126 Met at a Blind Date (1/2)

”I did the first interview, so I have more insight than you. You'll do really well, anyway.” I gave him a playful smile.

”Okay. We won't aggravate him, okay? Acknowledge his superior status and put pressure on him politely,” Nash explained as we walked to the interrogation room.

When we were standing in front, Sebastian walked over to us.

”You're leaving?” I asked when I noticed his bag in his hand.

He nodded. ”Yeah, I ordered dinner already, it should arrive shortly after I reach home. Take care,” he said softly.

There were people surrounding us. His doting tone didn't bother me in the least but I could sense the astonishment at the scene that was playing out in front of my colleagues. He closed the distance between us and I was sure that he was going to pat my head once again when he pulled me into his arms.

After a long day of work, his embrace felt warmer than usual. I didn't feel suffocated like I usually would have. Furthermore, I burrowed into his arm.

There was pin-drop silence around us before I heard grumbling.

”Isn't there some police which stops people from displaying affection in the workplace?” Nash commented from beside me.

Sebastian and I pulled away quickly and looked at Nash with wide eyes.

”You're just jealous,” Sebastian said casually. ”Evie, I'll get going now,” he claimed and then pivoted in the spot before going out.

My gaze turned to the others, who stood stock still until they noticed my gaze. With that, the station was abuzz again and I was walking into the interrogation room like nothing had happened.

Nash sat directly opposite to the McCain and mirrored his position. McCain had his elbows on the desk and clutched his fingers together as he stared at the wall. When he heard us, he turned with a stunned look and then gave us a small smile.

”Mr. McCain, apologies for calling you over again. We are trying to exclude all doubts within twenty-four hours so that we can pursue separate leads,” he said. This tactic ensured that we didn't imply that the man sitting in front of us was a prime suspect. Instead, they were simply answering questions and helping us do our jobs.

The tone made them think they are important and made it easy for us to make them talk when the time came.

Nash had practiced and perfected the art of 'let me go home' and 'you are the person who can solve all my problems' down to the last syllable, therefore, I didn't offer up my services as of yet.

I flipped through the paper, mulling over the questions and sequences in my head before I began questioning.

The lack of his lawyer on the seat beside him was felt acutely.

”We're going to talk about that in a little bit but…” Nash trailed off as he rubbed his finger on his palms, seemingly in deep thought. ”We just have a lot of questions to ask.”

McCain looked up with a glimmer of hope and said a quick 'Yes,' before returning to the previous position.

I finally sprung into action. ”Sorry about the delay. It has been a long day and the weather isn't ideal either. We've been running non-stop despite the power outages in the server.” I sat up to face him head-on.

McCain put his hand palms down in a defensive yet trying to hide his position, and I glanced before searching into his eyes. I introduced ourselves, making sure he followed every word.

His eyes were alert and he followed the cue of my hand easily. I was just being sensitive because I believed he would jump to call his wretched lawyer if he got close to a confession. Therefore, this was simply covering all our bases.

”As you know, we are investigating the murder of Maya. Because it is so late at night, I will read you your rights and again, this is a voluntary interview. Anytime you are done, we will drive you home. Given that it is late, this is just a precaution,” I said quickly when suspicion flashed in his eyes. He calmed down and leaned forward slightly to look at the piece of paper I had slid to his side of the desk. ”Before we ask you any questions, you must understand your rights.”

I read him his rights. ”If you feel like you can't answer a certain question, you may remain silent. You may call for a lawyer in the middle of the interview at any time.”

He was silent for a split second. ”Okay.”

”If you have any questions about your rights or you want more clarification, ask now or ask at any point in time during the interview. I'll be happy to explain again.” I gave him a warm but tired smile.