18
D etective Johnson opened the door to interrogation room three and announced, “Someone wants to see you.”
A moment later, Ava appeared in the doorway. “Mommy!” she cried, sprinting into Emily’s open arms.
“Oh, sweetheart, Mommy was so worried about you. Are you okay?” Gently releasing her daughter, she held her at arm’s length and examined her closely. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, the man got a boo-boo.”
“He did? Is he okay?”
Ava nodded, “Uh huh.”
“That’s good, baby.”
Noticing her father nearby, Ava looked up and said, “Hi, Daddy.”
Gabriel scooped her up into his arms, holding her tightly. “Hi, baby. Daddy missed you so much,” he whispered, pressing a tender kiss on her head.
Emily turned to Detective Johnson, her eyes wide with curiosity. “Where did you find her?”
“Roman turned himself in,” Detective Johnson replied. “Detective Martin is interviewing him now.”
Emily’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “He did?”
Gabriel interrupted, his voice tense. “I hope you’re going to arrest that SOB.”
“He’s in custody for now,” Detective Johnson responded. “We’re still determining the charges. We’ll know more once Detective Martin finishes the interrogation.”
Emily glanced at the detective; her voice laced with fatigue. “Can we go home now?”
“Detective Martin will likely have a few more questions for you once he’s done with Roman,” Detective Johnson sighed. “I know it’s been a long day, and you’re eager to get home, but I need you to hang in there for a little longer.”
“I understand,” Emily said. Do you need all of us to stay? I’d like to get Ava home.”
“Let me check with Detective Martin. I’ll be right back.” Detective Johnson left the room.
As soon as he was gone, Gabriel pulled Emily and Ava into a tight embrace. “I told you we would find her,” he whispered reassuringly.
Emily’s eyes, brimming with tears, met Gabriel’s. She nodded silently.
A few minutes later, Detective Johnson returned. “Detective Martin said Gabriel and Ava can leave, but he needs you to stick around a bit longer,” he informed Emily. “He’ll give you a ride home once we’re done.”
Emily knelt at Ava’s level. “Daddy’s going to take you home now. Mommy will be home a little later, okay?”
Ava nodded and looked up at her father. “Can we go to McDonald’s?”
Gabriel chuckled. “Sure, baby. We can get you anything you want at McDonald’s.”
Scooping Ava up in his arms, Gabriel leaned into hug Emily. “We’ll see you at home.”
“Yeah,” Emily said.
Almost an hour later, Detective Martin finally joined Emily in the interrogation room. He sat down at the table and sighed. “Thank you for waiting. I’m sorry it took so long.”
“No problem,” Emily replied, her patience intact.
Detective Martin placed a small notepad on the table, flipping it open to a specific page. “I just have a few questions for you, then I’ll take you home.”
He scanned his notes briefly before looking up. “Did you give Roman a key and the security code to your house, asking him to bring Ava to you?”
Emily nodded, her voice unwavering. “Yes, but that was before I knew he was involved.”
“I understand. And did you leave Ava in his custody to go shopping?”
“Not to go shopping,” she said, frustration evident in her tone. “I went to see Travis.”
“And what did Travis tell you?” Detective Martin probed.
“He denied everything—drugging me, the blackmail, all of it,” she replied. “But he’s the only one who had access to my drink.”
“Are you sure? It was Friday night, and the bar was crowded, right?” Detective Martin pressed.
“Yes, but...” Emily hesitated.
“Is it possible someone else drugged you, and Travis called Roman for help?”
Emily shook her head firmly. “No,” she said with unwavering conviction.
“Whose side are you on, anyway?” Emily snapped.
“The side of the truth,” Detective Martin responded calmly. He closed his notepad and looked Emily in the eye. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve encountered a lot of liars in my career, and I don’t get the sense that Roman is one of them. You need to consider the possibility that he’s telling the truth. He volunteered to take a polygraph test.”
“He did?” Emily responded, once again taken aback by Roman’s actions. “What about the blood? How did he explain that?” she pressed, her curiosity piqued.
“Roman claimed they visited the house for a ride into town. The homeowner is an elderly man named James Longford. Roman insisted that Longford fell on his own and needed stitches, so they took him to Mercy Hospital,” Detective Martin explained. “They’re checking the story out as we speak.
Emily’s shoulders slumped, her eyes clouding with resignation. “Oh.” For a brief moment, doubt crept into her mind as she considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Roman was telling the truth.
Detective Martin rose from his seat. “It’s getting late. Why don’t I take you home now?”
Emily nodded, stood up, and followed him out of the room, her steps heavy with the weight of the day’s revelations.
During the drive to Emily’s house, Detective Martin’s phone rang. After a brief conversation, he ended the call and turned to Emily.
“Roman’s story checked out,” he said. “Mr. Longford confirmed that he fell, and Roman took him to the hospital. We’re going to be releasing Roman.”
“What about everything else? The things he did to me?” Emily’s voice trembled with a mix of anger and desperation.
Detective Martin pulled the car into Emily’s circular driveway, parking it in front of the house. He turned to her with a serious expression.
“We don’t have enough evidence to hold him on those charges,” he admitted. “But this isn’t over. We’re going to keep investigating those crimes. You have my word.”
Emily’s eyes filled with desperation. “And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?”
Detective Martin sighed. “I’m sorry, my hands are tied. Until we have concrete evidence, we can’t keep him in custody.”
“Get the tapes, then you’ll have proof,” Emily said as she stepped out of the car and walked into her house.