THIS JOB SUCKS!

Chapter 17

"Are you leaving?" she asked almost panicked. 

"Yeah, gotta get home," Esteban winked at her, "I have a rare skin condition that keeps me out of the sun."

She let out a short unenthusiastic laugh.

"Don't worry, Whitney, everything will be okay." He gave her shoulder a squeeze and then swaggered toward the door. Whitney watched him go feeling like her lifeline was being reeled in without her attached.

"Miss Martindale?" the officer asked drawing her attention back to him. 

"Yeah? Sorry."

"Will you come with me?' he asked politely. 

"Uh, sure, where are we going?" She asked suspiciously. 

"I just need you to wait in another room for a few minutes." He said over his shoulder as he led the way out of the main room. Reluctantly Whitney followed him. 

He led her into a room with a table and four chairs and a two-way mirror on the wall. 

"Great, I'm in an episode of Dragnet." She groaned and plopped down in one of the chairs.

Fortunately she didn't have to wait long for her new interrogator. The door opened only a few minutes later to admit an older man with graying hair and a drooping mustache. He wasn't in a uniform but he was carrying a file and two cups of coffee. He smiled at her self-consciously and sat down across from her. 

"Morning, Miss Martindale, I'm Detective Sanders," he said as he arranged his paperwork and got settled into his chair. 

"Morning," Whitney echoed half-heartedly. He shuffled his papers again and pushed one of the cups toward her. 

"I thought you could use a pick me up." He smiled disarmingly.

"Thanks," she sighed as she reached for the cup. However, Whitney's gratitude was short lived after nearly gagging on the so called coffee. No wonder cops were grumpy if their coffee tasted like this.

"So what can you tell me about last night?" he asked as he rearranged his papers again.

"I told the other officer everything already." She was tired and she didn't feel like starting over.

"I know but I would like to hear it again. It helps me get a handle on things better than reading it." He smiled at her again then took a drink of coffee. Whitney was surprised that he didn't grimace at the taste. He just kept looking at her expectantly. He didn't seem like the kind of man to be dissuaded from his purpose so she resigned herself to telling the whole story again.

Talking a deep breath she started to retell the "edited for non-vampire aware" version of the night from the time that Kaylee picked her up until the police came at The Loop. 

"So you went to the club to meet Justin and your friends?" Detective Sanders asked absently as he made notes.

"No." Whitney sighed. "I went with my friends to the club. I had no idea that Justin would be there."

"And you said that..." he searched the pages for the name, "Lisa, was dead when you got into the bathroom."

"No," Whitney sighed again. "She came in after Justin and he jumped her."

"You didn't try to help her?" Detective Sanders looked at her over his reading glasses.

"I didn't have time," she leaned forward flopping her hands onto the table palm up in a helpless gesture. "I yelled for her to run but it was too late."  She felt the tears starting again and she blinked a few times.