Cross & Crown Read Free Page A

suspect, right now.”
    Despite his show of bravado, JD blanched. Nick couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy. Not knowing who he was or what kind of man he was, it had to be terrifying. Add to that the fact that he was facing a potential murder charge? He had to be reeling.
    Nick took his notepad and a pen from his pocket and placed it on the table, then slid it toward JD. “I’m going to go arrange for somewhere for you to stay tonight. While I’m gone, try to write down anything about yourself you can think of.”
    JD frowned. “Like what? I already told you I don’t remember anything.”
    Nick shrugged. “Anything. Anything you’ve noticed. Your feelings, your thoughts, tattoos or scars, your shoe size, do you have contacts, are you wearing underwear? Anything.”
    JD laughed and reached for Nick’s notepad. “Okay.”
    Nick smiled and left him there, hoping the exercise would at least keep JD’s mind off his troubles while Nick tried to find somewhere to stick him for the night.
    It took him nearly half an hour to arrange for a hotel and an officer for the door. He and Hagan played a quick three out of five roshambo to decide who had to stay with him, and Nick won. Which was good, because he had plans this weekend.
    When he returned to the interview room, Captain Branson was standing at the window, watching JD.
    “Sir,” Nick said as he approached.
    The captain turned. “You’re good with him, O’Flaherty. That’s the most he’s responded all night.”
    “He’s just scared, sir. Anyone would be.”
    “Stay on him. Babysit him. Play the good cop. He’s the biggest break we have in this case right now. If he’s comfortable, he’s more likely to remember. And if he’s faking, you’re more likely to figure it out.”
    Nick cleared his throat and nodded. “Does that mean you want me to stick with him at the safe house?” he asked, unable to conceal the dread in his voice.
    Branson smirked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t your boyfriend coming to town tonight?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Even I’m not that cruel. Take the weekend. Let Hagan bad cop him for a few days. After that, it’s O’Flaherty to the rescue, understand?”
    “Of course, sir.”
    Branson slapped him on the back. Nick watched him walk away, breathing out a sigh of relief, then glanced at the officer on the door.
    “Do you even know how to play good cop, Detective?” the man drawled.
    “I don’t know, no one’s ever let me do it.” Nick put his shoulder against the door and pushed into the room. JD’s head shot up. He’d been dozing. Nick smiled gently for him. “Doing okay?”
    “I guess so.” He pushed the notepad across the table. “I wrote down everything I could think of.”
    Nick took the notepad and flipped it over. JD had written bullet points in a neat block print. Nick snorted. It was the type of handwriting that was hard as hell to analyze. The kind that people who worked black ops often had a habit of using. Nick wrote in the same neat block print. “You always write like that?” he asked JD.
    “I guess. Why?”
    Nick shrugged one shoulder and stuck the notepad back in his pocket. “Muscle memory. It can be interesting. I’ll look over this in a bit. Right now I’m going to take you to get something to eat, then to a hotel so you can get some rest.”
    JD stood hesitantly. “
You’re
taking me?”
    “Yeah, my partner has some things to tie up before he can meet us there. Is that a problem?”
    “No. No, I just assumed it’d be someone… lower on the rung.”
    “I’m going to take you out there and get you settled, but Detective Hagan and a uniform are going to stay with you tonight,” Nick answered as he led JD out of the room.
    “Is this going to be your case, Detective? I mean… you’re the one who’ll be working it?”
    “That’s right, me and my partner.” Nick stopped and turned to face JD. They were almost the same height, but JD was thinner and more compact. He took a