Maddie's Gift of Mystery (A Rockcrest Cove Cozy Mystery Book 5) Read Free Page B

things were different for Maddie. For one thing, Chief Connors was gone and she could start fresh with the new chief. Even walking in, she noticed a difference in the demeanor of the staff. They were smiling, laughing, and they all seemed to be less stressed. Up until that point, it had never occurred to her that Connors’s overbearing attitude was also putting stress on the force as well. The place seemed brighter and more open to outsiders coming in.
    Eleanor walked in and approached the same front desk Maddie had been to several times before in order to get the information she needed about how to find Emily. After chatting with the desk sergeant for a few minutes, she returned to where Maddie was waiting.
    “He says we’ll have to wait a minute until someone comes out to walk us back there.”
    “All right,” Maddie answered and looked around for a couple of empty seats. They sat silently while they waited, each completely immersed in their own thoughts, Maddie thinking about the many times she had been in the station herself and Eleanor with her own memories coming to mind.
    The wait wasn’t long though. A female officer came out after only a few minutes and asked them to come with her. They followed her down a hallway and through a series of doors that led to a small interview room. They each took a seat at a small table with a single chair on one side and two chairs on the other.
    “Wait here,” she said and exited the room, closing the door softly behind her.
    Maddie looked around the small room, taking note of the camera mounted in the corner near the ceiling and the two-way glass that looked like a mirror on their side. She knew right away that while they were going to be left alone with Emily, they were definitely going to be watched.
    Emily was escorted into the room, her hands and feet bound together so that she could barely place one foot in front of the other, her eyes wide from fear and streaks of dried tears running down the sides of her face. Her small frame didn’t even look strong enough to hold up the chains that bound her.
    Eleanor made a gasp of exasperation. “Ah come on,” she shouted at the two-way mirror. “Are you guys really serious here?” she said, gesturing to the extreme measures that had been taken. “Let’s get these things off her.”
    A voice came out of nowhere. “It’s the procedure for prison suspects.”
    “Seriously? Look at the girl. She weighs ninety-eight pounds soaking wet! Do you mean to tell me that all these big bad officers can’t handle this little girl?”
    There was silence from behind the wall. Eleanor didn’t move. After what seemed like an interminably long period of time, the female officer returned with a set of keys and removed Emily’s shackles.
    “Thanks,” Emily said softly, nursing her wrists, which were a little bruised from the treatment.
    Eleanor’s face softened as she studied the girl. “Sit down, Emily,” Eleanor said, “and tell us what happened.”
    They all took their seats and looked at each other. Emily wiped away a runaway tear from her cheek and started to speak.
    “I didn’t do it,” she blurted before a full shower of tears began to fall. “I swear I didn’t know anything about what happened to Jimmy until the police showed up at my door,” she protested between sobs. “He was fine when I left him,” she howled, burying her face in her hands.
    Eleanor put a soothing hand on her shoulder. “I know you, Emily, and I believe you. And we’re going to do everything we can to get you out of here.”
    Emily just nodded her head silently as she accepted the encouragement.
    “But we have to work together to figure out what really happened. Do you think you can answer a few questions for us?”
    “Sure,” she said, wiping away another flood of tears.
    “This is my friend, Maddie MacDougal. She has helped with quite a few cases like this one, so I brought her along to help you.”
    Emily gave a slight glance up at Maddie