Within the hour, Jax and Brooke were down at the station. Brooke had been escorted away from him as Amira and Holden wanted to question them separately.

“I want my fiancé back. NOW!” Jax pounded his thigh.

Amira’s laughter echoed throughout the room.

“Please, Jax, you act as though we’ve kidnapped her. She’s in the next room.”

Jax frowned.

“Then why won’t you let me speak with her?”

.Amira smirked. She had Jax right where she wanted him. The D.A. would be issuing charges just as soon as she turned the evidence over.

“Jax, why don’t you answer some questions for us? Be cooperative. You’ll be able to see Brooke once you do.” Holden looked sympathetically at him.

Jax contemplated his words. He wasn’t buying their whole good cop/bad cop scenario, but he wanted to see Brooke immediately. She must be so frightened and confused.

“Go ahead.”

“As you know, you have the right to refuse to answer any question. You have the right to an attorney. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning.”

Jax waved his hand.

“I know. Ask away I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Both Amira and Holden sat down across from him. Despite the DNA evidence, Holden had a nagging feeling that Jax wasn’t their man. Something wasn’t right, but Amira had been adamant everything pointed to Jax.

“Please state your name for the record.”

“Jax Paulson.”

“And where were you on the night of January 21, 2017?”

“I was having dinner with my fiancé, Brooke Langston.”

“All night?”

Jax narrowed his eyes.

“Until about 9:30 PM. We came home and watched a movie.”

“What movie?”

Jax groaned.

“I don’t recall. I believe it was a horror movie.”

“Can you be more specific?” Holden asked.

He thought a moment.

“I think it was something I’d seen before. Lovely Molly, I believe.”

They both continued to make notes.

“After the movie what did you do?”

“We went to bed.”

“That’s all? You went right to sleep?”

“We fucked first if you must know.” Jax gritted his teeth.

Holden smirked as Amira shot him a dirty look.

“Do you want to know what position? What foreplay we did?”

Amira frowned at him.

“That won’t be necessary, Jax.”

“So after intercourse you went to sleep?”

“That’s what I usually do.”

“Do you know a woman named Stephanie Waters?”

Jax thought a moment.

“Yes, I do.”

“What was your relationship to her?”

“There was none. I went out with her once as part of a publicity stunt by my publicist. I only spoke with her during that date.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Amira sighed as she leaned forward.

“Tell me about the date with Victoria.”

Tapping his fingers on the table, Jax leaned back in his chair. They were trying to trap him he just knew it.

“She was a beautiful woman. I met her for drinks at O’Leary’s downtown. The date was a ‘job’ for both of us. I was to be photographed with her and my so-called stalker, Chelsea Goldstein was supposed to watch us. Victoria was an up and coming model and needed the publicity too. So Jessica set us up to go out. We just had dinner and a few drinks.”

Amira wasn’t convinced. Stephanie Waters was the third girl murdered.

“I see. And what about Chelsea Goldstein? Was she there too?”

“Of course. She was supposed to be watching me that is until she got weird.”

“How was she weird?” Holden clicked his pen. He wanted to scream he thought this was a waste of time. He was all but convinced Jax Paulson was not the killer.

“She would follow my dates into the bathroom and ask them strange questions.”

“What questions?”

Jax held his hand up.

“How the hell would I know? I wasn’t in the ladies’ room with them. But Stephanie mentioned something about ‘who lies in the shadow of the U or something’.”

Amira felt her heart race. It had to be him. She knew the U was playing a part in the murders.

“The U? What’s that?” Holden asked.

Jax shrugged.

“Got me. I have no idea. I figured Chelsea was just crazy. I told Jessica she was really going overboard with the whole stalker thing. Jessica told me to be patient that everything was working as it should.”

Amira and Holden recalling the gruesome scene when Chelsea was shot and killed winced.

“Of course, we know it didn’t. I’m sorry about that. I know Jessica’s death was tragic for you.”

He nodded. The metal cuff was cutting into his wrist. He desperately wanted to get the hell out of there and see Brooke.

“So, after dinner with Stephanie did you go anywhere with her?”

“No. She came by herself as did I. We met each other there.”

“Where did you go after the date?”

Jax thought a moment.

“That was over a year ago. I don’t recall.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you need time to think.”

Holden held his hand up at Amira.

“Let’s just move on. What about this girl? Do you know her?” He held up a photo of the first victim, Brianna Jaynes.

“Yes, I do. She was the first model I dated per Jessica.”

“And your contact with her was minimal just like with Stephanie?”

“Yes.”

“And what about Victoria Jensen? The woman who was found near your home?” Holden asked holding up a photo of the victim.

“I don’t know her.”

Amira smashed her fist on the table.

“So, you mean to tell me, Jax that a woman was found stabbed repeatedly in the chest, naked in the woods just a few miles from your home and you don’t know a damn thing about it?” Amira was shouting.

“I don’t. I never saw her in my life! I found her when I was out hunting on my own property. It was the first day of rifle season. I hadn’t been hunting for a long time and I wanted to get a deer. Brooke enjoys the taste of deer tenderloin and deer jerky. I thought it would be good if I could get one.”

“Hmmmm, I see. Well, it seems very strange that several young women have been murdered who have direct ties to you. You are the sole factor that connects them all.” Amira pounded her fist on the table.

“Not true. I never met Victoria Jensen.”

“Her body was found on your property. Explain that.”

“Circumstantial.”

Holden wanted to agree with him.

Amira had had enough of the cat and mouse bullshit. She whipped out her cuffs.

“Jax Paulson, you’re under arrest for the murder of Stephanie Waters.”

Jax felt as though he’d been struck by lightning. The words Amira had said hung in the air. His brain could barely begin to process them.

Just then, an officer brought Brooke into the room.

“What?” Brooke cried as she ran towards him. Holden pushed her back.

“Hey, don’t you lay a hand on her!” He cried struggling as Amira slapped a set of cuffs on his wrists.

“Relax, Paulson, I’m just going to escort her to the waiting area.” Holden placed his hand on the small of Brooke’s back. She stared at him once more as tears welled in her eyes.

“Call Gil Holmann, Brooke. He’s my attorney. It will be okay, don’t worry about me.” He called to her as they pushed him towards the back.

Once the double doors shut, Jax swallowed hard. He looked all around him. He assumed whatever they were doing wouldn’t take long. Once Brooke called Holmann, he’d be out in no time.

Or so he thought.

Jax had never been arrested in his life. He was a well-educated, successful man. This didn’t happen to guys like him.

Amira handed some paperwork to the correctional officers. She nodded at him with a smirk as she left.

Jax sagged down into a chair.

“Wait right there until we call your name.”

Gazing around the room, he noticed a few other men sitting on benches as they waited to be called. Some of them looked rough. They were covered in tattoos and their clothes were ripped and stained.

“Paulson!” The burly guard called.

Jax shuffled over to the guard who removed his handcuffs. He pushed him towards a machine to take his fingerprints. He rolled each finger over a computerized printer. Then he took his mug shots.

Jax felt humiliation wash over him. He’d never felt so vulnerable before. On the outside, he was a member of the ‘upper middle class’. In here, he was just like the rest of the jail inmates.

Fighting back a strong desire to run screaming out the door, he struggled to maintain a friendly demeanor with the guards.

“How long will I be in here?” He asked a tall, muscular guard.

The guard shrugged. He cracked a piece of gum loudly.

“Depends. They have to get you in front of a judge within 24 hours. Has your bail been set?”

Jax looked helplessly at him.

The guard flipped through some papers.

“Oh shit, you’re in for murder. Hope you got some deep pockets then. It’s likely it will be cash bail if they give you bail at all.”

“I have an attorney.” He clung to the hope that Holmann could get him out of this.

“Eh, that might help you. I don’t know you’re looking at some serious charges. Best get comfortable.”

“Where?”

The guard gestured to the hardwood benches lining the walls of the spacious room.

“Anywhere on those benches. When it’s time to go upstairs, we’ll call you.”

“Can I call my fiancé?”

“Not yet. You need a PIN number for that. You won’t get that until you go upstairs.”

Jax walked slowly over to a bench. He sank down with a thud. The room was large, but crowded with all the people waiting to be processed. It smelled terrible in there like old molded shoes.

“Hey, man, did I hear you’re in here for murder?” A scrawny looking guy with blonde curly hair asked him. Jax leaned away from him as a terrible odor emanated from him.

“Yeah.”

“Who’d you kill?” The guy’s eyes lit up.

Jax shook his head.

“I didn’t kill anyone.”

“That’s what they all say.” Another guy leaned in to join the conversation.

“Well, I didn’t.” Jax asserted.

“Keep quiet over there!” A guard yelled at them.

Jax sat quietly a moment. All of a sudden it occurred to him he hadn’t eaten all day. He was starving. Thinking there may be a vending machine in the room, he looked around.

Of course there was none.

“When do we eat?” He whispered to the blonde guy.

He laughed.

“You won’t want to eat the shit they give you down here. It’s supposed to be bologna, but I think it’s more like shoe leather. You don’t get anything else until you go upstairs.”

“How long until I go upstairs?”

“Depends. I’ve been waiting since yesterday.”

Jax’s heart sunk.

How was it possible he was a number one bestselling author and he’d landed here?

“You in the white shirt! You in the t-shirt! Stand up!” A guard gestured to the two of them. They both stood.

“Go into those rooms in the back. NOW!” He screamed.

Jax and the blonde guy shuffled towards the back. Another guard stood back there and tossed them into a room by themselves. The door was locked. Jax spun around and saw he was in a private cell. There was a metal toilet, a sink, and a concrete bench. The door had a small window he could look out and see the guards.

“Hey, let me out. I didn’t do anything!”

The guard slammed his baton on the door.

“I told you to stop talking. Now you’ll stay in there until I say you can get out!”

Jax bit his lip. This was bullshit. This was a violation of his civil rights, but looking around these guards obviously didn’t give a shit about anyone’s civil rights but their own.

So for the next several hours, Jax sat on the cold, concrete bench looking out the window at the men milling around the intake room. He sang songs to himself in his head cursing all the time at Amira, the guards, and the police.

As he watched the hours tick by, a guard came to his door.

“Paulson, go get in that line over there. It’s time to go upstairs.”

Jax breathed a sigh of relief to be out of that solitary room. It was bad enough being with the other inmates, but somehow being around other people as repulsive as they may have been comforted him.

The guards pushed Jax into a line with five other men. They asked them their sizes and handed each of them a small hand towel.

“Step into the stalls. Close the door behind you.”

Quickly, Jax did as he was told. He stepped into the shower stall that was covered in slick mold.

A large black guard came into the stall.

“Get undressed.”

He hesitated a moment before removing his shirt and pants.

“Bend over and spread your ass open.”

Jax winced as he was taken aback by the request. Sensing that the guard wasn’t about to give him anything but a hard time, he complied.

“Squat down.”

“Now turn around and open your mouth.”

Reluctantly, he opened his mouth.

“Good. Now take a shower.” The guard tossed him a bar of soap.

Jax gazed down at the hand towel he was given. He guessed he was supposed to dry off with it.

Still, Jax turned on the water. Instead of a gush of warm water greeting him cold icy water cascaded down upon him. He quickly washed and dried himself slipping into the itchy brown jail uniform.

“Grab a mattress and bag.” They were ordered. Jax grabbed the dark green plastic mattress and followed the guard.

“Paulson, you take 19, Smith, you take 33, and Michaelson, you take 40.”

He sucked in his breath as he took in the huge dormitory style room. The pod had a total of 40 cells which housed two men to a room. The door wasn’t barred rather it was a solid steel door with a long window on it.

The time was 2 AM. Everyone was asleep so Jax presumed. He located room 19 and opened the door. Another man was sleeping on the bottom bunk. A strong, sour odor emanated from the man. He cringed as he saw a metal toilet and a sink in the room. Quickly, he threw his mattress onto the top bunk and spread the sheet out over it. There were no pillows so he took his top sheet and balled it up beneath his head.

As he laid down, he heard an assortment of noises. The clanking of doors opening and shutting, snoring from the next room, and the mumble of voices. Curling up into a ball, he tried to sleep.

Jailed on murder charges.

How would he ever get out?