Awake In The Shadows

Chapter 8

The interrogation room was a study in shades of gray – gray walls, gray table, gray atmosphere. A single flickering fluorescent light overhead added an unsettling ambiance to the room. Detective Sarah sat across from Emily, her eyes like laser beams, cutting through the tension that hung in the air like a thick fog.

"Let's cut to the chase," Sarah began, her voice steady but tinged with a hint of impatience. "You woke up in the woods, next to a dead body. No memory of how you got there. Correct?"

Emily nodded, her eyes briefly meeting Sarah's before skirting away. "Yes, that's correct. I can't explain it. I don't remember anything."

Sarah leaned back in her chair, drumming her fingers on the table. The rhythmic tapping filled the room, each tap echoing in Emily's mind like a ticking clock. "You get how bad this looks, right? You're suspect number one."

Emily's eyes widened, her breath quickening as if she'd been slapped. "I know how it looks, but I didn't do it. I can't explain why I was there, but I'm not a killer."

Sarah leaned, her eyes locked onto Emily's. "Ever sleepwalk?"

Emily looked surprised, her eyes widening a fraction. "Years ago, as a kid. Why?"

"Because we're considering every angle," Sarah said, standing up abruptly. She walked to the door, her heels clicking against the linoleum floor. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, her eyes meeting Emily's in the mirror hanging on the wall. "Is there anything you're not telling, Emily? Anything at all?"

Emily shook her head, her eyes meeting Sarah's with a look of desperation. "I've told you everything I know. I wish I could give you more, but I can't."

"Alright, you're free to go. For now. But stay in town," Sarah said, exiting the room.

As she walked down the dimly lit hallway, Sarah felt a shiver crawl up her spine. They were on the edge of something dark, something twisted. She entered her office, her desk cluttered with case files, photos, and a half-empty cup of coffee that had long since gone cold.

She sat down, her eyes scanning the room as if looking for answers in the walls, in the books that lined her shelves, in the commendations that hung on the wall. She needed to dig deeper, to unravel the threads of this complex tapestry that seemed to defy logic at every turn.

Picking up her phone, she dialed a number, her fingers trembling ever so slightly. "It's Sarah. I need you to look into Emily Thompson's past. Everything. This case is far from straightforward."

As she hung up, Sarah felt a chill settle over her. They were just scratching the surface, and the real horror was yet to come. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall; it was late, but sleep was the last thing on her mind. With a sigh, she turned back to the case files, her eyes narrowing as she delved into the labyrinthine puzzle before her.

She started with the basic, pulling up Emily's criminal record, or lack thereof. A few speeding tickets, a minor altercation in college, but nothing that screamed 'murderer.' It was puzzling, to say the least.

Next, she investigated Emily's personal life. She was a teacher, well-liked by her students and colleagues. She had a fiancé, Mark, but nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that would suggest a motive for murder.

But Sarah knew better than to take things at face value. She had seen enough in her years on the force to know that appearances could be deceiving, that the most unassuming people could harbor the darkest secrets.

She picked up the phone again, dialing another number. "Hey, it's Sarah. I need a favor. Can you pull up the phone records for Emily Thompson? I have a hunch, and I need to follow it."

As she waited for the information to come in, Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something, a crucial piece of the puzzle that would blow the case wide open. And as she sat there, her mind racing, she knew that time was running out, that they needed to solve this case before another life was lost.

Finally, the email came in, a list of phone calls and text messages. Sarah's eyes scanned the document, looking for any irregularities, and red flags that would her a lead.

And then she sighed, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly. Nothing. No suspicious calls, no mysterious texts, nothing that would link Emily to the murder. It was as if they had hit a dead end, and Sarah felt a sense of frustration building within her.

With renewed vigor, she picked up the phone, her fingers flying over the keys as she dialed the number for the forensics department. "This is Detective Sarah. I need the preliminary autopsy report on the victim. ASAP."

As she waited for the call to come through, Sarah felt a sense of anticipation building within her. They were on the brink of a breakthrough, she could feel it. And as she spoke to the forensics team, her hopes were dashed once again. No fingerprints, no DNA, nothing that would link Emily to the crime scene.

As she hung up the phone, her eyes meeting her own reflection in the window, Sarah felt a wave of dread wash over her. They were entering dangerous territory, uncharted waters that could either lead them to the truth or plunge them deeper into the abyss.

And as she sat there, her mind awash with thoughts and theories, Sarah knew that the real work was just beginning, that the real horror, the real darkness, was still to come.