Page 57 of No Second Chances

“Time for what?” We walk by dispatch, nodding to Teri, who smiles sadly at me. “Does everyone know?”

“By now?” Remy raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’d say it’s safe to assume everyone in Birch knows.”

“I gotta text Kennedy.”

“You can’t.” Remy crams my hand before I can send the text. “She can’t know. It’s not public information yet that Mallory is dead.”

“I’m not a fuckin idiot, Remy.” I snarl at him but don’t really care at the moment. “I have to tell her that people think I fucked Mallory. She’s gonna be pissed if she goes into work at noon and gets hit with that broadside.”

He lets go, and I shoot off a text to make sure Kennedy doesn’t walk into that shit blind.

L: Hey. You gotta know. Royal’s accusing me of sleeping with Mallory. It never happened.

K: …

K: Is this a joke?

K: A bad one?

L: Not in the slightest. There’s more. You’ll hear at work I’m sure. Just didn’t want you to think I’d ever fuck her.

K: Not even a worry in my mind. Love you. Kick some ass.

I hand Remy my phone, just to make sure that someone else sees the conversation. He shakes his head and rolls his eyes at my raised brow.

“What?” I ask. “I gotta make sure you know I’m not being a dick.” Then I take a screenshot and send it to the chief’s phone. Just to cover my ass.

“Let’s go.” Remy walks into the bullpen, and I follow. We are probably the last two to arrive, and I’m greeted by varying levels of pity and confusion.

Sheriff Jake Findlay stands at the front of the room with the chief, and I know shit is serious. They are both staring at me with matching expressions.

“You didn’t do it,” Chief Townsend says immediately. “I know that. You know that. We all do.” He nods to Jake. “But because of the accusation, we can’t investigate Mallory’s murder. We’re handing it off to the Birch County sheriff.”

I fight the urge to say something like a smart-ass. Instead, I nod and look over at Amie, who has her arms crossed over her chest, looking as pissed as I feel.

“Bullshit,” she calls out unashamedly. “We all know that Royal Prince did this. Linc and I responded to a domestic at his house. Mallory was the victim, but he wasn’t anywhere to be found. And when I did track him down, he had an airtight alibi. There’s no doubt in my mind he did it.”

“And that,” Jake interrupts her, “is why your department isn’t going to investigate. To us, anyone in law enforcement, your assumption is the right one to make. But we can’t have a defense attorney beating a murder charge on a technicality. Especially with his history.”

Chief nods, tapping his fingers on the podium in front of him. “There’s a reason this meeting isn’t happening behind closed doors. I want him to hear through the grapevine that we’re not going to play his game. That he’s not going to win that easily.” There is more to it than that, and I know it. I see the twitch in his jaw, the rage in his eyes. Chief Townsend knows that Royal hurt his daughter. And if he doesn’t pass this off, Royal will end up dead.

“Turn over your reports, any reports that the SO doesn’t already have access to.” He swears under his breath. “Including your body cam footage and field notes,” he adds after the fact. “Hayes, Townsend, Lee, Ortiz… Report to my office. Now.”

Everyone disperses, deputies and officers alike. Logan Pierce, one of the deputies, stops in front of me. “I’m sorry this shit is happening, Linc. If you need anything, let me know.” His eyes aren’t on me, though. They are looking over my shoulder, where Teri sits in dispatch, currently on the phone. Her voice filters out into the bullpen, but I can’t quite make out what she is saying.

“You know,” Remy says from my side. “She won’t talk about you.”

I look at him, trying to figure out what the hell he is talking about. But he is staring at Logan.

“Teri,” he goes on quietly. “I tried asking her about it. How did you fuck it up so badly with her that she won’t even talk about you in any capacity?”

“I lied to her,” Logan says simply. “Killed the love she had for me. It was easier than you’d think.” He walks away without another word, and like a high school drama queen, I want more information.

“Later.” Remy nods toward his retreating back. “That man’s story is a fucked-up one, to say the least. Let’s get this shit over with.”

We are the last two in the chief’s office, and I try to stand in the back of the room next to the closed door, but he isn’t having that. He stares at me and then at the empty space next to his desk.

“What is he going to find?” Chief Townsend doesn’t beat around the bush. “Have any of you, anyone, done anything that can be seen as intimidation?”

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