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Noah
The air has expectantly been harsh around here lately. It kills me that Brazen is in so much pain. I tear myself away from him each night to give him space. His comment about me hovering is stuck in the back of my mind. Since I’m already on top of him most of the day, I’m trying to give him room to breathe.
Sunday and Brazen’s business is suffering. There are deadlines and deliveries that have all fallen on my shoulders. I can stall what I need to and help to push certain permits through, but my knowledge of things outside of the paperwork is very little. All the extra responsibility has put my art classes at the center on hold for however long things stay like this. It’s a small sacrifice to make.
Beth has been staying at Brazen’s and doing what she can to help him. They spend a lot of quiet time together while I attempt to keep everything in order with the house and work. I’ve kept busy, and it gives me something to do to help Brazen. I don’t want him thinking about anything he doesn’t have to. When the evening comes though, I crawl into his bed and let him take from me. I give him my ears, my shoulder, and my heart.
Whatever he needs, it’s his. At least until he drives me home. Then, I lie in my bed, wishing I were still in his and wondering if he’s okay.
I’m in the kitchen, sweeping the floor, when I hear the doorbell ring. I lean the broom against the wall and go to see who is here. When I answer, I see the lead detective standing with a man who looks familiar, but I can’t remember the other guy’s name. There have been so many men in uniform in our lives lately.
“Morning, Ms. Mackenzie. Could we come in?” the detective asks.
“Of course.” I open the door wide for the two officers. “Can I get you something to drink or anything?” I’ve grown used to playing host in Brazen’s home.
“No, thank you. We just need to ask Mr. Hale a few questions. Is he here?” the same man who asked to come in says.
I direct them to the living room, and they take a seat.
“Yes, just let me go get him.”
I leave them and head to find Brazen in his room.
“Babe?” I direct my voice toward the ball under a mass of covers. “The detectives are here for you. They’re waiting in the living room.”
The blankets stir, and he rolls from the bed. His chest is bare, and his gym shorts hang low. He doesn’t bother to change or throw a shirt on as he walks toward me, plants a kiss to my forehead, and heads out to the main part of the house. I linger at the edge of the living room for a moment, wondering if I should make myself scarce or at least stay out of view. In the end, I hold my ground because I want to be close in case Brazen needs me. And let’s face it; I also want to be near enough to hear what’s going on. I sit next to him on the couch but give him some room to attend to business.
“Thanks for talking with us, Mr. Hale,” the detective says.
“Have you gotten any leads on Matt’s whereabouts yet?” Brazen gets right to the point.
“No, I’m sorry, not yet, but we’re working on it. We just have a few questions for you, and then we’ll let you get back to your day.” The second man scribbles words on a page as the detective speaks, and Brazen nods, giving the go-ahead for the detective’s questions.
“Were you and Sunday having any issues? Did you have a fight or anything like that?”
There is a delay in any sound after the detective speaks, and I hold my breath.
Why is he asking that?
“No, nothing like that.” Brazen’s voice is hard.
“A source told us about an altercation on your front lawn the week before Sunday went missing between the two of you and another woman? Can you explain to us what happened there?” The officer’s voice is neutral, but his question is not.
“That other woman was Stephanie Clark, Matt’s girlfriend. It was between Stephanie and Sunday. I was trying to get Stephanie to leave. It was drama tied to Matt—the person you should be looking for—showing up on my doorstep.”
There is another long pause, and I can sense Brazen growing restless. These questions aren’t innocent.
“Can you give us a time line of your day for the twenty-four hours before Sunday went missing?” The officer prods further with his line of questions.
My jaw hangs slack over what I just heard. Why the hell do they want to know where he was? There’s really only one reason.
“You have got to be kidding me. I’m a suspect? Matt is out there somewhere, and you’re here, asking me for an alibi?”
Brazen stands and becomes increasingly agitated. Within seconds, I’m up on my feet, too. The other two men look calm and comfortable on the couch. Brazen looks at me with so much hurt in his eyes. I want to scream at the detective to take his lackey and get out, but that would just make things worse. I hate that he has to navigate through this after he’s lost so much. I take his hand in mine and feel that he’s shaking from his astonishment.
“I went to work. I had a conference call with a potential buyer about building codes. I was in the office with Sunday most of the day. That night, she went out with Noah, and I went to dinner with my mom. Then, I came home to wait for Sunday to come back. When she didn’t, I figured she was gone.”
Beth’s motherly presence fills the room. “These questions are over. If you want to ask my son anything else, you can wait until he has a lawyer. Good-bye, officers.” She shuts things down and swoops in to protect her child.
