Chapter 34

34. Confession.

Telling the detective about Stone and his gang is easy because it is purely my own story to tell. I got nothing to hide in that regard. So, I go in-depth about the harassment, the prank, the assault, and the subsequent expulsion.

Detective Blanco pulls a notebook from her pocket in the meantime and jots down notes from my statement, nodding her head lightly.

“Do you think that Stone is somehow related to the shootout?”-

I shake my head. “No, of course, not. One, Stone is a bully, not a killer. He might be an asshole, but his family isn’t into such activities. They’d rather go to the media and slander you than shoot your employees.”

The detective nods again. “So, who else are your enemies, Mr. Greyson? I have to admit, for someone so young you seem to have a lot.”

I quirk my lips at the irony. “Not a lot. Just Stone and his gang, and this one guy who’s got it out for me for a reason I cannot fathom.”

“Who is this guy?”

“His name is Aiden Collins,” I reply, “and honestly, much of this story is not mine to tell.”

“I’m afraid that I can’t allow that, Mr. Greyson. We are going to need the full story in order to perform our best in the investigation.

I will assure you that the information will not be misused in any form.”

I nod at her honest tone. “Well, it started out when I was invited to a dinner at a restaurant for a high. school reunion...”

And so, I tell her the whole story from start to finish, and of course, that includes Aiden’s conduct with. Coraline, his abusing her in the past, his attempt at altering her life insurance plan, his conduct at the Adrenaline Rush, and everything else.

“This one does sound serious, Mr. Greyson,” Detective Blanco comments, “I assume the Coraline you speak of is your assistant.”

I nod.

“And despite his insistence, you’re not engaged in a romantic relationship with her?”

“Nope. We’re really good friends, that’s all.”

“Right. After his departure from Adrenaline Rush, did you meet him again?”

“Fortunately, no. But that is strange in and out of itself.”

“How so?”

“Well, this is going to sound really suspicious,” I remark, “but ever since then, he had not even been attending university. None of his friends had seen him either. The coach at Adrenaline Rush, Brennan. tried to call him to ask him about quitting the club, but he couldn’t reach him.”

“That is strange indeed. And yes, very suspicious.” Her brows furrow as she contemplates. “Was Aiden aware of your connection to your father?”

“I can’t say that for sure,” I reply, “from the things he said to me, I am under the impression that he didn’t. Otherwise, he won’t make fun of my supposed poverty.

“Does your friend Coraline wish to get legal attention for her insurance policy alteration?”

“That’s Coraline’s decision to make,” I reply with a shrug, “she is in contact with her insurance providers and working to find a compromise without taking the matters to the next level. We’ll see what happens. after that.”

“Right. So, Aiden dislikes you because he thinks Coraline cheated on him with you while she was engaged in a relationship with him, and now thinks you stole his girlfriend? And of course, he dislikes you for hailing from a lower-class background as well.”

“Essentially, yes. But I have a feeling that there’s something more. Just a feeling, I can’t even verbalize it correctly. Do you ever have this gut feeling that something is wrong, detective? Like a premonition of sorts.”

Detective Blanco quirks her lips into a grim smile, “I may have felt something like that before.”

“It’s just that, a gut feeling.”

“Well, Mr. Greyson, I guess that’s everything for now,” Detective Blanco stands, and I follow suit, “We will consider everything you and Mr. Mason told us and try to find out who did this.”

“Gerald mentioned that you suspect an alleged local crime syndicate?”

“They are a suspicion, yes, but with the new information we acquired, the suspect pool just got bigger.”

I try not to grimace at this. The last thing I want was for Stone, his lackeys, and frickin Aiden to come down on me at once because I got them roped into a police investigation God, I could imagine Stone’s father’s rage at the mere aspect.

The detectives wait to take a statement from Coraline as well regarding Aiden and leaves the premises, promising to be in touch in case any new developments occurred.

As soon as they left, Coraline turns to me.

“Crap,” she murmurs, “do you think it was Aiden? Like, if it’s some sort of fucked up scheme to get revenge on us by targeting the employees.”

“I honestly doubt it, but then again, Aiden is a different kind of psycho.”

“I do not believe his father would allow him to do anything of the sort,” Gerald adds as he approached us, arms crossed in front of us.

“Did they ask you about any enemies you have?” I ask him.

Gerald’s hands tighten over in front of him, and his eyes look far away, “Gerald Manson doesn’t have any enemies.”

“Why are you referring to yourself in the third person all of the sudden?” I question, smiling at the sudden. quirk.

But Gerald is sober as he says. “You two better go home for the day. There’s nothing here I can’t handle. This has been particularly taxing.”

“I agree.”

Coraline and I bid our goodbyes to Gerald and exit the building. I ask Coraline if I can give her a lift, and she nods gratefully.

“I just don’t feel all that safe after the shooting.” she whispers. “Good thing I’m living with my parents. I don’t think I will be able to be alone tonight.”

I give her a hug to soothe her, and she melts into my arms instantly. She’s not crying, but a shudder wrecks through her body.

I can understand her fear. I feel something akin to it as well.

“Let’s make a deal,” I reply “Until this gets sorted out, let’s have each other’s numbers as emergency contacts in case something goes south, in case it’s really Aiden. And it doesn’t even have to be an emergency. If you see anything suspicious, call me. I’m always open to talk as well.”

“You too, Jace,” she breaks away from me, “1 really hope it isn’t Aiden. Because I don’t think I will be able to live with the fact that I dated a cold-blooded killer