Page 95 of Out on a Limb
Oscar finally looked my way. “Someone accused this lovely young woman of putting chickens in a trailer?”
I nodded, eyes wide and hopefully innocent-looking as I tried to maintain what Elaine started.
“It’s such a shame someone has manipulated your force with false accusations.” Elaine rested one hand on the chief’s arm. “I knew you would want to know the truth.”
Somehow the chief’s chest puffed out even more, pushing it beyond the swell of his impressive gut. “Of course.” He turned to the officer watching us from the window. “Where’s the young man they brought in for this?”
The officer didn’t even pretend he hadn’t been listening to the whole conversation. “He’s in room two.”
“Let him go.”
“Let him go?” The younger officer looked from the chief to Elaine. “But he confessed.”
The chief stood taller under Elaine’s gaze. “Fine. I’ll do it myself.” He turned to the door he’d come through moments earlier, pulling it wide. “Would you like to see the back of the station?”
He was only talking to Elaine, but I was going wherever she went. It seemed like the best way to get shit accomplished.
And there appeared to be a lot I could learn from her.
“That would be lovely.” Elaine flashed him a smile as she passed where he held the door open.
I mimicked her smile and soft expression, offering it to Oscar just like she did.
Whatever superpower Elaine had I wanted.
Of course I’d only use it for good. Just like I’m sure she did.
I followed Elaine as she headed straight for a row of windowless doors lined down the painted cement block walls of the station. A large number two was stenciled above one of the doors. As we approached it opened, and the same cop from earlier came out, looking a little irritated.
“He’s confessing to all sorts of random shit.” He raked one hand through his dark hair as he spoke to a cop sitting at the desk right across from the door. “Said he stole the chickens from the zoo before hiring a limo to take them to the trailer.”
“It was a hot air balloon.” It was out before I knew I was saying it.
I clamped my mouth shut as every eye in the place came my way.
So much for learning Elaine’s magical ways.
“He’s confessing all sorts of random shit because he’s lying.” The chief opened the door to the interrogation room. “Come on out, son.”
Andrew sat in the back corner of the room, legs stretched out, looking as unworried as I’d ever seen him.
He handled being arrested way better than I would have.
“We’ve got a witness.”
I felt a little bad for the cop trying to plead his case, but only a little.
“A witness to what?” Elaine swung her hand my way. “A young woman single-handedly climbing onto a trailer, not just once or twice, but over and over again to drop chickens inside?” She huffed out a breath. “That seems a little far-fetched.”
“More than a little.” The chief turned my way. “Can you imagine this little thing being able to do something like that?”
I opened my mouth to argue.
I was fucking capable of doing anything I wanted to do, especially if it involved getting back at those dicks behind the garden.
A sharp stinging on the back of my arm turned my argument into a yelp.
“Have you considered the possibility that the whole story is a fabrication?” Elaine showed no sign that she’d just pinched the shit out of me. “Did you know that Sweet Side Gardens filed a noise complaint against the very people now accusing the owner’s granddaughter of wrongdoing?”
