She reached her hand toward him. “Let me explain.”
He gave another emphatic shake of his head.
“Got something,” the blond in the back room called out. They all turned to see her holding a handful of papers in the air as she slammed the file cabinet shut.
“What is that?” Roxanna asked.
“The evidence we’re looking for.” The woman handed her find to Kushner, who scanned the top page, then flipped through the others. Loyal saw the Spirit Guides Now logo on the top of the front page, and what looked like a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers.
“What exactly is this?” Kushner asked Roxanna.
“It’s an old client list.”
The confirmation of her deceit in her own voice twisted Loyal’s insides.
“It’s yours?”
“Yes, but it’s not what it looks like. I only have it because I offered them free readings when I first opened. All of them.”
She looked at Loyal as she explained, her voice pleading for him to believe her. He was still trying to process the fact she’d run the scam hotline with Tanner. So much for being upfront with each other.
The detective handed off the papers while pulling his handcuffs from his utility belt. “Roxanna Kent, you are under arrest for fraud, and conspiracy to commit fraud.”
Son-of-a-fucking-bitch.
Chapter 27
Oh my God. What the hell is happening?
Roxanna’s purse was taken from her, and a not so gentle hand grasped her shoulder to turn her around. While the officer instructed her to put her hands behind her back and shackled her wrists with cold, steel handcuffs, all she could think was, I should’ve told him.
Why had she never told him?
Because you were afraid he’d look at you exactly as he’s looking at you right now.
The set of his jaw and betrayal in his eyes broke her heart. He hated her, and what he thought she’d done. She understood how he could think that, and yet anguish tore through her. “Loyal, please, if you would just listen to—”
“I said shut up, Roxanna,” he snapped. “Don’t say another fucking word.”
The cold, brutal words were like a slap in the face, stunning her into silence. Tears burned her eyes as the bald officer instructed the others to finish the search, then steered her through her shop and out through the front doors to a waiting squad car.
The vehicle was half-way down the street before her brain shifted past the shock and fear of losing the man she loved to what the hell was going on. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She tried to ask the officer exactly what fraud he thought she’d committed, but he only offered his actual title of detective, and nothing more.
Anxiety rose up, and she couldn’t get the chaos in her mind to settle down so she could think straight. When they pulled into the station, the detective parked, then escorted her up the front steps and into the building. Men and women in uniform and suits gave cursory glances during her march of shame through the main area of the police station. They were used to this.
Civilians were easy to spot as they stared at her, their auras sparking with curiosity as they wondered what she’d done. She forced her chin up and stiffened her spine. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
Except lie to Loyal.
That took a little wind out of her indignant sails as Detective Kushner took her into a stark room with a table, three basic metal chairs, and a mirror on one wall. She’d watched enough TV to assume it was two-way, and there were likely people watching her on the other side. The detective instructed her to sit on the side with the single chair, then he removed one cuff, threaded it through a bar on the table, and reattached it to her wrist.
She had a fleeting thought that he hadn’t said anything about her right to remain silent, but before she could ask, he left her in the room.
Alone.
Feeling like a criminal.
The minutes ticked by one by one. First five, then fifteen, then half an hour, all as she vacillated between anger, confusion, and despair. At the hour mark, helpless tears welled up and it took everything she had not to let them fall. She reined in her emotions and sat with her spine ramrod straight while she waited.