AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Wait by the far door for a moment. I’ll let him know.”
“Thank you.” Too nervous to sit, Anastacia stood near the door on the left as directed. The smell of vomit, alcohol, and industrial cleaner assaulted her nose, forcing it to crinkle. It must have been a fun night in here last night. Fortunately, the door swung open after a few minutes. Knight leaned against it to hold it open and waved her in. He looked at the clock on the wall before he closed the door behind them.
“You’re early.”
“You’re surprised?”
He gestured down the hallway and into a larger room.
Desks filled the room, some empty but others had men and women in uniforms and suits mingling as their workdays began or ended. The aroma of coffee hung thick in the air, a hint of body odor behind it. No one paid any attention to the woman following Detective Knight through the room. Anastacia wondered if she was just another face in the sea of people that come and go all day like waves on the shore. He led her to a single desk with a whiteboard not too far from it, crime scene photos already taped up with minor notes.
“Before we begin,” Knight sighed, looking at her straight in the eyes. “Where were you the night of the murder?”
“I was wondering when my interrogation would be.” She nodded, not the least bit offended. “I was home the night of the murder. I left a bookstore around nine-thirty p.m. when they were closing up. The one around the corner from the cathedral, next to the ghost tour hub. No one can vouch for me as I live alone, but my building has working video surveillance of not only the entrance but the exits and the residence hallway.”
“You gave a lot of thought to your alibi.”
“I have nothing to gain by killing Mel, and a friend to gain by keeping him alive. I know how investigations work, Knight. My scores are high for a reason.”
“I know. When we got your resume we pulled your address and checked. I just wanted to hear what you would say.” He picked up his mug still steaming from his desk. He sipped from it, watching her for a response. She stayed calm as usual but was internally thankful Knight didn’t seem to be the kind of detective to overlook any details. She’d been surprised by how many detectives did back in her hometown. Without anything from her, he continued, “So, you didn’t consider him a friend?”
“I may have if we had the chance to know each other better. We never had the time to slow down and talk and get to know one another enough to be friends. We talked about relevant things during those times, but nothing groundbreaking. That’s what the cup of coffee was about. To slow down and talk. He was a good guy. I think, eventually, I would have considered him a good friend.”
Mel grinned at her as he took an empty chair near Knight’s desk. “You’re gonna make me cry, Stacia. That’s a beautiful story.”
“How did you know the victim?” Knight continued.
“Back in California, he was visiting friends. They were students who had their car broken into. It happened on the same campus of the police department I worked at. I wasn’t an officer, just a student aide working with their parking unit. He saw me struggling with some issues and offered me an ear during my break when I tried to hide outside. We didn’t keep in direct touch but kept track of each other through social media. It was another one of those random things where we saw each other at the park.”
“It checks out.”
“Anyway, Detective Knight, where do we start?”
“You can call me Tony if you’d like.” His smile finally turned genuine. His eyes crinkled a little at the side, not quite crow’s feet, but it was charming. Her heart skipped a beat before she cleared her throat and gave a polite nod back at him.
“I think I should keep this professional, detective.”
“Then at least call me Knight. We are working together if my captain okays it.”
“Knight it is.”
“Any names you prefer, or is it to be Miss Geist?”
It took an effort to not scoff at being called Miss Geist. The formal name never sat well with her, but she’s the one who said they had to keep it professional.Miss Geist.Nope. She couldn’t do it. “Anastacia is fine.”
“This way, Anastacia.”
Knight led her to an office at the end of the room. He knocked on the door and entered after a muffled voice called from within.
“Captain?”
“Knight, is this the consultant you were talking about?” The captain sat behind her large, yet still crowded with paperwork, desk. She didn’t look up from her laptop toward the door. The tight pull of her silvering dark hair into a bun at the nape of her neck gave her a no-nonsense appearance.
“Miss Anastacia Geist, this is Captain Grindel.” Knight encouraged her forward with a hand on her back.
“Good morning, Captain Grindel.” Anastacia stepped forward and held her hand out. The two women stared at one another a second longer than what would have been normal. Grindel shook Anastacia’s hand with enough pressure to leave no questions about who was in charge but not enough to overcompensate. The captain pointed a perfectly manicured hand toward the chair across the desk from her, the crisply pressed sleeve of her yellow blouse a lovely contrast against her deep brown skin.
“Nice to meet you. I understand you found some overlooked evidence at the crime scene.” It wasn’t a question but Anastacia felt compelled to answer anyway.
