I only pouted in the parking lot for a few seconds before getting in my car and heading to the police station.  Jared arrested Luke, so he had to be there.  If he was still there when I arrived I didn’t know what I was going to do.  I had never hit anyone before, but I considered it now.

When I arrived at the station, Jared was just coming out the front doors, with Luke nowhere in sight.  Parking crooked on the yellow line I dove out of my car and charged at him.

“Where’s Luke?” I asked, breath coming out in huffs.  Jared shoved a piece of paper into his pocket and looked down at me.

“Inside,” he said.  I went to go around him, feeling Luke was more important than my anger at the moment, when Jared grabbed my arm.  “He’s in questioning, you can’t see him.  And you won’t see him for a while.  They want him in jail, and it’s better that way.” 

His grip was gentler than it’d ever been, and he immediately let go when he’d finished what he wanted to tell me.  He started for his car.

“Why did you arrest him?” I asked, following his steps.

“Trust me, honey, it’s for his own good.”

“Why should I trust you?” I yelled.  “And stop calling me that!” 

Jared opened his car door and leaned on it to face me.

“Well, for one—I saved your life.”  He counted on his fingers.  “And two—no, I won’t stop.” 

He climbed into the front seat and started the engine.  I wasn’t going to let him leave so easily and took his moment of distraction to jump into the seat behind him.  I would have tried for the passenger door, but doubted I would have made it before he drove off. 

“What are you doing?” he questioned.

“Luke’s innocent,” I said, “you know that.”

“I do,” he told me, “but he’s in the way.”

I pulled back, eyebrows arched.  “What are you talking about?” 

Jared turned off the car and twisted to face me.  “He’s the only suspect in four open murder investigations.  The cops are so focused on him that they don’t see anyone else.  He’s all they’ve got so they released a warrant for his arrest.  Some higher up doesn’t like non-humans, but it’s only a matter of time before someone screams racist.”

“Then why arrest him?  That doesn’t make sense.”

“Sooner or later there’s going to be another murder,” he replied, sighing, “and if your boyfriend’s in jail for two of those murders there isn’t a jury out there that would convict him.”

Unless they’re all Eidolon hating humans that is, which, if Luke went to trial, was very likely.  I wondered what “higher up” Jared was referring to, imagining it might be one of the inspectors.

“So what, either Luke goes to jail for crimes he didn’t commit,” I started, “or another girl dies to set him free?” 

Jared lowered his eyes, no happier with the outcome than I was.  “It sucks but that’s how it is.” 

Angered with how easily he was taking this I stepped out of the car for fresh air.  As I slammed the door behind me I saw Insp. Miller walk out of the station with the blonde channel four reporter coming up to her.  Part of me blamed her for this, telling the world all about the murders, but it wasn’t her fault.  She, just like Miller and Young, were doing their jobs.

I was close enough to hear their conversation.  Jared stepped out of the car, mouth open to say something when I held up a hand to stop him.  His eyes followed mine to the two women.

Something wasn’t right.

“So what did you want to tell me?” Cindy asked, pen and notepad in hand.

“Luke Harroway,” Insp. Miller said.

“Pardon?”

“Luke Harroway,” the inspector repeated, “he’s the suspect that was taken in for questioning before, and he’s just been arrested again.  He’s an Eidolon, and he’s committed the murders.”

“Shit,” Jared said quietly.

“What evidence do you have?” Cindy asked, a little surprised at the detectives words.  The mention of evidence stalled Insp. Miller, she knew she didn’t have anything real but it wasn’t about to stop her.

“We have enough,” was all she said.  The journalist wrote down what she said, probably word for word.  I took a small step forward, wanting to intervene but Jared grabbed me again.

“Hold it, honey,” he said, pulling me back to whisper in my ear, “you’ll just make it worse.”

“Or I’ll expose that witch for the Etheric hating racist she is,” I said.  I tried to yank out of his grip but he kept a tight hold on my arm, dragging me to the passenger side of his car, and shoving me inside.  After he shut the door and moved I tried to open it but it was already locked.  I reached for the switch to let me out, and found nothing there.  My hands scrambled along the leather, searching for a way to unlock the door.  Had he removed it?  Was it like that last time?  I couldn’t remember.

 Jared sat down next to me, the car already driving us away from the station by the time I gave up and fell back in the seat.

Maybe it was better that way, it’s not like a reporter would believe me anyway.  Not with a cop standing right there telling her something else.  Begrudgingly, I put my seat belt on and crossed my arms.  I knew what was coming.  No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it wouldn’t happen, I knew I was wrong.

Jared drove around the block a few times before the two women went their separate ways.  He then led me to my car and made sure I drove straight home by following me there, not letting me talk to anyone inside the station.  I forced him to promise to contact me the next day after he said he had plans to find the real killer.  Maybe not wanting another fight, or just to placate me, he agreed and walked me into my apartment, all the way to the front door. 

When I sat on the couch I wondered if I would ever see him there again.

The next morning I turned on the news to find Luke’s face on every channel.  He was declared the main suspect in the investigation.  My heart sank, knowing what this meant for him.

Even once proven innocent, nobody would look at him the same; he was a killer, whether that was the truth or not.