Page 38 of The Mare Rider of Cornwall Cove
“You’re not under arrest. We’re just trying to get to the bottom of what your boyfriend said was an undiscovered mass grave on the Cornwall Cove property. Surely you can understand our concern about such a rumor and your involvement in it.”
“We weren’t involved. The bodies were buried there when the asylum was still open.”
He bobbed his head. Whether he believed me or not, I couldn’t tell, but there was nothing more I could do. I’d been honest and respectful to him just like Grandpa had always told me to be when dealing with the police.
“Oh, well, good. Can we go then?” I hopefully asked.
“Let me talk to Phil.”
Sure, okay, that seemed logical if not frustrating. I was escorted back to the holding cell, and Phil leaped to his feet when I arrived at the bars.
“He’s nice,” I said as the cuffs were taken off me and placed on my boyfriend. “Just tell him the truth. That’s what I did.”
“I’ll be honest.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too,” he replied.
I tried to give him a kiss, but he was led away before we could smooch. I stretched out on the bench, rested my head on my arm, and fell asleep instantly. It seemed as if I had just closed my eyes when Phil was kneeling beside me, stroking my hair back from my brow. I sat up slowly. The aftereffects of days of psychic energy use combined with lack of sleep and stress had my head pounding steadily.
“Hey,” he said, reaching up to straighten my glasses. “I think they’re going to let us go. He seemed on our side, you know? Like accepting of what I said and all.”
“Good, good.” I rubbed at my eyes under my glasses. “Did he mention any kind of mental health evaluation to you?”
Phil sat beside me, his hand resting on my thigh. “No shit, do they think we’re making this all up?” I shot him a “what do you think?” look that made his smile melt away. “But we’re being honest!”
“I know. It’s probably a call the DA will have to make. Did you eat? I don’t know what time the district attorney’s office opens or if they call him in or…I’m so tired. I think I could sleep for a week.”
He draped his arm around my shoulder. We snuggled the best we could on a thin bench, which wasn’t well, but my eyes grew heavy when my head came to rest on his shoulder. Dropping off once more, we both jerked when the heavy door was opened. The sun was much higher now as it slanted through the tiny window high up on the cell wall. Detective Kubo stood in the hallway.
“You’re free to go, but don’t leave the state,” he informed us. “We’ve secured the area behind the incinerator as well as the formal burial plots and have some experts in forensics coming in to investigate the information you passed along. If you’ve lied—”
“We didn’t. I told you what I was told,” I hurried to state.
“We’ll see. For now, you’re good to go. You’ll be given your possessions. I strongly suggest you acquire permission before stepping onto private property for your next show. The landowners may still press charges, just so you know. And if you are given any information about dead bodies or graves, please contact me directly.”
He passed us a standard business card with his name and number on it. “Are you saying you’d pull in a spiritualist with the seeing eye to consult on a police case?”
“I’m saying, call me if yoursourcesmention anything that should be handled by the police.”
Got it. I shoved his card into my pocket and made like a tree and leafed with Phil at my side. Another hour passed before we were back on the streets. Well, actually we were still inthe barracks since it was about fourteen degrees outside as we waited for Grandpa and Monique to arrive.
“I’m not even going to look at my messages until February,” Phil shared with me as we lingered in a vestibule, our phones and our totes back in our possession.
“Maybe they won’t have heard,” I offered hopefully. “And if they did and they’re mad, so what?” Phil stared down at me in shock. “No, I mean, so what if they’re mad. Your parents turned their backs on you. They have no say in what you do now. If they’re pissed off, then that’s on them. Don’t let that negativity back into your life. You have us now, your new family. Sure, we might be weird, but we’re yours.”
He bit down on his lower lip and then hugged me into his chest so hard it emptied my lungs.
“My new family is not weird. My new family is perfect,” he muttered into my ratty hair just as the exterior doors flew open and two irate seniors stormed in. Grandpa and Monique were furious. Grandpa waved his cane about as he yelled at any passing cop about the rights of his grandson, while Monique glowered at the cop behind the desk so hard he had to look away. Then she hugged us, kissed our cheeks, and slowly directed Grandpa back outdoors.
“The Kees have a long history of helping humanity! Is your brain sick?!” Grandpa bellowed all the way to Monique’s new used Honda Pilot. I loved how fired up he could get when it came to defending me and Phil.
“We’ll take you to your truck,” Monique explained after we were buckled in the back of her SUV. Grandpa didn’t drive much anymore, but he was a pretty awesome co-pilot. When he wasn’t irate and swearing in vibrant Chinese at every state trooper we saw. Thank the gods they couldn’t understand what he was saying. “Then, you boys need to go right home. We have been worried sick since you went off the air. We thought maybe youwent to the hotel, but then we knew you’d not go and forget to tell us.”
“No, we had no plans for the hotel tonight. We just got detained.” I sighed as my head fell back onto the soft seat. “When we’re rested, I have so much to tell you both.”
“You did a great thing last night, sunzi,” Grandpa said over his shoulder. “You brought huge tons of pride to my heart, and your parents’ hearts as well. And you, Phil, are a brave and strong companion for my little grandson.”
