Chapter 31

Emma

A rrested in front of my daughter. Fingerprinted. Photographed. Booked. Humiliated. That had to be some kind of high-to-low record for one day, right? Just a moment before that hard pounding on the door sounded, I felt good. Damn good. Ash knew she had a father who was a good man, a protector.

That was the only bright spot in all of this mess. The timing. No matter what happened from this point on, Ashlyn had someone else to care for her. She wouldn’t be left with a violent man who was, at best, indifferent towards her. She wouldn’t be alone, no matter how long I was stuck in this damn cell.

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall, refused to give Detective Massey the satisfaction. He wore a smug smile the whole damn time like this was some personal vendetta. He sat at the desk a few feet from where I sat on a hard metal bench and stared at me like I was some sideshow. “So how did you do it, Mrs. Edwards?”

“My name is Emma Roberts,” I reminded him. “Ms. Emma Roberts.” I hadn’t taken Alex’s last name because he refused to adopt Ashlyn, which in hindsight I was thankful for.

He only smirked and let out a half-laugh. “Right. Just unburden your soul Ms. Roberts and tell me how you did it. What happened? You got into a fight about his long hours at the hospital? The pretty nurses?”

Instead of answering, I remembered those last moments with Slate. Not just his warm hug and the way his strong arms tightened around me, but the words he’d whispered so softly in my ear.

They have no proof of anything, Em. Remember that. Don’t give them shit, not one fucking answer about what did or didn’t happen. Don’t say a word, except one.

“You buried him under the floorboards? Took him out to the desert to shoot him? If you cooperate now, it won’t be so bad. If you don’t, well I promise to make it hurt. Nevada still has the death penalty for murder, if you tell us what we need to know, I can put in a good word to the judge and get you life instead. Don’t want your little girl to be without her Mamma.”

I almost flinched when he mentioned the death penalty, the thought of leaving behind Ash broke my heart, but I kept focusing on Slate’s words. They had no evidence, I didn’t know what had changed for Detective Massey to get the arrest warrant, but I believed Slate when he told me there was nothing that could lead back to me.

Detective Massey peppered me with questions that were more like accusations, and I sat and took it, letting every word bounce off me the same way I always did with Alex. “Now I get it,” I said to him. “I get why you’re so angry at me. You’re just like Alex. He likes to bully and threaten when things don’t go his way.”

His smile faded and his anger turned his features dark. “I know you did something to him. You might have everyone else fooled, but not me.”

“One of those blame the victim types, I see.” I nodded and then shook my head because it all made sense. “He put his hands on me. Isolated me. And somehow his leaving me is also my fault.” A bitter laugh escaped. “You’re right Detective, I do have something to tell you.”

He leaned forward but he never left his seat. “I’m all ears.”

“I’m not saying a word until I speak to a lawyer.”

That took away his smile immediately. He pushed off the chair, glared at me and took off in an angry huff.

That made me smile, but it didn’t take long before the smile faded and reality crashed in on me. Somehow Alex was still going to have the last laugh, me in a jail cell or worse.

Don’t cry, I told myself, but the tears fell anyway.

***

Hours went by as I sat there alone with my thoughts, terrified that I would never get to see my little girl again. Worried that I would never get to feel the sun on my skin or taste Slate’s kisses again. Anxious that the world would find out what I’d done. I knew the why didn’t matter. It hadn’t mattered to Detective Massey or Sheriff Cross, and it wouldn’t matter to anyone else.

I knew that.

And with each minute that ticked by my heart felt heavier, beat faster. Hopelessness set in hard and fast, and I knew I wouldn’t last in prison, not if I was already feeling the effects of being locked up after just a few hours.

The metal door swung open and smacked against the wall, the sound startled a gasp out of me. “You can’t just go back there,” Massey said, his voice annoyed but also slightly worried.

“Here I am,” a female voice said, the sound of powerful heels smacking against the floor grew louder. And closer. She stopped in front of the cell, a beautiful redhead in a stunning green suit. “Emma Roberts. I’m Kira St. Vincent, your lawyer.” Her green eyes sparkled with a blend of mischief and amusement.

She was my lawyer? I stood and drew closer to the woman and whispered, “No offense, but you look more expensive than I can afford.”

“Thank you,” she answered with a proud smile. “But you don’t need to worry about that. My fee is taken care of.” She turned to Massey who was joined by the sheriff. “What have you arrested my client for, Sheriff Cross?”

Massey snorted. “You have the arrest warrant.”

“That’s right,” she answered in a too bright tone. “I see a bunch of bullshit. I’m wondering what lies you told to get this warrant signed because I don’t see any evidence of an indictable offense having been committed, nor do I see any evidence to prove reasonable grounds that my client committed this so-called offense.”

“Dr. Edwards hasn’t been seen in almost two months.”

Kira shrugged. “So a rich prick got sick of playing family man and somehow his abused wife is to blame? Make that make sense to me.” She was feisty and sarcastic, a good match to Massey’s anger.

“Your client was the last person to see him alive.”

Kira smiled. “There’s no evidence that he isn’t alive, is there?” She waited until Massey began to speak before she spoke over him to rile him up. “In fact, have you looked into anyone else other than my client? The patients who’ve sued him? The brother with a million-dollar life insurance policy?” She scoffed and shook her head. “I didn’t think so.”

A million-dollar life insurance policy? That was news to me and by the looks of it, news to the police as well.

“Release my client now and I won’t sue you and this whole damn department for false arrest, harassment, and shoddy police work.”

“Listen to me you ball busting—”

“Hey!” Sheriff Cross stood between his man and my lawyer with a scowl on his face before he ordered Massey to leave. He was gentler when he turned back to Kira. “She’s already been booked and processed, there’s nothing we can do to undo this. She has to be arraigned, but I’ll make sure her case is heard first.”

Kira turned to me with an expression of regret on her face. “Sorry Emma. You’ll have to stay here for the night.”

I was trying to stay calm, but I felt the dampness on my cheeks as a tear fell. “Will I get out tomorrow?”

“Absolutely,” she promised. “And I will be filing a formal complaint and a lawsuit, Sheriff. This is a vendetta against my client, whom you did nothing to protect over the years. If I didn’t know better, I’d say your whole damn department is compromised in some way.”

“I assure you that is not the case, Ms. St. Vincent.” His lips were pinched tight as if he was offended by the suggestion.

“All evidence to the contrary.” She rolled her eyes once more and turned to me. “I’ll be here bright and early for the arraignment. Ash is fine, worried but safe. Don’t say a word to anyone here, period. Got it?”

I nodded, thanked Kira for her help and then settled in for a long night in a cell and hoped it wouldn’t be my first of many nights.