Gathering Roses

15.

Across town, Cass' heart rate picked up as she walked into the station. Tuck kept his hand on her lower back, slightly reassuring her. She took a deep breath. She could do this.

"Hi, can I help you?" The bored receptionist asked, stifling a yawn. "We're here to see Officer Zeralto." Tuck answered for them, and the receptionist pointed in the direction of a closed office door.

"In there." She replied, then turned her attention to her phone. Tuck cast her a look of annoyance, but didn't say anything as he steered Cass in the direction she had pointed. Cass followed his lead robotically, her mind a million miles away. She kept picturing herself in jail, Emmy crying at the bars, being led away by some faceless CPS agent. Her stomach turned, threatening to usurp her long-forgotten breakfast. Tuck's sharp rap on the door brought her back to the present. A curt "come in" was heard from within, and Tuck pushed open the door to reveal a small, dark office with two uncomfortable-looking chairs placed haphazardly in front of a wood desk that had seen better days. The officer sitting at the desk shared its condition, the bags under his eyes told of a routine of too-few hours of sleep. He stood and offered his hand.

"Officer Zeralto. You must be Cassidy." They shook hands. He looked at Tuck. "Tucker Miller. I'm a... friend." He replied, and Cass' heart panged despite her anxious state of mind. Of course they were friends, but did his hesitation mean he wanted something more? Or did he not even consider them friends?

"So what do you know about James O'Neil and Aaron Danielson?" The man asked, sitting down, forcing Cass to focus. She cleared her throat.

"Um..." she looked at Tuck for assurance, and he nodded. "Before I say anything, I want to know that I won't be charged as an accomplice, or... or get in trouble for not reporting them sooner." Cass' voice trembled as she spoke, but she sat straight up and looked the officer in the eye.

"Sure. We can do that." He said, but Tuck spoke before Cass could continue. "We want it in writing." He said firmly, and Officer Zeralto's facial expression did not change. He shrugged.

"Whatever." He scribbled her request on a legal pad, signed it, then handed it to Cass to sign. Tuck then signed as a witness.

"Let's get this going. I have another meeting in 20 minutes." His attitude was doing nothing to calm Cass' nerves, but she took a deep breath and began. "Jimmy—James—was dealing marijuana the first time I saw him. Back in high school.

Aaron soon joined him, my best friend's boyfriend Jed not far behind. They helped Jimmy run illegal weapons from the border. They also ran a drug ring, mostly marijuana but some cocaine. Jimmy was always beating someone up for not paying him and he seemed to like doing it. Jed always said he was a little psychotic, but we all agreed it was more than a little.

"Three days ago, Aaron showed up at my house with a gun, looking for me and Emmy.

Jimmy had somehow found out about Emmy, who is legally mine, but biologically Jed's daughter, and he got the idea in his head that he had to... to kill her." Cass' breath caught in her throat, threatening to choke her. Tuck's hand rested on her thigh, releasing the trapped air. She continued.

"You know the rest. He chased us in my car, followed us into the woods, et cetera." She finished, then looked at Officer Zeralto, who had barely written anything on the notepad in front of him. He did not look very interested in what she had to say. "That's all terrible stuff, ma'am, but we already know most of it. You don't have any specifics or evidence to help further our investigation as I can see it." Cass felt something break inside of her, her vision beginning to blur.

"This man," she said loudly, rising to her feet. "Is after my daughter. He wants to kill us. How can you not do anything about it?" By the end of her outburst, she was shouting at the man behind the desk, who continued to look unimpressed. Tuck rose beside her, presumably to calm her down, but before he could say anything, two gunshots cut the air from the main area of the station.