Page 119 of Heart of The Night

‘Yes, sorry. I mean that we’re seeing each other, as in dating, but we’ve maintained discretion as we explore things. A few people know about us, but we’re not at a stage where we’ve publicly announced that we’re in a relationship.’

Shelby nodded, writing something down. ‘Whose idea was it to keep things discreet?’ she asked, her tone soft.

A frown creased my forehead. Why did the specifics of how William and I managed our privacy matter to them?

‘Er, mine,’ I admitted, stealing a quick, uneasy glance at John. ‘Will’s wanted to make things official for a while now – since we met, really.’

As Nathan’s fingers flew across his laptop keyboard, he looked up briefly. ‘Why did you want to keep things discreet?’

The question made me squirm, especially under John’s watchful presence. ‘I’m interning at William’s workplace, and he’s my boss. I’m… supposed to be shadowing him, not dating him.’

To my relief, there was no judgement in their eyes – not from Shelby, Nathan, or even John. A small, grateful sigh escaped me.

‘Have you been seeing each other exclusively?’ Shelby asked.

From her tone, it sounded like it was important to distinguish this fact. I paused, reflecting on their questions – so focused on the nature of our relationship. It hinted at a deeper motive. As I mulled over it, a chilling thought began to form: was there a connection between our romantic relationship and the attack?

A fierce wave of nausea hit me, my heart throbbing with dread. The idea that my involvement with William could have played a role in what had happened to him was too much to bear.

‘Yes,’ I said, swallowing hard. ‘Exclusively.’

Shelby nodded. ‘When did you meet?’

It was easy to remember the date. It was just three days after William’s birthday, after all. ‘April twelfth, this year.’

Shelby wrote something down. ‘Have things been stable between you the whole time?’

I averted my gaze and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. For a fleeting moment, I regretted having John here. Exposing him to the more unflattering aspects of my personal life wasn’t my intention, and I feared it might alter his perception of me. Yet, I knew full transparency could be necessary for the investigation.

‘Not exactly,’ I murmured. ‘We were on-and-off in the beginning, but that’s my fault.’

Nathan paused, his fingers combing through his frizzy, black beard. ‘Why is that?’

‘It’s complicated.’ I sighed, fidgeting with my gown under the table. ‘When we met, I wasn’t looking to date anyone. Then I found out he was Jason’s brother and soon to be my boss for the vacation scheme. It just seemed inappropriate to get romantically involved with him.’

‘Why did it concern you that he’s Jason’s brother?’ Shelby inquired.

‘Jason’s my best mate. I was worried that if things went pear-shaped with Will, it could ruin our friendship.’

She nodded, taking notes. ‘And how did William react to your reluctance to get romantically involved with him?’

‘You don’t need to answer that,’ John said calmly, stepping in. ‘I’m not sure how this pertains to the matter at hand.’

I paused, tilting my head as I tried to make sense of their line of questioning. ‘I’m also unclear on the relevance,’ I said, looking between the detectives.

‘Detective Collins,’ John said, ‘could you clarify how these details are relevant to your investigation?’

Shelby and Nathan exchanged a quick, unreadable glance.

After a moment, Shelby replied, ‘We’re just trying to get an idea of William’s character. Understanding his temperament could shed light on tonight’s incident.’

John’s hand came to rest reassuringly on my shoulder. ‘Cara, remember, you’re not obligated to answer any questions, especially if they’re not directly related to the assault.’

Nodding, I straightened on my chair, resolved to avoid providing any details that might inadvertently harm William. ‘Could we proceed to the next question, please?’

Shelby’s lips tightened into a thin line. She glanced down at her notes before meeting my gaze again. ‘Miss Darby, at the gala, did you observe anything that struck you as unusual or concerning?’

My thoughts immediately went to Nigel. ‘Yes. There was a man who approached William – Nigel Ashcombe, General Counsel at Gastronomy Group. They talked about a complaint William recently lodged with the CMA regarding Gastronomy Group’s business dealings.’

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