Chapter Eleven
Isit in the backseat of Officer Asshole Andrews’s cruiser, ignoring the pain in my wrists from the cuffs.
I won’t give anyone the pleasure of seeing my discomfort.
Part of me hoped that Shepard would come.
I’d thought about calling his number instead of the station, but decided I needed to keep this as clean as possible.
I let my eyes drift closed and consider taking a nap, as it doesn’t seem like they’re in any rush to take me to the station.
Once it became clear I was going to be arrested, which I hoped wouldn’t happen, but assumed would, I asked to call my lawyer.
I was promptly denied. The thought of Jen losing her shit over this made it tricky to keep from grinning, which, given the circumstances, I figured wouldn’t be wise.
I hear another vehicle approach and sigh, wondering when this circus will be over. This was not how I thought I’d spend my second night here, and I can feel how antsy the house is getting.
When the car door is yanked open, I jolt in surprise at Shepard’s pissed-off expression.
“What happened?”
I blow a stray hair from my face, but before I can answer, Officer Asshole Andrews and his sidekick Hostile Hollis walk up to Shepard.
“Sir. I told dispatch not to call you in unless necessary, as I know you aren’t due on for hours.”
“In cases of homicide, it’s all hands on deck. You know that, so imagine my surprise to find myself out of the loop.”
“Sorry, sir, that wasn’t my intention.”
I call bullshit. I think someone was trying to score brownie points and make themselves look good.
“Is anyone going to explain to me what the fuck is going on, or do I have to guess? I’d also like to know how long Miss Hart has been in the back of the squad car. If she has been arrested, she should have been taken down to the station.”
“I was worried about the crime scene, sir,” Andrews states.
“And you have plenty of officers here who you could have delegated to.” Andrews snaps his mouth closed at that before Shepard turns back to me. “Let’s get you out of here.”
He offers me his hand. When I twist to show him I’m cuffed, his anger spikes once more.
“I’m starting to question if I can trust my own team at this point.
Or perhaps some of you just need more training.
If Miss Hart were to be found guilty of a crime, you are all making a case for the defense with the way it’s been handled. ”
“Sir—” Andrews says, but Shepard turns his back on him. He reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a handcuff key.
I turn a little farther so he can reach my cuffs. I feel him open the bracelets before his rough hands rub at my tender skin. I turn back to face him, and he looks at me with concern. “How long have you been out here?”
I shrug, taking the hand he offers me, and let him help me out. “A few hours, maybe. I don’t know what time it is now.” I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself. My tank top is doing nothing to ward off the early morning chill.
Sheperd slides out of his sheriff’s jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. His heat immediately seeps into my skin, making me groan with appreciation.
“Tell me why you are both wrapped up, and Miss Hart here is freezing. And why is it you two, Andrews and Hollis, that I’m pulling up yet again?”
When neither of them says anything, I decide I’ve had enough of this crap.
“Can I call my lawyer now? They wouldn’t let me before.
They also didn’t read me my Miranda rights or listen to a damn word I said before they cuffed me and threw me in the back of the car.
I have to say, given their prejudice toward me, I’m not confident in their ability to treat me as innocent until proven guilty.
How can I trust that they won’t plant evidence to incriminate me or hide evidence that would exonerate me?
It’s no secret most people hate me. The thing is, I don’t even know these two.
I met him yesterday and spoke to her on the phone once.
If they can do this to me, how the hell are they treating others they might have a real reason to dislike? ”
Okay, so I might have pushed a little more than I planned, but the house’s agitation is riding me, fueling my need to lash out.
Sheperd’s head turns slowly at my words, and I swear the two officers take a collective step back. “Tell me she’s joking.”
“Sir—”
“If you open your mouth one more time, Andrews, I’m going to arrest you for being an annoying prick.”
Shepards slides his hand down my arm before taking my hand and walking me up to my porch. He sits me on the swing, tugging the jacket around me before he takes the chair opposite. “Tell me what happened, Calliope.”
“Not without Jen.”
He scrubs his hand over his face before lifting his head. “What about FaceTime?”
“I don’t know how to use it,” I admit, feeling stupid.
“I can show you. You have your phone with you?”
I shake my head.
“Alright, I have her contact information from when she contacted me. Give me a second.”
I watch him fiddle with his phone before I hear Jen’s voice. “Why are you calling me Sheriff? Is Calliope okay?”
“She’s fine, but we have a bit of a situation. Here.”
He passes me the phone. I take it and look down to see Jen in a fancy-looking silk kimono with a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on the end of her nose.
“What’s wrong? You look like crap.”
“I can’t get to my cell. Is there a way for you to record this?”
“Of course. There, done. Now tell me what’s happening.”
Shepard indicates that he wants the phone back, so I hand it to him so he can hold it. To my surprise, he moves to sit on the floor beside the swing so we can both see the screen.
“There has been an incident tonight. I don’t have all the details as I’ve only just arrived on the scene. I’m hoping I can get what I need now from Calliope.”
“This is very unorthodox, Sheriff, when I haven’t been given the opportunity to confer with my client myself.”
“It’s okay, Jen. Despite what they think, I haven’t done anything wrong. I have nothing to hide.”
She looks at me, searching my expression. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
“Good,” Shepard says. “Can you talk me through what happened tonight, Miss Hart?” he asks softly.
I nod, wrapping my arms around my legs. “I woke up. I don’t know what woke me, or I didn’t at first, but it made me jump.”
“You were in bed?” Shepard prompts.
I shake my head. “I fell asleep reading in the living room. I’m not sure if I heard a noise or if they spoke, but I just knew I wasn’t alone. I flipped on the lamp and jumped up and came face to face with Dale.”
“What? That insidious man isn’t supposed to be anywhere near you,” Jen hisses.
I stare at Shepard as I answer, seeing how pissed he is. He knows, as well as I do, there is no way Dale was there for anything good.
“I was shocked. I think I screamed. Then the next thing I know, he’s clutching his chest, his eyes are rolling into the back of his head, and he’s on the floor.
I’ll admit, I just froze staring at him.
I thought I was having a nightmare. It was all so surreal.
By the time I snapped out of it, he wasn’t breathing. ”
“Did you try to resuscitate him?” Shepard asks.
“No,” I whisper. “I don’t know how. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.
And that’s when I noticed his jacket had slipped open and I could see the bulge of his gun.
I didn’t want to get any closer in case he woke up and shot me.
I couldn’t take the gun away because I’m not allowed near them.
And given how things have played out, I’m so glad I didn’t touch it. ”
“What do you mean by ‘how things played out?’” Jen snaps.
“I called the police and an ambulance. I was arrested as soon as they got here and put in the back of a squad car until Shepard just got here.”
Jen looks like she’s about to lose her ever-loving mind. “So just to clarify, a man broke into my client’s home, armed, so it seems likely he came with the intent to hurt Calliope or worse. And when karma kicks his ass, the victim in all this is the one who is arrested. Do I have that correct?”
Shepard sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yes, ma’am. It’s also worth noting she wasn’t read her Miranda rights and denied her phone call to you earlier when she requested it.”
“I see.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you do. I can promise you both officers in question will be dealt with. They’ve had warnings. They won’t be getting another.”
“Good, because you’d better believe I’m going to be following up on this.” She looks at me, worry in her eyes. “How you holding up, kiddo?”
“I’m okay. Tired.”
“I bet. Alright, let me get to work on this from my end. Sheriff, I trust you’ll take care of it because if I have to come down there and fix it, it will be your badge I add to my collection.” She hangs up before he can answer.
“Wow, she’s intense.”
“She’s protective of me,” I say gently.
“Sheriff?” a voice calls out, causing us both to look over.
“Keith.”
“The scene’s been processed.”
“Good. And?”
“No signs of foul play.”
“What about the gun?” Officer Asshole says from behind him. I glare, not realizing he was there, watching from afar—like a creeper.
“The gun has been collected into evidence, but as there are no signs it has been fired, I stand by what I said.” Keith snaps.
Hmm...seems I’m not the only one who doesn’t like the guy.
“Doesn’t matter. She isn’t allowed a gun in her vicinity. It’s a cause for her arrest.”
Shepard growls. “I cannot begin to explain to you how thin the ice is you are skating on. The way you handled this case from the start has been atrocious. I want you and Hollis back at the station. I want both of your reports on my desk before you finish your shift, and I want you to wait for me in my office until I get there. Do I make myself clear?”
“I—”
“I said, do I make myself clear?” Shepard snarls.
“Crystal,” Andrews bites out before stomping away.
Shepard sighs before looking at Keith once more. “Anything else I should know?”
Keith looks unsure for a second before he squares his shoulders.
“I was one of the first on the scene. I did the initial walkthrough with Mills while the EMTs worked on the victim. I saw no gun in the vicinity then. Miss Hart had already been detained by that point. By the time the tech team came and we took point, the gun was on the table.”
“God dammit. EMTs?”
“Perhaps, but doubtful.”
“They say anything?”
“Only that they suspect a heart attack. We’ll have to wait on the coroner’s report for confirmation.”
“I’m failing to see what crime was committed here.”
“That makes two of us,” Keith replies.
Wow, even I couldn’t have predicted that. In all honesty, I’m not mad about it. This is just going to help me in the long run.
“Does this mean I’m not under arrest anymore?”
Shepard looks at the sky and curses. “How did I know you were going to be trouble the second you turned up on my doorstep?”
“First of all, this is my doorstep. Second of all, I’m the only one here who hasn’t done anything wrong.
In fact, I did everything right. What else was I supposed to do?
Worse than that, what if this had gone sideways?
What if Dale had attacked me and I’d killed him in self-defense?
Something tells me I’d be going back to jail, whether I was innocent or not, because this town doesn’t care about the truth. It just likes to cast blame.”
“Calliope—”
“Just go, Shepard. Take your men and your cars and go. I’m having security installed and getting a guard because clearly, I’m not safe in my own home. And those who are supposed to protect me are the same people hell-bent on persecuting me.”
I get up, shrug the jacket off, and hand it to him. “Can I go now, or do I need to be humiliated a little more first?”
He grits his teeth but refrains from whatever it is he really wants to say. “You may go.”
“Thank you.” I walk away, careful not to bump into Keith, who is trying to look like he’s not listening.
As soon as I walk inside, the door closes, and a feeling of peace washes over me.
We’re alone, and the house feels proud, perhaps even a little smug.
Seems I’m not the only one with a vengeful streak.
“Thank you,” I whisper as the breeze slides over my skin.
I head upstairs to take a nice hot shower and get dressed—might as well get ready to face the day.
I make a cross against my mental tally. One down. Let’s see how many more dominoes fall before I’m done.