“Thanks for trying.” I sighed and rested my head in my hands. “Jeremy isn’t talking to me, and I walked out of work. I think more people believe I’m guilty than you’d believe.”
“We’ll figure this out,” Jake said. “I promise. Your crew isn’t going to let you go down for this.”
“Thanks.” I rested my head on Jake’s shoulder, trying to ward off an oncoming tension headache. “Did the police question anyone at the station yet?”
“Meh, a few of them were in and out today, but no one asked or told me anything. Whatever they had to ask or say stayed between them and Cap Hansen.”
I sat up and arched my back, popping the kinks out of my neck. “I’m off to bed,” I said. “Maybe we’ll know more in the morning.”
I went to the kitchen for a glass of water and some aspirin, and I’d just tossed some down when there was a loud knock on the door. I glanced at Jake, who shrugged. When I went to answer the door, I couldn’t help but hope it was Hansen, or even Jeremy, bearing good news.
“Are you Paisley Hill?” The cop standing at the door was middle-aged, with a potbelly and receding hairline. His partner, a younger woman, standing directly behind him, said nothing.
“Uh, yeah, that’s me. Is there a problem?”
“Paisley Hill, you’re under arrest for suspicion of arson in the third degree. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can—”
The words faded in and out. The officer’s grip on my arm was unnecessarily tight, but I couldn’t feel the pain through the numb tingling in my body. My ears rang, head swimming with confusion. Jake stood from the couch, eyes wide with horror as he watched the scene unravel before him.
“Paisley?” Jake called. “Paisley, what do I do?”
“Call Hansen,” I yelled over my shoulder. “Call himnow, Jake.”
The door slammed shut behind me, and the second officer pushed me forward, her stony silence weighing heavily on my chest.
Chapter42
Hansen
It was around two in the morning when my cell phone rang, vibrating loudly against the desk in the room’s silence. I started, reaching for it, hoping it was Paisley. She hadn’t spoken to me since walking out, but I couldn’t blame her. All I wanted at that moment was to hear her voice.
“Captain?” said a breathless voice. My stomach dropped. It wasn’t Paisley.
“Who is this?”
“It’s Finn, sir. Jake Finn.”
“Is everything okay, Jake?”
“Uh, no. Not really.”
As concern and suspicion creeped up my spine, I waited for him to go on.
“It’s Paisley,” Jake said finally. “She’s been arrested.”
I sat straight up, a jolt of panic pulsating through me. “What are you talking about, Jake?”
“The police came just now and took her away. Arson in the third degree. She told me to call you; I don’t know what to do now.”
Horror and confusion pulsated through me as I tossed the blanket off my legs, the cellphone pressed painfully against one ear.
“Did they say anything else?” I asked.
“No, sir. They just took her away.”
“Okay, thanks for calling, Jake. I’ll call the station and find out where they took her and on what grounds.”
“Thanks, Cap.” There was a pause, and then, “You don’t think she really did any of this, do you?”
