What A Secret Looks Like | ✓

18: grayson

I was holding the phone in my hand four days later, hesitating as my thumb hovered over Tessa's contact. It's been nine days since I'd seen her, and I still haven't gotten any further in what I wanted to say other than, 'I miss you and I want you to come back.' I don't get the chance to actually push the call button though because a call from Hayes comes through.

"Hey, aren't you at that fundraiser?"

"Can you drive any faster please?" I hear Hayes ask someone, but it's not what he said that lets me know that it's important, it's the way he says it. "Gray do you still have connections at the police station?"

"It's late, but I think my cousin might still be on duty? Why?"

Hayes curses under his breath as I start to move towards the bedroom to change, "Seph-She was attacked. I need you to find out what happened. Please."

I'm stunned by the desperation in his voice because while he's been upset before, it's never been like this. "I'll do what I can."

I'm at the station in less than fifteen minutes looking for Josh. "I need to talk to Detective Josh Taylor?" I ask the front desk politely, and she looks back just as he's walking into an interrogation room. "He called me to represent the man he just brought in," I lie easily, and she prints out a sticker to give me privileges.

I step through the barrier that's not open to the public, and I know I'm breaking so many unspoken rules. I don't care though as I knock on the door to the room I saw Josh go into.

He pokes his head out, looking plenty irritated, but confusion warps his face when he sees me there. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you about an attack that happened within the hour? Please it's important"

It's not the first time I've visited Josh at the station, but it's the first time I've asked him for help. Josh glances back into the room and then walks out, pulling me into the door to the room behind the two-way mirror.

"This is the only man we've brought in in the last hour, do you recognize him?" He asks, and then I recognize that the man in the room is Sascha Petrov. He's looking quite drunk, but quite bored in the room with a swollen eye and blood splattered in patterns on him.

"That's Sascha Petrov; he was the assistant director or something at the American Ballet Company until he was fired when Sephine-Oh my god." That's Sephine's blood on him. I make it to the trashcan in the corner before the first wave of nausea runs through me.

"Are you okay?" Josh asks, handing me a cup of water, but I can't stop staring at him.

"What was the name of the woman he attacked?"

I just need to know that I'm not crazy and putting pieces together, "Sephine Montgomery. Do you know her?"

I let out a shaky breath as my stomach continues to roll, "She's Hayes's wife."

"So she's family to you. God Gray, you really can't be in here." He rubs his temples, pacing to the other side of the room.

"I'm not going anywhere; what happened?"

Josh looks at me questioning my role here, "Are you sure you want to know? I have the witnesses statements of the people that found her, but I'm about to question him if you want to stay."

Hayes has done a lot for me in past years and the least I can do is find out what happened to Sephine. Josh is right, she's family.

"Let me see the statements," I decide, and Josh hands over a file.

"No matter what he says, you absolutely cannot interrupt in that room. Do you understand?"

I nod and flick the folder open as Josh exits this room and reappears on the other side of the glass with Sascha. "Mr. Petrov, you understand that you opted not to have a lawyer present as I question you. Is this correct or would you like to call someone, or have a court appointed lawyer come?"