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I snorted “Maybe it’s your gut telling you that whatever expedition you were sent here to suss out is a joke And that fake cop that was just here was your priuy a fake cop, too?”

“I’ood cop froned’ that man as my partner today Yet I wasn’t told that he was my partner fro, but I’m on hour forty-nine of a twenty-four-hour shift, and ht now”

I immediately felt sorry for him

I knew that if I didn’t get the correct aht cow

I couldn’t iht-hour shift

Or a twenty-four one, for that matter

I’d learned early that a structured schedule, with eight full hours of sleep, was best for me

The guy standing in front of ht coffee

My heart would be going gonzo right now if that were me

“I’m Officer Dremmel,” he said “I’m with the sheriff’s department You’ve met Jarome?”

I nodded

“We’re here to ask you a few questions about your whereabouts last night,” he said “We know that you’ve already told us what you know, but we’d like to go over it one more time”

I rolled my eyes, then went over it not once, but three more times

By the end of the third round, I stood up

“I know that you’re trying to find justice for children,” I said stiffly “But right now, I need a break He needs to rest I need to get the blood that’s caked in his hair out I want to clean his scrapes And you’re bothering me Don’t make me call my daddy”