thing: Being a victim was no longer an option. “I’m ready. Let’s go to the cops.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“You’ll be all right.” Dustin led me up the police station steps past two cops trying to wrestle a drunk man down.
I reached for his hand and clutched at it. I didn’t respond. What could I say? He knew as well as I did that after talking to the cops, we would not be able to predict how things would go. We would have no power over the consequences. But the consequences of not coming here weighed heavier on my heart. I had no choice but to do the right thing.
We walked through the door. For a small town, the inside of the Serendipity police station was a bustle of activity. It was full of desks, each with a computer, a single lamp, a telephone, and stacks of folders.
All desks except one were occupied. A policeman with a well-trimmed beard, glasses, and a widow’s peak sat behind it, leafing through a newspaper.
He looked up when we approached. He had the smallest eyes I’d ever seen on anyone.
The knot in my stomach tightened the closer we came to the desk, but to my surprise, there was also something else—a kind of relief mixed in with all the anxiety. Relief that perhaps with my confession, this phase of my life would be coming to an end. I would no longer live in limbo. I would be able to move forward in some way. For better or for worse.
Knowing it could also mean the end of Jude’s freedom was relief in itself. Having him behind bars would keep him away from me and the baby. My only fear was that the cops might not believe me and I could end up behind bars as well. I tightened my hand around the envelope full of the photos Cole had given us.
“I’m Officer Lester. How may I help you?” The man folded up his newspaper, tossed it into the desk, and folded his arms over his rather big belly.
Dustin pulled out a chair for me and I sank into it gratefully. My knees had been just about to give way.
“Good morning, Officer. We’re here concerning the prostitute murders,” Dustin said, sitting down. “We know who the serial killer is.”
The officer uncrossed his arms and opened a drawer. He pulled out a notepad and pen. “Get over here, Scott,” he called, and a spindly man wearing a suit and a bright orange tie joined us.
***
Everything happened fast. As soon as I told the short version of my story from the very beginning, more cops showed up, and Dustin and I were separated. I was kept inside a stuffy interrogation room and questioned for three straight hours while Dustin waited for me outside.
At first Detective Inspector Scott Rimes was skeptical; he told me many people had shown up over the past month claiming to know the prostitute killer and none of them had been right. But when I told them about the murders of Jude’s wife, mother, and my friend Diana, and explained how the prostitutes all resembled me, he started to pay attention. In the end, the interrogation room was filled with myself, one cop, and four detectives.
They finally let me out of the room after trying to convince me not to leave Serendipity. I told them that staying in Serendipity was not an option, and that my baby and I would be in danger. They had stood their ground until Dustin joined us in the corridor and gave them a piece of his mind. He reminded them that Stony Creek was only a stone’s throw from Serendipity and if they needed me, he’d fly me in. Or they could drive up.
Rimes agreed and promised to contact me if they had news, or if they needed anything else from me. In the meantime, they were going to forward my information to the police department in Madison investigating Diana’s death.
We gave them the address of Dustin’s ranch and the phone numbers where they could reach us.
The good news was I was not being arrested for murder. They first had to look into Leon’s murder, which wasn’t recorded in any of the police databases. They needed to find out the man’s true identity,
Chapter Twenty-Five
“You’ll be all right.” Dustin led me up the police station steps past two cops trying to wrestle a drunk man down.
I reached for his hand and clutched at it. I didn’t respond. What could I say? He knew as well as I did that after talking to the cops, we would not be able to predict how things would go. We would have no power over the consequences. But the consequences of not coming here weighed heavier on my heart. I had no choice but to do the right thing.
We walked through the door. For a small town, the inside of the Serendipity police station was a bustle of activity. It was full of desks, each with a computer, a single lamp, a telephone, and stacks of folders.
All desks except one were occupied. A policeman with a well-trimmed beard, glasses, and a widow’s peak sat behind it, leafing through a newspaper.
He looked up when we approached. He had the smallest eyes I’d ever seen on anyone.
The knot in my stomach tightened the closer we came to the desk, but to my surprise, there was also something else—a kind of relief mixed in with all the anxiety. Relief that perhaps with my confession, this phase of my life would be coming to an end. I would no longer live in limbo. I would be able to move forward in some way. For better or for worse.
Knowing it could also mean the end of Jude’s freedom was relief in itself. Having him behind bars would keep him away from me and the baby. My only fear was that the cops might not believe me and I could end up behind bars as well. I tightened my hand around the envelope full of the photos Cole had given us.
“I’m Officer Lester. How may I help you?” The man folded up his newspaper, tossed it into the desk, and folded his arms over his rather big belly.
Dustin pulled out a chair for me and I sank into it gratefully. My knees had been just about to give way.
“Good morning, Officer. We’re here concerning the prostitute murders,” Dustin said, sitting down. “We know who the serial killer is.”
The officer uncrossed his arms and opened a drawer. He pulled out a notepad and pen. “Get over here, Scott,” he called, and a spindly man wearing a suit and a bright orange tie joined us.
***
Everything happened fast. As soon as I told the short version of my story from the very beginning, more cops showed up, and Dustin and I were separated. I was kept inside a stuffy interrogation room and questioned for three straight hours while Dustin waited for me outside.
At first Detective Inspector Scott Rimes was skeptical; he told me many people had shown up over the past month claiming to know the prostitute killer and none of them had been right. But when I told them about the murders of Jude’s wife, mother, and my friend Diana, and explained how the prostitutes all resembled me, he started to pay attention. In the end, the interrogation room was filled with myself, one cop, and four detectives.
They finally let me out of the room after trying to convince me not to leave Serendipity. I told them that staying in Serendipity was not an option, and that my baby and I would be in danger. They had stood their ground until Dustin joined us in the corridor and gave them a piece of his mind. He reminded them that Stony Creek was only a stone’s throw from Serendipity and if they needed me, he’d fly me in. Or they could drive up.
Rimes agreed and promised to contact me if they had news, or if they needed anything else from me. In the meantime, they were going to forward my information to the police department in Madison investigating Diana’s death.
We gave them the address of Dustin’s ranch and the phone numbers where they could reach us.
The good news was I was not being arrested for murder. They first had to look into Leon’s murder, which wasn’t recorded in any of the police databases. They needed to find out the man’s true identity,
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