~One~
ROMAN
As we left Yreka, the scene of Albert hanging from the ceiling kept playing in my mind. Something didn’t sit well with me. I was certain that Lanie didn’t notice, but how he hung from the ceiling was disturbing. If I wanted to kill myself, I would have pushed the chair away once I stepped off of it. The chair was upright, which made no sense for a person committing suicide. Then there was the way the rope was tied around Albert’s neck. If he wanted to, he could undo the knot, allowing him to fall to the floor.
The more I thought about it, even the letter was all wrong. The words written in the letter amounted to more of an apology than a suicide. Too many questions, but not for me to answer. The best thing I could do was let the police investigate and focus my thoughts on Lanie.
Concentrating on the road ahead, I could hear the faint sound of sirens behind me. Looking in my rear-view mirror, I could see blue lights in the distance coming toward me. As with any emergency vehicle approaching, the best thing to do was to move to the side of the road. Finding a safe place to pull over, I soon found that I was in his sights.
When he parked his car close behind me, I kept my eyes on the cop as he exited the police car. As he got closer, I recognized him as the officer who was at Albert Jackson’s house. Confusion entered as I tried to figure out why he would stop me.
“What can I do for you, officer?” My eyes were on him and I could tell by the way he stood he was tense.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Michaels, but I need you to come with me back to Yreka,” he stated. His hand fell to his gun, which was holstered on his right side. “We have a few more questions for you.”
Based on the way he stood, I got the feeling he wasn’t leaving without me in his custody. There was no way I could let that happen. “I’ll follow you in if that is okay. Lanie doesn’t know how to drive and I would prefer not to leave my car parked on the side of the road.”
He had seemed adamant, but to my surprise, he folded. “I will follow you.”
Waiting until he pulled away from the side of the road and turned in the opposite direction, I whipped the car around in front of him. Glancing over to Lanie, her hands were grasping the seat and I was sure that the flashing blue lights were the cause. The lights were annoying, but there was nothing I could do to turn them off. Flashing my lights, I offered a hint that he needed to turn off the lights.
Taking Lanie’s hand, I squeezed it lightly. “Leaving the lights on is his way of showing power. Close your eyes and don’t think about them.”
Moving my eyes from the rear-view mirror to the road, I decided enough was enough. Easing the car to the side of the road, I placed the car into park and opened the door. The officer pulled in behind me, as I expected. I kept my anger at bay, knowing the only way to get any results was to be nice to the officer.
Luckily for him, he remained inside the car. As he lowered the window halfway, his eyes met mine. “Is there a problem?”
“Only a suggestion, but could you please turn off the flashing lights? They are very distracting.”
“Oh… sure,” he chuckled.
Leaving the officer’s car, I saw without turning back that the lights were no longer flashing. His consideration proved that he wasn’t one of those asshole cops that lived to make everyone feel second-rate.
Placing my foot on the brake, I shifted into drive and pulled out onto the road. Lanie’s body language showed that she was still uneasy. Something else had her anxious and it had nothing to do with the lights. She resembled a frightened child awaiting her fate. Showing her that not everyone was out to get her was something I needed to do as soon as we got back to Portland.
♥ ♥ ♥
Sitting in the interrogation room, knowing that Lanie was alone waiting, scared, was all I could think about. I couldn’t believe they thought I had something to do with Albert Jackson’s death. I soon learned that the Yreka PD wasn’t as smart as I thought they were. They didn’t see the same things I had during their investigation. Finding my fingerprints in the house wasn’t a surprise. But finding them in almost every room was, especially since I wasn’t in the house until this morning and was only in the room where we found Albert. I was being set up, and I found it hard to convince him that I was telling the truth.
When the time came to question Lanie, I began to worry. We were together every minute until I left to think. I was gone for three hours and Lanie didn’t know where I went. Remembering the blonde at the bar, I pulled out the napkin from my pocket. Looking at the number, I laughed. Even though I wanted nothing to do with her, she was my best chance of getting out of this forsaken town.
When I heard the knob turn, I knew the chief of police had returned. Scratching his head, he took a seat in front of me and threw a manila folder on the table. “Your girlfriend admitted that you left last night and didn’t return for several hours. Can you tell me where you were?”
“I left to think,” I admitted.
“So you left the motel to think,” he chuckled sarcastically. “While you were out thinking… you didn’t by chance run into anyone that could confirm where you were?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.” Throwing the napkin his way, I waited for the chief to grab it from the table. “I went to the bar down the street. There was a blonde there and she stuffed that napkin in my pocket. I’m sure she will confirm I was there.”
Standing to his feet, the chief walked to the door. “I hope you’re right.” Opening the door, he turned to face me. “One more thing, your girlfriend left after we questioned her. By the looks of it, you weren’t her only boyfriend.”
No words could describe the way I felt. Lanie left and I didn’t know with whom. “Wait. Who did she leave with?”
“I think he said his name was Willoughby. Unfortunately for you, until I verify this number, you aren’t going anywhere, so sit tight. It might a while.”
The last thing I wanted to do was to sit tight. I needed to find Lanie.
~Two~
ALANNAH
I knew my time with Roman was only a dream. Eventually it would end, and any hope for a real life would be gone. Mr. Willoughby didn’t have to say anything when he showed up at the police station. I knew exactly what to do.
Walking out the front door to the station, I saw Master Winston’s car parked out front, waiting to take me back to Last Chance. When Mr. Willoughby opened the door, it was no surprise to see Master Winston waiting inside. I did not understand what was going on, but whatever he had planned, I knew that I wouldn’t be seeing Roman again.
I knew that saying something would be against Master Winston’s wishes, but if I was to remain with him, I needed to know. Trying hard to gather all the strength I had, I bowed my head in respect. “Master, if it so pleases you, can you tell me what will happen to me?”