It was chaos.
And perfect for Darius.
He took a step back and quickly and quietly addressed Mitchell. Eve, at his side, listened in with a slight head tilt.
“You came over here earlier tonight because Eve and I are having an affair,” Darius said, hurriedly. “You decided to end things and were attacked when leaving.”
Mitchell’s eyes widened.
“What?”
Darius continued, ignoring the question.
“Instead of asking for a lawyer, ask for your brother,” he said. “Tell him you’re afraid of me and my job in the department. Really lean into that. Got it?”
Mitchell didn’t immediately answer.
Eve did it for him.
“I’ll refuse to see Scott to really sell it,” she added. “If they want to question me alone, I’ll only ask for you.”
Darius nodded.
“That’ll work.”
Mitchell still looked confused.
Eve patted his arm but kept her gaze on Darius.
“We’ve got this,” she assured him.
THREE HOURS LATERand she’d proved herself right. Not only did Mitchell make a show about their alleged affair, he outright refused to answer any more questions without his brother Scott present.
Eve was the same but less flashy with it.
When she gave her statement, she did so with the sheriff and Darius at her side.
Though, the sheriff wasn’t at all pleased with the situation.
He finally voiced his displeasure during a small window of quiet as everyone waited for Scott to arrive.
Liam was leaning against the wall, outside the sheriff department’s bathroom, with a long face and an even longer sigh leaking out. Darius didn’t miss the glance he cast around the hallways to make sure they were alone before he spoke.
“I haven’t known you as long as most of the people here have, but I can confidently say that you having an affair with an almost-married woman doesn’t seem to be in line with your character.”
His sheriff’s badge would have had a glint to it had they been out in the sun. Instead, the fluorescents made it look dull. The lack of luster wasn’t reflected in the wearer. Liam had been tightly strung since seeing his son sporting blood and bruises.
He had been the only one, in fact, who hadn’t reprimanded Winnie for her pointed attack on the woman who had caused it.
At any other time, Darius would have appreciated the enthusiasm.
Now he hoped to avoid its consequences.
“If it was any other woman, I wouldn’t be in this situation,” Darius said, telling the truth without all the details as dressings.
“But she’s your childhood friend. Your former next-door neighbor.”
The sheriff’s words were calculated. Blunt.
