The detective who introduced himself as Hoss began. “You’d gone to the police station to make a statement regarding witnessing someone burn Dean Hendrix’s home, correct?”
“It was my intention, yes.” I let Penn answer, but if he started to slur or the questions were irrelevant toward him I’d step in.
“Then what happened?” Hoss was gentle but Mueller was shooting daggers at Penn, and it was taking a lot to hold me back.
“Then I was tossed into an interrogation room…” Penn went on to explain everything up to Tolland driving him to an undisclosed location where he was severely beaten.
“Do you have any idea where you were being held?” Penn shook his head. “Aside from Tolland, was there anyone else you saw?”
“The commissioner.” Penn’s gaze shifted to Mueller. “You want to claim he’s such a good man, he threatened me and let me be kidnapped.”
“You’re a liar,” she snarled.
“And you’re clearly on his payroll,” I added.
“Mr. Hendrix, I’d be careful if I were you. According to reports, you entered a police station armed and threatened quite a few officers.” She smirked, but the joke was on her.
“It’s cute that you think I’ll ever be a long-term resident of any jail cell.”
“I think we have everything we need.” Hoss shut his pad and slipped it into his jacket pocket.
“Don’t either one of you think about leaving town. You’re both suspects in the death of Chief Bainer and Commissioner Shaw.” She grinned.
“How?” Penn asked. “Wasn’t Bainer killed when I was kidnapped and the commissioner committed suicide while I was in a coma?”
Her smile faltered. “We’ll be in touch, stay in town.”
Once she left I turned to Penn and cupped his cheek. “Are you okay?”
He chuckled. “Fine. They didn’t phase me but Owen, is he all right?”
His concern for my son always slammed into my heart like freight train. “He’ll be fine. Thank you, once again, for protecting him.”
He hummed and rubbed his cheek against my hand. “Actually, he told me he was there to protect me.”
“He did say that, didn’t he?” I leaned in and gently kissed his lips. I couldn’t wait until he was home.
The door opened, and Dean stepped in. “Danny said he and Toni were instructed by police to remove themselves from the hallway as it was causing a disturbance. They directed them to a room and confiscated their phones, hence neither of them calling you.”
“Where are they now?”
“Outside the room.”
“Bring them in.” I turned to Penn. “Do you mind? I know you’re tired.”
“I’m so tired, I’m sure I’ll pass out halfway through your conversation.”
I snorted, pecked his lips, and stood. Danny and Toni entered with Dean.
“I’m sorry, sir. We didn’t want to cause a scene in the hospital,” Danny began but I stopped him.
“I understand. But it’s suspicious. Why would they take your phones and sequester you in a room?”
“I have a theory about that,” Toni offered. “Dean was saying how the female detective was defensive?”
Penn answered, “She’s loyal to Shaw for sure.”
“Mmm. The cops didn’t have love for me or Danny. While I think Lorcan’s threat of a war and how upon his death there’d be serious consequences was hyperbole, there were loyalists to him and Shaw that might be pissed.”
