Page 23 of Guarded By a Monster

I chuckled good-naturedly at his joke as he left me alone in the room. I scrolled through photos for fifteen minutes before they ran together. I stood up and stretched. Detective Drake poked his head in the door.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Just needed to give my eyes a break.”

His pinched smile made it seem like he needed some Pepto Bismol. I glanced back at the tablet and yelled, “Wait!” before the door even latched.

I felt him behind me as I pointed to one photograph. “That’s him!”

Detective Chambers joined us. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure that is either the man I saw or his doppelgänger.”

The two detectives exchanged a cryptic look. Chambers rubbed his eyes.

“What? What are you not saying?”

“That is the head of Silver Fang—an upstart smuggling organization trying to chew trade routes away from The Level, which was the largest criminal syndicate in the area.”

“There is organized crime in Damruck?” Although not small enough to be considered a true small town, the city was still not big enough to be considered any kind of metropolitan area. The idea of crime families being in Damruck was kind of like a scuba diver packing crackers for a mid-dive snack.

Drake nodded. “There are currently six crime orgs in the city.”

Detective Chambers gave his partner a harsh glare before turning to me with a soft smile. I looked as shell-shocked as I felt. He placed a clammy hand over mine on the table.

“You think my attack from the other night is related? Now that you know who I witnessed killing someone, you think this crime boss has figured out who I am and has already sent someone after me?”

“You’re going to be okay. We’ll put you under police protection.”

Thurl.I didn’t need police protection. I just needed to get to the monster who’d been sleeping in my bed.

I cleared my throat. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. I have somewhere I can go. It’s not connected to me, so there’s no way he can find me.”

Chambers’ brows drew down. “I’d feel better if you stayed under police protection.”

My spine stiffened. “Trust me when I tell you I will be far safer than with any protection detail you could provide.”

His skeptical frown lasted long enough to make my skin itch. I broke through his thick fog of disapproval with a question. “What happens if I refuse to testify?”

I wouldn’t. My sense of justice was too strong to let the weasel get away with killing what amounted to a kid. But I needed to know the possibilities.

Chambers sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Then he’ll most likely walk. Adrian Vale is charming and cunning in equal measure. He also has enough wealth to hire the best attorneys. We’ve been trying to get him on something for years, but he wiggles free each time.” He sat forward and stared into my eyes. “That won’t keep you safe, Ms. Massey. He will come after you, whether or not you testify. He won’t take the risk of leaving you alive.”

I blew out a breath. “I understand. I plan to testify. What are the next steps?”

Detective Drake stepped forward. “We’ll take your statement and document your identification. Then we turn everything we have over to the District Attorney, who will move forward with prosecution.”

Chambers leaned back again. “The process can be lengthy.”

“I’ll talk to my principal. I’m sure we can work something out.” I wasn’t sure, and the idea that my career was going to be cut short gutted me. But like I told my kids: you eat the elephant one bite at a time. My next step was getting to Thurl.

In no time at all, I had signed a printed photo of the man I identified as the killer, along with a statement I’d written attesting to that fact. Completely upending my life seemed like it should be more momentous than a couple of scribbles of my name on paper. Where was the ominous thunderclap soundtrack? The floor falling from beneath my feet to mark the occasion?

I glanced out the window on the other side of the space. The sun was setting. I needed to get home. I stood and gathered my things. “You have my cell number if you need to reach me.”

Detective Drake opened the door to the conference room and waved me through. “Will you let us escort you home?”

“I’d rather not attract more attention to myself than I already have, but thank you.”

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