Page 67 of Fanatic

The woman was black and blue. Her face had been battered and looked worse than Willow’s had. There were abrasions down her arms and across her chest. I flinched at the footprints on her back and further bruises. Someone had beaten this poor girl and not held back.

I cringed at the close-up of her face. “Shit, April,” I hissed. “What happened to her?” I demanded.

“Why don’t you tell us, Mr Michaelson?” Morris asked.

“You don’t deny knowing her,” Hope added.

“I want a minute with my client,” Adeline said.

“Can you confirm you know the victim?” Morris stated.

“I said I want a moment with my client. Stop the questioning before I take this further. I know what you’re thinking, that this is a career maker. Somehow, I very much doubt it. But due process will be adhered to.”

“You had a consultation with Mr Michaelson,” Morris pushed back.

“And you hadn’t given us a name or details. Now you have, I want to talk to Fanatic. Stop recording and leave before I start drawing up motions and ending your careers,” Adeline threatened.

Hope and Morris stood and left.

Adeline faced me. “Tell me everything.”

I did. How I’d met April and how the date had turned awful. I described how we’d left it and how my gut had warned me something was wrong. I listed the cameras I had passed in front of and then what happened when I arrived home.

Adeline made notes and nodded. She wrote down every camera and the times I’d entered and exited the restaurant.

“That’s plenty for your alibi, Fanatic, shall we end this now?”

I nodded, eager to leave. Adeline called Morris and Hope back in, and they settled down before hitting the record button again.

“I met April at the coffee shop Beans to Go and asked her on a date,” I began and then told them everything.

“Why stay under the cameras?” Morris questioned suspiciously.

“You know who my mum and dad are. How many do you suppose have tried to blackmail one of us kids to get a payout? There are too many incidents to remember. Rapid City would have a log. Do you think April is the first girl who did her research? April was looking for an easy mark. I’m not one.

“Someone beat April, and that’s awful, but it wasn’t me. I pray you discover who did it, but at the end of the day, I have a rock-solid alibi,” I explained.

“Give us a DNA sample if you’re so innocent,” Hope said.

“No, I don’t need to. I’m blameless, and if you get off your asses and check that information, you’ll find I am. When you do, I want to press charges against April for falsely accusing me of this,” I replied.

“Wow, you’d go after a victim?” Morris asked.

“I’d take legal action against anyone who wants to create lies and attempt to wreck my life. Bet you the next thing she’d have done is offer to drop the charges for an out-of-court settlement…” I paused as Morris and Hope swapped glances. “She’s already mentioned something along those lines,” I crowed.

“We’re finished. You’ve got nothing to charge my client, and we’re leaving. And be warned, with Mr Michaelson’s alibi, you won’t be charging him. Speak to the manager at the restaurant, verify what time Mr Michaelson’s card was run, review his route home, and then check the CCTV. Meanwhile, someone also needs to take a statement from April’s work colleagues. Girl next door to club slut is quite a jump. And ASAC Ware requires an interview. I don’t recommend pissing off a high-ranking FBI agent, either. Mr Michaelson, we’re going,” Adeline said.

“You go when I say so,” Hope slammed her hand on the table.

“Don’t play power games with me, detective, you’ll lose,” Adeline threatened and tipped her head to the door. Morris got up and opened it after an exchange of glances with Hope.

“Don’t leave the country, Mr Michaelson,” he warned snarkily.

“Where would I go? This is my home,” I retorted and headed out.

I honestly expected Mum and Dad and Uncle Chance. Willow, I knew, was here, but I had thought Hellfire and Ragewould be present. When I discovered they weren’t, I wasn’t sure whether to be put out or not.

“I told them to keep the brothers back. Their appearance would signal something majorly wrong. They’re currently at the clubhouse,” Willow explained as she shot Morris and Hope a filthy look.

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