Page 79 of Holy Sinner

We enter the living room together and both detectives’ attention is instantly on Kit. “Hi there. How are you both?” Kit asks and gives them a warm smile. She sounds like she’s talking to old friends, not a pair of detectives. I rub her back encouragingly and Kit follows me to the couch where Rafe is lounging.

He looks bored but when I see his eyes flash, I know he’s pissed. I get it. I don’t want them here, either.

“Kit, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Mr. Burdock here was just telling us about the particulars of your,” she pauses and I see the look she gives Kit before glancing between me and Rafe, “ah, your arrangement.”

“Like I told you, it’s not an arrangement. It’s a relationship, Detective Torrence.” Rafe catches Kit around her waist and brings her down beside him. “That for me?” he asks me. I’d normally give him shit but not right now, because I understand now why Rafe is so pissed off.

I hand him his coffee and turn to face off against the detectives while Detective Torrence clears her throat. “Right, your, ah, relationship, as it were. It’s very unique, wouldn't you agree?”

Kit blushes and fiddles with her coffee cup. “Aren’t all relationships unique?”

That’s my girl. She’s doing good. I stand behind her and rub her shoulder encouragingly.

“Yes. Yours more so than most, wouldn't you agree, Kit? You’re dating Hollywood’s hottest stars. A dream come true for so many people. Yet you’re the object of attention for the people following you. They’re sending you photos, trespassing to do it, if I’m not mistaken. The photos you received from–what was it?” She looks down at her notepad but her partner speaks.

“The glass roof of their bedroom.”

“That’s right. I’d say, whoever is following you cares an awful lot about you and where you are, Kit. That’s something I don’t understand, with Mr. Stone and Mr. Burdock being right here with you and yet not targets. What you have going on has raised a lot of eyebrows. Dating two men isn’t normal, Kit. You think that has something to do with why this person has taken an interest in you?”

“It’s Ms. Salazar,” I say.

Both detectives look at me in surprise.

Detective Torrence looks like the floor has dropped out from under her. I’m glad. “What? I-”

“I thought you might want to know, since you’ve been calling her by her first name but not Rafe or I. There a reason you haven’t been doing the same with Kit?”

“We didn’t mean any disrespect,” Detective Lawrence says. He gives us a smile and raises his hands like he’s trying to smooth things over. “We know it can be intimidating for witnesses to be addressed formally. That’s why we’ve been more casual with Kit.” I narrow my eyes at him and the man has the good sense to stumble over his words. “Ah, Ms. Salazar.”

“It’s okay, really.” Kit puts a hand on Rafe’s arm and looks back to smile up at me. “I promise it’s fine. Please keep calling me Kit. Ms. Salazar is my mom. The detectives here are just trying to help us find who did this, right?” The last part she directs to the detectives.

“That’s right. We want to know who is following you”

“And Jane? You’ll find her, too. Have you heard anything about her?” Kit presses.

“We have been looking for Jane as well. These incidents are never easy for anyone but we will do our best.”

“I’m worried about her.”

“Completely understandable. Can you tell us why you took the walk when you did?” Detective Lawrence asks, taking over the line of questioning.

“When I woke up, I couldn’t find Rafe or Grant. I went for a walk then because I knew they normally wouldn’t let me. I didn’t know the woods so I got lost really fast.”

“And that’s when the search parties came upon you? When you got lost in the circle of blood?”

“I didn’t know it was blood,” Kit says quietly, taking a sip of her coffee. “It was too dark for me to tell.”

“It wasn’t blood, not really,” Detective Lawrence goes on and looks at his partner. “When the lab reports came back they found that it wasn’t real blood. It was fake. You already know that, don't you, Kit?”

“Yeah, Holly told us,” Kit says and edges closer to Rafe. I can feel her, stiff as a board under my hand and I give the detective a warning look. “Why would the blood be fake? I mean, where is Jane then?”

“That, we don’t know. But whatever the motive is, it has to do with you.”

Kit’s eyes widen and she shakes her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. I didn’t know Jane before any of this. I don’t know who would want to hurt her and follow me.”

“We think it’s Jane,” Detective Torrence tells Kit gently.

“What? Why would she do that?”

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