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She shook her head so her ponytail swished around her shoulders. “No. But I’ve been legitimately arrested enough times to know he hasn’t done anything to warrant an arrest. So if you want to talk to him, it’s under his terms. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to go down to the station, because I know for a fact he’s due at mass in an hour.” She clucked her tongue in the direction of the church. “You know he’s a priest, right?”
“We’re well aware,” the younger officer said dryly.
But Lyric must have been right because the older one let out a sigh. “Your fingerprints were found in the priests’ quarters at Holy Trinity.”
Lyric opened her mouth to sass him, but I quieted her with a stare.
She nodded reluctantly and shoved her hands in her pockets instead.
I’d killed the old pervert at that address. If they had my fingerprints, they were old. They were possibly even bluffing. “I’ve visited that parish before, yes. It wouldn’t be abnormal for my fingerprints to be there.”
“Were you in the room belonging to Father Simon Collier the last time you visited?”
I swallowed. I’d had gloves on the entire time. Hadn’t I? Had I taken them off at some point? The entire night was a blur of adrenaline and anger and recklessness. Had that extended to doing something as stupid as leaving behind a fingerprint? “I’m not sure. I might have been. We were given a tour. I don’t remember which room belonged to which person though.”
That seemed vaguely plausible.
The two men nodded and noted something down on their notepads.
“That all, Officers? Father Zepherin really does have work to do this morning. Teaching the Lord’s word and all.”
The younger officer cracked his gum. “We’re done. If we have any further questions—”
“I’ll be here,” I confirmed.
He pinned me with a hard glare. “I was going to say we’ll come back with a warrant.”
When I didn’t respond, the two men turned away and walked back to their car.
Lyric sidled up next to me, and with a fake smile on her mouth, she whispered, “What the hell was that about, Zeph?”
I didn’t answer her either. I just watched and waited for the officers to leave.
The older one paused at his door and turned back. “Father Zepherin?”
I forced a smile and jerked my head up in response. “Yes?”
“Just out of interest, where were you on Friday the third between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.?”
I had no alibi. Nobody had seen me that night. Nobody but the man I’d killed.
Lyric laughed like she didn’t have a care in the world. “Same place he always is on Friday nights. Watching me dance at Saint View Strip Club.”
Oh Jesus.
Lyric slapped me on the cheek. “Don’t blush, Father Zepherin. The cops are just like you guys. Everything you say is confidential. They won’t tell anyone.” She turned back to the men. “Give me a notepad, and I’ll write down the name of half a dozen other employees who can vouch for him.”
The officer shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. We’ll be in touch if we have any further questions.”
The two men finally got in their car and drove it away. Anger flickered deep in my chest.
As soon as they were out of sight, I grabbed Lyric’s arm and towed her into the church, slamming the heavy wooden door shut behind me. I led her all the way up the aisle, trying to form the right words. When the altar blocked me from walking any farther, I spun on her. “What the fuck was that, Lyric?”
She blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”
The anger got the better of me and came out in sharp words. “You just lied to those cops.”
She shrugged. “So? You needed an alibi. I gave you one. What’s the big deal?”
