Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Just when I think they can't possibly have any more questions, I'm led to another interrogation room, this one without a mirror.
When the detective walks in, I can tell she's not like the others. She has a no bullshit manner about her. She's wearing a fitted trouser suit and high heels. Her red hair is pulled into a tight ponytail, showcasing her sculpted cheekbones. She's pretty, except for her eyes, which remind me of a snake stalking its prey.
"Miss Devaux, I'm Detective Lowe." She throws her badge onto the table and takes a seat opposite me. I glance at it. FBI.
"I already told them..."
"I'm going to cut to the chase. I'm not after you, Miss Devaux. My job is to go after much bigger fish than you. I want Jude Pearson."
I narrow my eyes at her. "I don't know anything."
She smiles. "I have a trail of bodies all pointing to Pearson, but not enough evidence to nail him to the wall, and I really want to nail him to the fucking wall, Miss Devaux. I need a witness statement saying he killed Joe Campbell, and you watched him do it."
"I killed Joe Campbell," I say coldly.
"Oh, I know." She pulls out a file and dumps out pictures. "This is the gun used to kill Campbell. It has your fingerprints on it, and there was gun powder residue on your hands, meaning you fired it. Lastly, the trajectory of the bullet when it hit Joe Campbell's body was the wrong angle for someone of Pearson's height, but the perfect angle for someone of your height."
"Why are you telling me this? I just told you I killed him."
Her lips twist into a smile. "Because I don't care that you killed him. You are going to testify to the fact that Jude pulled the trigger."
"What?" My head is spinning. "Why?"
Her eyes lock with mine. "Because if you don't, I will put forward this evidence and have you arrested for the murder of Joe Campbell. You will serve life in prison, and that baby," she points at my stomach, "will be brought up in foster care." I swallow hard.
"I'm not going to let Jude take the fall for something I did," I choke, trying to conceal my weakness.
"Oh, honey." She huffs a small laugh. "He's going down either way. I have him on money laundering, illegal gambling, extortion, perverting the course of justice. I have enough to get him fifteen years, but like I said..." She leans forward in her seat. "I want to nail him to the wall. I need something solid." She sits back again and smooths the front of her jacket. "Your call. You can both go to prison, or you can save yourself and raise your love child." She cocks an eyebrow.
"I've already told the other officers I killed Joe."
She shrugs. "The ramblings of an abused girl suffering from Stockholm syndrome."
My heart is thrumming, my breathing laboured. I'm going to jail for killing Joe. It seems so unjust, to suffer what I did at the hands of that man, and then go to prison for the rest of my life for killing him.
I shake my head. "If they think I have Stockholm syndrome, then I can plead insanity," I whisper.
"Yes, you can, and they will section you, and take your baby away as soon as it's born." She tilts her head to the side. "I'm giving you options here Miss Devaux. As I said, I care very little about you, it's him I want. I need a witness statement from a girl who he kidnapped. I need the jury to see the man that Jude Pearson is."
"He's not a bad person..." I fumble.
Sighing, she rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know. You love him. I guess you really do have Stockholm." She meets my eyes. "In a few months, when you're rotting in a jail cell, and you've gotten over this little thing you have for your captor, you will regret not taking this opportunity."
I shake my head, cutting her off. "No, I won't do it."
Her lips purse, and she pauses for a moment, drumming her fingers over the desk. "I tell you what, I'll give you a week. Go home, be with your family, and think about the fact that Jude Pearson is a criminal who kidnapped you. Your loyalties to him are misplaced. Think long and hard about whether you are willing to spend your life behind bars for a man who has killed enough people to serve ten life sentences."
I can't say anything. She has me over a barrel, and she knows it.
She stands up and moves to the door, holding it open for me. I move past her.
"One week." She repeats. I walk away without looking back at her.
“I’ll be in touch.” She calls after me. I keep walking.