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Ezra slipped into the chair opposite me and interlaced his fingers, leaning on his forearms. “Zali, what’s going on?” he asked. His tone was no-nonsense, but it was an act. His eyes pleaded with me, and worry lines creased his brow. His lips were turned down unhappily.
I sat back and crossed my arms, hooking one leg over the other. “Well, you lot”—I gestured around the room, meaning the police in general—“have made a mistake, and I deserve a thank you, not an inquisition. Flynn and Ry do too.”
Chisolm barked out a laugh as she pulled out a chair, and the other man huffed almost silently. I smirked knowingly.
“You think I’m wrong.” Pushing my glasses up my nose, I pressed my lips together and gestured to her. “Detective Chisolm here thinks she knows what’s going on, so you fill me in. What do you allege to have on me?”
Ezra shot her a look that had her closing her mouth and turning her glare on me. I bit back my laugh. She looked constipated, not intimidating.
“Zali,” he started, pausing on an exhale. “They have enough on you to prosecute you. You’re in deep shit, and you’re taking your guys down with you.” He scrubbed his hands over his eyes and dragged his fingers down his face before resting his chin on the heel of his hands. He looked tired, weighed down.
He winced. “Is that what you want? You want to see Flynn and Ryder go to jail with you?” He dropped his hands to the table and rested his forearms on the edge. “Give me something so that I can help you. Please.” His voice was quiet, the plea clear as day.
“Have you looked at the USB you confiscated from me?” I asked, raising a brow. Without bothering to wait for his answer, I continued. “Well, that assumes you managed to break the password. Try “password,” all in caps. When your tech guys have analysed it, come back and see me. Until then, I’m done answering questions.” I smiled coldly at him and waved my hand, shooing them away.
“That’s it?” he asked. He blinked disbelievingly followed by a small shake of his head.
“There is one more thing, actually,” I added. “You can call the lawyer whose contact details are on that USB. She’ll be representing Flynn and Ryder.”
“Can we have a moment?” he asked the other detectives.
“Don’t bother, Detective Fraser. I’m not interested in talking privately with you right now. Just do what I’m asking.” It was hard keeping up the act. Everything in me was telling me to drop it, just for a moment. To be real with him. But I couldn’t afford any show of weakness. Queen needed to be bad-arse, and to do that, I needed my armour-plated walls locked into place. “I promise you, detective. You won’t be disappointed.”
“You’re making a mistake, Zali. I can’t help you if you don’t cooperate.”
“You remember a few weeks ago you told me that you didn’t trust anyone? Same, honey. Same.” I narrowed my eyes at him, tilting my head until he read my not-so-subtle message loud and clear.
“That’s a low blow.”
I sighed and shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. “Yeah, sometimes a person deserves a kick in the nuts.” Uncrossingmy legs and then recrossing them the other way, I added, “Just look at the USB.”
He nodded slowly. “What’s your computer password?”
“Morningstar, like the medieval weapon.”
He raised his eyes, meeting my stare. Misery surrounded him. He looked at me like I’d kicked his puppy. His normally pristine shirt was creased, and his shoulders were hunched. His hair was always artfully styled and naturally perfect, but it was now a mess. It looked as if he’d run his fingers through it repeatedly and tugged on the ends until it stood up in all directions. The moment of relief I’d seen when he’d spied Ryder and Flynn at the airport was long gone.
Slowly, Ezra rose, bracing himself on the table as he pushed up from the chair. It scraped behind him, the noise grating on my ears. With his arms limp by his sides, he pressed his lips into a ghost of a smile, one that didn’t come close to reaching his eyes. He was putting on a brave face. He gestured to the door and spoke to the others, saying, “Let’s give tech the passwords.”
This time when the door clicked closed and the lock snicked into place, a hollowness enveloped me. They wouldn’t find anything incriminating on my hard drive, and I had faith that the USB would get us out of here. It was an easy fix.
I just wished that the rest of this clusterfuck was the same.
I didn’t expect the door to swing open only a few minutes later, and I certainly wasn’t anticipating the unfamiliar woman who strode in. She was dressed to impress in a navy-blue power suit with white pin stripes, a crisp white shirt and matching navy heels. She was all business. Her dark hair was pulled into a bun, and her small diamond earrings were a match to the pendant hanging on the slim chain around her throat.
“Ms Stephens, my name is Jodi Carter. Professor Reid contacted me on your behalf and urgently asked me to provide counsel for you.”
“Professor Reid?” I questioned, creasing my brow, confusion etched in my voice.
“Yes.”
She sat down and pulled a notepad and pen out of her satchel. She was old school despite probably only being in her early forties. Resting her forearms on the table, she tapped her pen, waiting for me to ask another question. There was a ruthless efficiency about her that I admired. But I was still stuck on who had sent her.
When she was seemingly satisfied that I wasn’t going to ask anything else, she added, “Before we begin, I’ve had the video cameras and recording devices switched off. We’re free to talk, so please be truthful with your answers. I’m here to protect your interests.”
I tilted my head before shaking it in disbelief. “Professor Tristan Reid? Why did he hire you?”
She laid down her pen and smiled at me. It was a mix of patient and patronizing, something that would normally get on my nerves, but I had bigger fish to fry in that moment.
