“Not this son of a bitch again,” Erik’s voice cuts Roland off again.
The officers tense, preparing for a possible physical altercation. I shift, blocking him from seeing past me and into the room. Edwards notices my movement but says nothing.
“Mr. Scott,” the detective’s voice is strong and authoritative. Mr. Nice Cop is gone. Erik paid him no mind, his beady eyes remain on me. “Do you know this man?”
“This is the asshole that kept me from-” he stops suddenly, his eyes grow wide and he clamps his mouth shut. His gaze shoots to the detective, who is smirking at him. He hadn’t told them about his visit earlier.
“Go on,” Edwards smiles. He’s goading him now.
“I’ve never seen this man before in my life,” Erik squawks but it’s too late. Edwards nods and the uniform take out his cuffs.
“Mr. Scott you are under arrest for falsifying information to the police,” the uniform says, he continues to read Erik his rights.
“This is outrageous, my wife has been kidnapped and I’m the one being arrested?” Erik sputters as the uniforms escorts him back down to the cruisers. Edwards turns back to Roland.
“Unlock the door please, or do I need to get a warrant?”
Roland doesn’t hesitate. He quickly slips the key it into the lock and opens the door. Detective Edwards walks into the room and turns on a light. Roland and I follow cautiously behind him. The yellow glow from the outdated lamps illuminates the room.
There wasn’t any trash anywhere. There wasn’t any clothing hanging in the closet or tucked away in the dresser. There weren’t any wet towels hanging in the bathroom. Besides an unmade bed, you’d never guess someone lived here for a week.
I didn’t know what to expect but this was something else entirely.
“Detective, no one is here or has been here for some time,” the uniform called Franks says from the center of the room.
Damn, she’s good at covering her tracks, I think knowing she was only here moments ago.
“So it seems,” the detective mutters, raking his hands through his hair. “Take Mr. Scott down to the station. Something isn’t adding up. He’s hiding something.”
I nod in agreement but look away because I have the answers waiting for me in the back of my closet and I can’t tell him.
“Roland, the woman staying here, has she checked out?”
“Not formally,” he shuffles towards the man, holding out his hand. A set of keys matching the ones he used to open the door sat in his palm. “I found them on the counter shortly before you arrived. I already told your officer before I came up here.”
Edwards nods and chews his bottom lip. He shifts on his feet and crosses his arms. The key, which was similar to mine, collaborated the story I’d given to Edwards about her departure.
“Rivers, are you going to be in town much longer?”
“I head north tomorrow.”
“Can I persuade you to stay longer in case we need you for questioning?”
“Can’t, my job depends on it,” I answer cautiously, hoping he’d catch the meaning behind my words. I was heading north but not because of my job. The next leg wouldn’t happen for at least another month. I had been instructed to head underground until I’m contacted. Apparently I pulled some heat off the big man, which was a good thing, but now it was their turn to protect me. The last thing I needed was to be seen walking into a police station.
He nods.
“You’ve seen this woman. She’s running again and if she’s running from him, I need to stop him now,” he peers over at me. I look around, we aren’t alone. I can’t give him the words he’s wants to hear. It is too dangerous.
“I’ll give you my contact information,” it was the best I could do. I take his paper and pen and write down my number.
“Roland, next time someone wants in a room, I suggest you check your registry before attempting to open a door for them,” the motel manager grunts in response. Edwards looks around the room again and sighs. “Let’s roll out.”
The room empties out quickly and Roland locks up. I walk back to my room and cautiously open the door. The room is still dark, the closet door still closed. I close the door and slide the lock into place.
Chapter 3
Alice
The soft click of the door closing jolts me back. I’d lost myself into the world of thought when they hauled Erik away. The relief was almost instant but I knew it wouldn’t last for long. This wasn’t the first time he’s been arrested.
“You’re safe,” a familiar masculine voice says low and soft. My body responds instantly, melting into the warm tones. It was the same voice that asked for my trust before he stepped out onto the breezeway with the police and Erik.