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“I got it,” said Tank. “Go ahead.”
Tryst led me out the back exit of the building and over to a lawn where picnic tables were set up.
“Look at me, Jaicon. Focus your eyes on mine.”
Only then did I realize I hadn’t. Not once since I shot an unarmed man. My eyes filled with the kind of tears that would make me feel weak if they were witnessed by anyone other than Tryst.
“He was unarmed,” I whispered. “I shot a man who did not have a firearm. No weapon of any kind. Thank God he’s still alive. If he’d died…” I couldn’t allow myself to think about it. It would mean the end of my career. All my years of hard work would have been for naught. I shook my head and looked down at the ground. “He was unarmed. How could I have gotten things so wrong?” I said under my breath.
Tryst took both my hands in his. “Close your eyes.”
I did as he asked.
“Tell me everything you saw. Start at the beginning.”
I began when Tank met me at the office door and I asked him to break it in.
“I drew my gun and told Zin to cover Jada. Then I gave a count of three. Once inside, I shouted for the man in the room to freeze and to put his hands in the air.”
“What happened next?” he asked.
“The bastard stepped behind Jada.”
“And then?”
“Zin grabbed Jada and removed her from the room. That was when he reached for his weapon, and I fired.”
“Keep your eyes closed and show me his movements.”
I did from the moment we entered the office until my shot hit and he dropped.
“Open your eyes and tell me this. If Tank had done everything you did, exactly the way you did it, would you consider it a justifiable use of force?”
“I would,” I responded without needing to think about it. “If he told the man to freeze, told him to put his hands in the air, and he did neither, then proceeded to reach anywhere, Tank would’ve had no choice but to fire.”
Tryst gathered me in his arms, and I rested my head on his chest. “Once you have recovered from the shock of the last hour’s events, I will tell you what I know about Harry Crosby.”
I studied him. “What do you mean?”
“We will talk after you have had the chance to recover, Jacy. You are in shock.”
When he held my hand, I realized it was shaking. “Okay.”
“Now, you’ll need to give a statement to Vader,” said Tryst, motioning to the man walking in our direction. He was dressed in a tuxedo like Tryst was. The name sounded familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it.
“Who is he?”
“The San Luis Obispo county sheriff.”
“Hello,” I said when he approached.
He held out his hand. “I’m Sheriff Conrad Krouse, but everyone calls me Vader. Do you feel up to giving me a statement?”
“I do.”
He sat down and took out a notepad and pen. “Whenever you’re ready.”
As I had with Tryst, I closed my eyes. I went back further than I had earlier, beginning with Alex’s announcement that Zin would be the next bachelor on the stage.
