I shift uncomfortably despite his nonchalance, as the saying, “Everything that you say can and will be used against you ina court of law,”flashes through my mind.Can Cameron get in trouble if they find that she took her own life after the two of them were fighting all day?
Detective Harvey must sense my discomfort, because he asks another question. “I overheard that the power went out at some point. Tell me about that.”
“I was in the kitchen with Cameron doing dishes when the power initially went out, and then Delaney walked in a minute or so later to discuss turning on the generator. Ollie and Valentina joined the conversation shortly after, and we decided as a group that it was best to wait for the storm to die down before anyone went outside.”
“What happened after that conversation?”
“Val and Ollie took off to the front of the house to go up the stairs that way, but Cameron took me up a back stairway so that we didn’t have to cover as much distance. We met them again in his room upstairs, the primary bedroom, and then we went down the hall to get my phone from my room.”
“Who is we?”
“Me and Cameron.”
He nods like this is all completely logical. “What happened to your forehead? That’s a pretty decent bump. Did you hit it on something while you were walking around in the dark?”
I stiffen at his observation, even though there isn’t an ounce of suspicion in his voice.
“Yes, actually. I hit it on the door at the top of the stairs.”
“When you were walking up the back stairway?”
“Yes, exactly.”
He nods. “Then the power came back on after you and Mr. James went into your room for your phone, which brings us to the sequence of events you started with, right?”
“Right,” I confirm.
He seems satisfied with my statement. “Is there anything else that you can share that might be helpful to the investigation?”
“Not that I can think of.”
“Okay, thanks so much for coming in tonight, and sorry again to keep you waiting.” He stands to lead me out, and I follow him back to the lobby, hoping to find Cameron there waiting for me.
Instead, Jalen rises from one of the chairs at our arrival.
“Everything good?” he asks, posing the question to Detective Harvey.
“Yep, all set,” the detective says, then turns to me. “Here’s my card in case you think of anything else important.” I reach out to take it with my right hand without thinking, and reveal my bloody, bandaged thumb. “Ouch, what happened there?” he asks.
“I cut it on some broken glass while I was doing the dishes,” I say, but instantly regret it, because it probably doesn’t paint Cameron in the best light that multiple people were injured at his retreat on the same night.
He smiles warmly, calming my fears. “Happens to the best of us. Take care, Miss Bailey. Nice to see you again, Jalen.”
“Likewise,” Jalen says, but as soon as Detective Harvey is out of earshot, lowers his voice. “I really don’t like that guy.”
“Why not? He was pleasant enough.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of his schtick. He uses it to get people’s guards down so that he can get a free-will confession without having to read Miranda rights. I’m surprised they had him take your statement since there was no crime committed.”
“He said that they were short-staffed tonight.”
A group of officers clumped around a desk laugh boisterously across the lobby. Jalen follows my line of sight and narrows his eyes at the group. “Short-staffed, huh?” he says. “Either way, I apologize that you had to be alone for your statement. Cameron sent me to find you as soon as he heard that you agreed to giveone, but none of the other officers seemed to know where you were being interviewed.”
“Is he almost done?” I ask, anxious to be back in his calming presence.
“No, he’s going to be here for a while, since he was the one who found her body. He asked me to get you set up in a hotel room nearby so that you can get some rest until he’s finished.”
“Oh,” I say, disappointed.
