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“That’s who you were setting up with my sister?” Connor hisses.
“How do you all know each other?” Caleb asks.
Maddie grins and holds up her diamond ring. “I’m engaged to Amelia’s brother.” She squeezes Connor’s arm like he has something there besides skin and bone. Wait until she sees Caleb shirtless. Maybe she already has if they are friends. As long as they were never more than friends.
“Hey, Maddie.” I cut off her gushing. “Can I talk to you for a moment, alone?”
Her brows furrow but she stands up anyway, following me into the hall. I can’t actually leave; the detective was really grumpy about it.
“Millie, be honest, did you kill Justin?” She speaks first.
“Of course not.” I roll my eyes, then add a little I’m-completely-innocent-wave to the sweet old lady at the reception desk near us. “You know I would have called you to help me bury the body instead of leaving him in my tub.”
She nods. “Okay, good. Right. But, um, please don’t kill anyone.”
“I was doing good until an hour ago.” I cringe.
She shakes her head and her eyes fill with the worry of a parent, a friend. “Seriously, what’s going on, Millie?”
“I don’t know.” I play with the hem of my shirt, pulling at a loose thread. It comes undone, completely destroying what was once a perfectly made shirt. Funny how one little act can alter something so drastically. Did the person who killed Justin even consider what they were doing? “I was hoping maybe you could tell me how much trouble I might be facing.”
“If you’re innocent, you have nothing to worry about,” she says, almost too quickly, rubbing my arm.
“And if I’m not?” I ask, my lips quivering. “I mean, clearly I am, but you know, what if they don’t think I am?”
She chews on her bottom lip. “Well, if I had to extrapolate—”
“Whoa, watch your mouth, woman!”
She rolls her eyes. “It means to predict.”
“Yes, but with an excessive amount of syllables, all of which were unnecessary.” I tease, my chest instantly feeling lighter.
Maddie rolls her eyes and leans in to give me a hug which I desperately need right now. “You’re going to be fine. We are going to make sure of it.”
Right. Nothing to worry about. “Thanks.” I pull back. “Um, so how do you know Caleb…”
She holds up a hand. “No, we never dated. And need I remind you, I’m engaged to your brother.”
“You poor soul. Good thing you inherit me as well.”
The detective brushes past us into the interrogation room. “Sorry to break up the family reunion, but I need to ask a few more questions.”
Maddie and I return to the room and take a seat around the table. Caleb is on my left, and the detective is at the head of the table closest to me with Connor directly in front of me on the other side. I feel surprisingly safe. I peek a glance at the grumpy detective. Mostly safe.
Connor reaches across the table and takes my hand. “Millie, you don’t have to answer anything.”
The detective glares at him. “You’ve already confirmed her alibi and we have the video footage of her leaving and returning. She’s not a suspect and this isn’t an interrogation, yet.” His eyes whip to mine with a promise that I haven’t fully escaped unscathed.
“Good.” Connor leans back. “Then what do you need from my client?”
The detective all but rolls his eyes and pulls out a laptop. “We got the surveillance videos back from your apartment manager. They are spotty at best, only registering those who pass through the front entrance. There are no cameras in the halls and the back entrance. The back is only supposed to be accessible to those who live in the building.” He looks at me with a raised brow. “Which is why you are not to leave the city.”
“I won’t,” I squeak. I’m worried my smile is going to pop back up again. The detective is discussing a real live case with me. He needs my help. This is too exciting.
Caleb reaches under the table and places a hand on my knee, a gentle reminder not to act like a heartless killer, which I appreciate. I bite my lip to keep my face from going rogue. Time to be serious.
“Anyway,” the detective continues. “According to the time stamp you left at nine this morning. You came back and got the dogs at two. Surveillance shows the deceased arriving around six in the evening. Do you know why he was there?”