“What? Of course not.”
“Any needles we should know about?”
“Now see here—”
“Answer the question.”
“No, of course not.” She began shaking. What was going on?
“Have you been drinking?”
“For heaven’s sake, no. I’m on my way to work.”
The officer took her hands and put them behind her back. “You’re under arrest, Ma’am.”
“Arrest, what for?”
“Just get in the cruiser, ma’am. You can straighten this out at the arraignment.”
“Arraignment?” Emily had no idea what was going on. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“That’s for the courts to decide.”
Emily never felt so alone as when the trooper shut her in the back of his cruiser. It was hard sitting with her hands cuffed behind her back. How had her day gone so wrong?
April six. April fucking six.
It took hours, but after they fingerprinted her, took her photograph, and most humiliatingly, did a full body search, she was allowed a phone call. Thankfully, she reached her sister. She couldn’t hold back the tears when she told Angela where she was.
“I’ll be right there. I’ll bring Justin, don’t worry, Em. It’s just a big mistake, some crazy misunderstanding.”
Justin was Angela’s boyfriend, and an attorney. Sure, he was just out of law school, but he passed the Connecticut Bar, and was working for a Hartford law firm.
Finally, a guard led her out of the cell they had put her in to where Angela and Justin waited.
“Emily, are you okay?” Angela hugged her.
“No, no, I’m not. I don’t understand what happened.”
“Why,” Justin asked as he went through a file, “would the police think your car was stolen?”
“What?” Emily punched the table. “Oh, that asshole!”
“Pardon?”
“I broke up with Evan last night.”
“Is Evan the titled owner of the car?” When Emily nodded, Angela scowled. “What a jerk.”
“I don’t understand,” said Justin. “Why is Evan’s name on the car?”
“It’s stupid.” Emily felt her cheeks burn. “I’ve so many student loans I couldn’t get a decent rate on a car loan. He offered to ‘help’ me by getting the loan in his name. So, of course, the title’s in his name too.”
“But you make the payments on the car?” Justin scribbled everything down.
“I have a record of every payment.”
“Good. That’ll help.”