hannah, but somehow, this pain might be worse. Hannah was stolen from him, but she’d never betrayed him.

“Mrs. Hawthorne, we need you to please come with us,” Detective Ball said, his voice rough and emotionless.

“Am I under arrest?”

“Not yet.”

26

Gigi

The little room Gigi had spent the last five hours in smelled musty and was obviously not a room that saw a lot of use, other than some extra storage. The cardboard boxes that had been on the table when they brought her in were now stacked in a corner, making the tight space even more claustrophobic. Glancing up at the clock for what felt like the millionth time, she wondered how much longer she was going to have to sit here. No one had been overly forthcoming with any kind of information since she was escorted out of the house and told to wait in here. Officer Nelligan had poked his head in a couple of times to bring her a bottle of water and a snack and see if she needed the bathroom, but other than that, she hadn’t seen a soul.

A shiver ran through her, making her long for the reassurance of Holden’s arms. Or at least warmer clothes than the ones she was wearing. To do over again she would have insisted on being able to change before leaving the house, rather than just throwing on the shoes and parka that were by the door. For as warm and comfortable as they were at home, Holden’s sweatpants and T-shirt were not cutting it now.

Home.

Gigi sighed, realizing that Montgomery Manor was probably not home anymore. It didn’t really matter how much she ached for Holden’s touch or simply the sound of his voice. The look in his eyes when she was leaving told her everything—he never wanted to see her again. The thought of losing him made her queasy, more so than the idea of leaving Bradley ever had. Why hadn’t she just been honest earlier? Why didn’t she confide in him that night when they were baring their souls to each other? Because you were afraid Bradley would find you, she told herself. Except she knew now that had she told him, he would have protected her. He would have done whatever was necessary to make sure she was safe. That ship had sailed now.

Forget not leaving Bradley sooner. Gigi’s biggest regret now was lying to Holden.

“Mrs. Hawthorne,” Detective Ball’s voice boomed as he entered the room. He let the door slam shut behind him, and Gigi flinched as the noise echoed through the small room. He sat down across from her, resting a set of file folders on the table.

“Detective,” she replied, trying to be polite.

“You said you left Atlanta on the tenth of October. Can you tell me about that?”

"Do I need a lawyer?” she asked, trying to recall just how things went down in all those Law and Order episodes.

“Do you want a lawyer?”

“I’m just wondering if I need one.”

“You’re not under arrest. We’re just talking right now,” he told her. But wasn’t that what cops always told people?

“So I don’t need one?”

“You are welcome to one at any time. But like I said, you’re not under arrest.”

Gigi was silent for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around it all. She had no idea what to do in this situation. Part of her thought she needed a lawyer, but she wouldn’t even know where to begin in finding one. And if she wasn’t under arrest, she was fine, right?

“So, the tenth of October. That’s your wedding anniversary, right?” Detective Ball continued.

“Yes.”

“And you and Mr. Hawthorne had a vow renewal planned?”

“Yes.”

“But you were never actually planning on attending said renewal, now were you?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Why not?”

Gigi swallowed hard. It shouldn’t be hard to admit that she had left her abusive husband, but somehow, she was still ashamed. Maybe it was shame that she hadn’t left earlier, or that she’d even gotten herself into that situation to begin with. But either way, it clung to her like a wet blanket.

“Bradley was not always the nicest man. He…” She paused, swallowing again. “He was abusive. Both physically and verbally. So I made a plan to leave.”