THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

CHAPTER 3

"This is the police!"

Those four words swirled in my head like a storm.

“This is the police, Mr. Brown. Open the door immediately!”

My heart raced. Should I open the door and explain, or should I try to escape? As I stood there frozen, the voice barked again, sharper this time.

“If you don’t open the door this second, we’ll be forced to break it open!”

That was it. My decision was made. I glanced toward the kitchen. Its window wasn’t very wide, but I was sure I could squeeze through—and it was at the back of the house, away from prying eyes.

Without wasting another second, I grabbed the emerald, shoved it into the bag, and darted toward the kitchen.

“I should be able to get out through there without them noticing,” I thought, though I wasn’t sure whether I was convincing myself or just praying.

I pushed open the window and hoisted myself up. Halfway through, I heard the command:

“Break it down!”

Panic surged as I gave myself one final push, falling clumsily to the ground outside. I grabbed the bag I’d tossed out moments earlier and made a run for it—only to feel two strong hands grip my shoulders.

I froze.

“You are under arrest for the theft of the Black Emerald,” one of the officers said coldly. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one, one will be provided for you.”

Another officer’s voice chimed in, smug and self-satisfied. “Good thing we had the place surrounded. He tried to make a run for it, but we got him.”

The cuffs clamped around my wrists were cold and unyielding, and I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears. My brain switched to survival mode.

“I didn’t take it!” I yelled, my voice cracking.

“Then how do you explain what it was doing in your possession?” one officer sneered.

“I didn’t take it! I didn’t—”

My words were drowned out as I was dragged through the narrow alley and shoved into a waiting police car.

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Presently

The car ride was suffocating. The air inside was hot and thick, reeking of chemicals. Two officers sat on either side of me, their eyes fixed on me as though I might vanish into thin air.

The station loomed closer, and soon the car came to a stop. The door opened, and a hand roughly pulled me out.

I struggled to stand, my legs stiff and cramped from the uncomfortable position I had been in. But before I could steady myself, I was shoved forward. Losing my balance, I fell flat onto the cold, hard ground.

I barely had time to process the humiliation before I was yanked back to my feet and dragged into the station.

I was led straight to an interrogation room. There, I found myself seated across from a man whose face I recognized immediately.

He had that familiar, smug expression. The kind you’d see on TV after every successful operation. He was one of the most renowned officers in the country—a man whose reputation for solving high-profile cases preceded him.

He didn’t need to say a word. The look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. He’d already decided I was guilty.

I sat there silently, refusing to defend myself. What was the point? He’d already made up his mind.

“Mr. Brown,” he said, his voice icy, “answer me when I’m talking to you.”

His irritation was palpable, but I didn’t flinch.

What did he expect me to say? That I stole the emerald? That I planned this elaborate heist? No. The truth wouldn’t matter to him. Not now.

I needed answers. Who set me up? Why? I wracked my brain, trying to recall if I’d ever crossed anyone who’d want to frame me. But nothing came to mind—or so I thought.

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