my jeans as I waited.
“Would you ladies like some coffee?” Officer Hamlin asked in a harsh but strictly professional voice.
“Sure,” Jade squeaked out.
“Yes. Please,” I said quickly and a little too briskly.
He smiled, a quick upturn of the corner of his mouth, then departed.
“So do we mention the Ahrima ...” Jade started to say before I could put my hand on her forearm to stop her. Her bright green eyes focused on me in confusion and she scrunched her brow. I jerked my chin toward the two-way mirror on the far end of the conference room. I didn’t think they were taping our conversation or even watching us, but I wasn’t about to take that chance either.
She nodded her understanding, then sank back in her chair, quiet. Neither of us spoke again until Officer Hamlin reentered the room after a suspiciously long wait.
“Here you are,” he said with a soft expression for Jade and a quick questioning glance in my direction. He sat adjacent to Jade in the same uncomfortable putrid green upholstered chairs. He didn’t seem to mind, but I sure did. The chairs were damn uncomfortable.
Officer Hamlin turned his eyes to me.
“Thank you, Ms. Sabin, for all the detailed information you provided after the accident. It was ... helpful,” he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he opened a manila folder in front of him. I swallowed a mouthful of the coffee from the white Styrofoam cup he’d given me, ignoring his tone. I hesitated for a moment as the smell of stale burnt coffee hit my nose. I needed something to open my eyes. Coffee was coffee, at least, that’s what I told myself. I shrugged and took a sip, then cringed at the bitter, cheap, burnt liquid as it hit my tongue then oozed down my throat like tar.
I grimaced, then mentally cursed as Officer Hamlin glanced from the paper in the open manila folder to me.
The soft click of Jade’s phone echoed in the large conference room as she snapped a picture. I hadn’t even noticed her pulling it out.
Officer Hamlin glared at her, then pointed to the picture of a cell phone with a bright red X over it.
“Sorry, Derek,” she said sheepishly as she batted her eyes at him and he let her infraction slide. Damn, she was good.
Jade cleared her phone’s screen quickly and clutched it tightly in her grip.
She’d taken a picture of something and filed it away before Officer Hamlin could ask to see it. What was she up to?
Officer Hamlin pinned her with a hard, chastising look before returning his attention to me. “I’m sorry, the coffee tends to sit for a while if no one’s paying attention,” he said with an apologetic smile.
I put the Styrofoam cup on the conference table and pushed it away. I didn’t want to forget and accidentally take another sip. I don’t care how much my body needed caffeine; I wasn’t about to drink drain cleaner. No way, no how.
“No problem but you could warn a girl,” I said with a casual, friendly smile as Jade clicked the sound off on her phone and snapped another picture. Officer Hamlin turned to Jade and glared again, his face turning a deep shade of red.
“Jade, how’ya feelin’?” he asked casually, ignoring the phone still in her hand.
“I’m good, really. I got some stitches in my leg and a few bumps and bruises but other than that, I’m fine,” she said with a bright smile and a twinkle in her green eyes. Christ on crutches that’s useful. I wish I could do that.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, shutting that friendly demeanor back behind the façade of his cop face. “Now,” he said in a harsh voice as he cleared his throat. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Jade dropped her iPhone into her purse, then ran through the exact same description I’d given him two days ago, albeit with a bit more flair, but it was the same story nonetheless. He wrote every word down like they were gold.
When she got to the point where Officer Hamlin was already on scene, he looked up at her and closed
“Would you ladies like some coffee?” Officer Hamlin asked in a harsh but strictly professional voice.
“Sure,” Jade squeaked out.
“Yes. Please,” I said quickly and a little too briskly.
He smiled, a quick upturn of the corner of his mouth, then departed.
“So do we mention the Ahrima ...” Jade started to say before I could put my hand on her forearm to stop her. Her bright green eyes focused on me in confusion and she scrunched her brow. I jerked my chin toward the two-way mirror on the far end of the conference room. I didn’t think they were taping our conversation or even watching us, but I wasn’t about to take that chance either.
She nodded her understanding, then sank back in her chair, quiet. Neither of us spoke again until Officer Hamlin reentered the room after a suspiciously long wait.
“Here you are,” he said with a soft expression for Jade and a quick questioning glance in my direction. He sat adjacent to Jade in the same uncomfortable putrid green upholstered chairs. He didn’t seem to mind, but I sure did. The chairs were damn uncomfortable.
Officer Hamlin turned his eyes to me.
“Thank you, Ms. Sabin, for all the detailed information you provided after the accident. It was ... helpful,” he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he opened a manila folder in front of him. I swallowed a mouthful of the coffee from the white Styrofoam cup he’d given me, ignoring his tone. I hesitated for a moment as the smell of stale burnt coffee hit my nose. I needed something to open my eyes. Coffee was coffee, at least, that’s what I told myself. I shrugged and took a sip, then cringed at the bitter, cheap, burnt liquid as it hit my tongue then oozed down my throat like tar.
I grimaced, then mentally cursed as Officer Hamlin glanced from the paper in the open manila folder to me.
The soft click of Jade’s phone echoed in the large conference room as she snapped a picture. I hadn’t even noticed her pulling it out.
Officer Hamlin glared at her, then pointed to the picture of a cell phone with a bright red X over it.
“Sorry, Derek,” she said sheepishly as she batted her eyes at him and he let her infraction slide. Damn, she was good.
Jade cleared her phone’s screen quickly and clutched it tightly in her grip.
She’d taken a picture of something and filed it away before Officer Hamlin could ask to see it. What was she up to?
Officer Hamlin pinned her with a hard, chastising look before returning his attention to me. “I’m sorry, the coffee tends to sit for a while if no one’s paying attention,” he said with an apologetic smile.
I put the Styrofoam cup on the conference table and pushed it away. I didn’t want to forget and accidentally take another sip. I don’t care how much my body needed caffeine; I wasn’t about to drink drain cleaner. No way, no how.
“No problem but you could warn a girl,” I said with a casual, friendly smile as Jade clicked the sound off on her phone and snapped another picture. Officer Hamlin turned to Jade and glared again, his face turning a deep shade of red.
“Jade, how’ya feelin’?” he asked casually, ignoring the phone still in her hand.
“I’m good, really. I got some stitches in my leg and a few bumps and bruises but other than that, I’m fine,” she said with a bright smile and a twinkle in her green eyes. Christ on crutches that’s useful. I wish I could do that.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, shutting that friendly demeanor back behind the façade of his cop face. “Now,” he said in a harsh voice as he cleared his throat. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Jade dropped her iPhone into her purse, then ran through the exact same description I’d given him two days ago, albeit with a bit more flair, but it was the same story nonetheless. He wrote every word down like they were gold.
When she got to the point where Officer Hamlin was already on scene, he looked up at her and closed
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