Hunting Death

Chapter 20

Keith and Madison had just finished clearing the remnants of breakfast the next morning when Tanner came rushing in through the back door.

"What's wrong?" Keith asked, concerned by how pale and ashen Tanner looked.

"The... cops... are here," he panted, having just run up to the main house from the staff quarters upon seeing the police approach the gate.

After exchanging glances, Madison and Keith headed outside together. All sorts of things ran through Keith's mind. Had someone tailed him last night? Perhaps they discovered Amanda? He thought he'd been more careful this time.

Detective Crowley and a uniformed officer pulled up near the cottage as they walked out of the house, and Keith's stomach tied itself in knots. Aside from when he'd come out with his miniature task force to search the property, Crowley always came alone, it made him extremely nervous that he needed to bring an extra cop along with him.

"Mr. Walker?" The Detective said, his tone clipped. "I hoped I might have a word with you."

"Sure," Keith replied, looking at Madison and giving her a nod to indicate that she should go.

Madison crossed her arms over her chest though, digging her heels in mentally as she stared him down. Rolling his eyes, Keith turned back to Damien and his officer sidekick. "What can I do for you?"

"You can start by telling me where you were last night around 10:00 pm, and I'd advise you to be very careful about how you answer that question."

Keith smirked, growing irritated at this point. "In New York, I left around 4:00 and got home just after midnight. I can go and grab my EZ-pass out of the truck if you'd like to verify it."

"You do that," Damien growled, turning toward Madison as Keith walked to his truck. "Ms. Adams, you seem to be pretty well versed when it comes to Mr. Walker's personal life, is there anything you'd like to add?"

Madison shook her head, "No, not really. Molly, a girl that works here, she told me right after dinner that Keith had left, and like he said, he got home after midnight, I spent most of the night in my office catching up on some correspondence and saw him pull in about that time before going to bed myself. I don't know where he'd gone though."

Damien instructed the officer to write down both Madison and Keith's statements, his eyes wandering the property as they waited for Keith.

Keith came back a few minutes later, handing his EZ-pass over to the officer. "Did you need something else?" He asked when Damien made no move to leave.

"Yes, I'm going to need you to turn around and put your hands behind your back."

"Excuse me?" He and Madison seemed to say at the same time.

The young deputy laid a hand on Keith's shoulder, forcing him to turn and pulling his arms behind him, securing them with a pair of handcuffs.

"What the hell is this?" Keith groused.

"Mr. Walker, you're under arrest for falsifying documents and practicing medicine without a license, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against..." Damien said, continuing to read him his rights.

But Keith stopped listening, too busy trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Why are you taking him? What are you talking about? Doesn't have a license, that's ridiculous! I've seen it myself in the clinic! Do I need to go get it for you?" Madison shouted, torn between following Keith and the arresting officer or continuing to hound the detective who seemed to rather enjoy the whole debacle.