Dead End Job
across the table and stood over me while I tried to read through the description of the morning’s events. I was doing my best to concentrate on the words in the statement, but Detective Wang’s sudden reappearance shot my anxiety back up to critical mass, so my nerves were totally fried. It didn’t help that as I was trying to make sense of the statement, Detective Wang hovered over me, glaring. I knew it was stupid to sign something as important as this without fully understanding it, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t wrap my brain around the words on the page. Wanting to just get the hell out of there, I gulped down the bile rising in my throat, hoped that everything would be fine and signed the document. Probably shouldn’t have done that Louisa , said the rational part of my mind. Too late. Detective Wang snatched up the paper, quickly folded it into thirds and held it tightly in to her breast as she spoke.
    “Thank you,” Detective Wang said curtly. “We have requested the surveillance tapes from the restaurant, but your alibi checked out with the bartender. He said he remembers you because your date was very upset after you disappeared,” she added snidely. Seriously, you have to make a dig on my bad date etiquette ? I was going to make a snarky comment back to her, but it wasn’t worth it: I could’ve cared less what this lady thought about me, as long as I got out of that damned room.
    “What about the night watchman?” I asked, curious. 
    “My team reached out to building security this morning as part of their investigation. The security guard who you saw last night left this morning on a camping vacation in Idaho. We’ve tried to reach him, but unfortunately he seems to be out of cell phone range.”
    “How convenient for me,” I responded sarcastically, before I could stop myself.
    “Indeed,” she snipped. “Don’t worry, our team will interview him when he returns from vacation. Regardless, at this point I would like you to take my card and call me if you can think of any more details about your evening that might help with this investigation. Also, please do not leave town, as we might have you back in for further questioning.”
    Although I was elated at the prospect that this whole process was coming to a close (at least for the day), Detective Wang seemed to feel the opposite. I smiled at her dumbly, and she responded with a cold glare. I was betting that she was put out that I wasn’t a viable suspect and she wouldn’t be able to wrap up the investigation with a confession right away. 
    “This way, please.” She opened the door to the interrogation room and we walked out, heading the opposite direction down the hallway and back into the lobby where I had entered the building earlier that morning.
    After she walked away I realized that I didn’t have my car; it was still in the parking garage a half-mile away. I stood in the middle of the lobby, resigned to my mission, when I spotted Rocky walking up to me from the hallway to the left.
    “Hi Louisa,” he said. “Detective Schreck told me that they’re done with you for today, so I’m going to give you a ride home now.” He didn’t wait for me to respond. He just smiled and put a big hand lightly on my back.
    “You can just drop me at my car, it’s in the garage at the hotel over by the office,” I said. Even though I would’ve loved to spend more time with him, I didn’t want this guy to go to any more trouble for me. “I can probably just drive myself home.”
    “No way, Jose,” he said, his hand still lightly resting on my shoulder. “I’m going to take you home myself. You are party to a murder and this department has instructed me to keep tabs on you. We don’t want you trying to leave the country, now.”
    “Really?” I asked. “I thought that I wasn’t a person of interest anymore, or suspect person, or bad guy, or whatever you call it. I mean, Detective Wang said that I could go home and I

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