The connection was silent for a moment. “Yes,” Michael spewed. “Loud and clear, sir.”
Derrick clicked “end”, and, feeling Kristina’s gaze, turned to her. She’d evidently heard enough to understand the gist of the conversation. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”
A sheen of water glassed over her eyes, obviously understanding that he was referring to their relationship. Too many factors to consider. Too dangerous for her. Maybe they could just go away. Being the overseer of his family didn’t make it easy. If Michael was in charge… No. He couldn’t do it. Not yet. His brother was too immature, hated humans too much. If he left, he could only imagine his brother massing an army and taking on humankind.
Derrick brushed a tear off Kristina’s cheek. “No… I can’t let you go,” he said to her as much as himself. He pulled the vehicle to a stop and parallel parked outside the station. It would take Matt a while to get here anyway. He pressed his palm against her face. “Kristina, I didn’t murder him, I swear.” She nodded, and he could see she believed him, so it was his other comment. “I’ll never leave you. Please don’t worry. You’ll never be alone again.” She blinked, and he understood that was it. She loved him, he knew she did, but she was terrified of being alone again.
Derrick turned her face so she was looking at him fully. “Listen, you are going to go in there and tell the entire truth with one exception.” She nodded as if listening to whatever he had to say. “Tell them everything that happened. The only difference is when you saw his body, you came downstairs, and I showed up at the same time, since I was going to meet you and the detective at your apartment. Okay?”
Kristina nodded again, but Derrick needed to hear her voice, make sure she wouldn’t break down inside the station.
He picked up her hands and rubbed them between his, attempting to get her circulation flowing, so she could think. Not only were her hands cold, now they were shaking. “Kristina, they won’t understand that I came through the window three stories up when I heard you scream, and there are no phone records to corroborate that you called me to come get you. So, I have to have shown up right after you ran for safety. Okay? You were scared and you ran, and then I met you on the street. Understand?”
“Yes…” she choked out. “I understand…” She bobbed her head, her breathing almost returning to normal. “I was scared when I saw him on the floor, afraid whoever killed him could still be in my apartment, so I ran downstairs. Right before I got to the car, you showed up.”
“Very good, love. It’s almost exactly what happened. They wouldn’t understand anything else.”
She gave him a weak smile, but then tears began to flow again. “I need a drink, Derrick. To calm down. I can do this if I could have just one drink to calm my nerves.”
Derrick shook his head. “You’re strong, baby. You don’t need a drink. I’m right here. You can do this.”
She gasped, attempting to hold back tears. “I’m so tired of death. His eyes…”
“I know.” Derrick pulled her closer, caressing her hair. “I’ll take you away. We’ll go away until they find out who did this.”
Kristina peered up at him through glassy eyes. “You can’t just leave.”
“I already told you; I can do anything I want.”
Her mouth turned up, but she couldn’t force a smile.
Derrick’s phone buzzed at the same time Matt’s name and number lit up on his radio’s screen. He answered on his phone instead of the SYNC system. “I’m here. She’s ready.” He hung up and jumped out of the vehicle, making his way around the vehicle to Kristina. Opening her door, he helped her down and pulled her to his side. “Matthew Ashton is my uncle. He doesn’t come to family gatherings; he prefers to stay out of the loop of most things. He only comes when we need an attorney.”
Matt stood next to the first set of red brick steps leading to the small station, his briefcase resting on the squat concrete wall. “You’re lucky, Derrick. I was heading home from a meeting in Boston when Mike texted me.” His uncle stepped forward and hugged him. “This must be Kristina? I’ve heard a lot about you, young lady.”
Kristina glanced up, but squeezed onto Derrick, as a child would hang on to her mother.
“She found him, Matt. As if she hasn’t been through enough.” He lowered his voice. “It had to be one of us, his neck had been snapped, but there were no signs of a struggle or defensive wounds. It was clean and swift, a planned attacked. Somehow, the rogue knew the detective would be there. And I can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to set me up.”
Kristina leaned back, her eyes wide, as if that hadn’t occurred to her, but clearly revealing that it had worked. She obviously had thought for a second that he might have murdered the detective.
Matt stepped closer. “But this isn’t how the other murders—”
“Exactly,” Derrick interrupted. He looked down at Kristina. He didn’t want her to hear his next words, but he also didn’t want her to think he was keeping anything from her. “He—the rogue—spoke to me the other night. Heck, it could have been a ‘she’ for all I know. The voice was low and garbled, but he said he was coming for Kristina, and he called me by name.”
Kristina threw her hand over her mouth and stumbled backward as though she would be sick again.
Derrick held his hand out to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to worry.”
She shook her head, more tears falling, and Derrick felt as though his heart would break. How much more could she take? How could he expect her to live like this?
Matt pulled in a breath, nodding. “So it’s someone we banished, but they’re blaming you,” he speculated. “Is Mike tracking down everyone we’ve exiled in the last ten to twenty years?”
Derrick shrugged, thinking that would have been a good start, but he doubted it. As Michael had suggested, they’d taken to the streets, assuming it was a psychotic rogue, not a vengeful creatus. But what if they weren’t actually eating humans, only wanted it to look as if they were.
“Call him and tell him to get started,” Matt continued. “I’ll go in and start the ball rolling.” He looked at Kristina. “You think you can talk if they request? You don’t have to, of course.”
“As soon as I saw the man, I ran out the door in fear. When I came downstairs, Derrick had just pulled up,” Kristina babbled off, just as he’d told her with only minor variances.
“And why was Derrick there?” Matt asked.
“He’s my fiancé; I’d asked him to meet me there when I spoke with the detective.”
“Good. Nothing else is any of their business. Not why you jumped off the bridge or whether Derrick followed you. Nothing. Do you understand? The only question you answer is that the detective had some questions.” He lowered his head and looked at her. “You don’t know what his questions were. It would only be speculation. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” He offered her a smile. “You saw, you left, Derrick was waiting on the street. Anything else they ask I will object to as not relevant. Understand?”
“Yes.” She sighed, crossing her arms. “I understand.”
Kristina had reached her max, and evidently, Matt had realized it too, as he raised his hands in surrender. “Derrick will not be talking to them, as he was never in the apartment,” he added for good measure then turned and walked away.
Derrick pulled Kristina to a stop when she started to follow. “You okay?”
“No!” she said, a frustrated huff escaping her throat. “But, yes. I’ll survive. I always survive!” She pulled her hand loose and stomped off.