Her eyes well with tears again when she nods. “Please.”
Harlen pulls her in for a hug and says his goodbye.
The pale walls close in on me as I step outside of the room and keep my eyes screwed to the scuffed linoleum floors.
I don’t acknowledge the officers sitting in the flimsy burnt-orange bucket chairs a few feet away, especially when I see one of them is Officer James.
Both have their limbs hanging casually over their knees, cardboard coffee cups in the palms of their hands and when they see me, they rise to their feet.
But I move right past them.
“Keller,” Officer James announces.
I keep my back turned.
He clears his throat, croaks, “I’m sorry for your loss, kid.”
I suck the inside of my cheek and come to a stop.
Harlen must feel the rage emanating from me because his arm is quick to reach across my body, palm resting at my chest, halting what I’ll do next.
“Keep moving,” Harlen’s voice is a small, weightless breath.
But he and I both knew I couldn’t—wouldn’t—do that. Sucking on my front teeth, I turn, and Harlen exhales roughly, cussing beneath his breath.
I take the six steps back to Officer James, raise my chin, meet his empty gray stare.
He doesn’t so much as bristle.
He pushes the takeaway coffee cup to his mouth and takes a casual sip.
I scoff, shaking my head. “Are you, though?”
He draws the cup away, swallows, not looking at me.
“Of course, what happened?—”
I cut him off, moving one beat closer, growling beneath my breath, “Convenient that you locked me up the night my sister was brutally murdered.”
This time he steps into me, and I don’t step back, and he whispers so coolly it sends the blade of a shiver cutting down my spine.
“Don’t throw knives until you’ve got better aim, Keller.”
I keep my eyes on his, my mouth contorted with rage, then I step back, pointing at him.
“Find out who the fuck did this to my sister, because if you let this case run cold like the last one, I will…”
“You’ll what?” he asks, not letting me finish, crossing his arms at his chest, flexing his biceps, puffing his chest. A dickless move to prove his authority over me, over this whole fucked up blood-drenched town.
“Just do your fucking job!” I spit, looking him up and down, then I spin around.
My palms slam against the exit doors, and the glass flies open, bouncing on its hinges.
Crisp air instantly throws a fist to my face.
“Do you think he had something to do—” Harlen is cut off when the door behind us slams shut with a loud resounding thud.
When it’s echoed off, I tell him, “I have no fucking idea.” Then, I jerk my chin at him and extend my arm, curling my fingers back. “Give ‘em here.”
