Blood for my Rose |• Crimson Rose series✔️

Chapter 27

America
Arizona
Lake Havasu City.
        ***Two week later***

A loud slam on his work table followed the familiar voice of his new acquaintance, asking harshly, "what the hell is this?"

McCall had to look at the 'this' to understand a thing or two before looking at the hand that pressed the newspaper on his desk, and then finally the angry face of Maryjane. The asked question of whether 'MJ could ever be angry' had now been answered. Matter of fact, she wasn't just angry, she was livid to the point that she could erupt and spit out lava all over McCall's desk.

He eventually stopped everything he was doing and gave her a once-over. "A newspaper," he replied her.

"And?"

"Riley's face on the front page. MJ, you can see it clearly. Why are you asking me?"

"Because I know you put it out there," she said. "But what for?"

"How about you take a seat and calm the fuck down." McCall stood and pointed at the free chair just beside Maryjane's thighs.

But she ignored him. "It says here that Riley is a key suspect to Rose's murder...if she was murdered. What does this even mean?"

McCall immediately threw her off balance with a subtle yell through gritted teeth. "The guy is seeming too confident now, only because he knows what he's done. More than what he's telling the police. I asked him to report to the station since two weeks ago, it's been more than fourteen days now. Maryjane. I haven't seen his stoplight."

"Doesn't make him a suspect!"

"Then he should come clear his name. Or is that too difficult to do?" He scorned, "If he pushes me, he wouldn't like the outcome of this. The backlash he'd receive, not like he has any reputation to protect." He rolled his eyes and sat back down. "You should focus on more important things that don't involve swearing on your life that he's innocent. I don't want to lose you to a mere criminal."

Maryjane darted her eyes in anger. "I said he's not a criminal.

"And I said he should come and prove it."

She chewed on her lip to hold back from slapping him across his face. "You said you'd not take this to the press. Did you go back on your word?"

"Obviously I changed my mind, Maryjane. Riley didn't give me that much of a choice."

Almost panicking, Jane grabbed a chunk of her hair at the center and yanked it to settle down. "My God," she muttered. She pointed McCall and said, "you've not been entirely fair-"

"What do you call fair? You're not even a detective. That girl needs vindication. You, her best friend, of all people should want that too," McCall asserted and got up again. He fetched a disposable cup from his side cupboard and filled it with water from the dispenser. Giving it to Maryjane, he perched at the edge of his table and watched her guzzle the whole thing like she had not drank water in days. Or perhaps the words of her new friend, McCall, was burning her and she needed to quench the turmoil inside her stomach.

"I better leave, you must be busy now." She said and dropped the cup immediately. She marched to the door, finally tore her eyes off the case-board to her right and she swung the door open.

"If you can get in touch with Riley because he's no longer taking my calls, you can tell him he has one option, to return here or I'll have to take legal actions to siphon him back by force."