Was Avery really a suspect in her mother’s murder?

As she walked the perimeter of the small white room that housed a metal table and two chairs, it certainly seemed like it.

Detective McAllister had called and woken her that morning, asking her to come down to the station. She’d risen from the couch where she’d slept all night, quickly showered, and caught a bus. She wasn’t sure what she had expected when she arrived but being brought into a room with a door that locked from the outside certainly hadn’t been it. It didn’t take her long to realize they’d made her wait in an interrogation room.

She leaned her head against the door and listened to voices and footsteps as people walked by. Avery wondered if they’d forgotten about her. Pulling out her phone, she noted she’d been waiting for ten minutes. It seemed like ten hours.

Anxiety curled her stomach. She wasn’t comfortable in small spaces or being locked in. The only reason they would do that was if they believed she had something to do with her mother’s murder. The thought stressed her out more. She was a Fae, for the sake of all the gods. She thrived in freedom, wide-open spaces, and roaming the forest as she pleased. It was built into her DNA. This tiny, miserable room seemed more like a jail cell!

She began to pace, and a few moments later, the door clicked. McAllister walked in.

“Hey, Avery. How’re you feeling this morning?” he asked.

“Do you think I killed my mother?” she blurted out. “Because I didn’t. I had nothing to do with it.”

His brow furrowed as he walked over to the table and laid his black, soft-sided briefcase down on top of it. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Is that what this is?” she asked and gestured around the room. “An interrogation? Isn’t this an interrogation room?”

Her anxiety came out in a high-pitched voice, and she fought to curb it, realizing it only made her sound crazier than she already felt.

McAllister glanced around. “Yes, it is, but I asked the officers to explain why we were meeting in here. I’m sorry if they didn’t.”

“No! No one said anything.”

“Come sit down, Avery. I don’t think you had anything to do with your mother’s murder. The only reason we’re meeting here is because another group is doing some training in the meeting rooms downstairs. I’m sorry no one told you.”

She took a deep breath, then sat down, the old metal chair creaking under her weight. What type of criminals have sat here? Murders? Rapists? Thieves? She shivered at the thought.

The detective opened his case, pulled out two bottled waters and handed her one. She took it, opened it, and gulped. The anxiety had parched her.

McAllister retrieved a pen and a pad of paper from his briefcase, sipped his water, then folded his hands together and smiled.

“Feeling better?”

She nodded. He had a kind face, one that made others want to trust him and believe everything he said. His nose veered slightly to the right, as if it had once been broken. His blue eyes held an air of sympathy, while his smile was genuine and calming. McAllister wore a black suit, white shirt, and a blue tie. It was a simple outfit, but it gave him the appearance of importance. She wondered how many cases he’d cracked because of his honest demeanor.

“Now, I wanted to talk to you about your mom. Have you thought of anyone who would want to hurt her?”

She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, determined not to cry. “No one.”

“Okay, well, I told you I’d fill you in about whether paranormal entities were involved in your mother’s death, and I can assure you they weren’t.”

She almost told him about the vampire bite, but at the last second decided against it. He hadn’t given her a reason to distrust him, but she couldn’t help feeling he was holding back. Maybe it was the way he wouldn’t meet her gaze, or how his cheeks flushed when he spoke. She couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but something in his body language had set off her internal alarm.

The vampire bite was still the wildcard, and until she uncovered what her mother had been up to, she’d keep that detail to herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a manila folder peeking out of his bag. Her mother’s name was plainly written on it.

What could be in there? She supposed all the details of her mother’s case. Her fingertips tingled as she longed to get her hands on it.

Avery glanced up at McAllister and then back to the file. He followed her gaze and quickly shoved the folder inside the case so it couldn’t be seen.

Whatever was in there, he obviously didn’t want her to see it. But, didn’t she have that right?

Probably not. Police investigation, confidentiality, blah blah blah. It didn’t matter. She needed to see the details of her mother’s file.

McAllister prattled on about how he would keep her up-to-date on any headway they made in the case, but all she could concentrate on was his briefcase. It was as if the simple manila folder called to her, begging her to open it and assist with the investigation.

Could it be her mother trying to communicate with her, telling her the answer lay within the pages?

McAllister stood, the squeak of his chair bringing her out of her reverie. She scrambled to her feet, took his outstretched hand then shook it.

“I’ll walk you out,” he said. Something strange flashed in his eyes, but she couldn’t give it a name. Anger? Maybe, but it was gone before she could identify it.

Avery followed the detective out of the small room and down a hall… keeping an eye on his briefcase. It still seemed to beckon her, asking her to grab it and run, to read the file contained within.

When McAllister came to a stop at the front door of the station, she was so fixated on the file, she ran into the back of him. Standing a full foot taller than her, he grinned down at her.

“Thanks for coming in, Avery,” he said. “I appreciate it. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?”

She shook her head. “I’m supposed to pick up my mom’s ashes, but I’m not sure I’m up for that.”

He winced as if she’d slapped him across the face. “I’m sorry. I wish there was something more I could do.”

You could let me see that file. “Just keep me updated,” she replied with the best smile she could muster.

“I will. I promise.”

She took one long stride past him out the door.

“Oh! One last thing, Avery,” he called. “We’ve cleared your mother’s apartment. You’re free to go in.”

She nodded and headed outside and down the stairs, not daring to look over her shoulder. Regardless, she could have sworn she felt his stare on her back until she turned the corner.

“Thank you for meeting me, Victoria,” Avery said as she hugged her friend. She was about to enter her mother’s apartment for the first time since she’d been murdered, and she needed all the emotional support she could get.

“I would have come sooner if it wasn’t for the sun and my job,” Victoria replied. “I’m sorry.”

Avery grinned at the vampire. Tall and thin with short, jet black hair, blue eyes, and a golden hoop through her nose, Victoria cut an impressive figure. Avery had seen grown men wither under her ice-cold stare, but underneath all the tattoos and piercings lay a really sweet, loyal friend.

“It’s okay. There was nothing you could do. I’m just glad you can be here to help me now.”

Victoria sighed. “Let’s do it.”

With shaky hands, Avery put the key into the lock. As she pushed open the door, the coppery scent of blood overwhelmed her, and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth and nose as she gagged.

Victoria inhaled deeply. “That’s a lot of blood,” she murmured.

They entered the room and turned on the lights. It was much worse than Avery could have imagined. Either her mother had put up quite a fight, or the police had tossed the place with little regard for personal property.

Lamps lay on the floor. Chairs were overturned. Every drawer in the kitchen had been emptied, the cupboards also open and bare. Glass crunched under her boots with almost every step.

Avery reached down and picked up a photo… taken about a year ago… of her and Mom at the Space Needle. Every now and then they’d pretended they didn’t live in the Emerald City and hit up all the visitor sites. That day, they’d had lunch at the top of the Needle and then went on a Duck Tour, where the bus turned into a boat and drove them across Lake Union. It had been cold and rainy, but the usual weather never dampened their fun and laughter.

Tear stung her eyes, and she carefully removed the photo from the broken frame and set it on the kitchen counter. Avery knew she’d have to go through all of her mother’s belongings and decide what to keep and what to donate. On this day, it seemed like a monumental task, and it weighed heavily on her shoulders.

“Avery, I found the diaries you wanted to look at,” Victoria said as she emerged from the bedroom with three red, leather-bound books. “And, you don’t want to go into that room. That’s where she was killed.”

Her stomach lurched at the thought of seeing the place where her mother had died. She simply couldn’t handle it right now. Too much. She could barely function as it was.

Avery didn’t want to read through her mother’s personal thoughts either, but she also had to know if her mom had been friendly with a vampire.

Reaching out, she accepted the books from Victoria and sat down on the black leather couch. “Thanks. I’ll stay out of there.”

With a deep exhale, she opened the first diary and scanned the pages. Some of it was about Avery. One entry even gave an account of when Melia had found out a volunteer at the church was stealing from the petty cash drawer. The paragraphs were mundane notations of someone who had given her life to helping others. Very little was written about her own existence.

When Avery had thumbed through all three books, she set them aside with a sigh. Without any mention of new friends or lovers, it seemed her mother had been content with the life that had ended so brutally. It was as Avery expected.

As she glanced around the apartment, she couldn’t help but feel more was missing. Yes, the place was trashed, and nothing was where it should have been, but something else was wrong.

“Are you okay?” Victoria asked from behind as she placed her hand on Avery’s shoulder.

She nodded, then stood and paced around trying to figure out what seemed so out of place.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned to her friend. Avery needed to trust someone, to unload her suspicions. “My mom had a vampire bite. Right below her ear.”

Victoria’s perfect eyebrows arched more than usual. “Really? That’s kind of an intimate place for a feeding.”

“I know.”

“Was she… involved with one?”

Avery shook her head. “She never said anything to me about it, and there’s nothing in her diaries.”

“But the cops claim the murder wasn’t committed by a paranormal being?”

“Yes.”

Victoria stared at her for a moment, then turned her gaze to the mess on the floor.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Vic,” Avery said, anxious butterflies tickling her stomach. Am I crazy? Am I making more out of this than there is?

Victoria sighed then met Avery’s gaze. “I think you’re questioning whether the cops are telling the truth or not, and I don’t blame you. You and your mom were very close, and if she had developed any type of relationship with a vampire, she would have said something to you. Right?”

Relief swelled within Avery, her mouth turning up into the first true smile she’d been able to manage since her mother died. She wasn’t crazy. Victoria agreed with her, and she let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Thank God.

The thought left her feeling as if someone had just slammed her on the forehead with a hammer. Avery glanced around the apartment once again and realized she’d just pinpointed what was missing.

God.

Melia had been openly religious. Her apartment had always been littered with symbols of her faith. The golden crosses on the wall. The golden statue of Mary with baby Jesus. The golden plaque of the Ten Commandments… all of them were gone.

Avery stepped toward the bedroom, but Victoria blocked her path. “I don’t know what’s got your panties in a knot, but I’m not allowing you in that room.”

Grinding her teeth, she knew it was for the best, but it still irritated her. “Fine. You go in there and check her jewelry box. She had dozens of gold and silver crosses. Necklaces, earrings, rings… check and see if they are still there.”

Victoria narrowed her gaze but nodded. “I remember. I’ll take a look around, but you have to stay here.”

Avery tried to be patient while pacing the living room. She figured the bedroom must also be trashed when she heard Victoria rummaging around and moving furniture and smaller items.

“Here’s a jewelry box,” Victoria said as she emerged from the room and handed Avery the wooden case with white silk lining. “There’s nothing like you described anywhere. No religious artifacts.”

Avery sat on the couch again and opened the box, then fingered the white silk. None of this made any sense, and it was apparent the police weren’t going to be much help. If a Fae cop could look at an autopsy picture and not notice a vampire bite, he was either incompetent or covering something up.

She needed to see the file McAllister had tucked away into his briefcase.

Avery was broke, unemployed, and in the throes of anxiety with depression creeping up on her.

She had to do something or the darkness would suck her in. She had to know what truly happened to her mother.

A small, niggling idea began to form, and Avery was surprised by the stupidity of it. The more she considered it, the more rational it became.

Taking on the police was probably not the smartest idea, but at this point, what did she have to lose?

She was going to get that file from McAllister … one way or another.