The police officer’s head tilts slightly, and I can hear theawwon the tip of his tongue.
“I won’t keep your boyfriend for much longer, Miss Sinclair. I just wanted to confirm a few things.”
Boyfriend?
My eyes flick to Alfie, whose face of course remains neutral, like hearing someone else assume we’re together isn’t just ridiculous but also certifiably insane. Alfie Adams is at the top of his game. I haven’t even started playing yet—just practicing until I get my PhD. The thought of Alfie Adams looking at me and seeing a prospective girlfriend is, frankly, bonkers.
His palm remains on my shoulder, and the hot weight of it warms me until I feel the sudden urge to shake him off or snuggle in; I can’t decide which.
“Okay,” I reply, my eyes darting to Alfie, whose brow is now scrunched in concern.
I dab my eyes next, inching closer to my boss, who now squeezes my shoulder in solidarity.
“Why were you following Mr. Dodd?” he asks, his pen ready in hand, the other holding a notepad.
“We weren’t. We were buying Scooby Snacks at Alexei’s café. Have you been? They’re these huge sand—”
“So it was an accident that you ended up following Mr. Dodd?”
Alfie’s hand squeezes my shoulder again, but it feels less supportive than before. Now I feel like I’m ill-prepared for a test I didn’t know was happening. I was here, I saw what happened, and yet I get the feeling Alfie doesn’t want the police to know that.
“We walked down the street and saw him go down an alleyway. As we turned the corner, we could see the blonde woman in front of him. And given his history, we were concerned.”
“What exactly would you be concerned about?”
“We’re not allowed to divulge private patient information, Officer,” Alfie interrupts.
“Of course. But there was a reason to believe this woman could be in danger?”
“Yes, Mr. Dodd opened up his jacket, and the woman screamed, and that’s when Alfie tackled him.” One more dab to the corner of my eye should do it.
“And why did you decide to wedgie him?” he says with a surprisingly good poker face, not even a hint of a smirk.
“Officer, look at him.” I point to Alfie. “His face is his business. Do you know how many patients he gets just from his face? I can tell you there’s a waiting list a mile long. He’s supposed to be on TV in two days. How is the makeup department going to react when they see this?”
Alfie’s thumb digs into the fleshy part between my shoulder and neck as I notice the tips of his ears redden.
“Dr. Angel…of course. My wife is a big fan of yours.” The officer nods.
“I just couldn’t bear the thought of someone inflicting pain on him. Alfie is a good person, he helps so many people. I just had to stop it, and you know, I couldn’t pull Vincent away. I don’t have the strength. Look at these limp noodles…” I hold up my arm and try to squeeze my bicep, which pathetically flinches at the exertion.
Alfie’s eyebrow cocks in what appears to beadmiration?
“How else could I help him? He could have been killed with the way Vincent—Mr. Dodd was punching him.” I sniffle again, dabbing the tissue into the corner of my eye whilst my body instinctively turns to Alfie. His grip on my shoulder loosens and drags down my arm as he pulls me in towards him.
The officer’s face transforms from suspicious to sympathetic in one swipe of a tear.
“Miss Sinclair, I understand. I would have done the same for my wife.”
I suck in a deep breath, holding in the laughter that threatens to escape. Putting on my sweetest smile and pulling out the big guns, which is laying a hand on top of the officer's forearm, I say. “Thank you, Officer, but you’re the real hero here. Putting yourself on the line every day to keep us safe. I just did what anyone would do in my situation.”
The officer blushes, coughing into a clenched fist.
“Well, we’re nearly done here. Miss Sinclair, feel free to take a seat and I’ll finish up my questions with Dr. Adams here.”
“Thank you, Officer.” I take a look at Alfie who gives me a curt nod. Not quite the theatrical fake boyfriend I expected him to play given that he didn’t correct the officer’s assumption that we’re a couple. Then again, Alfie isn’t really one to play games. Despite his obviously dry sense of humor that comes out occasionally, the guy is a bit of a stickler. He is obsessed with rules, seemingly running his life by a set of them that harbor no imagination at all. He’s set in his ways, or at least I thought hewas. Judging by his reaction to Vincent, the officer, and now me, I’d say there is more to Alfie Adams than he’s letting on.
???
