Page 109 of Not Your Little Girl Anymore

He watches me for any sudden change. “Summer, you know I’m not involved with crimes anymore.”

My heart sinks, thinking this trip was all for nothing. He’s not going to dive into this with a wife at home he has to be alive for.

“We think it may also be a step closer to Mrs. Raleigh’s murder,” Chloe adds.

The crease in Brentley’s brows deepens as he shifts his eyes between Chloe and me, stopping at me. “Is this true?”

I nod, unable to form any words at the moment. A few minutes pass as he considers his options. I can’t blame him there, either. The building feels like it’s getting smaller. The four walls closing in on me, trapping me in my worst nightmare.

Finally, Brentley presses his lips together and nods, grabbing the metal detector on the side of him. “Alright, you have five minutes. You hear?”

I let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank you,” I struggle to say.

Chloe helps me to the doors. As soon as Brentley opens the door, he goes through his normal routine, scanning the both of us. The beep sounds a prolonged sensation in my ears. My heart picks up the pace as Chloe and I follow close behind him. We do our best to keep up, but that’s hard enough when Allen takes long strides, and I’m limping and hopping around like a bunny who lost its tail.

I’m nearly out of breath when we reach the conference room doors.

“You good?” Chloe whispers.

“Yeah.” Besides my nerves and the anticipation that is fueling me. Not in a good way, either.

Brentley opens the conference doors, allowing us to enter first. When the door’s closed, he looks down at my foot.

“What happened to your foot?” he asks, concerned.

I groan. “I really wish everyone would stop asking me what happened to my damn ankle.” I push off Chloe, aggravated, holding onto one of the chairs with both hands and adjusting myself before I sit down.

“We appreciate your time, officer,” Chloe says, sitting on the side of me.

Brentley doesn’t say anything. He sits down across from us, waiting for us to explain. My eyes follow the movement of his chair as he rotates it from one side to the other. The ongoing silence is becoming a nuisance, ripping through me. Although I feel like I don’t have the strength to do it, I know I have to snap out of the daze I am in and pull myself together.

I turn my head to Chloe, and nod, that way she’s aware that I can in fact do this.

Breathing in a lungful of air, and exhaling slowly, I start from the beginning. Telling Brently everything that has happened, everything that my father has told me. Sobs break free repeating what he’s done.

Each word that flows out of my mouth only shatters me more than I already am.

When I finish speaking, Chloe passes me a small tissue she grabbed from the box in the center of the conference table.

Brently leans forward in his chair, placing his elbows on the table. His expression suggests that he may not be much help, and my heart drops further into my stomach at the thought.

“Listen, Allen. You know me. You watched me grow up. You know how close I am... Or was to my father. I wouldn’t be here telling you all of this if I didn’t think it could save an innocent person. A life. Please,” I say, opening my hand and placing the drive on the table to slide it across to him. “This drive. These are the words my father spoke the day I came here with Alec Sokolov. I know you remember. He had his hands wrapped around my throat and was so close to shooting Alec. One of his buddies barged in and covered up for him.” I’m not sure if that’s exactly the case, but it is the only thing that makes sense. Especially since my father clearly hasn’t been disciplined for his actions that day.

“I strongly believe he murdered my mother because of what he said in this recording. And if that is the case…” My voice cracks, but I shoo it away as much as I can. “If that’s the case, don’t let him be the culprit of someone else, too.”

Brentley stares at the drive for a long minute, his index finger dragging along the short stubble on his chin. With a long sigh, he takes the drive.

“Wait here,” he says as he pushes off the chair and exits the conference room.

Chloe looks at me with sincerity. “Do you think he’ll do the right thing?”

My lungs expand. “I hope so.”

Chapter Thirty-nine

Alec

“Are you going to tell me how exactly she fell out of the shower?”

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