Refusing to sit and listen to this crap a second longer, Charlie stood and started walking for the door.
“This is ridiculous. I’m going to find Eric.”
The intimidating woman quickly blocked her path. “I’ve seen it happen, Charlie. More than once. Men in a position of leadership or power use that power to manipulate women into thinking they need them. That they can’t have a life without them.”
“You’re wrong about this. Derek would never do that to me. He loves me.”
“Love causes some people to do crazy, unthinkable things, Charlie. Things like burning down their own house to get what they want. I think you need to watch yourself where your boyfriend’s concerned.”
“And I think you need to go to hell.”
Charlie had barely gotten the words out when the door opened and Eric walked in. From the look on his face, he knew something was up.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, York?”
“Ms. Porter and I were just having a conversation.”
Eric took a few seconds to study Charlie’s demeanor before looking back at York.
“Conversation, my ass. She came here to report a crime, not to be interrogated by you.”
“She thinks Derek is behind everything that’s been happening,” Charlie gladly threw the other woman under the bus.
To say Eric was mad would be a major understatement. His handsome face grew red, and there was a vein in his forehead that looked like it was about to pop out.
He got right into the woman’s face. “You come in here and accuse my brother of terrorizing the woman he loves? Who the hell do you think you are?”
To her credit, York didn’t look the least bit intimidated. “I’m the detective who was assigned to this case.”
Charlie would have been impressed if the bitch hadn’t just accused Derek the way she had.
Eric laughed humorlessly. “The woman just got here.”
York sounded unapologetic when she told him, “Captain called me into his office when I got back from checking out a lead on another case. That was”—she looked down at her watch—“two hours ago. Told me DFD was officially declaring the fire that destroyed your brother’s house an open arson investigation, and he assigned the case to me. I’ve found a lot of interesting information in those two hours.” She nodded toward Charlie, adding, “When she came in just now, I recognized her.”
“So, you decided to pounce on her the second I bring her in here?”
“No,” she let the word trail on. “I had planned on waiting until you were finished talking with her to ask my questions. But then you asked me to bring her coffee while you made a couple of phone calls.” The detective shrugged. “Figured I may as well kill two birds with one stone.”
Looking like he was ready to strangle the attractive woman, Eric took a deep breath and ran a hand over his scruff of a beard.
“So when, exactly, did you decide my brother had become a nut job?”
“I haven’t decided anything yet, Detective. And if you’d take a step back and pretend it isn’t your brother who’s involved, I bet you’d have done the exact same thing in my shoes.”
“Wrong. I would’ve given you the professional courtesy you clearly didn’t think I deserved, and I would’ve talked to you first. Then, I would haveaskedto speak to the victim, rather than jumping on her the first chance I got. And I sure as hell wouldn’t have put the one person who helped her get away from that abusive, narcissistic asshole of a husband at the top of my suspect list without some sort of evidence to back it up.”
York opened her mouth to respond, but Eric’s phone began to ring, cutting her off.
He yanked it from his pocket and answered with a clipped, “What?” There was a pause and an under-his-breath curse before Eric said, “Hand him the phone.” He waited two more seconds and then, “Let him back.” Whoever was on the other end said something that clearly added to Eric’s frustration because his next words came out through a set of clenched teeth. “He’s my brother, asshole. Now, let. Him. Back.”
Derek’s here.
Eric shoved his phone back into his pocket and refocused his gaze on the real cause of his anger.
“You’re done in here. And before you even think about talking to Charlie or my brother about this shit again...or me, for that matter...you’d better have some goddamn evidence in your hands. Otherwise, don’t bother.”
Detective York looked ready to spit nails but was smart enough to know when she’d been beaten.
