Isaac stepped through the door and immediately felt attacked. Sidney pounced on him with questions and questions and more questions.
“You’re home! Finally. Did you talk to your lieutenant about going to Dayton? Did he give you the time off? How soon can we leave? Oh, and were you able to get a hold of your attorney friend? Will he help Simon?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Isaac raised his hands as if to surrender. “Slow down there, darlin’. Let me get through the door first. And you can ask all the questions in the world, but I can only answer them one at a time.”
Sidney flailed her arms out. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been here for hours with nothing to do but worry and pace.”
“Well, I understand that.” Isaac made his way down the hall with Sidney following after him. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t get home sooner, but I had to clear some paperwork from my desk before I could leave for a couple days. But I’m sure you’re going stir crazy not knowing what’s going on with Simon.”
“Yes, I am. Were you able to get the time off?”
“Yes. Lt. Hayes agreed to give me a day or two.”
“Oh, good.” She sounded relieved, and Isaac watched her as he unclipped the holster from his side. “And your attorney friend? You said he’s one of the best?”
“Yes. He’s one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the entire state. And yes, I told him what we know so far, and he agreed to take Simon’s case.”
“He did? Oh, that’s so great!”
“He actually called me right before I left the station. Seems he’s already done some preliminary probing around about Simon and the case and what’s going on.”
“Yeah, and?”
“And he said that Simon is still in police custody, but that he won’t be for long.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Well, it means that the Dayton cops intend to hold Simon for 24 hours while they investigate. But Preston, that’s my friend… he thinks he can get Simon released ahead of schedule.”
“Wait. That doesn’t seem right. Holding him for 24 hours. Can they do that?”
“It’s actually pretty standard practice. We do it at the PD all the time.”
“Really?”
“Umm hmm. That way, if you’ve got someone who looks real good for the crime you’re investigating, when you find the evidence against him or her, you’ve already got them in custody and don’t have to go hunting them down.”
“That doesn’t sound fair to me.”
“It would if the person in custody was someone who killed you or someone you love. It’s a tactic designed to catch the bad guys, Sidney. Does it sometimes mean we’ve got someone in custody who doesn’t deserve to be there? Yes, it does. But usually, we figure that out fairly quickly and the innocent are released while we go pick up the real criminal.”
Sidney folded her arms in front of her, and Isaac could see that he’d made his point, even though she didn’t like it right now.
“Okay, then let’s get on the road. Maybe by the time we get there, Simon will be back home.” She sounded desperate to get moving, and Isaac understood it. He knew that she was extremely worried, he could see it etched into her lovely face. But he wondered how much of her tense posture and attitude had to with the way they’d left things between them that morning. Because Lord knew it was still bothering him.
“Am I allowed to change, get some bathroom time, and toss a few things into an overnight bag first?” His words were delivered with the smallest amount of amusement, and he hoped that she could hear the smile in his voice.
Sidney forced a loud, heavy sigh past her lips. “Yes.”
Isaac stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. “Hey. I want you to know that I’m sorry for the fight we had this morning. And I’m sorry that you’re so worried about your brother. I promise you, Sid. I am going to do everything in my power to clear Simon’s name.”
To his shock and horror, tears spilled from her eyes, like a dam bursting. Sidney wrapped her arms around his middle in a tight bear hug and buried her face in his chest.
“Hey, hey, now,” he whispered, rubbing his hands over her back. “It’s all going to be okay, darlin’. Simon is innocent and it’s all going to be okay.”
“I know Simon is going to be okay. I’m not crying about that.”
“No?”
“No.” She shook her head and looked up at him. “It’s been bothering me all day, Ike. I’m so sorry for the argument this morning. And I’m sorry that my actions upset you so much. I was only trying to do the right thing by texting Ronan.”
“Shh. I know you were.”
“I’m sorry that my job has threatened everything. I promise you that I will find a way to do what I do without any illegal activity going forward. I promise, baby.”
“It’s okay, Sid.” He kissed her lips. “It’s not all on you, darlin’. Hell, I gave you O’Dwyer’s number. I pointed you in his direction.”
“Only because I pressured you.”
“I tell you what. Why don’t we just say we’re both at fault here, and leave it at that. Okay? It’s all in the past now.”
Sidney nodded. “Okay.”
Isaac kissed her again, this time lingering in the bliss of reconciliation. All was right in his world again.
“All right. I’m going to get some things together so we can get out of here.”
Simon looked at the clock on the wall before his head rolled back and he stared at the ceiling. It was nearing five o’clock in the evening. He’d been sitting in this same uncomfortable, straight-backed chair all damn day, answering the same questions over and over and over again.
He was tired.
He was hungry.
He was aggravated.
And growing more pissed by the second.
“Come on, Fairchild. A question’s on the table. The sooner you answer it, the sooner we can all go home.” The detective sounded amused when he added, “Well, some of us anyway.”
Simon wanted to punch him.
“How many times do you have to ask the same questions again and again?” Simon’s eyes were still glued to the ceiling, but he was talking to the same pair of detectives he’d been staring at for hours now.
“Changing the words around. Switching them up. Using different words that mean the same things. They’re still the exact same questions just asked in a different way, and you know what? My responses are not going to change.”
“This is how we do things, Fairchild. Just answer the question.”
Simon lifted his head, his frustrated gaze falling on them both. He opened his mouth to respond to the last question when the door suddenly burst open and an impeccably dressed, middle-aged man stepped in behind the great wall of confidence that preceded him into the interrogation room.
Simon recognized the man as a very influential and high-priced criminal defense attorney that he’d seen on the news many times. Preston Anthony. The man rarely lost a case.
The detectives looked instantly pissed at the interruption.
“Don’t say another word, Major Fairchild. Or do you prefer doctor?”
Simon stared at him, flabbergasted. “Either is fine.”
Preston nodded and then his sharp blue gaze darted to the detectives. “This interview is over. My client called your tip line voluntarily the moment he learned of Mrs. Hinton’s death and told you all he knew about her last hours. He has answered your questions and passed a polygraph with flying, sparkle, rainbow colors. We’re leaving.”
He looked Simon in the eyes and motioned for him to stand and follow.
A rush of relief ran through Simon’s system like a refreshing shower.
Slightly confused, he stood and stepped toward the door.
“Now wait just a minute Mr. Anthony! We’re in the middle of a conversation here. Mr. Fairchild is still our number one person of interest.”
“Major Fairchild, and I, will be available tomorrow if you have more questions,” Preston snapped. Then he smiled at them. “You know how this works, boys. Either charge him right now, or let him go.”
The two detectives exchanged a look, but neither one said another word. Preston’s smile got bigger.
“You boys have a nice night.” He looked at Simon with a jerk of his head.
Simon followed him out still in mild shock.
“I… Mr. Anthony, I can’t thank you enough.”
Preston stopped walking and turned to shake his hand. “Call me Preston. We should be on a first name basis if I’m going to represent you. And you don’t have to thank me, son. I was just doing my job.”
Simon shook the man’s hand. “Yeah, well I’ve seen you do your job on the news. You’re amazing. And I have no idea who hired you on my behalf, but… I know your reputation and I’m fairly certain that I can’t afford you.”
Preston smiled. “Thanks for the compliment, Major, but I’ve taken your case pro bono.”
“It’s Simon. And why would you do that?”
“Well, Simon, let’s just say that I owe your brother-in-law a favor. A very big one that he’s chosen to call in for you. He must think an awful lot of you to do that. Which tells me that you’re innocent. Not that you’d have to be for me to take your case. But it helps.”
Simon chuckled out loud. He couldn’t help himself. “Isaac. I should’ve known. Let me guess. Ike saved your life or something, right?”
“Something like that. Come on. Let’s collect your things and get you home.”