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“He doesn’t accuse innocent people of murder,” I shot back before Charles could remind me to keep mum.

The policeman tilted his head to the side and opened his mouth without speaking. Was it really so hard to believe that someone would talk back to him in the same manner in which he spoke to others?“Now you wait just a min—”

A knock on the door cut him off.

“Mind if I answer?” he asked me, choosing to ignore Charles completely. Apparently he thought he had a better chance of getting a confession if he dealt directly with me. Too bad I wouldn’t be confessing to a crime I’d had zero involvement in.

“Go right ahead,” I said without missing a beat.

Officer Hamil kept his eyes on us for another few moments before sighing and heading toward the door.

“Yeah, what have you got?” he mumbled to whoever was there.

I strained to see, but his wide body blocked my view.

After a couple minutes of hushed conversation, he stepped back into the trailer and walked up to the table, standing close to Charles and blocking him in as some kind of intimidation technique.

“Not just a lawyer, chef, boyfriend, but also a convicted felon, eh?” He paused and sucked air through his teeth. “Sir, I’m going to ask you to come with me.”

Chapter Thirteen

I tried to follow, but Officer Hamil wouldn’t allow me to exit the vehicle.

“We’ll just be a moment,” he said before shutting the door firmly behind them.

Shoot. As much as I hated being the one under suspicion, I liked it even less when Charles came under fire. But the investigation wasn’t my only problem.

“Pringle?” I whispered, still unsure where the nosy critter had gone.

When he didn’t answer, I moved to the front of the RV and lowered the window a crack. Thankfully, it was just enough to listen to the conversation outside if I strained.

Officer Hamil was now joined by a female speaker. I didn’t recognize her voice as belonging to the Airstream lady—Ms. Stevens—who was so completely and totally convinced that I had offed a woman I’d never even met.

This left me to assume that the woman in question was the other police officer who had arrived on the scene.

“This isn’t my RV,” Charles explained calmly.

“Stole it, did you?” Hamil asked, but the other officer shushed him.

“If it’s not yours, then why is it in your possession?” she pressed. Already I liked her a lot better than her partner.

“Do you mind if I reach into my right front pocket to get my phone?” Bless him, Charles always knew exactly how to act in these situations.

“Go ahead,” the woman said. I imagined her nodding, even though I hadn’t the slightest idea what she even looked like.

“I’m watching you, lover boy,” Hamil growled.

His partner shushed him again, then everyone fell silent as they waited for Charles to bring up what he wanted to show them.

“See,” Charles said a short bit later. “This app lets you borrow campers and camp equipment short-term. It’s a bit like Airbnb. If you click here, you’ll see the booking I made with the owner.”

“That’s the name that comes up for the plates,” the lady cop said.

“That doesn’t mean you’re in the clear, though. Hand over your ID.” Hamil was quick to take back control. It must have been awful having that blowhard as a partner.

“I’m going to reach into my back pocket now,” Charles enunciated clearly.

“Hamil, why don’t you run a scan while I take over here?” the woman officer suggested in a way that said compliance was non-optional.

Nobody said anything for a moment, and then the back door to our RV swung open.

I stayed where I was in that big bucket seat, mostly because I didn’t want to get caught eavesdropping.

“Thanks, Officer Lenard,” Charles said, his deep voice filling the space.

“You don’t look like the aggravated assault type,” she said kindly. “But just because I don’t believe you committed this murder doesn’t mean I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Understood. How can I help?”

The squeaking of leather signaled that they had slid into the booth.

“Walk me through your day,” Lenard instructed after taking a moment to get settled. “Take extra care to mention any contact you had with the deceased.”

“Well, this morning I woke up early to get some work in before picking up the camper, picking up my girlfriend, and hitting the road.”

“Fast-forward to your arrival, please.” Lenard would have made a good lawyer if she hadn’t chosen to pursue law enforcement instead. She and Charles had the exact same way of being assertive while also remaining kind and professional.

“It was about a three-hour drive,” he explained. “We arrived a little before two. I went to check in with the camp manager before taking my girlfriend to a picnic area a short walk away.”

“You checked in with the camp manager? Tell me more about that.”