Page 50 of The Devil You Know
Evan let Nelson cuff him, knowing he could unlock the handcuffs with a word. He didn’t resist and felt relieved that Nelson appeared to be alone.
Nelson manhandled him toward the squad car. “Where’s your truck?”
“Took a ride-share,” Evan lied. “Parking’s a bitch around here.”
“I don’t know why you picked Cleveland to cause trouble, but it stops right now,” Nelson muttered.
“Patrolling the observatory is the most important public safety issue in the city?” Evan asked with faux innocence.
“Broken windows lead to bigger things,” the cop replied.
Evan tried not to fidget. He’d never been arrested before, and while he had faith in his friends to free him, he didn’t know how far under Osborn’s sway Nelson was.Plenty of witnesses have had tragic “accidents” in police custody. Let’s hope I’m not one of them.
He and Seth had taken pains to clean up after themselves in the fights against the other witch disciples. They and their friends monitored APBs and BOLOs to make sure they weren’t going to show up on post office bulletin board “wanted” posters. Still, Evan worried that they might have overlooked something or been caught on video in a way that linked them to those events.
Guess I’ll find out.
Evan had watched enough police dramas to expect a second round of Miranda, and to be fingerprinted, booked, and charged with a crime. Instead, Nelson put him in an interrogation room and handcuffed him to the table.
“I want to know why you’re showing up like a bad penny,” the cop demanded, looming over Evan.
“I want my lawyer,” Evan replied, doing his best to keep his voice calm.
“Just answer my questions, and you’re free to go,” Nelson said.
Evan knew better. “I want my lawyer,” he repeated.
Nelson slammed his fist on the table. Evan doubted there was anyone watching behind the mirrored glass, or if there was, maybe they were also under the witch disciple’s sway. He noticed Nelson did not have a body cam to record this. “Caught you trespassing twice, plus breaking and entering. And you were at the library when something happened to the librarian. Maybe you attacked her?”
“Lawyer.”
“You don’t get it,” Nelson hissed. “You’re tinkering with something that’s a lot bigger and badder than you are, and you’re going to bring holy hell down on all of us if you don’t back the fuck off.”
Interesting. Does he know or suspect something about Osborn? Is this his ham-fisted way to keep the situation from escalating?
The door opened, and a woman in a dark, all-business pantsuit walked in. Evan recognized Jenna Anderson, and sat back to watch the fireworks.
“Who are you?” Nelson demanded.
Jenna flashed her badge. “Secret Service. I’m here to take Mr. Malone off your hands.”
Nelson smirked at Evan. “What’s he wanted for?”
“He’s not ‘wanted.’ He’s in protective custody. Return his belongings. I’ve already spoken to your superiors.” She glanced at Evan, just long enough to assure that there were no visible injuries. “Let’s go.”
Evan did his best to keep a neutral expression and remained silent as Nelson removed the handcuffs. He looked like he might pop a gasket, but Evan swore he saw fear and not malice in the cop’s eyes.He knows something. But is he working for Osborn or trying to work around him?
Since he had given everything except spare change to Parker back at the observatory, checking him out went quickly. Neither he nor Jenna spoke until they got into a black sedan driven by Joe Mack.
“Thank you for coming for me,” Evan said, finally feeling the shakes hit now that he was safe.
“Are you okay?” Jenna asked.
Evan swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah. Nelson had a lot of bluster, but he didn’t try to hurt me. He’s a descendant—Osborn’s next victim. And I don’t know if he’s figured out what’s going on, but I think he suspects something isn’t right.”
“Your brother kept a level head,” Joe told him. “He’s safe at the RV. Were you planning on telling us about him?”
“I didn’t know he was going to show up,” Evan replied. “Long story, dysfunctional family. He called and said he thought he was being watched. I told him to come because I needed to protect him.”
