“What’s wrong, partner?” Adrian walked by me and sat at his desk that faced mine. He wore a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
“What’s going on with the Joker smile this morning? Did you have an awesome weekend or what?” I couldn’t help but be distracted from my problem when he practically glowed like the sun.
“You could say that,” he said before leaning forward. “Look, it’s early on and we’re not telling many people yet, but you’re not just people.” He took a shaky breath and said, “Sally Ann is pregnant.”
I was out of my chair and around my desk giving him a congratulatory hug in a blink of an eye. “That’s fantastic, Adrian. I am so damn happy for you two. You’ll both be amazing parents.” I knew it was true. I’d been to barbecues at their house and seen them interact with their nieces and nephews enough to know how lucky their baby would be. “I won’t say a word until you guys are ready to tell everyone. I am so honored that you wanted to tell me.”
I felt like I’d hit the lotto when I was partnered up with Adrian. He never once gave a damn about who I was attracted to, all he cared about was that I was a good cop. In the two years that I worked with him, he went from a colleague to a good friend before he became a brother. No one deserved happiness more than Adrian and Sally Ann.
“So, the look on your face and the cursing under your breath indicates that all is not right in your world. What’s up, partner?”
I said nothing; instead, I flipped the photo around and handed it to him. Adrian let out a soft whistle before looking up at me. “We have to bring him in and officially question him,” I said.
Adrian held out his hand for the file and I handed it to him. “There’s nothing hinky in the toxicology reports or her stomach contents.” I saw sympathy in his eyes when he looked at me. “I’ll send out a unit to bring him in.”
I just nodded my head, grateful I didn’t have to give the order. I would do it if I must because I had sworn to uphold the law, to protect and to serve, and exceptions couldn’t be made just because I wanted to fuck the prime suspect. I cringed at my inner thoughts because I knew what I wanted from Josh was more than a fuck. I didn’t proclaim to be in love, but I sure as hell wanted more from him than to spread him out below me in a bed.
Dreadful anticipation built inside me until I felt like I would implode while waiting for the officers to bring Josh in. I felt his presence in the precinct and slowly turned my chair to face him. I wanted to close my eyes so I didn’t see the hurt and betrayal when his gaze connected with mine. Everything about the situation screamed how wrong it was and not just because I wanted him. I saw how he interacted with his clients, his friends, his pets, and people at the fucking grocery store when he didn’t realize I was watching. Okay, I sounded like a goddamned perv, but it just went to show how much I had seen with my own eyes. Josh Roman was no killer. I hated the situation more than he hated me right then. He was led to interview room one and I was grateful to be away from his accusing stare, even if it was for just a minute.
“Look, why don’t you let me take care of this interview. You can watch on the monitor,” Adrian offered.
I shook my head. “No, Adrian. I can and will do my job. I will push my personal feelings aside and do what I’ve been hired to do.”
“Okay, but…”
“I got this,” I said, stepping around him and heading toward the interview room.
I could feel Josh’s hostility as I strode in the room with Adrian on my heels. I let Adrian take the lead by reading Josh his rights after I turned on the video camera. Josh refused to look at me, choosing to keep focused on Adrian.
“We already established that you don’t have an alibi for the night of the murder when we last talked, Mr. Roman.” Adrian pulled out the photo of the scissors from the file, turned it around, and slid it in front of Josh so he could see it. “Care to tell us how your scissors ended up buried in Georgia Beaumont’s carotid artery?” Josh flinched sharply before all of the color drained from his skin. I wanted to kick Adrian beneath the table, which was wrong because I would’ve approved of his method had it been anyone else.
“I-I-I-did not do that to her. I couldneverdo that to someone.” Josh’s voice and eyes pleaded for Adrian to understand. He still didn’t look at me and I needed to change that.
“Everyone is capable of murder,” I told him. The cold look he sent my way let me know exactly what he thought of my statement. I couldn’t let that sway me so I pressed on. “You didn’t answer the question, Mr. Roman. How did your scissors end up at Mrs. Beaumont’s home?”
He turned back to look at Adrian and said, “I gave them to her a few years ago when I opened up my new salon. She gave me a brand new blue set of sheers as a congratulatory gift. In return, I gave her the first pair I had ever bought – the ones I had used to cut her hair for years.” His voice had cracked with emotion during the last few words and he closed his eyes in what I thought was an effort to gather his composure.
“We’re going to need to get your fingerprints. You can either volunteer or I’ll get a warrant,” Adrian replied. “What will it be?”
“I’ll do it, but I already know my fingerprints will be all over them unless she wiped them off since then.” Josh then turned and looked at me. His eyes went from cold to downright mean and his next words cut me to the bone. “I really do have an alibi for the night she was killed. I had an overnight guest who can testify to my whereabouts from seven o’clock until the time I left and ran into you outside her home.”
“Why didn’t you tell us about your alibi then?” Adrian asked.
“I didn’t wanthimto know,” Josh replied, nodding his head in my direction so that there was no doubt as to who he was referring to.
Inside I was seething, but not at him. He’d done nothing wrong, owed me nothing. I was furious with myself for fantasizing about a guy who truly meant what he said when he claimed to not want me. He had moved on and was trying to be discreet. I needed to put him behind me and do my fucking job.
“We’re going to need the name of your alibi and a way to reach him to confirm.” I slid a notepad and a pen to him. He narrowed his eyes at me, but then looked down at the notepad as he wrote down what I requested.
Once he was done, Adrian took the notebook from Josh before I could then he escorted Josh to have his fingerprints and palms scanned into our database for comparison. I tried not to bristle too much over Adrian’s heavy hand in dealing with the information Josh provided. I knew he was only looking out for my best interest, but it wasn’t like I was going to ask the guy for a blow-by-blow of how their evening went. Or, at least I didn’t think I would. I immediately regretted theblow-by-blowthought as soon as it crossed my mind because my mind was quick to imagine a faceless man enjoying Josh’s mouth on him.
I must’ve stewed in my chair for a good twenty minutes before Josh and Adrian returned. Josh looked smug and Adrian looked indifferent. Josh took a seat and Adrian motioned for me to join him in the hallway outside the interview room.
“His alibi checks out and we can’t hold him even if the fingerprints match. Like he said, they were his scissors and his prints should be on them. He even offered to show us the card that Georgia gave him with the new set of scissors.”
“He still has it?” I asked.
“He said he keeps things like that because if people take the time to do something nice then it deserves to be treasured.” Adrian shrugged and added, “Besides, I think the guy really did care about Georgia Beaumont. This guy isn’t our killer.”
