Page 53 of Lovely Violent Things

The excruciating interrogation I will be subjected to will pale drastically to the previous ones. I’m putting a lot of trust in my recent memories, which will force me to reconcile the memories I’ve been avoiding very soon.

But once that knife is processed, it will be near impossible to convince Alister and officials that the evidence was planted.

Inside a flawed system, sometimes you have to break the rules.

I try the doorknob, not surprised to find it locked. “Shit.”

As I scope out the office area, I wonder how right Hernandez is about small towns and trust.

Snagging my phone from my back pocket, I light the camera flashlight and hunt through the first desk for an extra set of lab keys. Coming up empty, I close the drawer with a muttered curse. I wrangle my nerves and quickly search the other three desks, feeling the urgent press of limited time.

A crackle of static sounds from down the hallway, and I duck beneath a desk. A local officer talks into his shoulder radio as he passes through the forensic sector.

Standing, I glance directly across the hallway at the darkened office. The one Alister is using to head up the task force.

Before I can think better, I start in that direction. I circle my hand around the cool door handle and turn, a sense of relief flooding me as the latch bolt gives with a softsnick.

I enter the room, my steps immediately faltering as Alister looks up from his laptop screen. “Halen. What are you doing here?”

I hurriedly kill the flashlight and pocket my phone. “Sorry to bother you,” I say, tossing a glance at the closed blinds of the glass partition. “I need a word with you, sir. But… It’s late. I apologize. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“No. Stay.” He rises from the leather chair, and my gaze drops to where he slips his keyring into his front pocket. “I think you should see this.”

Something in his vacant eyes sets off an internal alarm, and my stomach pitches. I grip the door handle. “I think it should wait—”

“This is important. Close the door, St. James.”

Apprehension rears at the authoritative command. I ease the door closed and take two steps into the office, curious over what else he’s kept from me on the case.

“Was something important discovered at the ravine?” I cross my arms, daring him to deny it.

His smile doesn’t reach his tapered eyes. “You just can’t help it, can you?”

My head notches back. “Excuse me?”

He rubs the back of his neck in an agitated motion. “The way you dig right under my skin.”

My chest prickles in warning. “Maybe I should get someone—”

“We’re the only ones here, Halen.” Alister angles the laptop my way. “It’s the perfect time for us to have a private discussion, as I’m sure you don’t want to explain this publicly.”

There, displayed on the screen, is footage from the interrogation room. I’m positioned on my back on the table. Kallum removes my jeans, then spreads my legs…

I look away.

“Oh, don’t pretend to be offended,” Alister says, and I hear the judgment in his voice. “You’re not the type of girl to be offended, Halen.”

He circles the desk, and I take a reflexive step back. “It really is late, Alister,” I say, making sure to use his name with just as much derision as he uses mine. “And this is inappropriate.”

“Inappropriate.” He chuckles mockingly, then wipes a hand down his mouth. “You planned what happened in the press meeting earlier,” he says, tone laced with heavy accusation.

I shake my head against the blare of my inner alarm, noting his gun harness draped over the back of the desk chair. “I did my best to deter the questions.”

“There seems to be a leak.” With another step closer, he crowds my personal space. “Someone is feeding information to the media. And I think it’s the someone who wanted to sabotage that conference.”

Hackles fully raised, I turn and make a dash toward the door. He seizes my arm and yanks me forcefully back. I catch myself against the desk, bracing the heels of my hands on the sharp edge.

Alister loosens the knot of his blue tie, his features cut hard by the shadows. As he draws closer, his expression creased in revulsion, I reach behind my back in search of a weapon.

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