Chapter 154 - Tish

Dane

Harry led Dane through the station, greeting other officers as they walked, but not stopping to chat with anyone, and not meeting Dane's eye as he led him down a narrow, linoleum floored hallway, to a sturdy door with a very small window, marked INTV 3.

He glanced through the tiny square window in the door and nodded. "Here we go," he muttered, using his keys to unlock it, and pulling it wide for Dane.

Dane stepped in, cold as ice. Numb from the heart down. He'd been bracing himself for this moment since the night before, but nothing prepared him. 

Harry ushered him through and he stepped into the small interview room—very similar to the room he'd sat in with Harry just days before, except this one had three chairs—and he found her face immediately.

Tish, however, hadn't known he was coming. 

She screamed, "No!" and tried to leap out of the chair she was in, but caught a foot on the leg of her chair and tumbled halfway to the floor before she caught herself on the table. Harry was at her side in a flash, holding her elbow, helping her up. But she scrabbled at him, her fingers clawed, eyes wide.

"You can't leave me here with him! You can't! He'll hurt me again! Please, Officer! Please!"

Dane had the impression Harry was working hard not to roll his eyes. "No one's leaving you anywhere, Tish. Take a seat and let's get on with this."

"I can't! I can't be near him!"

Harry shot Dane a glare over his shoulder. "You don't have to be near him. I'll leave him next to the door, okay? And I'll sit between you, how about that?"

She continued to try to put herself behind Harry, and pry his fingers off her elbow, until Dane muttered, "Cut the act, Tish. You told Lila the reason you came to her was because I trusted her—your lies are giving you away. Sit down and let's talk."

Tish glared at him like a hunted rodent, but when Harry raised an eyebrow at her, she jerked her elbow out of his grip and muttered, "Heartless bastard."

Harry chuckled and walked around the table to sit down. Dane watched Tish carefully, but did the same, sitting next to Harry. 

"So, you're law enforcement now?" Tish said, watching him warily. 

Dane smirked. "Never."

She looked back and forth between the two men, her shoulders as far back in the chair as she could sit, blinking too often. 

Dane wondered if it was an act—but he wasn't sure she was a good enough actor to fake the shaking knee and twitch of her thumbs rubbing her fingers as she kept her hands clasped in her lap. She didn't seem conscious of the movement, just scared and twitchy as she looked back and forth between him and Harry.

Dane's stomach sank as he realized they had this woman here, facing two of them—both of them well over six feet, strong and broad, while she hunched to make herself as small as possible in a subconscious attempt to escape notice. He shook his head. These were exactly the kinds of tactics his father used on women. Pushing his chair back from the table, he pretended to stretch to give her more room. He'd put the pressure on later, if he needed to. But he hoped he could get through to Tish without that. 

"So, Tish, you have the right to remain silent…" As Harry put on his glasses and recited Tish's rights, he also flipped through the page of a file he'd brought with him into the room. A move that made Dane smirk. His father had used that one too, and he wasn't above it either. Let them think you have a lot more information than you actually do. The file was probably full of old reports.

"No one will force you to speak today, Tish," Harry said with a glance at Dane. "But your cooperation will be looked on favorably by a judge, should your information prove accurate and truthful. If you lead us down a rabbit trail, I won't hesitate to charge you with abuse of Police time." He smiled pleasantly and Tish scowled.

"Since when do civilians get to interrogate witnesses," she snapped, glaring at Dane.

"Whenever we feel like it and the brass upstairs approves it, to be quite honest with you," Harry said good-naturedly. "Don't worry, if he touches you, we get it on camera," he nodded to the security camera above the door, "and he gets charged with assault. So, Dane's going to be on his best behavior, aren't you Dane?"

Dane nodded. His stomach felt sick. He prayed he could get through this without vomiting in front of them both.

"So, here's the thing," Harry continued, taking off his glasses. "I'm going to let Dane ask you whatever he wants. And if your answers prove useful to our investigation, I'm going to let any judge you stand in front of know that you helped us. But I'm not going to be a part of this conversation unless you guys bring me in. And I have to tell you, Dane has no power to make any legal or procedural promises to you. He's here at my invitation, but he does not hold any legal power over you. Do you understand that?"

"I guess," she said sullenly. 

"Good. In that case, Dane, the floor is yours. Hands to yourself."

Dane shot him a look then turned to Tish. She met his gaze reluctantly, out from under her hair then looked away again. 

"I know you're working with my father," Dane said softly. "And because I know my father, I know that means one of two things for you. Either he got to you—he's paying you. He hired you. He planted you at my office, and you've been feeding him my secrets in exchange for cash, or he's holding power over you."

Tish's eyes snapped up to meet his.

"You know me, and you know what I do. If this is about more than money—if he's forced you into this, and you can prove it, I'm your biggest ally. I'm not hamstrung like the Police. I can look after whoever I want. If my father is blackmailing you, not only will I protect you and any family members he's threatening, but I'll find ways to nullify whatever he's got on you."

"Sure," she said, sneering. "You're so good at protecting people from him that he's got his hands on your wife now."

The blow landed, but Dane just blinked and moved on. "So, how did he get to you? Were you working for money, or to keep yourself or someone else safe?"

Tish didn't respond. 

"Were you alone in spying on my offices, or working as part of a team?"

Tish picked at a piece of fluff on her sleeve and tugged at it, baring one of the bruises on her wrists. Dane frowned.

*****

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