Secrets Of The Guilty [Nanowrimo 2019]

FOURTEEN

Two thickly built CCPD officers stood just outside in the hallway, one dark-haired and the other balding and moustached. She could see the outline of them from the table, the smoky glass filtering out both noise and sight but she could still see shadows. The brown type on the glass read: Interrogation room followed by the number seven.

It had been good a day until now.

The door label seven opened, pushing the two large men further into the hallway. Tanner shifted in his chair, the middle-aged detective frowning at her, his chin pulled down.

"Good of you to join me."

Eli simply angled his head, the single sign of her impatience. Tanner spread his hands on the desk, fanning his fingers over a brown file stamped with the CCPD crest on the front. The twin eagles stared up at her, from under Tanner's pinkie.

"Do you say that to everyone you force in here?" One of the fluorescent lights above her, crinkled and stuttered.

"Only the special ones," he grumbled. "Are you comfortable? Want anything to drink?"

"I'd like you to get to the point, I do have a job to get back too." That catches his lips, turning the corner in. The star at his chest catches in the blinking light, just underneath the collar of his white shirt. The edges pulled out just enough to be a dress code violation.

"Alright, where were you the night of the fourteenth? The night Charlie Fenton was murdered?

"At home." She met his stare, head still to the side.

"Can anyone account for that?"

"No," Eli purred it. Drawing out the word like it was a secret. "Maybe a security camera or two? I can give you my landlord's number if you like. Give him a call."

"That would be appreciated." He clicks the end of his pen, checking the tip against a corner of a page before opening the file. It rests against the table, just behind a metal loop that they use for handcuffs. It's a reminder that she could leave if she wanted too. She'd come in voluntarily, as a favour and she could rescind that favour if she needed too. "The night of the hostage's negotiation, Charlie Fenton, he kept talking after left control. What did he say to you?"

Eli leans away from the table, sucking in a breath before pushing it out.

"He kept talking about the docks. He was muttering about something being left out." The lie wasn't a full lie, but then again she wanted something from the detective and told him the truth wouldn't get her very far. So she sprinkled a little true. "Trouble is, I don't remember leaving anything out. The case wasn't exactly dripping with information."

"Is that why you went to the Court House? To have a look in the records for anything you could have missed?"

"A friend of mine works there. I was visiting. Are you having me followed?" That stopped him. The thought hadn't crossed her mind until now , but if he was, Eli would need to be careful. How much had he seen?

Tanner pulls a piece of paper from the file. Smaller then a postcard, the white sheet is placed face down on the table in front of Eli. Within reach is she stretched a little.

"Because I went and picked up some of those files, from the Records Department, and I had the bookkeeper keep an eye on the people who came in asking about the case of the dock. Turns out there were only four people in the last six months." The paper in his hands is flipped over, showing her face on a grainy printout. The lens had zoomed in around her face, pulling the Court House behind her into a distorted mess.

The rain that day hadn't done her any favours.

"Me, Judge Matthews, Charlie Fenton and you. See, I asked the bookkeeper what you are looking at and he showed me the logs which I missed the first time."

"You are having me followed." She gave a small nod, pulling the photo closer. Eli folded the edges, once, twice then a third time. "Which means you really want to ask me about my morning."

"Can you tell me why you were meeting the Judge Matthews this morning?" Her eyes darted between the two of his for a moment before glancing up at the ceiling and turning the final edge of the photo into a triangle.

"Can you tell me why you let one of your officers on the scene of the Fenton murder after he was involved in the case of the dock? That's a conflict isn't it?" Eli counters. She places the paper airplane onto the open file in front of Alex, pushing it a little his her pinkie.

"He responded to the nine-one-one call as he was the closest unit in the area at the time. Roughen has been removed from the case to avoid the conflict." Tanner pull his hands tighter, threading his fingers into each other, before resting them on the file. An inch away from the paper plane.

"I can't tell you." Eli pulls her arms back towards herself, pushing up through her palms against the table. "My sources are protected. Is that all you needed, detective?"

"Actually, I have one last thing for you. I asked you here to see how cooperative you'd be, given your history and profession. All I needed was a small piece of information linking you to this case and now I have it. A cease and desist is being signed by a judge before the end of the week."

Eli straightens, the tips of her fingers barely grazing the metal table.

A week wasn't going to be enough time, it was hardly enough time for the editorial staff to proof the article Ryan wrote. Especially not if the good detective is going to watch her every move. Eli straightened her shoulders, before giving him a slow measured smile and a shrug.

There were places, even the most decorated of law enforcement wouldn't dare go.

Eli steps away from the table. Her back to the detective, a hand on the handle of the door marked seven, the two cops in the hallway shifted an ear so they could listen in.

"Oh, since we're giving each other tips. Be sure to buy a paper on Friday, it's going to be worth the read."