Page 14 of Unraveling an Enigma
The male agent stands from his seat to put on his suit jacket. His belly is so round, the buttons on his tight dark blue blazer nearly burst when he fastens them. When the glass door of the conference room closes, I turn to face Brandon.
“Be quiet, Izzy,” he instructs firmly.
“I. . .”
“Shut up, Isabelle.” Brandon’s angry roar trembles my core.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard a bad word come out of Brandon’s mouth.
His angry, concerned gaze flicks to the corner of the room. Following his gaze, for the first time I notice a camera mounted in the corner. Brandon remains stagnant, and not a word spills from his lips until the red flashing light of the camera switches off.
Brandon turns his hazel eyes to mine. “I strongly advise you to plead the fifth during this entire interview.”
“I don’t have anything to hide.” Although my relationship with Isaac may be construed as immoral, nothing I have done the past month was of a criminal nature.Well, I don’t think it was?
“Izzy, please don’t be stupid. They’re here to charge you with conspiracy in aiding and abetting a criminal, and supplying him with private government documents. If you don’t plead the fifth, you could be looking at over twenty years in jail,” he informs me.
“What?” I mutter. “I’ve never given—”
“Shut up,” he growls again. “I can’t guarantee they don’t have any other ears in this office.”
I remain quiet, in shock and unable to comprehend what is happening. My fearful eyes dart between Brandon’s. He is eyeing me with caution, but it is his genuine concern reflecting at me that causes my greatest unease.
Feeling nervous, I sit down on the chair next to him.
While pressing his sweat-slicked palms to the white melamine tabletop, Brandon’s gaze seeks mine. “Plead the fifth, and I’ll do everything in my power to help you through this.” Even though his tone is stern, his request still comes out as a plea.
Unable to speak in my confused state, I nod.
“I’ll stay in the room with you, but no matter what they tell you, Isabelle, plead the fifth and deny answering all questions if you don’t want to go to jail.” This time, it was a firm request and not a plea.
My stomach churns so much I feel like I’m going to be sick any minute. After a long exhale to rid my body of nerves, I nod for the second time.
Not long later, Agent Theresa and her partner enter the room. “Your five minutes is up,” she advises. Her thin lips curl upwards as she opens the conference room door wide before gesturing for Brandon to leave the room.
“Isabelle has requested a union representative to be present during her interview,” Brandon explains.
An annoyed expression crosses Theresa’s face before her blue eyes flick to me. “Is that correct, Isabelle?” she queries, her tone snooty and pompous.
I nod. “Yes.”
The room plunges into awkward silence as Theresa roughly closes the glass door so hard, I’m surprised the glass didn’t crack. In a brisk pace, she storms out of the room to gather a chair for Brandon. Her brow arches into her blonde hair when she places the chair next to me and gestures for Brandon to take a seat.
Once he is sitting, she saunters to the other side of the desk and takes a seat next to the male agent who is staring at me with a hint of amusement on his face. When Theresa nudges the male officer with her elbow, he leans over and switches on the black camera set up on a tripod.
The instant the camera starts flashing its familiar red light, Theresa’s gaze lifts to mine. “Are you in a sexual relationship with Isaac Holt?”
Wow, she is straight to the point and extremely blunt.
“I plead the fifth,” I answer, my voice barely a whisper.
Theresa’s manicured brows elevate. She leans the top half of her body closer to the desk. Her face is strained with confusion like she couldn’t have possibly heard me right.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” she queries with sarcasm.
“I plead the fifth amendment.”
Her eyes dart down to some documents on the desk before they return to face me. “Are you in a relationship with Isaac Holt?”
