50. Enslee #3
“Innocent of the crime he’s been charged with, but not others,” she said, and even I narrowed my eyes at her.
Declan pulled me back against him, then whispered, “Don’t mind her. She’s just bitter.”
He kissed the side of my face, then the door was opened, and we disembarked the plane, where we were then ushered immediately into a dark car.
There were no paparazzi or anyone else around, which I knew Declan appreciated.
Once we were in the vehicle, I saw Jenni pull up, but it wasn’t until our car started to drive away that Declan disappeared into the car with her.
It went in the opposite direction of us, so I turned back around.
Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the police station.
I was already working with the lead detective there at the precinct and had been since recovering my memory.
As it turned out, one of the detectives was a big fan of my podcast, and he’d put me in touch with the lead detective actively working this case.
My contact told me he usually worked the overnight hours, so I was hopeful he’d be here now, and we wouldn’t have to come back in the morning.
I’d messaged him from Mexico to let him know I was going to bring him something that’d change the entire trajectory of the case.
He told me he’d decide that once I got back to town.
Once we entered the precinct, I asked to speak to him, and they took my name.
While we waited, Layla, Nash, and I sat down on the wooden chairs in the corner.
It wasn't long before a door opened and a woman appeared.
She pushed her wire-rimmed glasses onto her nose and ushered us through the door.
We followed her over to the detective's office, and I knocked because the door was half closed.
“Enter,” a male voice said from behind the door.
I stepped inside, then watched his eyes widen as he saw Layla behind me.
“Hello, Detective. My name’s Layla Harte. I'm here to let you know you have an innocent man in jail.”
The detective looked between her and me. “How in the—”
“It’s a long story, and one that she’s ready to tell.”
He motioned for us to take a seat, and once we did, Layla confessed to having ended her engagement that night and her desire to leave town to take some time for herself.
She’d mentioned wanting to go somewhere secluded, where she wouldn’t be bothered while she got over her heartbreak.
I’d almost rolled my eyes at that, but she was doing so well, so I restrained.
She went on to say that she hadn’t realized anyone had reported her missing, so once she did, she was now back to clear Brogan’s name.
The detective had mentioned that he also fantasized about escaping somewhere off the grid from time to time too. Her use of tears at certain times and smiles at others let me know that she too was a great actress. I’d seen her in Declan’s television show, and now I knew why she’d gotten the part.
There was the knife and the key, but she said she had no idea how her blood had gotten onto the former.
The knife, however… She held her head high while insinuating that she and Brogan sometimes played kinky games during sex, so it could’ve been from one of those times.
I’d wanted to scream that Brogan had never touched her romantically, but I didn't. The detective finally cleared his throat.
“Since the only charges being levied against Mr. Sinclair involve your disappearance and possible murder, I see no reason why they won’t be dropped.
I’ll go ahead and let the prosecutor know.
Just don’t leave town yet in case their office has any questions.
With any luck, Mr. Sinclair will be out later today. ”
“Thank you, Detective. I truly appreciate it. When I’d left town, I’d only wanted to heal. I never wanted to cause any trouble, and I'm sorry everyone thought I was missing.”
“We all need to get away from time to time. I understand, Ms. Harte. I just hope next time that you’ll either keep in touch with someone, or at the very least, let them know where you’re going so valuable resources aren’t wasted in vain.”
“Is there anything else you need from me right now?”
When he shook his head, I smiled. “Thank you so much, Detective. Please keep me updated on the case and anything else that you might need from me.”
“I will, Ms. Byrne. I’d say goodnight to you all, but it's already morning. Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll put his release in the works.”
We left the office, then arrived at the nearby hotel Declan had his investigator book for us.
Once there, Layla and I exchanged phone numbers.
She promised once more to stay in town long enough to explain herself to Brogan once he was released.
We then went to our respective rooms, and once inside of mine, I walked over to the windows and stared out of them.
New York City was considered the one that never sleeps.
Having gotten some shut-eye on the plane, I decided to pull up my laptop, and the saying became true for another night.