Free Redeemed Book 2: A Military Stepbrother Romance by Lucy Snow Page A

him and straightened up himself.

    They both looked at us like a jeweler looked at an uncut stone. Finally, Officer Stallman stepped into the room, Jefferson following him close behind. “Can we get you anything?”

    Harrison and I both said in unison, “no thanks”. Stallman nodded and came around the table, taking a seat at the far end. Officer Jefferson sat directly opposite Harrison. That was my cue, and I took the chair right next to Harrison.

    We settled down and looked each other over, the two officers taking languorous sips from their coffee cups, while Harrison sat with his eyes closed, almost as calm as the police.

    I remember reading that one of the ways the police assessed guilt was by how calm and collected the suspects were. The more relaxed they were during interrogation, the more likely they were guilty. An innocent person would try to do anything to clear their name, but a guilty suspect might just accept their fate, maybe even with a little relief.

    If that was the case, Harrison looked guilty as all hell, despite looking as calm as the Buddha. I didn’t know how to help him, and I didn’t have any way to tell him to step out of it. It’s not like I knew what I was doing; I hadn’t been in a police station since I was a child.

    Officer Stallman broke the silence. “Harrison, do you know why you’re here?”

    Harrison took a deep breath, exhaled, and opened his eyes, staring officer Stallman down. Jefferson leaned forward, the beginnings of a sneer on his face, wanting to hear what Harrison said. “I have to be pretty thick not to know by now. I’ve been here for more than 12 hours.”

    Stallman and Jefferson both nodded at the same time. “Then why don’t you tell us, why you’re here. Just so were all clear,” Jefferson said, laying the sarcasm on as thick as he could, as if with a knife.

    Harrison stayed defiant, not saying a word. At this point, neither of the officers looked surprised. I had a hunch this was how the entire night had gone. They must have dragged out his cell every couple hours, wanting to talk, wanting to see if he would give them any information at all. If there was anything Harrison was good at, it was putting on a very convincing portrayal of a statue. I got a glimpse of it right then.

    Officer Stallman’s eyes flicked towards me. “Now, you see what we’ve been working with?”

    I nodded, trying to put on a brave face, to support Harrison’s lack of cooperation, but at the same time I wondered if it was the right move. These two police officers held Harrison’s future in their hands. Depending on how he talked to them, interacting with them, they would decide what the next steps for his case were.

    I wanted to say something, both to Harrison and private, or to the police officers. I wanted to assure them that Harrison would cooperate, that he’d done nothing wrong, and that he intended to fight these charges. I wanted to say these things because Harrison wouldn’t say them for himself. Some messed up since pride Wouldn’t let him.

    I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to call our parents, but at the same time I knew Harrison wouldn’t let them help him. He didn’t need anyone, and he wouldn’t let them in, wouldn’t let them protect him.

    And I shuddered to think what my father would do when he found out. Not only would he blow up at Harrison, I might even end up in his crosshairs after not telling them. Worse, my father’s health wasn’t exactly the best these days - he could use a lot more exercise in his day. I worried for his heart if he found out.

    Of course, he would find out, if this didn’t end soon. Our parents would be back from wherever they were some time this afternoon. I dreaded that conversation.

    “Oh hey, Laurel, we’re back from the cabin. Looks like you didn’t burn the house down, that’s good!”

    “Yeah, I wanted to, but I was all out of matches, and it was too cold to go out and get some more.”

    “Next time