Sheriff Burke took Cade by the arm and escorted him from the premises.
How bad could it be if he didn’t need handcuffs?
The interrogation room at the jail was nothing more than a tiny room that doubled as a supply closet when not being used. The walls were a dark white, most likely from years of never being cleaned, with shelves that held copy paper, paper towels, and spare mugs used for coffee.
In the center of the room was a rectangular table with two chairs on one side and one chair on the other. There was no hook to restrain criminals to the floor since this jailhouse never really got criminals bad enough to warrant chaining them down.
“Have a seat, Mr. Flanagan. Do you want a coffee?”
“Wow, so formal. Since when don’t you call me by my first name?” Caden asked, pulling out the chair and taking a seat.
“This here is official police business, so I’d like to keep it as professional as I can. Mind if we record this?”
“Not without his lawyer present,” Marcus said, following them into the interrogation room.
Sheriff Burke looked surprised to see him.
“And when is he or she coming?”
“I called her. She’s on her way now.” Marcus looked down at his watch. “Probably be here in ten minutes.”
“Okay. In that case, I’ll make myself a coffee. Want one?”
Both Cade and Marcus shook their heads. They didn’t know what was going on, and they wanted to make sure they weren’t distracted. Plus, the coffee in the precinct tasted like feet. Both Marcus and Caden had been arrested enough times to know better than to drink the coffee when offered.
Ten minutes later, Cade’s lawyer, Ms. Evelyn, arrived, taking the seat next to Caden. The sheriff began his questioning.
“Just want to make this clear: you are not being accused of anything. We just have a few questions we are hoping can clear some things up.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Caden replied, crossing his hands on the table and sitting up straight. He glanced over at Marcus, who was standing behind the sheriff and leaning against the door.
“What were you doing around four in the morning the day of the fire?”
“Sleeping. Then trying to escape the fire.”
“You were sleeping at the barn?” Sheriff Burke asked.
“Yes.”
“And why were you sleeping over?”
“We were tired.”
“Tired from what?”
Caden looked over at Marcus and his lawyer, who gave him a nod.
“Doing…adultthings.”
The sheriff looked at him for a moment, confused. Then, realization seemed to set in.
“Gotcha. Okay, so what time did you say you woke up in the morning?”
“I don’t know. Maybe around four a.m.?” Caden couldn’t remember the exact time, only that it was early and still dark out.
“And why did you wake up?”
“It was getting really hot in the bedroom. When I woke up, the blanket on the bed was on fire, and I could hear Lucas screaming from downstairs.”
