Page 13 of Relapse

“How long did that take?”

I could feel myself getting more and more nervous with each new question that was asked. I thought the officer wanted information about the man who bumped me? She hadn’t even asked me about him at all.

“Maybe thirty minutes,” I whispered in response.

Richmond cocked an eyebrow. “So, what I am hearing is: you came to this event, you spent less than half of the time with the man who invited you, and then you…left?”

“Well, we were about to leave when the man covered in blood bumped me…” I muttered.

“Whose idea was it to leave the party?”

I bit my lip. I could see where this was going now.

“Noah asked if I wanted to go to dinner, and I said yes.”

Richmond jotted down a few more times in the notebook.

“Has Noah ever mentioned any tension between him and his father?”

I stared at her blankly. I knew the answer to this question. Noah had told me before that he and his father had been in a pretty severe conflict. One that left physical injury on him.

“Ms. Marsh?” Richmond leaned forward, scrutinizing me.

“No,” I lied. Easily. Quietly.

I’d spent years telling myself that I would never lower my standards for anyone. That I’d remain honest. That my morals were unshakeable.

But in a single breath, those morals were obliterated. I would not incriminate Noah. My instinct to protect him outweighed any truth I might have spoken. How could I give him up after all he had done for me?

I knew what would happen if I told her otherwise. I could tell officer Richmond that Noah had mentioned a fight with his father. I could have told her that the scar under Noah’s eye was given to him by his father. But that would be motive. That story would instantly paint a red target on Noah’s back, making him a prime suspect for what had happened tonight.

By the way the conversation was going, it seemed to me as if the police were already looking into Noah anyway. They hadn’t even asked me for descriptions of the man who ran out of the front doors.

Noah couldn’t have done such a thing to his father. I felt this truth in my bones. And I wouldn’t allow anyone to frame him for it.

“So, what did the guy look like?” Richmond finally asked, unwilling to cover the annoyance in her tone.

“I-I am not sure exactly. He had on a mask and a hoodie—”

“Everyone was wearing masks,” she blurted, cutting me off.

“Right,” I whispered. Every bit of information I had wanted to give up was slowly slipping through my fingers with the lost momentum. I was finding it difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that this woman didn’t actually want to help Noah at all. She was here for another reason entirely. I could see right through her.

And talking to her any further was pointless.

“Well,” Richmond reached into her pocket, pulling out a card. “If you think of anything else from tonight, even if some information comes to you, please, give us a call. Here’s my card where you can reach my direct line if needed.”

“Yes, thank you.” I took the card, knowing that I’d throw it away the minute I was out of the hospital. I rose from the chair. “Am I free to go?”

Officer Richmond didn’t look back up to me. She dismissed me with a gesture towards the door, hands still grasping the pen, scribbling additional notes onto the pad of paper.

I grabbed my purse from the side table and dashed out of the room before she could question me further.

Chapter five

Shameless

DELANE