Illusions Begin

  Chapter Ten

  The ride to the police station was quiet and quick. Becky could sense her father’s unease as they made the short trip, so she grabbed onto his hand and held it tight for the ride. He didn’t say anything to her when she took his hand in hers, but she could see the small twitch of his lips when she did so. When their car stopped in front of the police station, her father helped her out of the car, still holding onto her hand, then wrapping it around his arm so that they could walk into the station side by side.

  Entering the station, Becky was surprised to find that it wasn’t as busy as she imagined it would be. After watching way too many movies and TV shows she expected to see all of the hustle and bustle that was portrayed in those programs. She expected to see hookers barely dressed, popping bubble gum and flirting with the officers in hopes of getting the charges dropped. She also thought she would see drug dealers handcuffed to the chairs, yelling obscenities and threats if they weren’t released. Maybe even a drunken person or two, slurring and having to be held up by an escort. She was oddly disappointed that this wasn’t the sight that greeted her.

  Instead, she walked into what appeared to be a pretty quiet and relaxing environment. She saw a few police officers sitting at desks, filling out paper work or talking quietly on the phone. There were also a few sitting comfortably in chairs with cups of coffee in hand, chatting with each other as if it were just another day at the office. And she supposed it was. This was what these people did every day. They came into work just like she did, filled out paper work and answered phone calls, just like she did and when need be, solved crimes and saved lives. That part wasn’t so much like her job. She would love to be able to solve puzzles all day, ones that actually mattered and made a difference to someone other than herself.

  She didn’t have long to think about this though because her thoughts scattered when she heard the familiar, deep voice of Detective Hopkins. “Miss Wellington?” she glanced up at the sound of her name being called and her eyes widened. He was HOT! Sure his voice had sounded nice over the phone but she hadn’t expected this. He looked more like a model than a police officer. She couldn’t help but to take in all of him as he approached her and her father. He was at least six foot tall, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a chiseled face that looked more like it belonged on a magazine cover instead of in a police station. If she could judge by the way he moved and how well his clothes fit him, he had a body that was just as chiseled as his face. Becky wasn’t normally one to drool over men, but this man was totally drool worthy!

  “Don’t stare honey, it isn’t polite.” Becky was snapped out of her embarrassing behavior by her fathers amused whisper.

  As much as she didn’t like her father calling her out like that, she was thankful to him for saving her from further humiliation. She nodded once and regained her composure in time to greet Detective Hopkins with a handshake. “Yes, Detective Hopkins?” he nodded a confirmation and she continued, “It’s nice to meet you and please call me Katherine,” she smiled politely and looked into his eyes.

  His light blue eyes instantly snagged hers. “It’s a pleasure Katherine.” She had already established that his voice was deep but the way he said her name made it sound even deeper and caused a shiver to go through her. Not wishing to make a complete idiot of herself, she quickly dropped his large, warm hand and turned toward her father. “This is my father, Hugh Wellington,” she gestured between the two men. “Daddy, this is Detective Hopkins, the officer that is in charge of my case.”

  The Detective stepped closer, allowing her to feel the heat of his body as he reached for her father’s outstretched hand. “Mr. Wellington,” he greeted her father with his deep, sexy voice.

  “Hugh is fine. It’s nice to meet you Detective.”

  They finished the handshake and Detective Hopkins stepped back to look at both of them. “Please, both of you call me Ethan,” he smiled warmly at both of them and then winked at Becky.

  She felt the blush that invaded her cheeks all the way down to her toes. Her sometimes overly protective father didn’t miss the gesture, as indicated by the swift placement of his hand on the small of Becky’s back and subtle movement closer to her side. “Okay then, Ethan. What have you called my daughter down here for?” Her father already knew the answer, but that was his way of getting down to business.

  Detective…Ethan took the hint, “Yes sir, let’s get right to it. If you two will follow me back to my office I can go over what we have and explain how this works. Then we’ll do the lineup. Okay?” He glanced down at Becky and waited for her to agree before he turned and led them back through the station.

  Her father leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I don’t think I like the way this guy is looking at you.”

  His words startled Becky and she would have stopped walking to gawk at her dad had he not continued to guide her down the hall with his hand firmly on her back. “What are you talking about?” she whispered, barely moving her lips.

  “He is attracted to you and not doing a very good job at hiding it.”

  “What?” she shook her head and smiled. Her father had always thought she was the most beautiful girl/woman in the world, right along with her mother. Admittedly, Becky knew that she was beautiful, but she also knew that she somehow sent off a don’t mess with me vibe that prevented most men from talking to her, much less flirting with her. She knew her father was mistaken and that he was allowing his overprotectiveness to take over, making him see things that were not really there. Ethan had not given any indication that he found Becky even remotely attractive. He had been polite and very business-like. She told her father exactly that.

  “Trust me on this one honey. I am a man you know. I know these things,” he smirked and winked at her.

  Becky couldn’t help but to laugh. It was a much louder laugh than she had intended and quickly placed her hands over her lips to muffle the sound. Ethan turned and smiled warmly at her, and this time she noticed the glint in his eye. She stopped laughing immediately.

  “Told you,” her father whispered smugly.

  Becky didn’t know what to think. The idea of this man finding her attractive was exciting but it also made her nervous. She was so inexperienced when it came to men. Lance was the only man she had ever really dated and that wasn’t a very good example. He treated her nicely, took her out on dates, but she was always so careful to keep an invisible line between the two of them. A line that he had never crossed until recently and then by hostile force. Before Lance she was so caught up in school that she hadn’t had time for interacting with boys much less dating. On the rare occasion a boy ignored her standoffish personality and actually approached her, she fumbled for words and usually made a complete fool of herself.

  All the boys she had known, including Lance, were much different than the Detective. They were rich, cocky, and pompous, used to being taken care of and catered too. Some of them were even a bit on the nerdy side. Detective Ethan Hopkins did not present that sort of personality at all. No, he was confident, controlled, and without a doubt masculine. She would not have the first clue what to do with a man like that. Furthermore, she was pretty sure she wasn’t ready for what a man like him would want to do with her. She shivered at the thought.

  Her father, thankfully misunderstanding the shiver, pulled her closer. “Don’t worry honey. Everything will be fine. I won’t leave your side.”

  “Thanks Daddy,” she answered back, but she could feel the heat building in her cheeks again and knew that they would be bright pink.

  Before there was time for the tell-tale sign of embarrassment to fade away, the Detective… Ethan stopped in front of an open door and motioned for them to go in before him. “If you’d like to have a seat, we can discuss the details of the arrest and what we would like from you Katherine.”

  Ignoring the way her name rolled from his mouth, Becky ducked her head and moved passed him
quickly into the room, taking the seat furthest away so that her father could take the other one. Ethan moved around the desk and took a seat on the other side. When he sat facing them, he winked at her again before he began shuffling a few papers around and then pulled out a manila file folder. He opened it up, placed his hands on it and then looked up at them again. He still looked kind, but she could see that he wasn’t being flirty any longer. His face was set and his posture formal. He was in full on Detective mode, and Becky felt a bit breathless at seeing him like that.

  What was wrong with her? She’d just met this man and he was the Detective in charge of her case. This was a professional meeting about a serious incident and all she could do was think about how handsome this man was and how his voice made her body shiver. What had her more worried though was that she had never experienced these sorts of instant feelings when meeting a man before. Although, she had to admit that she had never met a man quite like this one. She felt a bit off balance and didn’t really care for the feeling. Thankfully, she was forced to push the thoughts away and focus on the task at hand when he began speaking to them once again.

  “Thanks to your statement and stroke of luck with getting ahold of the suspect’s wallet, we had no problem tracking him down. His name is James Smith and this isn’t his first offense by a long shot. There shouldn’t be any problems convicting him of the crime, but an ID by you,” his eyes bore into Becky and she had to stop herself from staring at his long eyelashes, “will ensure that he is.”

  She heard what he said, but it didn’t quite register since she had been thinking about his eyelashes instead of a proper response. Thankfully her father wasn’t as memorized by the man in front of them as she was.

  “Very good. Let’s get this over with then. Katherine Rebecca and I are both very busy today,” her father said briskly as he stood before anyone else could even agree. Becky rose, being used to her father’s commanding behavior, and waited to follow behind him. Detective Ethan was slower to rise, almost as if he didn’t like answering the commands of another. Becky could see his eyes narrow slightly before he quickly schooled his features and obeyed her father as well. She quickly turned her face so the Detective wouldn’t see her smile. Sometimes it took others a while to get used to her fathers ‘take charge’ attitude, even when he wasn’t the one in charge. And by the looks of the Detective, she could tell that he was definitely used to being the one in charge.

  Following her father out into the hall, and then stepping aside to allow the Detective to move in front of them, Becky and her father then followed him down the hall. They moved past a few more closed doors. Ones that Becky’s over active imagination told her were interrogation rooms filled with harden criminals, even as her rational side told her they were probably just more offices. Eventually they came to an open door and followed the Detective through it as well. The room was small and cold, the walls were bare except for the one in front of them, which had a glass cut out in the center. Although this was her first real visit to a police station, she knew it was a two-way mirror and on the other side would be a line of possible suspects. This part at least, was like the movies.

  Once they were tucked inside the room, Ethan took a moment to explain the room and the process to them. “This is a two-way mirror,” his hand motioned to the glass cutout as he spoke, “that can only be seen through from this side. The people on the other side will not be able to see you. When I call for the line-up, six men will walk out in a straight line, each having a number in front of them; they will all face forward where you will be able to get a good look at each one of them. Take your time and study each one carefully. Once you are sure, tell me the number of the man that attempted to rob you. Understand?” Becky and her father both nodded. “Good. Tell me when you’re ready, okay?”

  “Okay,” Becky shook her head and let out a breath to help relax her nerves. She wasn’t really nervous about identifying the suspect exactly. She was more nervous about making sure she identified the correct man. Her word would put a man in jail and she knew she needed to be calm and relaxed to ensure nothing interfered with her choosing the right man. Her father must have mistaken her nervousness for fear because he quickly moved beside her again before he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side for comfort. She smiled up at him then returned her focus to the glass in front of her. She nodded once. “I’m ready.”

  The Detective picked up the phone that was hanging on the wall and spoke into it, saying only three words, “send them in,” before hanging up the receiver once again and moving to stand on Becky’s other side. She watched as six men walked in, one after the other. All six of them looked about the same height, weight, and build. They all had similar hair color and their profiles were very much alike. She started to get even more nervous, worried that she wouldn’t recognize her would-be-mugger. Once each one of them reached their designated spots, they all turned as one to face her.

  She immediately let out another breath, this one in relief. She recognized him instantaneously. “Number three,” she said with utter confidence.

  Ethan turned to her. His face was blank, giving her no idea of what he was thinking or whether she had made the choice he was hoping for. “Are you sure?” he didn’t sound skeptical or surprised, just as if he wanted clarification. He remained professional and she knew it was to make sure he didn’t sway her answer in any way.

  She nodded, “Absolutely.”

  He nodded in return before he turned to the phone on the wall again. “Take them up and put number three in a holding cell.” Then he hung the phone up and turned to them once again. He had a smile on his face this time. “That’s our guy, good job!” he told Becky.

  For some reason, her heart soared at his praise. “Thank you,” she said quietly and with a hint of her own smile blooming on her face.

  “That’s my girl,” her father said from beside her. “How about I treat you to lunch before going back to the office?”

  “Sure Daddy. That would be nice,” she answered before turning back to the Detective. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

  “No, not today but thank you. I’ll be in touch though,” he offered her a charming smile, paired with a twinkle in his eye that made her stomach flip.

  “Very good,” her father answered for her while placing his hand at the small of her back and guiding her out of the room. Detective Ethan winked at her once again as they passed, causing her to blush again, but she didn’t speak or stop. Her father propelled her out of the building and straight to the car waiting at the curb for them, all the while muttering about disrespectful men flirting with his daughter right in front of him.

  Becky just smiled.