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I’d taken down two of my attackers, and I wouldn’t stop until I found the third.
This detective wasn’t getting in the way of that. If he thought coming here and reminding me of my attack was going to send me running for the hills, he had the wrong idea about me.
When I spoke, it was with complete surety and deadly calm. “He turned himself in because he’s a piece-of-shit rapist who deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life.”
Richardson narrowed his eyes at me. “He’s one of the most valuable surgeons in his field.”
“Does that somehow make him any less of a rapist?”
The detective folded his arms over his broad chest, his thick biceps an attempted show of strength. “It makes him an easy target for women like you.”
“A woman like me? What exactly does that mean?”
Riva vibrated with anger beside me. “How dare you?”
He ignored us both. “There’s no proof Dr. Edrington did anything to you.”
“Proof?” I squeaked. “What proof do you need? He admitted he did it. You can’t just let him go.”
Vaughn put a steadying hand on my shoulder. “Easy,” he murmured.
Once upon a time, that might have sent me into a rage. But now I knew it came from a good place. This cop could arrest me if he wanted to. He’d already done it once.
The detective flipped open a little notepad and jotted something down on it. “Where were you last night?” he asked casually, abruptly changing the subject.
I froze. “Last night?”
He just raised an eyebrow and waited for me to answer.
My brain wouldn’t come up with anything. I tried to force my tongue to move, to spit out an alibi. Shit, any damn alibi would do.
Riva answered for me. “She was at my place. She and Vaughn came for dinner.”
Richardson raised an eyebrow at her. “Really? You know it’s a crime to lie to a police officer.”
Riva stared the bigger man down. She was fierce when she answered, “Yes, I most certainly do know that. My statement is still correct.”
“Can anyone else corroborate your story?”
I cringed at the thought of Brooke having to be my alibi. She’d sooner throw me under a moving bus.
But Riva nodded firmly. “My husband.”
He wasn’t much better.
The detective smirked and closed his notepad. “I call bullshit.”
Riva bristled, but he’d lost interest in her.
His gaze was firmly on me. “Did you hear there was a fire in Providence last night?”
I shook my head.
He chuckled. “Yeah, didn’t think so. You know why?”
I opened my mouth to answer.
But he cut me off. “No, I’ll tell you. More fun that way. You didn’t hear about it because your pathetic attempt at arson was thwarted by the homeowner’s automatic sprinkler system.”