“So I’m guessing you routinely leave your phone at home when you come out here hiking?”
For a split second, I consider lying. It certainly would make things go better at this moment. I should just say I always leave my phone at home when I go out hiking on these trails, but something tells me Officer Ramon wouldn’t believe that. I’m a pretty good liar, but I’m not sure I could lie about something right now, and even worse, all he’d have to do is talk to my wife and he’d find out the truth.
“Um, no. Actually, I usually have my phone on me.”
Officer Raintree finally speaks up and from behind his fellow policeman, he asks far less politely than his partner, “So then why didn’t you have it on you today? That seems odd, doesn’t it?”
I scramble to think of an answer that will sound plausible. I don’t know why I didn’t bring my phone with me when I came to meet Bryan. It’s completely unlike me. I always have my phone with me.
Shaking my head, I answer the best I can. “I don’t know. I did run into some problems when I was trying to find a pair of pants to wear today. My wife had stuffed them into the back of the closet, and they were wrinkly when I found them. I was pretty angry about that. Maybe that made me forget my phone. I don’t know. I imagine it’s sitting on the bed where I must have left it before I walked out of the house to come here.”
I know how that sounds. Like I’m some idiot. That’s why I didn’t want to mention it.
“Okay, onto what happened here. So you said he was waving a gun around and then he shot himself?”
Again, I nod. “Yes. Well, there may have been some more conversation between those two things. I don’t know. It all happened so fast. We stopped here in the clearing and were talking, and then the next thing I knew, the gun went off and he was lying on the ground.”
As Officer Ramon writes down my comments, Officer Raintree stares at me like he thinks I’m the one who shot Bryan. I want to say I would never hurt a soul, but I know I couldn’t pull off that lie.
Considering my past, that is.
I watch as the paramedics wheel Bryan away on a stretcher, his entire body and face covered by a white sheet. When I turn my attention back to the two officers standing in front of me, I see them staring at me.
“Can I go now? This has been incredibly upsetting.”
“We have a few more questions,” Raintree snaps. “Like for example, did you and the victim routinely come out on these trails hiking? Was this a regular thing you two did together?”
“No. In fact, today is the first time we’ve ever done anything outside of work together.”
That seems to interest Officer Ramon, and once he jots down that detail, he asks, “So you two were coworkers? Where?”
“Chesapeake Siding and Garage Doors. We’re both salesmen.”
“Okay. So while you didn’t routinely go hiking together, you two were friends?” Ramon stops for a moment before adding, “Work friends, I mean.”
“I guess you could say that. We both work in the siding division of the company. Bryan was newer at the company than I was.”
My answers appear to frustrate Officer Raintree, who pipes up with, “So you were coworkers but not friends? Because you two don’t sound very close to me. I mean, I work with OfficerRamon here all the time, and we’re friends too because we do things outside of work. That doesn’t sound like what was going on between you and Mr. Corsei.”
Already irritated by these local cops who probably have dreams of being much bigger than they are, I level my gaze on him and say, “There was nothing going on between me and Bryan. We worked at the same company. I had his number in my phone, and when I needed to get away from my house today since my wife and my two daughters have six preteen girls over for a party, I called him and he asked if I wanted to go hiking. That’s it. Now I need to go.”
I turn to leave and feel a hand squeeze down on my forearm. Looking back at the two officers, I see it’s Officer Raintree who thinks he’s going to detain me.
“Do you have something else you want to ask me?” I ask, lifting my gaze to meet his.
“We aren’t done yet.”
“Well, I am. Unless you’re going to arrest me for something, although I can’t imagine what crime you think I committed, but unless you have cause to arrest me, I’m going home. Goodbye.”
He doesn’t let go of my arm, so I yank it away from his hold and walk away. If they want to talk to me again, they’re going to need to make a damn appointment.
CHAPTER SIX
Jamie
Deep in thoughtabout my life, I don’t see Kelsey sit down across from me until she clears her throat. Quickly, I force a smile and point at her scone.
“Heated with butter?”
