Heart Lies & Alibis (18 page)

Perretti finished motioning him to step aside while gesturing for me to follow her as she escorted me upstairs followed by the female officer.

As I passed Declan I said "Call Astrid Frost. She'll know what to do."

He nodded. "I'll see you soon." He winked but I saw the fear in his eyes. Things had taken a turn for the worse and we had no idea what was going to happen next.

I smiled weakly and headed to my room.

After I got dressed Perretti read me my rights while placing me in handcuffs. The cold metal felt like ice blades against my wrists and I was ashamed and out of my mind with fear as she led me downstairs. I had been to the jail a number of times over my career but never as the suspect. I was not looking forward to what was in store for me.

Perretti and Davis escorted me to their car outside. We drove to the jail in near silence. I wanted so badly to ask what had brought them to my door today but I kept my mouth shut. As an attorney I knew I needed to remain silent. Only Perretti felt the need to speak at one point.

"Glad to see your 'friend' was there so early making sure you were okay, Mrs. McCallister. He sure seems like a nice young man." Her emphasis on the word young brought my furious eyes to meet hers in the rear-view mirror. Her subtle dig had hit its mark, hard. She just smirked back at me and shook her head. Fuck you lady, I thought silently seething the rest of the ride.

Once we arrived and they brought me inside the station, we went straight to booking. They took my fingerprints, my mugshot, and then took me to a room where I was instructed to change into the jailhouse orange jumpsuit. Slipping my feet into the jail issued shoes made the reality of my situation come crashing down around me. Luckily Astrid Frost had arrived in the time it took to process me and I was next led to a room where we could talk privately.

I had never been on this side of the jail glass before and it felt as awful as I had always imagined. The few clients I had to bail out over the years were usually just released without incident shortly after they were arrested. I hoped my own attorney would be as efficient in getting me released. I was relieved when I saw her face appear on the other side of the glass that separated us.

I offered a weak smile as I sat down across the glass wall from her. We picked up the olive green handsets.

"Reagan, I have to say, orange is definitely not your color." She cracked a brief smile. It was Astrid's style to be a smart-ass at a time like this.

"Thanks Astrid. I appreciate that."

Her smile was a bit more genuine this time and her eyes looked softer for a moment. "Hey, Reagan, I'm sorry. I know this is turning into a damn living nightmare. I just wanted to make you smile a bit before I deliver the shit news I have for you."

I nodded. "I know Astrid. And I do appreciate it. But let's get this over with. What did you find out?" I steeled myself for what she had to say.

She glanced at her notes, her face hard and emotionless again. "They have arrested you on second degree murder. They believe you did not plan to kill Thad but with your history with him – the pending divorce, his infidelities, and such – they believe you went to the park primed to do it all the same." She stared at me while her words sunk in.

I dropped my head in my hands, shaking my head, and feeling so utterly hopeless for a moment. "Oh my god. This is bad Astrid."

She nodded. No smart ass comments this time. "Yeah, things have sorta gone to hell at lightning speed."

I looked at her, my eyes wide with fear and confusion. "But why did they arrest me now?" I had been trying to figure that out since the detectives arrived at my front door this morning. "What had happened to change things so fast?"

She gave me a wry smile. "That Detective Perretti was only happy to share some of the reasons with me. Man that lady is a bitch on wheels, maybe even worse than me, and she does not like you." She looked at me over the top of her glasses.

I groaned, rubbing my pounding temples. "I gathered as much from our interactions so far. But what changed in the case to make them have enough evidence for an arrest warrant?"

"I'll get to that in a minute. First I need to ask you some questions. Is there anything you haven't told me yet? Anything about Thad or anything else?" She pursed her lips as she waited. She was giving me a chance to come clean, if I needed to, but I just stared back at her.

I swallowed hard and looked at her through the glass. I knew client-attorney privilege was on my side and whatever I told Astrid would be kept between us but I couldn't take the chance after all these years. Even now when my life depended on it. "No. Nothing." And in an instant, I knew I had made the wrong decision.

She narrowed her eyes even more, lacing her fingers together she leaned toward the glass separating us. "Okay let me refresh your memory a bit. Perretti claims they have the weapon that killed Thad. She also claims to have a solid witness that puts you arguing with Thad in the law office only a few days ago. I guess there were a few witnesses to your fight, in fact. Did you really say he would wish he was dead when you got done with him?" Her mouth was set in a grim line.

I dropped my head in my hands again. I had threatened Thad, like an idiot, exactly how the witnesses reported. I was so angry that day I couldn't stop my mouth. And at the time, I meant every word of that threat.

I nodded without meeting her eyes.

Astrid sat back, expelling a long exasperated breath. "Well shit, Reagan that was certainly a dumb-ass thing to do. What the hell were you thinking?" She held her hand up, shaking her head, before I could answer. "Wait, don't bother answering because I know the answer. You weren't thinking if you let this happen. What the hell did King Dickhead do to piss you off so bad you would risk something like this happening?" She tapped her pen while she waited for my answer.

I looked up and into her eyes again as my thoughts drifted back to that day with Thad. The images of our last meeting together spilled through my mind like a bad movie version of my life. I needed to help Astrid understand what had happened that day. In a dead voice I began relating the story to her.

"On Thursday, I went to the law firm to take care of an issue I couldn't handle over email and to pick up my mail. I was in my office when Thad called me and asked me to come to his office so we could talk before I left. I was reluctant to be alone with him but for some reason I went anyway."

Astrid stopped her note taking to look at me, questions filling her brown eyes. I didn't bother to answer them yet.

"I walked down to his office and took a seat in one of the chairs facing his desk. Moments passed while I waited for him to speak. He just kept leaning arrogantly back in his chair and looking at me like I owed him something."

As I spoke, images of last time I would see Thad alive filled my mind and I felt like I was in that office again.

My annoyance was growing and I crossed my arms and glared at him when the silence dragged on. "I have places to be Thad so what is it we need to discuss?"

He continued to stare at me making me more and more uncomfortable. His gaze made me feel dirty, somehow, and I was getting more and more uncomfortable. Finally, I had had enough. "I don't have time for this. I'm leaving." I said as I started to get up but he stopped me with a gesture of his hand. I paused before sitting back down. Even now I had no idea why I didn't just leave.

He sneered at me before he finally spoke. "Why the rush, Reagan? Going to meet lover boy, perhaps?" I bristled at his reference to Declan and he smirked at the reaction. Thad had always been very good at getting beneath my skin.

Keeping my voice calm I simply stated "That is none of your business."

His eyes glowed with anger or jealousy, I wasn't sure which and didn't really care. "Oh, but it is my dear, because as long as you still live in my house and carry my last name, I have a right to know who you are screwing in my bed." His crude language was a surprise. Thad was always in control of his emotions, a trait that had infuriated me over the years, and rarely spoke in anger.

By this point I was livid and started to retort with one of the litany of obscenities coursing through my mind but something made me stop. The set of his face, the glossiness of his eyes, and the way his body looked tensed for a fight gave me pause. I knew antagonizing him would just escalate an already bad situation.

And then I noticed he was slurring his words. He could be an ass sober but became a monumental prick when he was drunk. This meeting had reached the limits of my patience and I was leaving.

"Thad, you're drunk and I have better things to do with my day than sit here with you. Oh, and you're right. I do still live in OUR house and unfortunately carry McCallister as my last name but both of those situations will be remedied very soon, I promise you that. And as far as who is or isn't sleeping in my bed ceased to be your concern when you fucked your assistant."

I stood and started for the door but he was right behind me and he stepped quickly in front of the door blocking my escape. Something in his eyes really scared me for the first time and I knew I needed to get out of his office before something bad happened.

I stopped, my fists curled at my sides. "Get out of my way Thad." I was glad my voice did not betray the fear building inside me.

Instead of moving to the side and letting me pass, he started towards me. I backed away from him but he didn't stop approaching until my back hit the wall opposite the door. Suddenly he was mere inches from my face and I could smell the gin on his breath and he was more than just a little bit tipsy. The realization had me panicking but I willed myself to remain calm.

He ran his hand down my arm and it took all I could do not to shudder at his touch. Was this really the man I had been in love with so very recently, whose touch now made me recoil in disgust?

I stared into his eyes, my face set and cold. "Don't." The single word was all I needed to say to make myself clear.

His eyes darkened for a moment and for the first time in our marriage I wondered if he would strike me. Instead, he responded "Don't what Reagan? Touch my wife? Why would you say such a thing? Of course I can touch you if I want." One look at his face told me he had more in mind than a simple stroke of my skin and I had to swallow my repulsion again.

I didn't acknowledge the ridiculousness of his statements and repeated more sternly. "Stop it Thad. Now."

He moved closer, until more of his body touched mine. He looked me up and down as he spoke, his eyes raking my body with lust filled eyes. "You know Reagan, something you said a couple days has been eating at me. When I met your trashy boy toy, standing in my house like he had a right to be there I might add, you said something about finally being with a 'real man'." His hand continued to rub my arm while his body took even up more of the remaining space between us.

My heart was pounding and the fear building inside me was almost overwhelming. I tried to slide away from the wall but his hands grabbed my wrists in a vice grip, pressing my arms hard against the wall. The pain that shot through me was as startling as the action proceeding it. What the hell did he think he was doing? He had never been violent towards me like this before. Why now?

Though he was well-past fifty, Thad still played squash and golf on a regular basis and kept his body in good shape. He had a strong grip, fueled by gin and jealousy, and was able to hold me in place much easier than I had imagined. My heart thudded as my brain scrambled to figure out an escape.

He pressed harder against me, forcing his leg between mine and letting me feel his hard erection press against my thigh. I shuddered inside. "You used to think I was man enough. I remember making you moan like a whore on many occasions." He licked his lips, his eyes on mine. I refused to look away but felt sick to my stomach at how he was talking to me. "And I can still clearly see your pretty mouth sucking my cock on many nights." He leaned in and licked my neck and I thought I would throw up. Thad had never been so vulgar with me and it didn't suit him at all.

I twisted my head away from his tongue but his position against my body didn't leave me much space to move. When had he developed such a hate for me that he could want to treat me like this?

"Let go of me now." I hissed through clenched teeth.

He ignored me and pressed harder against me. Leaning close, he growled into my ear "Or what will you do if I don't?" He nipped painfully at my neck and I swallowed down a cry of pain..

"This." I said kneeing him as hard as I could in the balls. He released my arms as he fell to the ground, clutching his crotch, and moaning in agony. I stepped away from him and leaned against the wall trying to collect myself. What the hell had just happened?

The next moment the office door slammed open and Amberly came rushing in. She looked shocked to see Thad rolling on the ground. She looked back at me, her eyes nearly as big as the night I caught them fucking in this very room. Her mouth dropped open but she wisely remained silent.

I stepped over Thad and headed to the door without a backwards glance. Amberly watched me approach, afraid to move or react, until I was almost on top of her. She finally stepped back, her eyes following my every move as if she thought I might assault her next. I briefly contemplated it but realized just she wasn't worth it.