Page 54 of Merciless Angel
Above all things, I intended to be true to myself. If I were to betray anyone, it would be the Angels.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CLOVER
Leaving my last class of the day to find two police officers waiting for me was startling, to say the least. Right away, I grew nervous, certain they’d come to pin Zane’s murder on me. I worked hard on schooling my face into a neutral mask that revealed nothing.
“We’d appreciate if you would come down to the station to answer a few questions.” The man playing the good cop offered me a gentle smile. “It shouldn’t take long. I’m sure you have a lot of school work to take care of.”
The woman acting as the bad cop stayed silent, giving me the stink eye. I knew that refusing would look bad. I didn’t want to do anything to incriminate myself.
“Sure, that’s no problem. I’ll head straight there.” Unless they were arresting me, I wasn’t getting in any cop car. I’d drive myself.
“Sounds good,” the man said. “We’ll meet you there.”
During the drive over to the local precinct, I battled the urge to call Raina. Maybe I should text one of the Angels. Nobody could help me now. Making calls would only look bad if the cops decided to check my phone.
I let the air conditioning blast me in the fast as I drove. I felt hot and uncomfortable. At the police station, I steeled myself for the worst and strode inside with my head held high. I didn’t have anything to hide. Technically, I hadn’t killed anyone.
“I’m Officer Stevenson,” said the man who’d come to the school. “This is Officer Jenkins. Can we get you anything? Coffee, water, soda?”
They ushered me into a small interrogation room designed to make people break. “Just some water please.”
It didn’t take long for them to get right to it. Stevenson started off first, asking me when I’d last seen Zane. They both sat across from me, eyeing me for any sign of a lie.
“I saw him a few times after we broke up,” I explained, doing my best to stick to the truth. “He came by my dorm room hoping to convince me to give him another chance. I refused, and that was pretty much the end of it.”
Jenkins pursed her lips, studying me like she’d already decided I was guilty of something. “So you haven’t seen him lately?”
“No.”
“Why did you break up?” she continued. “Did something happen between the two of you?”
Although I knew was she really meant, I said, “Yeah, he was seeing other women behind my back. That’s a dealbreaker for me.”
“That’s all?” she asked, eyes narrowing. “Nothing else went down that made you break it off?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Playing dumb seemed to be the best way to handle her. I wasn’t telling her shit about the abuse from Zane. My makeup covered the worst of the fading bruises. It was my secret.
“He never hit you or called you names? Any forms of abuse?”
“No. He cheated on me. I think that’s reason enough to break up with someone.” I frowned, taking a sip of water from the paper cup they’d given me.
“Of course it is,” Stevenson jumped in, ignoring the glare Jenkins shot him. “Do you know if he had any enemies? Anyone that might have wanted to hurt him?”
I’d never been much for the arts. I wasn’t an actress by any means. Right then, I had to become one on the spot.
“Why? Did something happen to Zane? What’s this all about?” Worry creased my brow. My lower lip trembled slightly. Cops had a way of knowing when emotions were faked. This had to be real.
The two officers exchanged a look before Stevenson said, “Zane was recently found deceased at his parents’ cabin outside the city. We’re trying to figure out who may have wanted to hurt him.”
Tears spilled from my eyes, running down my cheeks in rivulets that surely ruined my mascara. “He’s dead? What happened? Why would someone want to do that?”
I shook my head, dissolving into sobs. Stevenson affected a sympathetic expression and handed me a tissue. I accepted it with a nod of thanks, dabbing my makeup smeared eyes.
“We can’t disclose any details. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” Stevenson gave my hand a brief pat.
Jenkins studied me like I was merely another suspect she intended to crack. No sympathy. No friendly smile.