Facade of Love (Yvette Scott and Idris Young)
Chapter 242

Chapter 242 At Your Beck and Call

I left the thought hanging, my hands twisted together with nerves.

Idris saw my distress and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Hold off on the panic. The coroner said 'might.' There's been no autopsy yet. We'll wait for the results and then make our next move."

I tried to calm the flutter of anxiety in my chest as I waited for him to hang up with Officer Jackson.

I must have made some noise because Officer Jackson said, "We're still waiting on the autopsy to make any solid calls. Until we have hard evidence, we're holding off on any major moves." It felt like he was trying to reassure me.

I bit my lip, keeping quiet.

Idris asked into the phone, "What's with the skeletons found near Noah?"

"Looks like they're from people Noah took out a while back. If we line up the timeline, they were probably on his bad side when he was calling the shots. We haven't ID'd them yet, Officer Jackson explained, then hesitated before saying, "But we might need to bring Charlie in for a chat at the station."

Idris did not bite, just said flatly, “That is your department's business.”

With that, he ended the call.

I looked at Idris, confused. "The bodies have been found, so why do the cops need to grill. Charlie? He and Inch got pulled into this mess because of me."

Idris gave me a look, his dark eyes serious. "He was hiding bodies for you, and just 'happened' to stash them in Noah's old stomping grounds, which 'just happened' to dig up more trouble. You think the world's full of that many accidents?"

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "Island in the Lake is out of the way, and that spot's been deserted for ages. It's the perfect place to hide a body. Isn't it obvious why Charlie would pick there?"

He quirked an eyebrow, "You only think that because you know Lake City like the back of your hand. Charlie, on the other hand, is from Silvana and has barely been here for a month. How could he possibly replace such a perfect spot to ditch a body so fast?"

I froze, my mind racing for an answer that just would not come.

The topic was subsequently dropped.

Finding Noah's body was just the beginning. The real mess was just starting. I was stuck under the watchful eye of the cops, and Idris and I ended up back at the station.

Luckily for me, Officer Jackson had my back. He told them I was all in on helping out with their investigation, which meant I did not have to camp out at the station waiting for any updates. I just had to show up whenever they gave me a buzz, which meant I could dodge hanging around those drab police station walls.

As Idris and I were about to head out, we ran into Charlie. He rolled in, looking sharp even in a wheelchair, and you could bet he turned heads.

2/2

He caught sight of us, his eyes crinkling just a bit before his gaze landed on me. "Everything sorted out?" he asked, his voice steady as ever.

I shook my head a little. "Sorry you got roped into this mess," I told him. He was obviously here to get grilled by the cops.

He just flashed a small, easy smile. "No worries. We're practically family. I'm happy to help," he said.

His words caught me off guard. Charlie was not the type to talk in riddles or drop hints.

From what I knew of him, he had never been one to play coy.

The air seemed to chill in an instant, and I knew something was up. I shot a quick look at Idris. His face was stone, yet his eyes were locked on Charlie, not missing a beat. Perhaps it was my imagination, but it felt like Idris was sending a silent warning.

Charlie, for his part, did not seem to give a hoot. He shot Idris a quick glance and flashed me a grin. "Hey, if you ever need anything, just give me a shout. I'm always around."

I was tongue-tied, honestly. Watching him force a smile that was more painful than tears, all I managed to choke out was a feeble, "Thanks."

With a casual smile, Charlie excused himself, his crew wheeling him into the precinct.

The whole time, he did not exchange a single word with Idris, not even a nod or a hey.

Once Charlie disappeared inside, Idris looked as if he had swallowed a lemon. Scratch that, he looked downright thunderous.

I felt a pang

of weird guilt washing over me like I had been caught red-handed in some betrayal. I had no clue what to say to Idris, so I clammed up and just kept walking.

I had been chauffeured to the parking lot in a cop car, so I did not have a car to use on the way back. With night falling, I would need good luck to flag down a cab..

While I was debating whether to brave it and replace a taxi, Idris's voice broke through, deep and controlled. "What's on your mind?"

I jerked, caught off guard by his piercing, stormy gaze. "Uh, nothing!" I stammered, shaking my head.

He did not press, and ordered, "Get in the car. Grandma's waiting for us back home."

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