Page 33 of He Doesn't Deserve You

“Did you remove her clothes?”

Roman’s face flushed. “No, I wouldn’t embarrass her like that—she’s my friend. I just took her shoes off. That’s it.”

“How long were you in her room?”

“Not long. Five, ten minutes tops.”

“Did you have sex with her?”

“No, I already told you. I didn’t rape her.”

Detective Martin gave him a sideways look. “Not even consensual intercourse?”

“No, she passed out. She couldn’t consent to anything.”

“Okay, what happened next?” the detective pressed.

“I went outside to keep guard in case someone was planning on paying her a visit.”

“And did they?”

“No, I probably scared them off.” Roman continued, “I stayed until six am, then went home to shower. I planned to let her sleep it off and call her the next day to check on her, but she showed up at my place instead.”

“So, she remembered you from the night before?”

“No. She came to ask for my help. She showed me the envelope she received.”

Detective Martin raised an eyebrow, “And did you tell her that you were there?”

“No, when I saw what was in the envelope, I was afraid she would think I was involved if she knew I was there and wouldn’t let me help her. I needed to figure out who was behind it before I told her I was there.”

“Why didn’t you tell her to go to the police?” Detective Martin asked.

“I tried, but she refused,” Roman explained. “She was afraid for Ava’s safety. I convinced her to stay with me instead. She was adamant about being with Ava, so I promised to bring Ava to her. She gave me a keyand the security code to her house. But when I went to get Ava, Emily’s stepson came home and saw me, so I left.”

The door opened, and a police officer stepped inside, placing a cup of water in front of Roman. He knew they were trying to get his prints but took the bait willingly because he had nothing to hide.

“Thank you,” he said, looking up at the officer before taking a big swig from the cup. He continued, “Emily pulled Ava out of daycare on that Monday. Gabriel showed up, and I thought he might have gotten my plate number, so we had to move. Travis has a vacation home – a cabin over on Oak Tree Road. We were staying there while I worked the case.”

“Why didn’t Emily call her husband?”

“Two reasons: First, she was mad at him because she had just discovered he was having an affair. Second, if he was involved with the woman blackmailing Emily, there was a risk he might, intentionally or accidentally, alert her.”

“Do you think he had something to do with it?” the detective asked.

“I don’t know,” Roman admitted. “But I don’t trust him. He wiped out their checking and savings accounts. He’s up to something.”

“What happened next?”

“I don’t know how, but Emily found out I was a friend of Travis,” Roman explained, placing a hand on his forehead. “She thought we were somehow involved in this mess. She told me she needed to get clothes for Ava, so I watched her daughter while she went shopping. The next thing I knew, I got a voicemail from Travis. He said Emily had come to see him. She accused him of spiking her drink. She thinks I’m involved in all of this. Oh God, I need to see her.” Roman stood up.

“Sit down, Mr. Martinez,” Detective Martin demanded.

Detective Martin waited for Roman to take his seat, then asked, “Is that when you took Ava and fled?”

Roman raised his voice in frustration, “No! Ava and I left to go find Emily. I needed to explain. Only, I didn’t have a car. Emily was using it. We walked to Mr. Longford’s house to ask for a ride into town.”

“Why didn’t you just call Emily and explain?”

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