Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jason
My thoughts are interrupted by a knock on my door.
I look through the peephole.
Two uniformed police officers stand there.
Fuck.
Now what?
I open the door. “Can I help you, officers?”
“Dr. Jason Lansing?” one of them asks.
“That’s me. What can I do for you?”
“I’m Officer Graystone, and this is Officer Maravilla. Could you turn around, please?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re under arrest, sir, for the assault and battery of Ralph Normandy.”
I gape at the two officers. This must be some sick joke. “What? That’s ridiculous! I’ve never touched the man.”
Officer Maravilla produces a pair of handcuffs. “Save it for your lawyer, Dr. Lansing. Turn around, please.”
Before I can protest further, he takes my arm and twists it behind my back. The cold steel of the handcuffs clinks as the officer fastens them around my wrists.
“You have the right to remain silent,” Officer Graystone begins to recite in a monotonous tone. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”
His words blend into a dull noise in the background as my mind reels from the shock of what’s happening. Arrested? For assaulting Ralph Normandy?
They have no evidence besides his word. They can’t—
Suddenly an image of Angie flashes into my mind, her face filled with confusion and hurt at Ralph’s unfounded accusations.
“He’s lying,” I blurt out, interrupting Officer Graystone midway through his Miranda recitation.
“That’s not for us to decide,” Officer Maravilla says, his voice devoid of emotion. “You’ll have your chance to speak at trial.”
“But I didn’t do anything!” I insist, my voice breaking slightly with the strain of trying to keep calm.
Officer Graystone finishes with my rights and looks at me. “Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts, Doctor,” Officer Maravilla cuts in. “We’re just doing our job. You’ll have your day in court.”
With that, they guide me out of my townhome and toward their patrol car parked nearby. The back seat feels cold and bleak as they push me inside and close the door behind me.
This can’t be happening.
Just when I’m getting somewhere on Lindsay’s note.
Why would Ralph accuse me? What the hell did I ever do to him?
You never deserved her.
His words echo in my mind.
This is all about Angie. He wants Angie.
Apparently enough to frame me for his battery.
I shake my head. How can I blame him for wanting Angie? She’s beautiful, bright, sweet. And richer than God, not that money ever mattered to me.
So much for my surgery. I’ll miss my appointment with Dr. Engel today, which won’t bode well for me.
And Switzerland is out of the question at this point.
Fuck.
I’ll have to hire an attorney, get out on bail. Maybe cut a deal, which will probably include probation which means I won’t be able to leave the country anyway.
Damn it all to hell.
The officers pull up outside the police station. I feel like I weigh a thousand pounds as they drag me out of the back seat.
“Watch your head,” Officer Maravilla grunts, pushing me toward the entrance.
I don’t respond as I enter what feels like another world, filled with harsh fluorescent lights and gray walls. The sounds of ringing phones and busy voices blend into a steady hum of activity.
They lead me down a sterile hallway lined with small rooms before pushing me into one and leaving me alone with a metal table and two chairs.
The door clicks shut behind them, and I’m left alone in the frigid silence.
The minutes stretch on like an eternity as I sit there, unsure of what to do or what will come next. Thoughts race through my mind. The charges against me, the possible consequences, the effect this could have on Angie.
Just when I feel as though I’m about to be swallowed up by my misery, the door creaks open once more. Two figures step inside—a middle-aged man in a suit and a younger woman with a stern face and glasses perched on her nose.
“Dr. Lansing,” the man says, offering a tight smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’m Detective Morris, and this is Detective Soares.”
I nod, my throat suddenly dry. “What happens now?”
He slides into the chair opposite me, his gaze steady. “Now we talk. Tell me about your relationship with Mr. Normandy.”
“He’s one of my students in anatomy lab at the med school. That’s it.”
“Do you have any reason to want to hurt him?” Detective Soares asks, her tone calculated and cold.
“No.”
A lie, but I don’t want to drag Angie into this.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Why would I want to harm a student?”
“Best to level with us now, Dr. Lansing,” Soares says.
I clear my throat. I could tell them that I suspect Ralph went to HR about Angie and me. I could tell them what Ralph did to Angie.
But I’m done talking for now.
“I’m done answering questions,” I say, “until I speak with my lawyer.”
Detective Morris raises an eyebrow, his gaze impenetrable. “Pretty quick to lawyer up, Dr. Lansing. You sure you got nothing to hide?”
I don’t respond, maintaining my own hard expression. I am not about to let them intimidate me into saying something that could be twisted against me.
Officer Soares stands, crossing her arms. “All right, then, we respect your right to no further questioning without legal representation.”
She walks to the door and knocks twice. A moment later it opens and two uniformed officers step in.
“Give Dr. Lansing his phone call so he can contact his attorney,” she says, “and then take him back to a holding cell.”
I don’t know any attorneys. Who the hell am I going to call?
I sigh.
Angie.
I hate to do it, but she has money and influence. She’ll know a good attorney.
As the officers escort me to the station’s phone, I dread the impending conversation.
One of the officers warns me that my call will be monitored, and then they step back, giving me some semblance of privacy.
Right. No privacy here.
With trembling fingers, I dial Angie’s number.
It rings once.
Twice.
Three times.
God, please don’t go to voicemail…
Finally—
“Hello?” She sounds tired, and her voice is kind of choky. Has she been crying?
“Angie, it’s me.” I keep my voice steady. “I need a favor.”
“What’s wrong? You sound strange.”
I draw in a breath. Time to face the music. “Angie, I’ve been arrested for assaulting Ralph Normandy. I need you to get me a lawyer.”