Page 113 of Obsession

This time my father spoke with wide eyes, and I found it hard not to look at him, but I didn’t break eye contact with the detective, who narrowed his eyes at me.

“How long did he stay?”

“I didn’t count the minutes; I didn’t think it would be useful.”

“Was it more than half an hour?”

No.

The answer hurt. Harris hadn’t been in the house for more than five minutes before he left. Our kiss had been intense but brief, as had our conversation afterward, because someone had called him. The call seemed to annoy him more than anything. He didn’t look like he was having any murderous urges.

So, I looked the detective straight in the eye and said:

“At least an hour.”

My dad was about to explode, but I’d deal with him later. The guy looked at me with narrowed eyes, analyzing me like a fucking lie detector, but I remained calm and serious. I wasn’t the first junkie he’d dealt with, but he wasn’t my first cop either. Many like him had looked at me with the same eyes and forced me to spit out the names of those who had sold me drugs.

Officially, I had volunteered myself into a huge shitstorm.

“Do you know what can happen if your statement turns out to be false, Katherine?

He was trying to scare me, but I would not go back on my words under any circumstances.

I nodded. If he asked one of my neighbors how long Harris’s car had been parked in front of my house, he’d easily find out that I’d been lying through my teeth.

“Right now, you’re his alibi. If things go wrong, you’ll have to testify in court. Are you sure you want to maintain your testimony?”

If I had not been familiar with this blackmail formula, I would have been more afraid. Probably.

“I have already told you everything, Detective. I do not think details about what happened that hour are necessary.”

My father looked at me as if to say that I was going to get into a lot of trouble because of the things he had found out.

Shane Walker didn’t answer, he smiled again. He knew I was lying, but there was nothing he could do about it. For the moment. He’d come to persuade me to hand him Harris on a silver platter, and he’d failed.

“All right, then. If you don’t mind, I’ll check your statement regarding that hour. I’m sure a car like his doesn’t go unnoticed by the neighbors.”

I struggled not to swallow.

He took out his card and handed it to me.

“If you think of anything else, please give me a call.”

I nodded and took his card. I would never call him.

He turned to my father.

“It was nice to meet you, Christopher. Katherine.”

He bowed and headed for the door. Neither of us accompanied him out. I stood there for a minute or so, staring into space, then my eyes wandered to Harris’s photo.

My father seemed just as shocked as I was, which is why he was at a loss for words. Finally, he came up to me and took my chin between his fingers.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

He surprised me. I had expected screams and threats.

I nodded, even though I wasn’t entirely sure.

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