The Fear In Her Eyes by Grant McKenzie

Author:Grant McKenzie [McKenzie, Grant]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781940610092
Publisher: Polis Books

***

The eighteen-story Portland Justice Center was home to not only the Portland Police Bureau but also four courtrooms and the maximum-security Multnomah County Detention Center. For criminals, that meant the journey from being arrested to incarcerated was a short one.

Ian only hoped the same efficiency applied to getting back out.

Dressed in a smart suit that was too large and far too expensive to be his own, and was in fact borrowed from the closet in Helena’s father’s corner office, Ian was read his rights, fingerprinted, photographed, and DNA swabbed. Jersey didn’t ride the elevator down from the fourteenth floor to make sure he was treated okay, and Helena vanished almost immediately to confer with the district attorney’s office.

Ian tried to take the experience in stride. He had watched the process at least a dozen times when some of his juvenile clients went head-to-head with the police and didn’t know who else to call. No matter the hour and no matter how badly they had messed up, they all knew Ian would show up. He didn’t always arrive with a smile, but Ian made sure they weren’t alone and got in contact with the help they needed.

Despite that experience, he hadn’t known just how unnerving the actual process could be. Just the thought of those skin cells from inside his cheek being catalogued alongside a multitude of evidence from brutal rapes and murders made his flesh crawl. He was part of that system now, reduced to a piece of data the computers would sift through every time something evil happened in the city, the country, even the world.

“Holding cells are busy today,” said the uniformed officer who was processing him. In his midtwenties, he had shoulders that bespoke a college football scholarship and a stiffness in his walk that said he paid for his education in pain. “Judge has a full roster, so you’ll be sharing.”

“That’s fine,” said Ian. “I don’t plan to stay lo—”

A Texan drawl interrupted. “Should have brought more doughnuts.”

Ian turned to see the cowboy from the homicide division. The burly detective dropped some dog-eared folders in a plastic tray and winked across the room.

“Told you to bring some decent coffee, too,” he said. “Doughnuts are only good for misdemeanors.”

Despite himself, Ian found his grin. “Guess I forgot.”

“Always next time.”

As the detective walked away, the young officer looked at Ian in a new light. “You know Detective Preston?”

“Sure,” Ian quipped. “We’re fans of the same bakery.”

The officer looked impressed. “I’ll put you in the less crowded cell.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.