Fireball (Cheap Thrills #1)(47)

Glancing at the clock, I almost groaned at the time. One hour and fifteen minutes left to go until the kids left, which meant that in roughly three hours I’d be in my pajamas. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and a man walked in with a badge clipped to his belt. I was so stunned by it, that I didn’t even notice the similarities between his face and the man who I was still trying to figure out what to do with. I wasn’t intentionally dragging this out, I just didn’t know which way was up. From what little I knew about the situation with Rita, I could understand why he hadn’t said anything, but at the same time the fact he’d lied by omission to me freaking hurt. I’d obviously realized quickly that he wasn’t like my dad at all, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t betrayed my trust. It could all have been discussed by now though if I could just get my emotions to stay in one place, instead of bouncing from one extreme to another.

One of the main ones though was embarrassment – well, and guilt. I’d never acted toward someone the way I’d done to him after I’d found out his secret before. I was always the forgiving, sympathetic friend who made my peace with whatever had happened. I mean, YOLO and shit – life was too short for grudges and drama, which was why I felt embarrassed and guilty that I’d reacted how I did. And this left me in a quandary – one of my favorite words in the world.

“Miss. Newton?” the man asked, getting my attention off his crotch where I’d been staring at his badge. Realizing this, my cheeks went pink, and I looked over and saw some of the girls grinning at me.

Busted!

“Yes? Uh, I see that you’re with the police, but did you check in at the reception desk?”

A round of disbelieving snorts came from my students who were watching everything closely. The only thing stopping me from snapping at them that I’d been looking at his badge was that it sounded weak even in my own head, so the kids would totally call me on it.

“Yes, ma’am, I did. In fact, even Mr. Townsend who’s here with me signed in,” he gestured to Hurst who walked in behind him waving at everyone like he was a celebrity.

“Yo!”

The class replied all at once to him. “Hey, Mr. Townsend.”

“Anyway, I’m new to the area, and Hurst here said he’d bring me to the school and show me around. Have you got a second? Hurst’s been given the ok to watch the class while I talk to you.”

Behind them both, the grinning principal Ross Teller nodded and then walked away again without saying a word. Getting up, I passed by Hurst, smiling when he winked at me, and followed the man into the hall. If he hadn’t been wearing a badge and come with someone trustworthy like Hurst, I might have been more aware of my surroundings. With each step, I became convinced that this was to do with the case against Larry and Rita, so when he started talking it took a second for the words to register.

“My name’s Alex Bell,” he began, holding out his hand for me to shake.

Wait, what? Was this the Twilight Zone or something? “Uh, I’m sorry, I’m not sure what’s…”

Grinning widely at me, he wiggled his fingers, making me realize how long I’d been shaking his hand for. Letting go, I fidgeted with a piece of hair and then forced my hand to drop down to my side.

“I’m Dave’s, or DB depending what you call him, father. I came to let him know that Rita and her mother were no longer an issue for either of us, and to apologize for being a shit dad to him, and I found him in a bit of messy state. You know anything about that?”

The examining look he gave me had my hand twitching with the need to fidget again. “Well, it was…we just…I…” What the hell was I meant to say?

Almost like he was interviewing a suspect, he narrowed his eyes on me. “That doesn’t answer my question, young lady. It seems to me that you’re having difficulties with answering a question put to you by a police officer. Am I right?” When all I could do was stare at him with my mouth open, he nodded and looked over my shoulder. “Let’s see how she does when she’s in a more formal location.”

Formal? This was a school for Christ’s sake. How much more formal did it get?

Given his relation to the man who’d used his job to get me to go out on a date with him twice, this was a stupid question because I found out the answer to that a second later when I felt the familiar weight of a cuff around my wrist.

This wasn’t what made me close my eyes in exasperation though. No, that was the equally familiar voice that started to read me my rights.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you…”

DB





“I thought she took it pretty well, even though I think you both made a big mistake arresting her in front of her students,” Hurst mused as he took a mouthful of his coffee before spitting it straight back out again. “Jesus, do you guys really drink this shit?”

“No, that’s for suspects and assholes. We drink that stuff,” I told him, nodding at the machine in the corner of the office with the pods beside it.

Glaring at me, he ambled over to it, dumped his coffee in the trash bin, and started making himself a real one.

“He’s got a point, Dave,” Dad agreed, looking toward the door which led to the where the cells were. “I don’t know if she’s going to be all that amenable after she’s been in there. I mean, arresting her at her job in front of her students and co-workers is one thing. Putting her in a cell after it…” he trailed off.