Page 30 of A First Sight

I opened my mouth and then shut it, saying nothing.

“Miss? Can I get your name to start with?” Chiles asked.

“Oh, sorry, right.” I shook my head. “Maggie McCrae.”

“And you?” Chiles looked at the man next to me.

“Drake Mac Gilleain.”

His name had a slight lilt to it, and I suddenly remembered him calling me lass.

“Miss McCrae, could you tell us what happened?” Chiles asked.

I took a slow breath. “My boyfriend, Dale Leighton, and I drove to work together. While we were walking to the building, Dale told me he wanted me to step down from being second chair in the orchestra. I said no, and, um…he started yelling at me.” My hands began to shake, and I pressed them together. “Then he grabbed my violin case and…and he hit me with it.” Tears burned my eyes. “He threw it into the street and then grabbed my arm. When he let go, I ran over here to get my…my violin.”

“He hit you with your violin?” Chiles asked.

“Violin case,” I corrected, gesturing to where it still sat on the sidewalk.

“We’ll need to take that as evidence if you want to press charges.” He jotted something on his notepad. “Are you going to be pressing charges?”

My heart was in my throat as I nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay, well, we’re going to need you to come to the station for a formal–”

“The young lady needs to see a doctor,” Drake interrupted.

The concern on his face nearly broke my composure.

“I’m okay,” I said.

He raised an eyebrow. “You need x-rays on your face and your arm.”

I suddenly realized that I was holding my arm.

And I hurt.

“We have paramedics on the way,” Hedley said. He gestured across the street where I saw an ambulance.

“Are they…are they looking at Dale?”

“Mr. Leighton sustained some injuries as well,” Chiles said.

“Injuries?” I stared at the officers. “I didn’t touch him!”

“That, uh, that might’ve been me.”

My head snapped around to the man at my side, sending a jolt of pain down my neck. “What?!”

“I suppose it is my turn to speak.” He glanced at the officers and then looked back at me for a long moment. “I was on my way to get some coffee when I saw a man yelling at a woman. That man, this woman. I saw him hit her with that case.” He pointed. “He then threw it in the street. She turned to go after it, and he grabbed her arm. I heard her…” he swallowed hard “…make a pained sound. So I grabbed his shoulder and punched him in the face.”

I stared at him. He didn’t sound proud of what he did, more like it was a reluctant last resort.

“What did Mr. Leighton do at that point?” Chiles asked.

“He tried to hit me. I blocked the punch and told him to stand down.”

“And did he?” Hedley asked. “Stand down?”

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