The secretary gave a tense smile and rose from her desk.“Have a seat.”
Natalie turned and settled herself on one of the few unoccupied chairs against the wall.Brick sat next to her and placed his hand reassuringly on her thigh.Her fingers were knotted in her lap.He wished like hell he had some comforting words, but right now his brain was sharply alert.
Logic told him Keetan wouldn’t be here.Nonetheless, he scanned every face looking for both the suspended cop and Clyde and Justin from Club East.
The door separating the waiting area from the offices opened, and the woman motioned at them.“Come on back.”
Brick got to his feet.He placed his hand on the small of Natalie’s back as they walked through the door and down the hall in the direction the woman pointed.
“First door on the left.”She coughed as though she’d just finished a pack of smokes and returned to her desk.
In the main office area were multiple cubicles.Brick noted a door labeled Staff Only and another marked Washroom.An exit lay at the very end of the hall, and a few other offices were clustered around the chief’s.The nameplate on his door read Arnie Wiebe.
Arnie nodded at Natalie then Brick as they entered his office.“Afternoon.Natalie, it’s good to see you again.I’m really happy you came in.”
“It’s nice to see you, too, Chief.”She gave him a weak smile.
“Have a seat.”He gestured at the two black leather chairs positioned in front of his desk.Behind Arnie’s chair was a bookshelf displaying several pictures and medals.A potted plant sat on the corner of the desk, and a large mug of coffee waited near his keyboard.“Can I get you anything?”
Brick shook his head.“No, thank you.”
“I’m good,” Natalie said.“I just want to get this cleared up as quickly as possible.”
Arnie gave a sympathetic nod.“I understand.I’d like to offer you a formal apology on behalf of our precinct.Proper protocols weren’t followed.Those accusations—” He shook his head.“I’m disappointed, to say the least.”
Brick studied the man’s tired, weathered face.He wanted to point out the kind of lawsuit Natalie could draw up against the department, but he pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth so as not to overstep.The last thing he wanted was to make things worse for Natalie, or make her uncomfortable.
“Yes, well.Keetan wasn’t happy I left him.”
Arnie’s mouth firmed.“Is that what happened to your eye?”His gaze inched toward Brick, and in it was a flash of warning.
Brick’s temper wanted to flare but hell, clearly the guy was looking out for Natalie.
“That’s correct.”She lifted her chin and crossed one leg over the other.“Actually, I need to file a police report.Keetan broke into my apartment, attacked me, and kidnapped Bray.”
Arnie’s eyes bulged.He glanced at Brick again, then refocused on Natalie.“What?I—”
“And he didn’t do it alone,” she added.
Arnie’s cheeks flushed with anger.He got to his feet and shut the door.Then he sat back in his chair, adjusted the desktop monitor, and tugged his collar away from his neck.“Let’s start at the beginning.”
***
Brick’s arm aroundNatalie’s shoulders was the only warmth touching her chilled skin as they made their way past the waiting area.She’d taken a huge step, but how her confession might change their lives was still unknown.
As soon as she’d walked into the police station, fear had seized her veins.Thankfully, Arnie had made things almost easy.He’d seemed genuinely stricken by the claims she’d made about Keetan.Finally, Keetan would pay for the abuse he’d inflicted upon her and Bray.
Brick had also recounted their experience of going to Keetan’s old home to retrieve Bray and finding his empty room, and mentioned that Ellie would testify as a witness if need be.
“Thanks for doing that,” she said softly, as they went outside into the sunshine.The breeze danced over her cheeks, and its subtle bite promised fall would soon arrive.
“For what?”he asked.
She nudged him with her shoulder.“For everything.Adding your own statement of what happened.”
“Just sharing the truth.I could tell it was hard for you to talk about Shelby.”
She nodded.Sadness washed over her again.But more than that, shame.Keetan’s sister’s memory deserved transparency.She just prayed it didn’t come at the cost of her losing Bray—of her son losing his mother just after finally getting both parents in his life.“Arnie was pretty tight-lipped about Shelby’s case.That made me nervous.”
