Page 82
“Wouldn’t you like to know? Are you accusing me of something, detective?”
Jen smirks but changes tactics.
“All I want to know is if he told you anything?”
I see right through her. She’s digging for scraps because she is suspicious of me and maybe Alden.
I shake my head.
“Why would he say anything an investigation? Are you delusional or stupid? He didn’t even mention that he was fucking his partner, but yes, he poured his heart out about a case. Give me a break.”
“I think you’re lying,” Jen says, and I roll my eyes.
“Well, detective, that’s a you problem. I’ve done nothing wrong, and I have nothing to say. So unless I’m under arrest, you have no right to stand in my store and question me. Get the hell out.”
She walks up and gets in my face until our noses are almost touching.
“You’re withholding evidence.”
“I am not.”
“Yes, you are. I know that Rob told you something.”
I’m going to kill her with my bare hands if I don’t stay calm.
“Really, and how exactly do you know that?”
She takes a deep breath.
“You know what? I think you need a more formal environment for this conversation. Let’s take this downtown.”
She moves toward me, and I step back.
“On what grounds?” I demand. “I’ve done nothing wrong, and all you have is prejudicial self-interest because of your relationship with Rob.”
“You’re right, I don’t have any grounds to detain you.”
I relax a little when she steps back, but then she looks around, and I get a bad feeling.
“Too bad you don’t have security cameras in here. This is a rough neighborhood at night. I was walking by and heard what sounded like a robbery in progress.”
Jen snatches one of my display pieces.
To anyone else it’s a vase, but to me, it sits at the front of the store as a reminder of how far I’ve come. That vase is the first thing I ever bought for myself when I finally crawled my way out of the mud and opened this shop. It has no monetary value, but to me…it’s a symbol of hope and resilience.
I know what she’s going to do seconds before it happens, and I’m too slow to stop her. Jen smashes it on the ground and shards fly in every direction. The sound of the ceramic shattering snaps the calm I keep for dealing with assholes like her.
“You bitch!”
I shove her in a blind rage. She immediately grabs me and pushes me up against the wall, twisting my arms painfully behind my back. I don’t struggle. It will only make things worse. She’ll pay for this.
“You’re under arrest for assaulting a police officer,” she says, locking my wrists into cuffs. Then she whispers, “I’ll get the information out of you, one way or another.”
I bite my lip hard, seeing red. She has no idea what she’s just done, but Detective Jen Hiller will find out.
ALDEN
Emily is late.
