When we get home, I take myleftovers from the restaurant and give them to Stinky. Annie getsinto her pjs and then turns on the TV. Just as I put on my shortsand a tank top, there’s a knock at the door. Stinky lifts his headfrom his food and barks.
Oh no. Denny, you absolute ass.If he got into a panic and drove his boat over, Annie will lose it.“Just a minute,” I call, throwing on my housecoat and puttingStinky in the bedroom.
“Who could that be this late?”asks Annie. She gives me a suspicious look.
I shrug. “I am wondering thesame thing.”
Taking a deep breath, I walk tothe door and open it.
“Jade, how are you?” Dicksonsays, his hand leaning on the door frame. Behind him are twouniformed cops with flashlights.
“What are you doing here?”
“I have a search warrant,” hesays, lazily waving some papers.
Annie is suddenly next to me.“What’s this about?” she asks. Her voice is calm.
“Denny Banks is wanted forquestioning. Because of your connection to him and the case, weneed to check your house and property.”
“Denny isn’t here,” I say. Thewords sound distant in my ears.
My brain starts cycling. Didthey tap our phones and hear our call earlier? I realise that myhands are shaking. I feel guilty as hell and I know I look it.
The three men walk in. WhenDickson walks past me, my heart is pounding so hard, I swear he canhear it. They’re a lot more curious than when they were on theproperty before. When one of the cops goes to open the bedroomdoor, Stinky starts to bark, and the cop hesitates, shooting me aglance. “It’s just Stinky,” I tell him. He looks nonplussed. I lookat Dickson. “Is this going to take long?”
“Shouldn’t, unless we findsomething,” says Dickson.
I go and retrieve Stinky fromthe bedroom, He continues to bark loudly and with purpose, nomatter how much I shush him. Knowing there’s nothing we can dowhile the cops search our home, Annie and I sit closely together onthe sofa with Stinky between us. Eventually, after some long earscratches from Annie, he quiets down, though his eyes stay lockedon the officers.
After fifteen or twenty minutes,they’ve been in every room in the cottage. I can’t imagine how theytook that long—it seemed, to me, that all it would take is a glancein every room. Denny’s not exactly small. He can’t fit under adresser.
“Do you have a cellar?” Dicksonasks me.
“No.”
“How about an attic or acrawlspace?”
“Yeah, but I haven’t been upthere in years. I think my parents used if for storing patio thingsand gardening tools.”
“Where is the entrance?”
I walk him over to the walk-inpantry and turn the light on. I point to the small square in theceiling above a shelf of canned goods, just big enough to squeezethrough. He asks for me to get him a chair and then calls the otherofficers into the room. I return to the couch and wait.
Rustling noises and the oddcoughing sounds come from the pantry as the men struggle toinvestigate the small attic. A few minutes later the threereappear, their clothing dirty from attic dirt and pink insulationdust.
Dickson walks to the middle ofthe living room with the other men following close behind. He looksat me, and I can’t avert my attention. I know this makes me lookeven more guilty. “When is the last time you spoke to yourbrother?”
I stare into his eyes, butinside I’m panicking. I don’t know what’s in a search warrant—Idon’t know if it extends to cell phone information. I could tellhim I don’t have my phone on me if he asks. Would he search me if Iresist? I can’t imagine he could, unless I am being put underarrest. But what do I know? I think of what Denny said aboutDickson. ‘The guy just wants a conviction.’
I don’t want to lie, but I can’ttell him the truth. Not with Annie sitting right here.
I force myself to hold his gazeand not blink. “Our wedding reception. He showed up and I asked himto leave. That was the extent of our conversation. I don’t knowwhere he went after that.”
The detective doesn’t commentInstead, he looks at Annie. “Is that right, Annie?”
Oh no. I look at Annie. Herexpression is blank. Is she weighing her options? I lied to thepolice, but it didn’t mean she had to, and telling the truth—thatDenny had gone to a B&B—could mean the potential arrest of aman who hurt her.
I cringe inwardly as Annieclears her throat. “Yes. That’s exactly what happened.”
I let out a long breath, tryingnot to make it obvious.
“Okay,” Dickson says, noddingslowly. He looks between us. “Be sure to give me a call if you hearanything. You have my number.”
The men leave the house. I walkbehind them and watch as they head down the stairs, then I closethe door with a sigh.
I wait until I hear the car pullaway before sitting back with Annie on the couch. I grab her hand.“Why didn’t you tell the truth? About Denny?”
She looks at me like I am crazy.“Because you didn’t. I’m not getting you in trouble, Jade.” There’sa coolness to her tone—I had, after all, defended Denny onceagain—but I can’t help but put my arms around her.
Too rattled to watch TV, we headto bed. She falls asleep quickly, but I’m wide awake, staring atthe ceiling. All I can think about is calling Denny and
