What happened to the Lyoner

Prologue

«Quiet, after years of spending summer with Martha and her family in this lake house; after years of hearing her laughter and voice, this house is silent, no sound. – she sips from her shiny glass of old precious wine – Am I breaking this peace by talking right now?» The woman smiles, her eyes are tired, and at some people, they might even look sad, as if she's regretting what she had done thirty-nine years ago; but no... no, she doesn't regret anything, she almost looks proud of what she had done.

«Mikaela, why did you make me come here?» She stops smiling, returns to sipping her red wine, and as soon as she opens her mouth to answer, her gaze fixes on something behind me.
I want to turn, but something's off — wrong in a way that scratches at the edge of instinct, unnatural and heavy in the air. The hairs on the back of my neck rise, every part of me bracing for something I can't name. And when I finally turn... there's nothing. Just space, thick with the weight of what should be there.
I shift my gaze back to Mikaela. She shrugs, a small, wordless gesture, then draws in three deep, steadying breaths. Her chest rises and falls — once, twice, three times — each breath carving silence into the room like a countdown to something we can't see.
«I'm gonna reach Martha soon – she smiles nostalgically– and I don't want to carry the story I'm about to tell you with me into the coffin.» Confused is not enough to describe my expression. I try to read into her eyes, but she's gazing at the glass in her hands.
«What story?»
«Case 146 – Justin Lyoner; case 265 – Ellen Lyoner; case 267 – Lucy Valley; case 284 – Jacob Lyoner.» She stops, raising her gaze to me. «Case 132, who is the victim?» Her voice is rough and dark, different from before.
I answer – Martha Lyoner – studying deeply her body language. She's tense, a sign of anxiety.
«What do all these cases have in common?»
«They were a family.» But no, I know this isn't what she's looking for in my answer, and yet I don't want to admit what is.
«C'mon, detective – she's acid right now, her voice is tense, but on the other hand, strong; wanting to yell at me for no reason but held back – What do they have in common?»

«No murder, no weapon, and... all found dead in this house, same position. The only difference is when they died.»

«Who was the first one?» This time, she sips from her glass, with a sick smirk on her face.
«What kind of sick joke is that?!» I should not yell out to an old woman, but that perverse smile is pissing me off, even during a coversation like this one she looks without a single normal thought in her mind.
«Just answer.»

«Case 132.» I sigh, I'm playing a game – her game. «Now, the story.»

«Do you want to know what truly happened to all those people, to that family?» Her voice shakes, she's almost on the verge of crying.
«Yes, but remember: I think that whatever it was they didn't deserve that fate.»

«They did.» At her words, I felt a cold shiver all down my spine – terrifying. In all these years as a detective, I never felt like this while talking to a possible murderer; I never felt terrified. I start breathing hard and slowly take out of my bag a small voice recorder.

«19th February 2025, 9 p.m.; I'm the detective Lauren Fuller, and I'm with Mikaela McCourtney; she will now give me her testimony about all the unresolved cases "Lyoner". You can start.»

She smiles, changing once again her expression, softening it.

🎀🌸

See y'all in the next chapter...