Officer Davis put Sue’s license back in her wallet, and then handed it right to me. “Thank you, Ms. Kim. From the... pieces... of the animal in the road and the single set of tire tracks, your story matches the evidence.
“This was clearly an unavoidable accident, and we’re ready to wrap things up here. If you give me a few minutes, I’ll get the accident report for your insurance.”
“Thank you,” I croaked. My heart pounded so hard against my rib cage, I was sure he could dance a tune to it all the way to his squad car.
Okay, he bought it, but he was never the challenge.
The paramedic glued the cut closed, then bandaged it. By the time he was done, Officer Davis returned.
“All right, Ms. Kim.” He gestured to his car. “After you.”
I blinked. “After me? After me where?”
“To the car.” He laughed. “I’m sure you’re eager to get home.”
Understanding dawned. “Oh! No, that’s okay,” I blurted. “I’ll wait here for the tow truck.”
“Absolutely not.” Davis handed me the accident report. “The town only has the one, and he’s tied up on another job. He won’t be here for hours, and there’s no way I’m leaving an injured woman on the side of the street for that long.
“Here,” he said, taking my arm. “Let me help you.”
I wanted to argue, but didn’t know how to do that without coming off strange.
Leaving anyone else alone with the car seemed like an extraordinarily bad idea. I used the clothes I found in Sue’s shopping bags to clean up the blood on the passenger side—fueling the lie that I was alone in the car, but what if I missed a spot? What if they did their CSI luminol shit? What if—
“Ma’am?”
I jerked to attention, realizing Davis was waiting for me to move. Swallowing hard, I let him lead me to the car—passing his partner as she moved back to the accident scene, examining Sue’s sports car.
We drove away as she opened the passenger side door and ducked inside.
I leaned back in my seat, eyes darting this way and that—taking everything in. The squad car was as immaculate as I expected of the serious man who took copious notes while I gave my story, and whipped out a tape measure to compare the skid marks on the road with Sue’s tires.
I eyed him, relaxed and whistling behind the wheel.A guy this by-the-book wouldn’t be so chill if he suspected something, would he?
I peeked inside my bag, making sure the recorder was on.If he starts asking me weird and specific questions, I’ll have proof he questioned me without a lawyer present. That’ll get anything I might stupidly say thrown out.
Although if I learned anything from living vicariously through lawyers on TV, it’s that my best play right now, is to shut the fuck up.
“So,” he spoke up, nearly popping me out of my seat. “Are you sure you don’t want to swing by the hospital? Head injuries can be very serious.”
“I’ll go,” I replied, holding tight to my phone. Resting beneath it was Sue’s. “But I need to see my mother first. She’s ill and elderly. I can’t imaginehow worried she’s been waiting for me to come home. I need to reassure her I’m alright.”
“Right, of course.” He tipped his chin. “I completely understand. My first thought after a near-death experience would be to hold my family too.”
I chewed my lip, eyeing him out of the corner of my vision. Am I supposed to say something in response? Is he trying to bait me with normal conversation, or is this really just a friendly chat?
If he suspected me of something, wouldn’t he be driving me to the police station?
Not if he suspected you of something he couldn’t prove,that whispering voice slithered in.He’d just try to catch you off your guard, then. Get you to say something you shouldn’t.
“You take this road down to Fifth Street, then turn left on Coral Reef,” I finally said, then I shut my mouth. If I could sit in silence while Sue baited me every which way from Sunday, then I could certainly keep my mouth shut with a random cop.
He nodded.
Quiet permeated the car—smothering even to me. Our route was still gripped by the trees and the occasional break through the leaves, revealing the shining sparkling sapphires that were the ocean.
In other words, there wasn’t a damn thing to look at other than a mess of trees and water. Hardly engrossing enough to prevent conversation, which just made it weirder that we weren’t talking.
