by Jill Sanders
“Anything else Jamie has to know about today?” Blaine asked, wishing he’d taken a few pre-law classes as well as all the medical ones he’d finished.
“No. I’ll be there with you one hundred percent. If they ask a question, I will be there to answer it for you,” Emily’s father said.
“What if you don’t know the answer?” Jamie asked, her eyes avoiding Blaine’s.
“Then I will ask for time alone to discuss it with you. You won’t have to speak at all today if you don’t want to.” He stood up “If you’re ready? Em, are you coming?”
Emily shook her head. “No, I… have an errand to run.” Emily smiled. “Go, I’ll be here when you get back.”
Her father walked over and kissed her on the forehead and a wave of jealousy hit Blaine suddenly. Jealousy of the closeness Emily had with her father.
He flashed back to his and Jamie’s discussion on the beach about his own father.
“I’ll just go and…” Jamie nodded to the back before disappearing.
He thought about following her, but then stopped. He’d flushed all her drugs yesterday, so he knew that she was probably just going to the bathroom.
Still, when she came back out after changing into a button-up blouse and dark gray slacks, he checked her eyes and could tell that she was clean.
Taking her hand, he followed Emily’s father out.
They rode to the police station in silence. He could tell that she was nervous, since she chipped off the rest of the soft pink nail polish she’d been wearing on her fingernails.
“Ready?” he asked when he parked next to Emily’s father in the parking garage.
“No, but that’s not going to stop this from happening,” she admitted. Then she turned to him. “I’m sorry I was a dick to you earlier.”
He smiled, then surprised her by leaning across the car and kissing her. “I’d be happy to be your punching bag every morning.”
“Why?” She shook her head.
“I thought I made that clear last night. I thought you were smart enough to figure that out for yourself.” He shook his head and opened the car door.
“You’re crazy, you know that, right?” she said when she got out behind him.
He laughed instead of answering her.
Chapter Fifteen
Jamie held her breath as the three of them walked into the station.
“Morning, Stephanie. Is John available?” Mr. Stokes asked after they walked in. The woman sitting behind the bulletproof glass smiled at them.
“Well, well, for you handsome, I’ll check.” She winked at Emily’s father before picking up the phone.
“This may take a while. Why don’t you two go grab a seat.” Lee motioned to the row of chairs against the wall.
It seemed to take hours before they were finally showed into a small conference room, where they waited another twenty minutes before a very large black man in a worn suit walked in.
“Lee.” The man shook Emily’s father’s hand and gave the man a genuine smile. “I haven’t got much time. What can I do for you?”
“It’s what we can do for you,” Lee said, motioning to the chair. After everyone was seated, Lee started.
“After our little visit from Detective Mills last night, I figured we would cut out the middleman and bring our statement directly to you. This is Jamie Garner and her friend Blaine Fisher. I’ll be representing Miss Garner.” Lee turned to her. “This is Chief of Police John Steel,” Lee finished as he nodded between the group.
“Detective Mills?” the chief asked immediately. “We don’t have a Detective Mills.”
Lee frowned and glanced over at her. “I believe that was his name last night, correct?”
Blaine jumped in. “Yes, Detective Alan Mills,” he confirmed.
“Nope, no Detective Alan Mills here. What’s this all about?” the chief asked.
At that point, Lee remained silent, thinking for a moment. “The Scott Alcott case,” he finally answered.
This caused the chief to sit up with interest. “And?” he asked, leaning forward.
“My client was visited by a detective last night, supposedly from this precinct, about the case. He seemed to think that Miss Garner had some information about the case,” Lee said.
The chief’s eyes moved to her, and it took everything she had not to shrink away from the man’s gaze. Not that he was looking at her as if she’d committed a crime. Just the opposite. The man was looking at her as if she was a victim and maybe his lucky charm.
Instead of speaking, he held up a hand and moved to the door. “Stephanie,” he called out the door. “Cancel the rest of my meetings for this morning and get detective Olsen in here ASAP.” He shut the door again. This time when he sat down, he appeared more interested, as if he was going to be there for some time.
“You were saying?” the chief asked.
“I wasn’t,” Lee said smoothly. “My client came here on her own free will to answer your questions.”
“Well, since I know nothing about Miss Garner, you have me at a disadvantage,” the chief replied.
“Then maybe we should wait for the detective?” Lee asked.
“Fine by me.” John smiled and leaned back. “How’s it going with Kimber?”
Lee loosened up and smiled for the first time since sitting down. “Good.”
John laughed. “I’d never take you for someone to date in your own age group.”
“Oh?” Lee laughed.
“We had a pool going, you know.”
“About?”
“How long before she’d dump your ass,” the chief answered with a laugh. “It’s obvious she’s too good for you.”
Lee laughed. It was clear that the men were friendly and had known each other for a long time.
“Kimber works in law,” Lee informed her and Blaine. “She’s a criminal defense lawyer.” He smiled. “I never thought I’d date another lawyer.” He shook his head.
Just then, the door opened, and a skinny man wearing thick black glasses walked in. The man looked like he had run there. His pale cheeks were bright red and he had a bead of sweat rolling down his face.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I was… indisposed.” He shook his head as his eyes ran over them.
“This is Lee Stokes and his client, Miss…”
“Garner,” Lee answered. “Jamie Garner.”
Her name didn’t raise any emotions from the detective and she frowned. Surely, he knew about her. After all, the officer who had shown up last night had found her library card as part of the biggest serial killer investigation in the history of the state of Florida since Bundy.
“This is Detective Christopher Olsen. He’s in charge of the Alcott case,” the chief stated.
“The reason I’m running late to everything,” the man explained, setting a large stack of files down on the table and taking a seat after the chief motioned for him to. “What’s this all about?” he asked to the room.
“We were hoping you could shed some light for us. It appears a detective…” The chief turned to Lee.
“Alan Mills,” Lee supplied.
“Visited Miss Garner last night requesting information about your case?”
The thinner man’s eyebrows shot up. Then he scribbled the name down on his notepad with a large question mark behind it. “About?”
“Scott Alcott,” Lee answered.
The detective scooted his chair forward and pulled out a file then looked it over. “I don’t have a Detective Alan Mills. Nor do I know anything about any witnesses or any other potential victims.”
“Miss Garner isn’t a witness,” Lee supplied and it didn’t go unnoticed by everyone that he didn’t deny that she was a potential victim.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” the chief asked.
Lee jumped in. “As I mentioned earlier, this visit was just a preliminary courtesy that my client was willing to show in good faith.”
“Shit, I know what that means,” the
chief sighed. “What do you want?”
“Full immunity,” Lee answered quickly.
“From?” the detective asked, his eyebrows shooting up.
Lee shook his head. “Full immunity,” he repeated.
“You know we can’t do that without something first,” the chief said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Jamie nervously watched Emily’s father. The man didn’t even blink. Nor did he speak. Instead, he stood up. She and Blaine started to follow him. The chief sighed loudly.
“Shit, fine.” He leaned forward and motioned for them to sit back down.
Once the three of them were seated again, the chief waved towards the detective, who pointed towards a recording device. Lee nodded and glanced over at her with a smile.
For the next hour, Jamie chipped away at her nail polish as Emily’s father filled the officers in on what she’d confessed to the man last night. By the time he was done talking, the two men were throwing questions at them.
“Jamie would like to answer any questions you have, but I’m sure she would like to take a break,” he said softly and glanced over at her.
Without speaking, she nodded her head. She didn’t need one but figured this was his way of getting a moment to talk to her alone.
When the two officers left the room, he turned to her.
“Do you need a break? Some coffee?” he asked.
“Coffee would be…”
Blaine jumped up. “I’ll find some.” He glanced at Emily’s father.
“Black.” He nodded. “There’s a machine at the end of the hallway.”
As Blaine disappeared, Lee turned to her.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
“Okay.” She rolled her shoulders. “So, that’s it? I can’t go to prison?” she asked.
He smiled. “The look on both of their faces when they found out you’d escaped Scott Alcott.” He made a noise close to a chuckle. “They both were looking at you as if you were Wonder Woman.” He patted her hands, which she’d rested on the desk.
“What happens now?” she asked.
“Now, we answer any questions they may have. They are going to want to hear those answers from your mouth so they have it on record, officially.”
“Alright,” she said after clearing her throat, which had gone dry.
Lee opened a folder. “I took down the talking points from our conversation last night, if you need.” He slid a piece of paper towards her.
She didn’t need the notes. She remembered every detail about what she’d gone through that night over two years ago. Every single detail.
When Blaine came back in with several new officers, a smaller woman dressed in a grey suit walked in with them.
Lee stood up with a huge smile on his face. “Kimber.”
So this was Emily’s father’s new girlfriend. The woman was pretty enough in a dark blue dress suit with a teal silk top.
“I was on my way back to court when John told me you were here.” Kimber walked over and kissed Lee’s cheek. “John seems to think I’m needed.” The woman’s eyes moved over to Jamie and Blaine. “I’ve requested a recess.” She sat when Lee pulled out the chair for her. “It sounds like we have a unique situation?”
“Yeah, you could say that,” Lee agreed with a nod.
“We were just about to get started,” John broke in. “Miss Garner, if you don’t mind, we will need, for the record, what happened to you, exactly, two years ago. The more details you have, the better.”
Jamie swallowed a sip of the hot coffee and, for a moment, wished that it was tequila or anything stronger. Then she straightened her spine and started talking.
She didn’t stop until she got to the point where she walked for what seemed like hours in heels and finally called an Uber to take her home.
When she was done talking, the room was silent. She glanced around and could see the emotion in everyone’s eyes. None of them was looking at her like she was a monster and she relaxed. She’d forgotten her coffee while she’d talked and when she reached for it, it was cold.
“I’ll get you some more.” Blaine moved to jump up, but she stopped him, taking his hand in hers instead.
“I’m fine.” She smiled slightly at him, then turned to the room. “What happens now?” she asked no one in particular.
The chief leaned forward and turned off the recording device. “Now we move forward with our investigation.”
“What about the women? Crissy Talbot? If I killed the man who killed all those women on his property…” She shook her head. “Who took Crissy and killed all the others after… It’s been two years,” she reiterated.
“We think that Alcott had a partner,” the detective supplied. “We’re looking into it,” he assured her.
“Does that mean Jamie’s in danger?” Blaine asked. “Shouldn’t she be under police protection? As a witness?”
“To?” the chief asked. “From what I heard, she didn’t even see Alcott’s face. There wasn’t anyone else around and, to date, no one has filed a missing person report for the man. He had no family; the property was left to him when his father died of a stroke a year before you…” He glanced at Jamie. “Before that night two years ago,” he corrected. “At this point, only a handful of police know of your involvement in this case.”
Blaine shook his head. “Then who do you think took Crissy?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out.” The chief stood up. “For now, at least we can promise your name will stay out of the news reports.” He sighed and glanced at her. “I’ll contact Lee if we need to bring you in for any more questioning.”
Lee stood suddenly, and they followed. She realized she’d lost track of time when her legs ached with the lack of motion.
“For now, go about your daily lives, knowing that you’ve taken a killer off the streets. God only knows how many more bodies we would have found on the compound…” He shook his head. “Don’t worry.” He smiled and took her hand. “We’ll get this guy and put him where he belongs.”
“Thanks,” Jamie said softly. She realized she was emotionally and physically drained.
“Lee, if you don’t mind.” Kimber touched his arm. “I’d like to meet with you later this afternoon to go over everything.”
“Sure.” He smiled. “Are we still on for dinner?” he asked as everyone shuffled out of the room.
Jamie was too busy letting Blaine usher her out of the building to hear Kimber’s reply. She liked the woman. She had seen the fear and concern in her eyes as Jamie had talked. Most lawyers hid their emotions from clients. Kimber hadn’t. Which made her a better lawyer in Jamie’s book.
“You okay?” Blaine asked as she climbed into the passenger seat of his car.
“Yes.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Tired.”
“I bet.” He nodded. “How about some lunch and a walk on the beach?”
“Sounds good.” She glanced out the window as he started to drive towards his place.
She thought about going back to her place, but she didn’t want to have to talk to Emily yet. She knew her friend would want to know everything, and she didn’t have the energy to explain it all.
Instead, she pulled out her phone and sent her a short text, telling her that she was okay and not going to jail.
Then those words sunk in and suddenly she gulped in air and felt her entire body convulse as she started crying.
She felt the car slow and then Blaine was holding her tightly, telling her that he was proud of her and that he loved her.
How had she screwed even this up? How could she have been so foolish as to let him fall in love with her?
She knew there was no possibility of her reciprocating his feelings. Even if her heart hurt at the thought of losing him. She was too damaged to allow thoughts of getting a happy-ever-after with anyone. Least of all someone as pure and kind as Blaine. She just didn’t work that way. She’d never loved anyone for long. Having learned from her parents that lo
ve was a fleeting feeling, she had never hoped for anything permanent.
Chapter Sixteen
When Jamie was done crying, he found a tissue in his glove box and handed it to her.
“You okay?” he asked again.
Instead of answering, she nodded and then motioned for him to continue driving.
By the time he parked in his normal spot at his place, he could tell that she was back under control.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked.
“What I really want is to take a nap, but a walk will be better.”
He took her hand as they walked down the pathway that led them to the beach. He figured she wanted time to think, so he kept quiet.
They walked down the beach for almost a full mile before she pulled to a stop and sat by the edge of the water.
“Thanks.” She leaned her elbows on her knees and looked out over the water. “I needed the quiet.”
“Anytime,” he said, watching her closely.
“I really want to escape.” She glanced at him sideways. “You know?”
“Yeah,” he replied, thinking of the pills he’d flushed the day before. He’d experimented a few times in his teens, but nothing had helped him escape his father’s wrath. He knew he didn’t have an addictive personality. Then she rested her chin on her knees and he rethought that theory. He had been addicted to her from the first moment he’d seen her.
“You okay?” he asked. He felt like he’d been asking her that question all day.
She glanced at him and smiled. “I am. I still can’t believe I’m not going to jail.” She shook her head.
“I knew Lee would take care of you. He’s been instrumental in helping me since I came into my inheritance.”
“Right.” She sat up a little. “You just closed on your place the other day. Congrats.”
“Thanks.”
“How does your dad feel about all this?”