Damaged Love - Jaxson Kidman Page 0,25

door.

I reached for the handle and the door exploded open.

I had no choice but to step back.

As I did, I forgot all about the steps behind me.

“Whoa, you’re going to fall there,” a voice said.

I looked up and saw the man who had been driving the SUV as he reached for me.

He gently touched my arm and moved almost around me to keep me from falling.

I gasped.

“Are you okay?” the man asked.

I looked at him.

Everything about his look and feel was shady.

He smiled.

But it was a fake smile.

I inched my way from him.

I nodded. “Thank you.”

“Sure thing,” he said.

He hurried down the steps and to his SUV.

He got inside, started it, and drove off like everything was fine.

“Can I help you with something?”

I turned my head and saw a man dressed all in black looking at me.

Black messy hair, a scruffy face, tired eyes.

He looked aggravated that I was there.

“Are you a cop?” I managed to ask.

“Detective,” he said. He flashed me his badge. “Is something wrong?”

This is it… time to end all of this right now.

“I know who you are.”

“What?” I asked.

“You can call me Pete,” he said. “I don’t like the formality of being called Detective. I don’t need the fancy title and prestige. I care about one thing. The truth. Finding it. Exposing it. Making sure bad people pay and good people feel safe. You don’t look like you feel safe. I can understand that.”

“Uh… the man that was just here. Do you know him?”

“I didn’t see anyone,” Pete said. “I wasn’t paying attention.” He slipped his hands into his pockets. “What can I do for you, Winter?”

“Winter,” I whispered. “You really do know me…”

“I know a little of everyone around here,” Pete said. “It’s how it goes. Right?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“You were in that accident,” Pete said. “Terrible accident. Heard about it. Saw the pictures. Well, I’ve been looking into it.”

“You have?” I asked.

“Come on, let’s go sit down and talk somewhere private,” he said.

Pete opened the door for me and I walked into the police station. He made a few quick moves through some doors and hallways. Then he opened the door to a room that had no windows and just a table and two chairs.

“Water?” Pete offered. “Coffee? I might have some of that fancy flavored bubbly water that everyone seems to drink.”

“No, thank you,” I said.

“Okay,” he said. “Sit here for a minute. I want to go get something.”

Pete left the room before I could acknowledge what he said.

He returned with a folder in his hand.

He tossed it to the table and walked around the table, turning the folder to face him.

As he flipped the folder open, he stared at me.

“What brings you here?”

“I… I don’t know,” I said.

Winter, no…

“You don’t know?”

“Well, I mean, the accident… I’ve been thinking. You know, trying to think about everything…”

“I heard you lost your memory,” Pete said. “I can’t even imagine that. How bits and pieces come and go, right?”

“Something like that,” I said. “When I woke up from the accident, it was scary. Not being able to remember anyone. My father was at my side and I had no idea who he was.”

Pete nodded. “That’s tragic. I’m sorry you’re living through that.”

“But I-”

“You’re wondering why in the world is a detective talking about my accident,” Pete said. “It’s an accident, right? Things happen. People crash their vehicles every day.”

“Yeah…”

“This one felt different, Winter,” Pete said. “I wanted my eyes on this one. Just to be safe. You know?”

“Do you think it wasn’t an accident?” I asked.

“Do you?” Pete asked.

His eyes were beady. Locked to mine. He was a smart man. That’s why he was a detective. He knew all the games and all the tricks.

He made me nervous. Which didn’t make much sense.

This was the man who could help me.

This was the place where I could confess everything and get help.

I opened my mouth a little but hesitated some more.

“I looked at it and tried to make sense of it,” Pete said. “You just went off the road. You didn’t swerve. You didn’t hit the brakes. I went over to the spot where it happened and visualized it myself. You just… went off the road. Of course, your generation is known to be glued to your cellphones. So I thought about that. Then I remembered everyone around here is loaded with cash.” He smiled. “Everything just hooks up to your vehicles, right? There’s no need to look at your phones. Even still, it’s a possibility.”

I nodded.