INK: Fine Lines (Book 1) (5 page)

With these parting words, he knocks on the door. Before walking out he mouths, “I love you.”

I can hear him on the other side of the glass, low and rumbling. I want to get closer to the sound of his voice. I go to the mirror and lean my hand on it. It warms slightly from the other side. A sad smile spreads across my face. I look up to where Eli’s eyes would be on the other side. The glass goes cold under my hand.

When Eli reaches the observation room he ticks his head at Mark. “Thanks, man.”

Shay presses her tiny fingers flat on the window. I match my hand with hers. Maybe I can send her some comfort. Maybe she can at least know I’m here for her. She’s looking up with a sad smile, too far up for her to be thinking about me. I drop my hand and look over at that tall fucker Eli.

“Glass just came in and he’s on the way to question her.” Mark looks from Eli to me and back again. “Can you two play nice?”

I can play nice. I imagine a round of ‘beat the Eli’ would be nice. Eli looks at me and then nods, fucking boy scout.

Mark walks backwards to the doorway. “Be good or I’ll lock you both up.”

As soon as Mark is out the door I move swiftly to Eli, pressing him up against the wall with my proximity. “Keep your hands off of her, Eli.”

“Aiden, seriously, if you don’t stop it I’ll have you arrested for assaulting an officer of the court. You’ve made it clear that we aren’t friends anymore. I’m fine with that, but please understand that I only ever put up with your bullshit for her.” Eli stands up straight to remind me of the difference in height and looks down at me. “Back off, man. I can do a lot more to help her right now than you can.”

I shake my head, taking two steps backwards as a smile spreads across my face. “Yeah, well, I’m home now, so things are in their place. You’ve crawled back into your bottle. I’ve crawled back into her bed.” I shrug, staring into Eli with challenging eyes.

Eli’s jaw clenches as he draws in a slow breath. “Aiden, I promise you if I had been there with her last night she wouldn’t have been out in her studio, so she would have had a real alibi.” Eli raises his eyebrows, returning the challenge.

I push my forearm into Eli’s throat, slamming him into the wall. We’re both on fire with rage, both at a loss for words. Detective Glass enters the room. “Aiden Roth, twice in one day. What the hell are you doing in here? And why are you assaulting one of my district attorneys?”

I grudgingly release Eli and step back. “Hey Brandon; we were just having a chat.”

“Aiden, don’t push me. I’m not in the mood to deal with your impulse issues. It was bad enough I had to have you thrown out of the crime scene. You need to be in the hallway.” He comes to a stop at the window, peering in at Shay. He begins to size her up then glances in our direction, twisting his expression. “Gentlemen, really, much ado about nothing.” He disappears into the room.

“Fuck him; he doesn’t know her.” I catch myself saying out loud. I look at Eli and he digs a smile into one side of his cheek.

“I will agree with you there,” Eli says as he watches her with fondness.

I’ve got to put an end to this shit, or I’m going to lose her for good.

Shay

The door opens and I freeze. He’s beginning his study on me, creating my 
portrait parle
. It’s time I do the same: size up the enemy.

Tweed suit, old but well kept. No wedding ring, no hair, no facial hair—just nicks from his razor—was probably once handsome, good shoes but worn, fingernails clean but not manicured, glasses that look like some hybrid military issue sticking out of his pocket. Only needs them for reading, or is too proud to admit he needs them at all. Sad, jaundiced eyes, probably due to the amount of alcohol he has consumed over his lifetime. Classic hard-working detective a few years from retirement. He just wants the truth. I decide that’s what he’ll get regardless of Eli’s legal advice.

Wishing I could see inside his mind, I try to figure out his thoughts of me. What assumptions has he made other than that I’m a murderer?

“Miss Baynes.” He hasn’t taken his eyes off me since he entered the room, as though I may dissipate in a puff of smoke. He rests a thick folder on the corner of the table and motions for me to sit. “I’m Detective Glass.”

Still lost in my own image in the mirror, trying to reverse engineer his impression of me, his words seem distant until I hear the sound of the chair scraping across the floor. I sit, trying to decide how I will respond.

Eli’s words are creeping up on me, so for the time being I’m going to let the detective do the talking.

“Do you know why you are here?” He sits, sliding the folder in front of him.

Oh he thinks he’s so clever, trying to lure me in to spill everything, but as I see it there is no reason not to be truthful. “Not really.”

“You have no idea at all why we would want to question you about Mr. and Mrs. Messner.” He leans forward, unblinking, as though he’s diving into my thoughts.

“Yup.” I don’t blink. It’s strange; I should be terrified, but something inside me is taking over, making me feel as though I’m in control. Essentially he is the one deciding whether or not I go home today, yet I feel completely steady and unafraid.

“Well, then let’s get down to business. Where were you last night?” He seems almost relieved, but he’s moving forward cautiously.

“What time?” I had a busy night last night.

“Just tell me step by step what you did last night.” He desperately would like to write something down in the notepad he just opened, but I’m not cooperating. I don’t like the way he’s looking at me. He wants to pin whatever’s in that thick folder of his on me.

“Actually, Officer Glass, why don’t you tell me why I’m here.” The ‘officer’ bit is meant to rattle him. I want him to just get to the part where he sprawls all of the photographic evidence they have against me across the table like it’s the fur of ten thousand baby seals that I singlehandedly slaughtered with my trusty loofa. I’ve never felt so in control of such an out-of-control situation.

“It’s 
Detective
, and let me be clear with you.” He leans across the table, too close to my face for comfort. “Those two morons out there may think you’re cute, but I’m not impressed. I have two dead bodies on my hands and all roads lead straight to you.”

Maintaining my unwavering stare, I lean toward him as well. Something deep within me has taken charge and is speaking for me. “And let me be clear with you, Detective. You are traveling dangerously down the wrong road in so many ways.”

“Are you threatening me?” His tone is incredulous.

“Do you feel threatened, Detective?” I tip my head to the side, batting my eyelashes.

Eli’s surge of panic from behind the window is nearly palpable. Somehow I don’t think this fits into his version of “don’t say anything.”

The detective draws in a long breath, slides his glasses onto his nose and opens the folder. He begins to splay out the photographs, arranging pictures of the crime scene with corresponding comic panels. It’s creepy how much my comic really does look like the crime scene. The images on the table are from my dream. How can this be?

I’m horrified by the images of Alice; she’s broken and she died with a terrified look on her face. I can’t help but break down a little. “Alice.” It escapes me as a whisper.

“So you knew them?” A proclamation that he has the upper hand simply because I’m rattled. Maybe he does.

“Yes,” I answer quietly, but there is something tugging inside me to say more. I’m still shocked at what I’m seeing. I do see the resemblance in my panels to the crime scene. But it isn’t Gary and Alice in the comic.

“I understand you had problems with them, some sort of land dispute. Tell me about that.” He’s referencing his notebook.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t have any problems with them.” That was a lie. Gary was an epic asshole. He was so unkind to Alice, and I’m sure he hit her. He and I had our issues.

“According to several police reports, you had problems with Mr. Messner.” He looks me in the eye.

“He killed my dog, he was a bastard, but I didn’t kill him.” My tone is curt.

“When was the last time you saw them?” he asks quickly.

“Yesterday.” I’m quick to answer.

“Why did you see them yesterday?” He’s trying to quick fire on me, raising his voice like my dad did when he was trying to bust me for sneaking out or skipping school.

“Alice asked me to come over for my birthday. She made cupcakes.” I can’t take my eyes off of Alice’s terrified stare.

“So you admit you were there.” He slams his finger down on one of the photos.

“Yes.” I just told him I was there.

“Why did you kill them?” His voice is booming through the room, he’s in my face.

I stand up fast, knocking the chair to the ground and putting my hands down on the scarred table. “Listen to me, asshole, I didn’t do this. If you had half a brain cell in that thick skull of yours you could put two and two together and see that it is an impossibility.” I walk around the table to stand next to him. “It would have been physically impossible for me to lift Alice like that, 
and
 I wasn’t there.”

The sensation of control courses through me but the words still don’t feel like my own. “I don’t know why you have developed some bizarre hard-on to pin this on me, but you are barking up the wrong tree. As a concerned citizen who happens to live down the street from where this happened, I would rather you actually find the killer and stop screwing with me!” I pause, waiting for him to say something. I feel like I may have said too much already. 
Somebody please stop my verbal regurgitation.

“Miss Baynes, I can assure you that I know exactly what I’m dealing with here.” He looks hard into my eyes with his nose nearly touching mine.

My stance completely unwavering, I fire back, “Clearly you don’t have any actual physical evidence against me or you would have arrested and charged me already.” I move my finger over one of the photos of Gary’s dismembered body. “And you, Detective, just like Gary, don’t have a leg to stand on.”

The door swings open. “Shayleigh! Let’s go. Wait in the hallway.”

“Yes, Daddy.” I’m still nose to nose with Detective Glass as a smile spreads across my face.

Before I leave Glass gets up in my face, surprising me. “They may think you’re some helpless girl they have to protect, but I know better. The real question is, who will protect them from you?”

Glaring coldly at him, I leave the room.

***

In the observation room I see Aiden and Eli. I’m really not in the mood for testosterone tug-of-war with me as the rope. Eli stands in front of the window, pinching the bridge of his nose. Aiden just stares at me with his mouth hanging open.

“Shay, what was that? I told you to say nothing.” Eli can’t even look at me.

Aiden, for the first time ever, is speechless. He’s shaking his head, looking at me like I’m a dead man walking. After a moment of the two of them gaping at me in astonishment I fill in the blanks for them. “I got tired of him.” I say it flatly, matter of fact.

Aiden looks at Eli as if asking him to explain what just happened. Eli looks back at him as though he has a secret. Maybe he does. I don’t give a shit what either of them think.

My father emerges from the interrogation room, his eyes wide. He walks over to me and gives me a big hug. That’s when I start to break. “Shayleigh, you need to tell me everything, but not here.”

I hate when Dad pulls that scathingly calm tone on me. It makes me feel like I’m five and he’s found my torched Barbies and we’re going to have another ‘talk.’

“Dad, I didn’t do this.” The tears are getting too heavy in my eyes. I know I need to keep it together until I get out of here.

“Shayleigh, I don’t think you did.” He hugs me tightly again. “I’m going to have a real talk with Detective Glass. I’ve already cleared it with the new captain. They’re going to let me take a look at the files.”

Eli steps over to us, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get you home; we can talk there.”

“I’ll take her home,” Aiden interjects.

“Aiden, I’m taking her home.” Eli looks directly at me when he says it. Looking at the two of them makes me feel so torn. The emotions are like a boulder in my stomach. My life is hanging in the balance and they are going to have a pissing contest about who gets to drive. I think I’m going to pass.

I close my Dad’s hand around mine. “Daddy, can you please take me home.”

“Sweetheart, I need to stay and talk to the detective.” He looks apologetically into my eyes. “Eli, I’d like you to take her home. Get her something to eat.”

Aiden exhales hard then pleads his case. “Harry, I am perfectly capable of taking her.”

Dad drops my hands and walks over to Aiden. “Eli is taking her home. We have it from here. You can go.” He starts for the interrogation room.

Aiden stops him. “Harry, what’s going on here?” Not being the golden boy is getting to him. “You’re going to let this drunk take her home?”

Harry turns to him. “Aiden, part of the terms of her not being charged with this just yet is that she’s being released to my custody. I don’t trust you to get her home. I don’t trust you, period.”