Songs for Cricket by Laine, E. (ebook reader .TXT) 📕

passed. She got out of the car and walked toward the house.

“Is this where she walks in, and you’re somehow going to explain that away?” the meaner detective of the two derisively said though he’d posed it like a question.

“Just watch,” Finn urged.

We did. Lacey didn’t go for the front door. She disappeared around the left side in the sliver of space between our house and the townhouse next door.

“So what?” Miller asked.

Finn said nothing, just pointed at the time stamp and then at the Apple watch on his arm. Lacey appeared six minutes later.

“No camera.”

The detective wouldn’t give up while his partner Hastings hadn’t yet said a word. The feed continued and Lacey finally drove off.

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Miller stated.

Hastings said, “I have to agree. There are six minutes missing.”

Finn rewound the tape to the point where Lacey had exited her car with something in her hand, crossed the street, and just disappeared off camera.

“Check the time,” he ordered.

It was seventeen minutes after the hour. He clicked a few buttons and cued up another video. “We have two cameras on the back.”

He hit play. Lacey appeared in view four minutes from when she had vanished from view on the front camera. She opened the lid to the trash can against the back wall and dumped something inside. Then she leaned next to it, blending into the shadow the can cast with only the profile of her face in view. She closed her eyes a second and seemed to wait for something. Then she stepped out and walked the way she’d come. The time stamp difference between the front and back matched a leisure walk along the side of the house without stopping. So what had she done in those four minutes before?

“Four minutes is a lot of time,” Miller said, unconvinced.

“There aren’t any doors or windows along that side of the house,” Finn stated matter-of-factly.

“None?” Hastings asked.

“Not on the lower level. But his room is on the opposite side of the house.”

Hastings tapped the screen. “Play the back video one more time.” Finn did as he asked. “Stop.”

The video stopped after Lacey pushed off the wall and was in full view of the camera before she left for good.

“Why are you stopping here?” Miller asked.

Hastings closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he glanced at us. But then seemed to make up his mind. It was like he and the other officer were the only two in the room.

“Cut him loose,” he said.

“What? That doesn’t prove shit. They could have photoshopped that or whatever kids do these days.”

“True, but look at her.”

Miller glanced down with invisible curls of steam coming out of his ears. “So?”

Hastings then proved to us why he seemed to be in charge over the older, more experienced looking detective.

“So, based on the complaint, she arrived, went into the house, and was assaulted which resulted in torn clothing and bruises. Right there,” he pointed at the screen, “nothing of what was described is visible, and she left after that.”

“It could have happened somewhere else.”

I wanted to punch Miller, and my brothers must have felt the same. August began to protest Miller’s idiocy, interrupting what felt like a private conversation between the detectives. Hastings held up a hand.

Hastings looked directly into Miller’s eyes, “It could have, but we have to off the complaint. Based on this, he didn’t commit the crime—”

“That’s not absolute proof,” Miller raged.

“He didn’t commit the crime as described to us. Cut him loose.”

Miller trudged out of the room. His heavy footfalls were a testament to his fury.

“So he’s clear,” August said.

Hastings looked tired. “No.”

“What?” I yelled.

The poor detective made the universal sign of surrender with one palm held out and a hush fell on our group.

“Unfortunately, the Fosters hold a lot of influence in this county.” He hadn’t said town, implying their reach extended beyond the school grounds.

Finn spoke up. “That shouldn’t be a factor in jailing an innocent man.”

I placed my hands on the table for stability as I aimed a hateful gaze at the young detective.

“You’re going to keep at him because some rich girl isn’t used to not getting what she wants.”

He shook his head and pinched at his temples. “It’s not that. We take these complaints very seriously.”

“As you should,” Finn said.

“I’m in the business of facts and putting a guilty person behind bars, not an innocent one. What you’ve shown me disputes the facts as we have them. I would like a copy for our forensic team to analyze.”

“Not a problem,” Finn answered.

Pissed didn’t cover how I felt. I shifted my hair off my shoulder, twisting it some before pushing it back. “Have you even considered that she waited until today to make a case against him so that your officers would show up to arrest him in front of the team?”

He nodded. “Actually she was brought in by a friend early Saturday morning. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but she didn’t want to name the individual. Her parents had said they would talk to her, and we got a call this morning. Besides, he wasn’t under arrest.”

I gaped. “So why the handcuffs?”

He exhaled. “The officer said he made threats.”

“Seriously?” I couldn’t pick up my jaw from the floor fast enough. “He only spoke to them after your asshole cop pushed me, and that was after they said he was under arrest and handcuffed him.”

Hastings rubbed at his eyes. “I’ll look into it.”

“In other words, you guys are bought and paid for by the Fosters. Tell me how much a donation my father needs to make to get you on our side,” August spat.

I wasn’t exactly sure Daddy would donate on behalf of Shepard or any other one of us, but I appreciated my brother driving that point home.

“I haven’t been bought by anyone. Your friend will get a fair shot from me. I promise. Now go wait for him out there.” He headed for the other door. “I should check to make sure Miller