Nearly Free by Molly Black

Author:Molly Black [Black, Molly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-28T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Finally, Grace was face to face with their dockyard suspect, Jameson Cooper. Sitting in the interview room at the local police station, she took a good look at the man, who was fidgeting nervously.

His ID had shown him to be in his late thirties, and his face reflected his age, with short, dark hair and a scruffy beard that failed to conceal a weak chin. The dark hollows under his eyes made her think that he hadn’t slept well for a while.

Grace could tell he was agitated by the way he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, tapping his foot against the floor, and darting his gaze around the room. Glancing to her right, she saw that Dylan, like herself, was noting every physical tell from their suspect.

He was no longer in handcuffs. He’d been cooperative during the processing, although she thought he might simply have been exhausted after their headlong chase.

The local police station, warm and cozy, was a small satellite station just a mile from the dockyard. It wasn’t the main station where Lamont was based. That battle, Grace knew, still lay ahead. For now, though, they needed to get the truth from this man.

“Mr. Cooper,” Grace said. He jumped at the sound of her voice.

“You chased me down for no reason,” he said plaintively, his voice hoarse. “I can barely breathe. I need some water.”

Dylan got up and poured him a glass of water. He held it, raised it to his mouth carefully because his hands were shaking, and sipped.

“First question,” Grace said firmly. “Why did you run away when we called out to you?”

Jameson shifted in his chair, avoiding eye contact. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” he muttered. “It’s just that I was in a hurry to get to the store on my break.”

“We want the truth,” Dylan thundered, his voice so loud and angry that Jameson almost dropped his water glass. Water splashed over the table, and Grace jumped up and took it from him, setting it down on the steel surface.

Dylan didn’t usually come across so strongly, but Grace guessed that her perceptive partner had pegged this man as a liar, and was showing his anger about it.

I didn’t do anything wrong,” Jameson said, his voice shaking. “I was scared. I thought you were going to arrest me for something I didn’t do.”

Grace let the words sink in for a minute. Jameson was sweating now.

“You know, we deal with a lot of people who are scared of the police. It’s quite common. None of them do what you did. You had a reason for running like that, and we need to know if that reason is linked to the serious crimes that are happening on the river.”

Jameson wrung his hands, avoiding Grace’s gaze. “I have nothing to do with any crimes.”

“I think that’s a lie,” Grace stated baldly. “And it will go badly for you if you lie. For a start, we can hold you here all day, and overnight. It’s extremely uncomfortable in this police station’s holding cell.

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