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Eden

I woke up with the sun shining on my face and my body surrounded by warmth. My head rested on something solid, something which moved when I rubbed my cheek against it.

“Are you awake?” a rough voice whispered against my ear.

I burrowed deeper beneath the covers and wriggled backward into the heat of his body. I didn’t want to wake up. Opening my eyes meant I would have to leave the safe space I was hiding in and face reality again.

The arms around me loosened, and I clutched at his wrist when he started to move away.

“Five minutes more.”

“So, you are awake.”

I sighed and rolled over. A finger ran over my bottom lip.

“You’re cute when you pout, but we really need to get out of bed.”

I forced my lids to lift and peered at him. “You mean we have to go to the police station, don’t you?” And just like that, nerves twisted my stomach into knots. “They’re going to arrest me.”

“They won’t.”

“You don’t know that. I killed him, Bishop.”

“It was self-defense. Detective Flannigan was there. You saved his life.”

My laugh was slightly hysterical. “Chester wasn’t pointing the gun at him .”

“No. He was pointing it at you. We all saw it. If you hadn’t shot him, he’d have killed you.” He sat up, tugging me with him. “So, what we’re going to do is this. You’re going to get dressed, have something to eat to settle your nerves, and then we’re going to go to the station where you will give your statement and then we’ll come home.”

“But—”

“No, Eden.” His voice was firm. “That’s not how today is going to go. There’s no buts, no maybes, and no way I’ll be leaving there without you by my side. You’re not going to be arrested, understand?”

I nodded. I wasn’t convinced, though. I fully expected to be in prison orange by the end of the day.

***

“Ms. Marshall?”

I jumped to my feet. Bishop rose more slowly beside me and scowled at the officer standing near the door.

“ Mrs. Chambers,” he corrected.

The officer’s eyes jumped from me to Bishop and back again. “I’m sorry, I … Mrs. Chambers, if you’ll come this way? We have an interview room prepared.”

“Where’s Detective Flannigan?” Bishop asked.

“Because he was involved in the situation this morning, it’ll be Detective Peyton who’ll take the lead in the investigation.”

Bishop’s hand closed over my arm, stopping me before I walked through the door. “ Investigation? ”

“Into what happened.”

“It’s obvious what happened, Flannigan was there.”

“I know but—”

Bishop lifted a hand to silence him. “One second.” He pulled his cell out of a pocket and punched in a number.

“It’s me.” There was a moment of silence, while he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. “It has. It’s time … Are you still located in Glenville station?” His eyes held those of the officer in front of us. “We’re downstairs with Officer …” He arched an eyebrow.

“Rafferty.”

“Officer Rafferty, who is waiting to interview my wife with Detective Peyton, instead of Detective Flannigan … Yes, that situation this morning involved me … When? … Okay, good. We’ll be waiting.” He ended the call. “Captain Jenkins is on his way down.”

Rafferty paled. “There’s no need for the captain—”

“Oh, I think there’s every need. Why don’t we go through to that room you mentioned and wait for him?” His hand slid down my arm and he linked his fingers with mine.

The officer’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “This way.”

He pushed open a door, and stepped back to let me enter first, then moved in front of Bishop.

“I’m sorry, but this is an interview with a suspect. You can’t—”

Bishop’s shoulder hit him on the way past, knocking him out of the way.

“Mr. Chambers, I must ask you to—”

“I wouldn’t finish that sentence, if I was you, Rafferty.” A new voice spoke up.

“Captain!”

The newcomer ignored Officer Rafferty and held out a hand to Bishop.

“Good to see you, again. I should have known that situation this morning had your fingerprints all over it.”

“I’m surprised my name wasn’t mentioned in Flannigan’s briefing. Where is he?”

“Detective Flannigan is running late and he asked Peyton to stand in for him. Unfortunately, Peyton decided to ignore Flannigan’s report and take a different route. I picked up the file on my way down.” He turned to the other man in the room. “Detective, it seems you have some explaining to do.”

“Sir—”

“Unless the next words out of your mouth are an apology to Mrs. Chambers and her husband, I don’t want to hear it. This poor woman was kidnapped last night and you’re planning to interrogate her over a successful attempt to defend herself. Flannigan’s statement is very clear. Dulvaney went for his gun, and Mrs. Chambers reacted.”

“Do you know who her husband is, Captain? This man—”

“Has absolutely no criminal record.” He turned to me. “If you feel up to giving us a statement about what happened after you were taken by Chester Dulvaney last night, then I’d appreciate it. But if you’d rather wait a couple of days, I understand that as well.”

“Is he really dead?”

Captain Jenkins nodded.

I turned to Bishop. “It’s over?” I whispered. “He’s never coming back?”

“It is.” His voice seemed to come from far away. “Eden? Fuck, Eden. ”