Page 102 of Wish You Were Mine

We parked on the road outside the police station and followed Nate inside. Officer Patton was with him, and we were escorted into an interview room. I couldn’t help noticing how clinical it was. Almost like my examination room. A couple of cushions and a padded chair would go a long way to making it more welcoming.

But I supposed “welcoming” wasn’t necessarily the vibe they were going for.

Asher and I sat on one side of the table. Patton turned on a wall heater and withdrew a notebook from his shirt pocket while Nate set a recording device in the center of the table.

“You’re fine if we record this, right?” Nate asked.

“It’s okay with me,” I said.

“Yes,” Asher agreed

Nate started the recorder and he and Patton sat opposite us. Asher talked them through today’s events, and then mentioned the shattered window.

Nate faced me. “You thought someone might have a grudge against Asher. That’s seeming more likely with this latest development. Do you have any idea who might resent him that much?”

I glanced from one man to another. “What about Lionel Lowry?”

Asher scoffed. “He’s all talk. He wouldn’t actually do anything about it.”

I bit my lip, less certain of that than he was. “He’s been simmering in resentment for months.”

But Asher shook his head. “James Conroy is more likely. He punched me, and the rock was thrown through my window that same day.”

I scowled. “Surely he can see he’s to blame for the situation he’s in. If he hadn’t cheated, then there never would have been a problem.”

Officer Patton jotted a note. “Some people refuse to take responsibility for their own actions.”

“Anyone else?” Nate asked. “Anyone who might have felt slighted by you? Someone you dated, or pissed off?”

Ashley’s name crossed my mind, but I didn’t voice it. She was just hurt by Asher’s rejection. She wasn’t a violent person. A little mean perhaps, or just not considerate of others. I doubted she’d harm anyone though.

“Anyone at work?” Patton prompted.

Asher looked like he’d had a thought. “No one at work, but Frannie’s tire was punctured recently, and she said some things had been missing around her house as well. Could that be related?”

“Perhaps. We’ll need to talk to her too. Perhaps we shouldn’t be looking at who might want to target you specifically, but who might want to use you to get to Frannie.”

“I’ll arrange an interview with Frannie,” Nate said. “Meanwhile, you keep thinking and let us know if you come up with any other ideas.” He reached for the recorder. “Interview concluded at 1:15 p.m.”He pressed a button to end the recording and sat back.

“Are we done?” I asked, more than ready to get somewhere with a fireplace I could huddle in front of.

Nate nodded. “For now. Ash, I’m afraid you can’t stay at your place tonight. You probably know that. The damage alone would put you at risk until an engineer can assess the structural safety of the building, and until we confirm whether the fire was set intentionally, it’s a crime scene.”

“You can stay with me,” I offered tentatively. “Unless you’d rather stay with Frannie again, or with your parents.”

He touched my hand and met my eyes. “I don’t want to bring danger to your doorstep.”

I bit my lip. I understood, but he had to go somewhere. He couldn’t just hide out in the woods. “So far, the attacks have been targeted at you—and maybe Frannie. I doubt whoever is behind it will change their focus to me just because you spend a night at my cottage.”

He frowned. “But you could get caught in the crossfire.”

“He’s not wrong,” Nate said, helping no one.

“We’ll talk more later,” Asher said, getting to his feet. He took my hand and pulled me up.

As we left the interview room, Nate warned us to be careful and stay aware of our surroundings at all times.

“We will,” I said, but I didn’t hear his reply. Once we were out of the building, I stopped walking, and Asher did the same.

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