Free Double Bind by Kathryn Michaela

time she grinned.   “Well, I’m good at trouble.”
                He laughed, shaking his head.   “Look, Sarah, I believe you.”
                “What?” She asked, startled enough that she nearly fell out of her seat.
                “I believe you.   I don’t think that you stole the chemicals.   I don’t think that you poisoned all those people.”
                “You believe me!?” Sarah said, her voice squeaking in excitement.   “So you’ll let Davey go?   You’ll stop bugging me?”
                He shook his head.   “I’m sorry.   I have to follow the evidence.   Right now all the evidence points to you.”
                She sighed, leaning down to put her head against the dash of his car.   “It’s not fair.   I’m so good, and now everything is ruined.”
                He chuckled again, pulling up to her building.   “Everything isn’t ruined.   But you’ve got to stop snooping around.   You are causing problems for everyone.”
                She nodded, her head rubbing on the dash, but she was too woozy to pick it up.   “I know.   Poor, poor Davey. Stuck ‘ cuz of his stupid sister.”
                Detective Snyder laughed.   “Not exactly.   He’s also stuck because of his own hacking games.”
                Sarah was too far gone to hear him, or respond.   The detective seemed to realize this, and hurried to get out of the car.   By the time he got around to open the door, Sarah was leaning on it.   He managed to catch her before she hit the ground, but just barely.   The jolt sobered her up enough that she managed to pull herself out of the car.   “Ouch.”
                He said nothing, but led her up into the building and to her apartment.   It took her several minutes to find her keys, partly because she kept forgetting that was what she was supposed to be doing.   When she finally got the door open, he helped her inside and onto the couch, pulling her shoes off and pulling a blanket over her.
                She grinned up at him, her eyes already heavy lidded as she came close to passing out.   In the dim light, she couldn’t seem to stop staring at the detective.   She had been wrong.   He wasn’t a jerk.   He was a handsome stud, and he believed her.   He leaned over her to say something, and she reached out a hand to grab at his shoulder.   She didn’t want him to go.   She felt safe around him.   She wanted his eyes to get that warm glow of desire again.   She wanted to feel his hand on hers.
                “Can I tell you a secret?” She slurred.   He paused, smiling a little.
                “Sure.   You can tell me anything.”   He sat on the edge of the sofa next to her.   His hip brushed hers, and for a moment she lost her train of thought.   “Uh, Sarah?” he said, and she blinked.
                “Right.   Secret.”   She giggled, sliding her hand down his arm.   “Well, the secret is -” Again she stopped.   She blinked again, trying to focus.   “You’re really pretty.” She finally said.   She was pretty sure that wasn’t what she had been about to say, but she didn’t care.
                He laughed and shook his head.   “ Yeahhh , I think it’s time you got some sleep.”   He stood, pulling on his jacket before he headed to the door.
                “Rob,” she said, his name sounding delicious on her tongue.
                He stopped in the doorway, and his voice sounded eager.   “Yes?”
                “You believe me, right?   You know I wouldn’t hurt anybody?”
                He didn’t talk for a long time, and Sarah almost wondered if she had passed out.   When he finally spoke, his voice was very sad.   “I believe you, Sarah.”
                Sarah beamed, and passed out