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“If she identifies him, we’ll have questions. You got a lawyer?”
“We use Gannon, Arrington, and Winters. Ms. Arrington is representing the business. I can see if they handle this.”
“Why don’t you call her.” I didn’t want to take a picture of the kid without the attorney okaying it.
“Be right back.” Ryan walked into the office, closing the door.
Dexter walked around the tidy shop, looking at the framed pictures on the wall. I was strung too tight to relax.
When Ryan returned, he said, “She wants to be present for any questioning.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Dexter said, obviously wanting to infuse some levity to the situation because I was tight as a string pulled taut, ready to snap at any moment.
I had to consciously uncurl my fingers so they wouldn’t form fists. This kid was scaring women. Whatever his reasons were, it had to stop.
No matter how good Remi felt in my arms when she was seeking comfort, I wanted her to feel safe at her store. She deserved to walk through life happy and without a care in the world.
“I’ll grab a picture of him if that’s okay?” Dexter asked.
“Sure. Follow me.” I let them go, not trusting myself with the kid. I’d start firing off questions about what he was thinking. It wasn’t the right time or place. Parents had a right to be present for questioning, and their attorney did, too. We had to handle this delicately. I wasn’t sure I was capable of that, not after seeing Hailey so unsettled and her store ransacked.
Not only was it scary for these women, but he was affecting their livelihoods.
“You ready to head out?” Dexter asked.
I nodded tightly. I’d focus on the photo array and hope that Hailey found the guy in one of them. If not, we were back to square one.
I didn’t call Remi because I didn’t have answers for her. Not yet.
“You schedule a time for Corey to come in?”
“This afternoon at two.”
“Good.”
“Listen, you okay?”
I rolled my shoulders back, trying to ease the tension. “It feels personal.”
Dexter rested his arm on the top of his door. “What, because of Remi?”
I nodded slightly. I didn’t want to talk about it, but he should know.
Instead of Dexter lecturing me, he smiled like he’d just gotten something he’d wanted forever. “Seriously?”
“We haven’t labeled it, but I care about her. I don’t want whoever this is escalating this.”
“You’re worried about her.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah.” There was no shame in admitting that.
“How about that,” Dexter said to himself, sliding into his car.
Something bubbled to the surface as I got behind the wheel. What if I couldn’t protect her? What if we didn’t find this guy?
The panic took over, and I couldn’t seem to calm myself. My heart beat out of control, and my hands felt as shaky as Hailey’s looked earlier. My empty stomach roiled.
Driving to the station, I know I needed to pull myself together before Dexter told Chief to take me off the case. I wanted to be the one who closed the case, but at the same time, I worried I’d fuck it up. Just like I had the last couple of times someone relied on me.
