Page 47 of Sweet Dreams
“Can I speak to Teagan, please?” Taylor looks at me with no expression on his face.
Silas doesn’t move; he tilts his head, looking at me, eyes on mine, silently asking me if it’s okay.
“It’s Okay, Taylor. You can come in.” Silas crosses his arms but still doesn’t move far from the door. Taylor squeezes past him but doesn’t move from the entryway.
“Can I ask you a few questions about today?” He pulls a notepad and pen from his jacket pocket, clicking the pen open.
“I’m sure you are dying to blame me somehow, so get on with your questioning, Taylor.” I cross my arms and widen my stance. I’m not going down without a fight.
Taylor exhales, shaking his head. “It’s going to be like this then. Okay fine. Where were you last night?”
“Here.”
“Do you have an alibi?”
“Yes. Ben and Jerry.”
He looks up from his pad. “Who?”
“Ice cream, Taylor. You would know this if you had a girlfriend. If you must know, it was chocolate flavour and to top it off I watched some true crime. And yes, I know how to hide a body.”
“Can anyone collaborate on this?”
“I can,” Silas says.
Taylor turns to Silas. “And you are?”
“Her boyfriend. Silas Blackwell. We were here all night, eating ice cream, watching true crime, and then I fucked her on the couch. Any other questions?”
My face heats up; I can’t believe he would lie to a cop. Taylor looks at me, raising an eyebrow. Can he sniff out a lie?
“This morning, Teagan. What time did you arrive at The Dancing Goat Bookshop?”
“I arrived just before nine.”
“And you went through the front door?”
“Jesus Christ, Taylor, you know I went through the back door. Cut the crap and tell me what Nancy and her minions did to my shop?”
“Listen, Teagan. I’m not here to start a fight. Only answers.”
I rub my forehead. He’s giving me a headache. I bet everything I owe, he’s in Nancy’s pocketbook. “Then ask the question you are dying to ask, Taylor.Did I or Did I not provoke Nancy? That would be a no. When I arrived, she was waiting at the shop, and I turned around. I called Jace and asked if he could come down, and then I texted Silas, telling him I was scared. He called and talked with me through the entire thing. He heard when the windows broke, and that’s when I called you. So, if you don’t mind. Do your fucking job.”
When Silas approaches me, he gently puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close to his side, making me feel safe and comforted.
“If you don’t have any more questions, I think you’re finished here,” Silas tells Taylor.
Taylor tucks his pad and pen away. “Yeah, I’m done. I’ll let you know the outcome of your shop.” He turns and heads for the door. “And Teagan. I’m sorry about your shop.” Silas walks behind him, closing the door and locking it.
I want this day to be over. What else can go wrong?
“Teagan, I need to talk to you.”
And there it is.
I won’t be afraid to admit it when Teagan sent that text saying she was scared. So many scenarios ran through my mind, and I couldn’t ignore her. The one thing I wasn’t counting on was Teagan hiding for her life. All her hard work was destroyed in minutes, and no answers. And I should’ve been there for her, but I was too much of a coward.
At this point, I know I have to be honest with her, though I’m unsure how she will react. I’m prepared for the possibility that she may not want to see me again, and I understand if that's what she decides. I know I deserve it.