Red Leather (Book 2)

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

JESS:

"Excuse me?" Theodore Griffin gasped. "You think my daughter did this?"

Jessabel – along with Peter, Clyde, and David – sat all across one row, opposite to the man they were interrogating. Ted was currently being held at the Alistair Police Department for spiking the alcohol of his daughter's birthday party. Using Clyde's warrant, all four of them were granted one hour privacy. Just one.

The man looked awful. Ted Griffin was a well-pressed and clean man, but the grease in his hair and the hollowness of his cheeks suggested otherwise. The cuffs around his wrists rattled against the table whenever he moved. He looked to be at his wits end.

"We never said that, Mr. Griffin," Peter tried to console. "All I asked was if Renee had been acting peculiar during the lead up to her party. That's all."

But Ted would hear none of it. When it came to his daughter, he was blind to any sort of evidence that didn't point to the fact that she was perfect. His face twisted in outrage. "I've told the police countless times! Renee isn't the culprit. She's the victim! She was taken against her will. Somebody did this to her. Somebody kidnapped her from that party, and I swear to God if I get my hands on them-"

David slammed his fist against the table, making him jump. "Well, if you aren't the biggest goddamned idiot I've ever met, then I don't know-"

It was Clyde who intervened what might have been a very violent situation. "Sir, I apologise. I realise that none of this is very professional."

"Professional? You wanna talk professional?" Ted cried, sounding furious. "My only daughter has been kidnapped, and instead of listening to reason, the police have locked me in here for something that I didn't do! I have been here for over a week, and I haven't heard a single word about my daughter's whereabouts and the state of the investigation. I might never even see her again. And now all four of you come in here, expecting me to admit that my daughter is at fault. I've had enough."

Jess decided to intervene then, feeling like the entire mess had been her fault. All of this was her fault. "Ted, please," she pleaded. "Look, I know this wasn't a great start, but we need your help. We want to find Renee as much as you do-" for completely different reasons "-but we can't do that if you won't cooperate. I've done this before. You know that. These three men beside me had been part of the team that found Robert and Jennifer, and we had found them in one piece. Please, as my uncle, I am asking you to just give us a chance. We want Renee found. We want Nathan found. We want this madness to stop."

Ted stared at his only niece for a very long time, scrutinizing her with eyes that were so much like her mother's. That was the moment Jessabel realised that the man was in agony. More than that, he was losing his mind. He has lost a loved one, too. With a startling jolt, she was able to view the world from Ted's eyes.

Theodore was in denial. Renee had been the only person in his life for a very long time, and he had dedicated his life to keeping her safe. He had raised her, spoiled her, and loved her so much that he had turned a blind eye against anything that didn't fit his perfect image of his perfect daughter. Love made him blind to what his daughter really was. He didn't want to accept that she was less than godlike, much less a psychopath.

Love made us all blind, Jessabel realised. That was when she knew that no matter how many facts were thrown at Ted's face, there would always be some part of him that was unable to let go of his Poppy. She was his life. She was his everything.

And Jessabel knew exactly how that felt.

Ted spread his palms wide across the table, closing his eyes. "I don't know what you want from me. I've given the police everything."