My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 628

Chapter 628

“I can go in alone,” I whispered.

He looked at me, “No.”

“I don’t want you to have to-”

“I’m coming.”

I looked away, “…Okay.”

He walked around the front of the car before opening my door. One hand rested lightly against my elbow while climbed out. He was not holding me, he was simply making sure I didn’t lose my balance.

The bright daylight made my head pound. Inside, the air smelled faintly of disinfectant and coffee. The reception area was quiet. A television mounted on the wall played the morning news with the volume turned low.

A woman behind the desk offered a small, sympathetic smile, “Good morning.”

Raphael spoke before I could, “We’re here to meet Detective Bennett.”

The receptionist nodded gently, “Of course.”

She asked for my name. I answered automatically. She typed something into her computer before picking up the phone, “They’re expecting you.”

A few minutes later, a woman wearing a navy blazer stepped into the waiting room. She looked to be in her forties, “Miss Toricelli?”

I faced her, “Yes…”

“I’m Detective Laura Bennett.”

She offered her hand. I looked at it for a second before shaking it.

“I’m very sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances.”

I nodded because I couldn’t make words work.

“If you’re both ready, we’ll go somewhere a little more private first.”

She led us through a quiet hallway into a small office. There were tissues on the desk, a box of bottled water, three chairs.

Detective Bennett waited until we sat down, “I’m going to explain what will happen before we continue. You are not required to view the entire room. We’ll uncover one person at a time. If at any point you need to stop, we stop. You do not have to continue if it becomes too overwhelming.”

I nodded once.

She continued gently, “We’re asking you to tell us whether you recognize each individual.”

My throat felt dry, “…Okay.”

“If you’re uncertain, that’s alright. Formal identification will still be completed through fingerprints and dental records,” she slid a clipboard toward me, “I’ll need your signature confirming that you’ve been informed of the process.”

The paper was placed in front of me. The letters refused to stay still. They blurred together, sliding across the page until the words no longer looked like words at all. I blinked hard, then again, waiting for them to settle.

Raphael stayed beside me. He hadn’t tried to touch me after I had recoiled from his touch but he stayed close enough that I knew he was there.

Somehow…

That gave me enough strength to walk forward.

I looked…

Morgan.

Her freckles were still scattered across her nose. Her hair had been brushed neatly away from her face.

She looked… asleep, too still, far too still. I waited, any second now she would complain that hospitals smelled weird.

She would laugh. She would open her eyes but she didn’t. Instead, her face was frozen in the last moments of her fight. Three dark bullet wounds marked her chest.

Detective Bennett waited quietly, “Do you recognize her?”

“…Morgan.”

The detective made a small note, and she covered Morgan again.

The second table was Emma.