on the ballroom at once, all of them carrying stacks of plates covered with gleaming silver domes. They pulled the domes off everyone’s food with the same flourish, which impressed me. My staff could barely serve coffee without spilling it on our customers. Maybe I needed to try to get some of these staffers to defect over to Java Jive.
Before I could take a bite of my dinner, my phone rang. I got a few sneers for getting a phone call during dinner, but I had to answer it. Between being a crime scene witness, managing a coffeehouse, and having a best friend in an emotional state, I needed to be available.
The caller ID showed that the call was from the police department. I got up and said, “Sorry, I have to take this,” and hurried out of the ballroom.
“Hello?”
“Jules,” Pete said, his voice strained.
My stomach clenched. Something was very wrong. “Pete? Why are you calling from the police station?”
“Why do you think?”
Chapter 9
“WHAT?” I exploded. “Did you get arrested? What for?”
I heard him suck in a gulp of air. “For…Cecilia’s murder.”
“No,” I cried, stopping dead in my tracks.
“They said they have evidence on me. Jules, you gotta get me out of here.”
Choking back a sob, I took off at a run for the front door. “I’m on my way. You keep your head up, okay?”
“Okay. I have to hang up now.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I hung up with Pete and called for a cab. Since I was downtown, one arrived within a couple of minutes. The police station wasn’t far. While I was riding, I texted Savannah to let her know what had happened and that I wouldn’t be back. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely key in the text. She responded a moment later, saying that Carl would take care of getting Pete a lawyer, and he was already speaking to one who was there at the gala.
This couldn’t be happening. Pete was innocent, and he was being charged with murder. My head spun, and I felt like there wasn’t enough air inside the cab. After throwing some cash at the driver, I burst out of the cab and tore into the police station.
Frantically, I rushed up to the front desk and cried, “Pete Bennett was just brought in. I need to see him now!”
“Calm down, ma’am,” said the tired-looking officer stationed there. “I’ll have to find out if they’re allowing visitors.”
I slammed my hands down on the counter. “But he’s innocent, and he’s all alone!”
He sighed. “As I said, ma’am, calm down. It might take a few minutes. I suggest you have a seat.”
“No! I need to speak to Detective Cromwell. Or Detective Hamilton. I need someone
now
!”
Unfazed by my insistence, he lazily picked up the phone and muttered something into it. After nodding a couple of times and muttering some more, he put the phone back down. “He’s still being questioned and processed, so you’ll have to wait.”
Something inside me snapped. It was Redheaded She-Devil breaking loose. “I don’t
care
what’s going on right now! You get Cromwell’s ass down here this instant! Pete is innocent, and I
demand
to speak to someone about it!”
I marched over to the door next to the front desk, intending to let myself in since this guy was obviously not going to do anything about it, but the door was locked. Incensed, I rattled it with both hands, willing it to somehow open.
The officer frowned and stood up. “Ma’am, step away from the door. If you can’t control that temper of yours, I’ll throw you in lockup as well.”
His words clicked inside my head. It seemed perfectly logical to me that the fastest way to get to Pete would be to get put into lockup myself. Then at least I could keep him company. “Oh, yeah?” I screeched. “Go ahead and do it! You’ll have two innocent people in jail, and then you’ll really be sorry!”
“Ma’am, I’m not going to warn you again.”
“Shut up and do it, pig!”
That got him. The officer flew around the desk
Before I could take a bite of my dinner, my phone rang. I got a few sneers for getting a phone call during dinner, but I had to answer it. Between being a crime scene witness, managing a coffeehouse, and having a best friend in an emotional state, I needed to be available.
The caller ID showed that the call was from the police department. I got up and said, “Sorry, I have to take this,” and hurried out of the ballroom.
“Hello?”
“Jules,” Pete said, his voice strained.
My stomach clenched. Something was very wrong. “Pete? Why are you calling from the police station?”
“Why do you think?”
Chapter 9
“WHAT?” I exploded. “Did you get arrested? What for?”
I heard him suck in a gulp of air. “For…Cecilia’s murder.”
“No,” I cried, stopping dead in my tracks.
“They said they have evidence on me. Jules, you gotta get me out of here.”
Choking back a sob, I took off at a run for the front door. “I’m on my way. You keep your head up, okay?”
“Okay. I have to hang up now.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I hung up with Pete and called for a cab. Since I was downtown, one arrived within a couple of minutes. The police station wasn’t far. While I was riding, I texted Savannah to let her know what had happened and that I wouldn’t be back. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely key in the text. She responded a moment later, saying that Carl would take care of getting Pete a lawyer, and he was already speaking to one who was there at the gala.
This couldn’t be happening. Pete was innocent, and he was being charged with murder. My head spun, and I felt like there wasn’t enough air inside the cab. After throwing some cash at the driver, I burst out of the cab and tore into the police station.
Frantically, I rushed up to the front desk and cried, “Pete Bennett was just brought in. I need to see him now!”
“Calm down, ma’am,” said the tired-looking officer stationed there. “I’ll have to find out if they’re allowing visitors.”
I slammed my hands down on the counter. “But he’s innocent, and he’s all alone!”
He sighed. “As I said, ma’am, calm down. It might take a few minutes. I suggest you have a seat.”
“No! I need to speak to Detective Cromwell. Or Detective Hamilton. I need someone
now
!”
Unfazed by my insistence, he lazily picked up the phone and muttered something into it. After nodding a couple of times and muttering some more, he put the phone back down. “He’s still being questioned and processed, so you’ll have to wait.”
Something inside me snapped. It was Redheaded She-Devil breaking loose. “I don’t
care
what’s going on right now! You get Cromwell’s ass down here this instant! Pete is innocent, and I
demand
to speak to someone about it!”
I marched over to the door next to the front desk, intending to let myself in since this guy was obviously not going to do anything about it, but the door was locked. Incensed, I rattled it with both hands, willing it to somehow open.
The officer frowned and stood up. “Ma’am, step away from the door. If you can’t control that temper of yours, I’ll throw you in lockup as well.”
His words clicked inside my head. It seemed perfectly logical to me that the fastest way to get to Pete would be to get put into lockup myself. Then at least I could keep him company. “Oh, yeah?” I screeched. “Go ahead and do it! You’ll have two innocent people in jail, and then you’ll really be sorry!”
“Ma’am, I’m not going to warn you again.”
“Shut up and do it, pig!”
That got him. The officer flew around the desk
Similar Books
