Page 20 of Off the Hook

Detective Ramirez took no mercy on me. “She told you she was going to marry Jake, and that enraged you. So you went there, didn’t you? You went there, and you killed her.”

“None of that happened.” I looked at Faith, hoping she’d jump in to save me but she rubbed her lips together and took a deep breath through her nose. She didn’t believe me either. I glanced at the camera in the corner of the room. “That’s recording, right?”

Faith nodded, answering softly. “Yes, it’s recording.”

“Good. I am trying to be cooperative because I want to help find out what happened to Kylie. I let you search my house. I’ve come back a second time for questioning. But I’ve told you everything I know. If you’re going to keep insisting that I killed Kylie, then I need to call a lawyer because I had nothing to do with her death.”

Faith’s eyes lingered on me, and I felt a hint of mercy in their depths before she turned to her partner. “I think we’ve gotten all we need from him for now. Don’t you?”

“For now.” Detective Ramirez grumbled.

I pushed away from the table and stood up fast. “Good. I hope you’ll start looking for the real killer.”

Faith stood up and walked toward the door, swinging it open. “We’ll get to the bottom of this Coulter. Thanks for coming in.”

The hint of empathy in her eyes, gave me a glimmer of hope that she hadn’t lost all faith in me.

CHAPTER 11

FAITH

Watching Coulter walk out of the precinct, something tugged at me. His broad shoulders, his long legs and their steady stride, oozed confidence. He had never caved under Oscar’s grilling, and I felt conflicted for admiring him for it.

Oscar grunted next to me. “You getting soft on him, Faith?” He asked, his tone dripping with skepticism.

I frowned, turning my gaze his way. “I’m not soft. But I don’t see any reason to go hard on the guy either.”

He snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t let the Rodman charm cloud your judgment. It doesn’t clear him of murder.”

I sighed. Arguing with Oscar was futile. He was blind to nuance. Everything was black and white. “I’m just saying we should keep an open mind. None of the evidence is conclusive.”

“None of the evidence rules him out,” Oscar countered. “We’ve got Rodman returning to the scene.”

My phone buzzed, interrupting. I glanced at the screen—Laura, a friend I’d worked with on the force in Miami. It was the second time she’d called today. It was rude and unprofessional, but I welcomed the distraction from the Coulter-Suspect conversation and held up a finger to Oscar, stepping away to answer the call.

“Hey Laura! Long time, no see,” I said, trying to sound cheerful.

“Hey hot stuff,” my friend said cheerily. “Guess where I am right now.”

“Umm, I’m a helluva detective but you have to give me a little more to go on.”

“Big, gaudy, retro sign,” she said. “Giant pool. Cold margaritas on the beach.”

I bit my lip, recalling where we’d sipped cold margaritas on the beach together. “Retro sign has to be South Beach.”

“Nope, think retro sign inyour‘hood.”

“Oh, you’re in the Keys!?” I squinted, thinking. “The Islander!” I almost shouted, and caught myself, walking further away from Oscar.

“Yep, I’m here through New Years. Want to catch up tonight? Maybe grab a drink?”

I hesitated, glancing at the clock. “I’d love to, but I’m swamped with a case. I don’t think my partner would appreciate me taking off tonight.”

“Do you have plans for New Year’s Eve?”

I laughed. “I wish. What are you up to?”

“Bar hopping. You down?”

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