Page 62 of Ice Cold Christmas
For a stunned moment, Melody didn’t move. Then, shaking from her stupor, she hurried after him. “Victor!”
He was already on the stairs.
Gripping the banister tightly, she followed.
The fierce pounding came again. Only this time, it was also followed by a shout. “Police!” Melody caught the bellow quite clearly. “Open the damn door!”
Again, no hurry from Victor even as dread curled around Melody. He took his time once he reached the main floor. Even stopped to glance through her peephole. “Well, you did want this opportunity,” Victor told her as he spared a look over his shoulder at her. “You’re about to get your chance to chat with the detective who was lead on your case. Detective Angus Clinton.”
Melody had stopped steps behind him.
His head swung forward. Victor hauled open the door.
Melody crept to his side. The better to see the cop.
A tall, broad-shouldered redhead stood on her small stoop. Curly hair. Pale skin. Sharp, golden eyes.
“Detective Angus Clinton,” Victor said. “Let me guess…you asked one of her neighbors to call you if there was ever any sign of Melody showing up here?”
The detective grunted. Then his gaze jumped to her. Narrowed. He did not look pleased to see her. Quite the opposite, in fact, and he snapped, “Melody Mage. Finally decided to return home again, did you?”
She didn’t know what to say. She was fighting to remember her home.
Another grunt. “Glad you’re back, and by the way, your ass is under arrest.” Then he hauled out handcuffs.
Her mouth dropped open. Why in the world was everyone trying to cuff her?
“Take a step toward her,” Victor dared as he immediately positioned his body in front of hers. “And I can assure you that it will be the worst mistake you ever make.”
Chapter Sixteen
She didn’t think that she’d ever been inside a police station before. Or, particularly, inside an interrogation room before. But then again, she couldn’t remember shit so…
Melody cradled the stale cup of coffee between her hands. She was in an actual interrogation room. One with a one-way viewing mirror on the wall. How Law & Order crazy was that? She was sitting at a little rickety table, Victor stood in front of the mirror, and the detective—Detective Angus Clinton—sat across from her, a cold scowl on his face.
“I didn’t fake my disappearance,” Melody told him. She’d told him this several times.
His scowl just deepened.
“I told you…” She had. All the bits and pieces that she had—she’d told him. After she’d made it to the station with Victor, a trip they’d made driving on a few sketchy roads with too much sludge and ice. “I woke up in a hospital. Most of my memory is still gone. I gave you the name of the hospital where I was treated. I gave you the names of my doctors. I signed paperwork, releases so that you could get all of my medical information.” One hand lifted to make a shooing gesture toward him. “Don’t you have people who can check all of this out? I didn’t do anything wrong.” Hello, I’m the victim. “I thought you were working my case to help me. Didn’t realize you were looking to lock me up.”
“You said you woke up in a Canadian hospital. And you admitted you used a fake ID to get back in the country.” Angus glowered at her.
“No one is locking Melody up.” Victor spoke with utter certainty. “We are here as a courtesy, nothing more.”
The well-dressed woman who sat at Melody’s side cleared her throat. “I think we should all take a few deep breaths.” That would be her attorney talking. The lawyer who resembled a supermodel had come running as soon as Victor called her, despite the dangerous roads. Amaya Abba. Chief counsel at Mage Industries. “My client is cooperating.”
From what she’d gathered, Amaya was more Victor’s attorney than hers. Or maybe Amaya just worked for Mage Industries. But the woman had magically appeared at the station just as Angus began his interrogation proceedings, and Melody was certainly grateful for her presence. Not like she wanted to wind up behind bars.
Melody hadn’t even realized that was a possibility, not until Angus had begun making his threats.
“My client is confused and clearly traumatized, yet here she is.” Amaya sent her a sympathetic smile before she focused back on the detective. “She’s patiently answering your questions. Being a good citizen. Giving you as much information as she can so that the evil perpetrator who attacked her can be brought to justice.”
Melody didn’t know if she’d really been patiently doing anything.
Victor had swiftly updated Amaya on Melody’s, um, situation. He had also stopped Angus from cuffing Melody.
Since they’d been in the interrogation, Angus had gone on and on about her misusing police resources. He’d groused out something about a false abduction.
