View Park. Angela Winters

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СКАЧАТЬ I got to hand it to you, Haley.”

      “Shut up, Michael,” Janet sniped. “Chief, that part won’t get out will it?”

      Here it goes, Charlie thought. “Mrs. Chase, we can’t—”

      “Chief.” Steven approached him, already in a posture of negotiation. “We need to talk about how we can keep the situation with the congressman under wraps.”

      Leigh couldn’t believe this. “Haley was shot at by drug dealers and you’re talking about keeping secrets?”

      “You’ve been gone too long,” Haley said. “You forgot what’s most important to Mom and Dad.”

      “They called the police on the way back to the dock,” Charlie continued. “Our guys were waiting for them. When the Coast Guard went out there to look around, we couldn’t find anything. Your daughter was too upset to help us identify any boats. She didn’t want to go back out there.”

      “So they got away?” Steven asked.

      “How did she get wet?” Carter asked.

      “Jack was taking too long,” Haley said with a shiver. “When he realized what was happening, he started freaking out. He couldn’t even remember where he was supposed to dock. I jumped off the boat and swam to shore.”

      Janet smiled. She’d taught her daughters to save themselves instead of waiting for a man to do it for them. “Let’s just get her home.”

      “We haven’t interviewed her yet,” Sean retorted.

      Steven turned to the detective who looked no older than Haley herself, but held himself well. He had an eye for a man of character and he saw that in the man in front of him. “You won’t tonight. She’s been through enough.”

      Leigh flipped open the file on the table. “What is this? She’s not the criminal here.”

      “According to junior, I am.” Haley smirked at Sean’s reaction to her choice of words.

      Sean grabbed the folder from Leigh. “We needed to know who we were dealing with. When she got here, she was raising hell. She practically tore the place apart.”

      Haley innocently responded to everyone’s stares. “I was upset. They were interrogating me.”

      “Is that right?” Janet laid an accusatory look on Sean.

      Sean didn’t bother to answer. The woman obviously didn’t want to believe anyone but her daughter.

      “What my son means,” Charlie added, “is that we were trying to get information out of her so we could find the boat. Time was essential. We need Haley to—”

      “Steven.” Janet shook her head.

      “Chief, we’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Steven said. “Haley is coming home now.”

      “What about protection?” Leigh asked.

      “They didn’t come after us,” Haley explained. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

      Sean couldn’t believe she was acting as if this were over. “If the man you saw get shot was at the helm, it’s possible they just didn’t know how to navigate the boat quick enough to get you.”

      “Nothing to say they won’t try again,” Steven said.

      “I don’t think they saw me,” she returned. “I mean…my face.”

      “We can’t take that chance,” Steven said, already flipping open his cell phone. “We have a security company we work with. I’ll have them come over tomorrow.”

      “We’ll have two cops stay outside overnight,” Charlie pointed out.

      Sean watched as if in synchronized movement, the family stood up and walked out.

      “And Chief,” Steven called back. “No press!”

      “He gets to walk all over us?” Sean asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

      “It wasn’t that bad, son.”

      Sean felt irritation riding up on him. “You’re not supposed to call me that at the station. This delay could hinder our case.”

      “Don’t worry. That man has power, but we’re the law.” Charlie hoped that sounded convincing.

      CHAPTER 2

      It was nine in the morning and Sean was already on his last nerve thanks to Haley. He was willing to forgive the fact that Steven somehow got his father to delay this interview for three days, even though he knew it was going to hurt his case. He was willing to forgive that he had to come to the Chase mansion to do the interview instead of her coming down to the station like everyone else. What he wouldn’t forgive was Haley’s attitude and the fact that her mother encouraged her self-pity by wrapping her arms around her like she was a helpless baby. Only Steven seemed to put forth any attempt at cooperation.

      “I can’t remember!” Haley slammed her cup of coffee on the table. What did these people want from her?

      “I’m not asking you to remember exactly,” Sean said. “Just estimate how far away the boat was or what you could see of their faces through the binoculars.”

      “I couldn’t see their faces at all.” She smirked. “See there, I helped you.”

      “I’ll be the judge of that.” Sean met Janet’s angry glare with one of his own. He didn’t care if he made her angry. Neither Janet nor the princess understood what was really going on here.

      “She’s doing the best she can,” Janet argued.

      “She’s gonna have to do better,” Steven said.

      Haley glared up at her father, certain this man hated her. Maybe it was Leigh’s return that had turned him so cold to her these past few days. He seemed impatient and unresponsive, but she wasn’t going to let him get to her. She turned back to Sean. “I’ve told you all I know. Why aren’t you asking Jack? He was there, too.”

      Sean wanted to strangle her. “You had to have seen something, like a design on the boat or outstanding physical characteristics of the shooter.”

      Haley felt her mother squeeze her hand and it urged her to try to play along. “I think they were white, but they could’ve been Latino. It was hard to tell. That’s it. I don’t remember anything about the boat.”

      “We’re going to bring you a book and we’ll need you to see if you recognize any of the boats.”

      Haley leaned forward with fire in her eyes. “Aren’t you listening to me? I didn’t pay attention to the damn boat.”

      Sean refused to even blink. He had dealt with murderers, rapists and thieves. He wasn’t going to let a spoiled brat make him lose control.

      “Haley, calm down.” Steven leaned forward, placing a firm СКАЧАТЬ