Page 3 of Just a Wrong Turn
“Liza, that's lying… and hardly believable.”
“It’s not like I hurt anyone.”
Letting out a long exhale Maggie said, “All I know is that the police want to talk to you and the best thing to do is face this. If you’re forthcoming, maybe they’ll give you a pass for being… young and du—overly enthusiastic.”
Liza considered her sister’s advice and knew she was right. Trying to evade the police never ended well on all the true crime shows she watched.Silver lining, this could make for excellent buzz on social media!
Chapter 2
Miller
MillerBrookswarilyeyedSnowdrop, his eighty pound pit bull mix, who was unenthusiastic about his current bathing situation. “Stay,” he commanded as he dried his hands to answer the ringing phone.
“Hello.”
“Miller, it’s Captain Tate. Do you have a minute?”
Watching his soaped-up pup, he hesitantly replied, “Um, I have about one minute.” Holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder, he moved toward Snowdrop and began scooping cupfuls of water along his back.
The Captain spoke in a hurried and hushed tone. “I have a situation developing at the station.”
The Captain’s seriousness caught him off guard. Miller considered the Captain a friend—well, more than a friend, a mentor really. Almost like a father figure. “Is everything okay?”
“As of right now, yes. I have to go, though. Can you be here in ten minutes?”
“Ah yeah, I can.” As soon as he spoke his last word, Snowdrop shook forcefully and galloped out of the tub. In response to water slopping across his face, Miller jerked back. He felt his phone slide down his cheek. In the next second he heard “Plop!”
“Noooo,” Miller groaned as he grabbed his phone out of the water and dried it off with a towel. Snowdrop stood by the bathroom door, watching the chaos unfold and wagging his tail triumphantly.
Miller pointed in the dog's direction. “You win, bud. Well played. I know you hate baths, but I can’t let you stink up the place.”
Crouching down to pat the dog dry, he received a face full of kisses. “You smell so much better now, buddy.” Although annoyed about his now fried phone, it was impossible to stay mad at Snowdrop. He had a square head and giant floppy ears, not to mention the biggest puppy dog eyes he’d ever seen.
After getting Snowdrop secured in his kennel, Miller threw on a dry shirt, pants, and an UnderDogs trucker hat before heading to the Oakville Police Station.
Oakville, Minnesota was a small town about an hour north of the Twin Cities. The police department had very little serious crime to be concerned about. As Captain Tate’s friend, Miller had assisted in various community events working as a volunteer security guard. Although not how he would prefer to spend his time, Captain Tate had thrown him a lifeline when he was at his lowest. He would do anything to repay him.
As Miller pulled into the Oakville PD parking lot, he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary—everything seemed fairly calm. Once inside, the secretary pointed him toward Captain Tate’s office and said, “He would like for you to wait there. I’ll let him know you’ve arrived.”
Chapter 3
Liza
Lizashifteduncomfortablyonthe stiff, brown pleather chair. She had never been in an interrogation room, but it was as stale as it appeared on TV. She took a deep breath and threw up a little prayer.Hey God, wanna help me out here? I’m freaking out a little. If you could keep me out of jail or something permanent on my record, I would… do like fifty good deeds. Please…
The metal gray door opened and Liza sat up straight. A man in a dark uniform walked in.Is that black or navy?Liza wondered. She squinted at the fabric and then quickly realized now was not the time.Focus Liza.
“Miss Eckland, my name is Captain Tate. I just have a few questions to ask you.”
Liza gulped and nodded.
“Did you attend the Thanksgiving Day parade today?”
“Um… briefly, yes.”
“Were you a spectator or a parade participant?” Captain Tate flipped open his notebook and stared over at her.
“I was, um, planning on just watching, but unfortunately must have taken a wrong turn.”