Damned

Chapter Thirteen

"What's wrong?" My mom reached for my arm, making sure I was okay. Her face was pinched in worry.

"What is going on?" This came from Dolls, who entered the room with her eyebrows knit together. There was a sense of calmness about her. She was good in a crisis.

I tried to find the words to explain, but they were lost. Instead, I pointed to the body that laid lifelessly.

Dara, Ember, and Gran entered the foyer at that time. It felt cramped with all of us squished in there.

"Is that a--

"Lemme check." Dolls cut off Dara's question about the validity of the life of the person on the porch. Dolls moved forward, gesturing for everyone to step back. We watched in silence as she bent down to check the pulse. As she did this, she lay the body on her back.

A chorus of gasps filled the foyer.

It was Thana.

She looked different. It had to be because Sarah Good had been possessing her. Dara started sobbing, bordering on uncontrollably.

"Come with me, Dove, let's get you some tea." Gran patted Dara on the back, taking her to the kitchen. I almost followed them, but I stayed. I wanted to know what was going on. Also, I felt guilty for leaving Thana there.

"Is this someone she knows?" Mom whispered into my ear. I nodded, unable to use my words.

"Cornelia, who is this girl?" Dolls stood up. Her tone was strict. I was extremely aware that she was a Private Investigator at this point. She was here for the case and the case had just landed on our porch. If I wasn't a suspect before, I was now.

My bottom lip trembled. Was I going to end up in jail?

She sighed.

"I'm going to have to call The Police and in order to protect you and your sister, I'm going to need to know everything." Her brown eyes narrowed down at me. My heart was beating so hard I could barely think. My mom's grip tightened on me.

"Do not treat her like a cop, you are her Aunt." I winced at my mom's tone. She was pissed.

"Mom, it's okay." I found myself saying. I didn't fully believe myself, but that didn't matter. I think I am in shock.

"I'm only trying to help. This doesn't look good, I'll be honest it's going to be hard to swing this in the opposite direction." Dolls stared at the body and what would now be known as a crime scene. Excuse me, secondary crime scene as Dolls informed me. "She definitely wasn't killed her, this is a drop-off. Whoever did kill her, wanted to send a message. Do you have any idea who would want to do this?" She rubbed her chin with her thumb, deep in thought.

"Um," I hesitated. I didn't know if Ember knew about magic and honestly, even if she did I didn't feel comfortable talking about this. I had just met Ember. I wasn't ready to talk about everything that was going on.

"Ember, could you check on my mom and Dara?" Dolls had caught my silent words and easily talked Ember into leaving the three of us alone. I was thankful.

"You're asking me who I think killed Thana?" I asked to clarify. Could I trust her with the full truth? I didn't know, that was something my own mom didn't know. I wrestled with what to say and how to say it. I knew she was a PI and my Aunt, but I wasn't sure what side of her was more dominant.

"No," I was confused. "I'm asking you who your enemies are? And Dara's, this was an attack on both of you. Technically, everyone in the house should write down a list of people they think might be capable or hold a grudge." She trailed off. Was it because she realized she was apart of that group?