I rub my palms into my eyes, wishing like hell I’d gone to bed instead of come here. Why do I always step in shit? Finally, the bearded officer gives up and motions me out into the heat where Andy is standing near Jack.
Dahlyla is still in the back of one of the squad cars. She must be used to this kind of thing because not one hair is out of place as she refreshes her lipstick.
“Unless you plan on arresting us, we’re done here.” Andy slips an arm around my waist as the medical examiner’s van pulls into the crowded field.
The oldest cop, the one who pointed his gun at Jack, steps forward. “I have just one more question.” He glares my way. “Were those your mics in the trees, Miss Giles?”
I look to Andy and he nods but even so, I choose my words carefully. “That’s why we came here this morning. I’m working for Dr. Edelstein in Manhattan. She has a grant to study natural sounds and the effects on insomnia. Would you-”
“Hold on. Are you saying you have the murder on tape?”
“Tape?” I laugh at his old-fashioned term. He’s obviously not tech-savvy. “These days, audio streams live and it’s virtual, not tape. The files are way too large to save.”
“So, do you, or do you not, have a recording?”
I look to Andy and he nods grimly.
“I don’t.” Okay, that was kind of a lie. My files are saved in the cloud.
Andy’s mouth purses. Apparently lying to a cop investigating a murder is a bad idea but to be one-hundred percent accurate, Ipersonallydo not have a recording.
My lawyer and the officer eye each other like two dogs at a hydrant until the older guy spits on the ground. “Come with me.”
Then, I sit in the heat for hours while cops come and go, chat, eat, and basically ignore me in the back seat of a squad car.
The sun is low in the sky by the time Andy opens my door, the officer in charge with him. “I’d appreciate it if you’d see to it she stays close to home, counselor. Just one more thing…”
The cop directs his hazel eyes at me. “Where were you yesterday, Ms. Giles?”
Panicked, I look to Andy. “It’s okay, luv, just tell him the truth.”
“Well, let’s see. At first, I was in the hospital. Then, Andy brought me and Dahlyla to lunch. I went to rehearsal, then took a nap until I went to my gig in the evening.”
“Any witnesses?” He glances up from his notebook.
“Plenty, except for when I was asleep.”
The cop grabs for handcuffs but Andy gives him a dangerous look and butts in. “We wouldn’t want to file for false arrest, such a waste of the taxpayer’s money and it never looks good. Tell you what, I’ll send you our sworn, signed statements.”
The policeman ponders for a while, then gives a brief nod. “Don’t leave the city.”
Then, he saunters away to talk with a white-haired gent in a matching lab coat standing next to a black body bag.
“That’s it?” I shut my surprised mouth, worried I’ll catch one of the tiny black flies buzzing about.
“For now. Let’s go before he changes his mind.” Andy grabs my arm and leads me across the field to the SUV where Dahlyla waits in the front seat.
Jack shakes hands with one of the cops, gives him a business card, then slides into the driver’s seat. Leaning across my friend, he places his gun into the glove compartment and starts the engine.
Overhead, dark clouds clear, leaving the air thick as we head down the dirt road. Apparently, we aren’t going to get a storm anytime soon.
“Where to, now?” My stomach growls as the crime scene fades from view.
Andy strains his neck so as to watch out the back window. “Someone is following. Best not to stop until we get to my office.”
I guess that means we don’t get to eat.
Damn.
