Hush, My Sweet Darling

Chapter 27: Taking the Flak

It was Sunday, so they had to wait until the next business day before they could arrange a new lawyer for Duncan. Kai had just finished instructing a custody officer to bring Duncan back to his designated cell when Kimmy came over to him. "I just got word that Grace Cui is in. She's being booked right now," she informed him.

"Good. Interrogate her tomorrow morning and go home now. It's supposed to be your day off today," Kai said as he checked his phone. There was a message from Lauren, reporting that she had brought Violet back to her family home.

Safely, she emphasized.

Kimmy caught a ghost of a smile on Kai's face.

"By the way, how's Miss Lee?" she asked.

"She's fine," Kai answered, still looking at his phone. The hint of a smile hadn't left his face.

"Is she or her family going to press charges?"

"No. I'll talk to the prosecutors and ask them to proceed with victimless prosecution for this case. We have enough evidence for that."

"Why? This is not a domestic abuse case where the perpetrator could threaten the victim," Kimmy raised an eyebrow. "She's Violet Lee. If she presses charges, those two scums are guaranteed never to see the light of day again."

Kai shifted his gaze to Kimmy. The tender look that he had just seconds ago had been replaced with a stern one. "Her family doesn't know. At least for now. This is her wish."

Kimmy understood what he meant. He wanted her to keep Violet Lee's identity under wraps.

"They can still subpoena her to testify."

"Hence, I'll personally talk to them," Kai calmly said.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think that's wise," Kimmy rebuked. "It's true that we have enough evidence to prosecute without involving the victim, but if her family ever finds out," she paused to give Kai a serious look. "Miss Lee wouldn't be the one they'll scream blue murder at."

Seeing Kai only holding her gaze with his own, seemingly having no intention of responding, Kimmy scratched her head in frustration. "It's us! They'll come down on us like a hurricane! You know how powerful they are. What if something like this were to happen again?"

Kai's eyebrow raised in a questioning arch. "What do you mean if it were to happen again?"

"Well, have you seen her, sir? She's like a human pheromone spray!"

"She's the victim, Kimmy," Kai said. His voice was indifferent, yet stern. "She's also an adult who can make her own decisions. If she doesn't want her family to know, as long as it's not against the law and doesn't impede the investigation, we have to respect her wishes."

"But–"

"If her family finds out and they need someone to tear apart, I'll take responsibility," Kai stressed, his words final. "And it will never happen again. I'll make sure it won't," he added.

Kimmy looked at her boss in astonishment. As police, they couldn't make any promises they couldn't keep, but not only had Kai stated he would take the flak for Violet Lee if her family ever found out, he just declared that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

She looked at him suspiciously. Seeing his firm gaze, Kimmy knew he was already decided, and there would be no room for discussion. She decided not to linger on the subject. Still, she couldn't help but scoff. "Lucky bastards. They're already in a rut, even without her family's interference. Imagine how much more trouble they'd be in if they knew and took action."