“I’ll just be on the other side of the door. I promise.” Shaw brushed my hair from my forehead, then leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Be a brave boy for Daddy.”
I clasped my hands on my stomach. I would be a brave boy for Daddy.
“Let me remind you that anything you say right now can be used against you in a court of law,” the detective said. “We ask that you be truthful.”
I nodded.
“What’s your relationship with Mr. Wheeler?”
That was their first question?
“He’s my Daddy.”
“Excuse me?” This from Officer Romano. “Can you explain what that means?”
“He’s my partner. He takes care of me.”
“As in a romantic relationship?”
“Yes.”
“And before that he was your stepdad?”
I squirmed. Why did I feel like Shaw was under trial here?
“He was. We didn’t become involved until I returned to town.”
“Why did you return?”
“I always missed being here. I missed him.”
Silence spanned a few seconds. Then the detective cleared his throat. “Was Mr. Wheeler jealous of your relationship to the deceased?”
“Howard?”
“Sorry for not being clear. I’m talking about Ken.”
“No,” I said firmly. “Daddy had no reason to be jealous of Ken.”
“You can tell us the truth, Aristotle,” Officer Romano said. “No one’s controlling you now. We can get them to stop.”
They thought someone was controlling me?
“No one’s controlling me.”
He sighed. “You weren’t in a relationship with both men that went sour and ended up with one of these men dead?”
I blinked at him, then frowned. “No. I’m only in a relationship with Shaw.”
Why had he had to leave the room? He would have confirmed what I was saying.
“So we should believe that Ken flew all the way here to Ohio to find you for the sole purpose of what?”
I inhaled deeply, Daddy’s words echoing in my ear to be a brave boy. He’d said to tell the truth.
“Ken Waugh was a monster,” I said, my voice shaking. “He raped and pawned me off to others when I lived with him, so I left. I didn’t think he would come after me.”
The cop had the grace to look ashamed. “Tell us what happened.”