Freefall | Devin Booker

30

"Call me as soon as you can put yourself together okay?"

She nodded numbly before shutting the door and marching into the hospital. Looking around it was clear to see that tonight was a shit show. Approaching the receptionist, she eyed the officers to the left as she exhaled and tried to find her balance.

The sterile environment of hospitals always made her nervous.

"I'm here for Aya Booker."

Her voice was small, broken. She wondered immediately how Devin would sound when she told him, she had to tell him but first she needed to see if there was hope.

"Oh Mrs. Booker is in theatre right now, but I can get someone to brief you. You do know that this is an open case Ms?"

"Hollis, Vashti Hollis."

"Yes Ms. Hollis, so before I hand you over to any of our personnel. I believe those officers over there would like to speak with you. I understand one of them called you."

The volume of her speech caught the ears of the officers who now were focused on Vashti and promptly strolled over.

"Ms. Hollis, I spoke to you I'm Detective Barnes."

A portly black man greeted her offering his hands which she very shakenly shook.

"Let's discuss this in the waiting room of the Theatre."

It was colder than the ER. Vashti didn't know if she felt that way due to the police escort, or the blue furniture and light blue walls. Perhaps it was the fact that she was sat down with a cup of too-hot tea while the officers stared down at her from their notepads.

"Firstly Ms. Hollis do you know anything about Kaliko Enterprises?"

Vashti shook her head as her eyebrows furrowed at the name. Prompting the officers to look at each other before they scribbled something down. The ticking of the clock in the background began to make Vashti's skin crawl, she really just wanted to know if her friend was okay.

"I've never heard of it, look I just need to see my friend. I still have to call her husband."

Tea began to get up but the officers set her back down again.

"Calm down Ms. Hollis, her husband has been alerted and from the sounds of it he's on his way. He was the one who told us to call you since he knew that you spent a considerable amount of time at the home while he was away."

The information sunk into her as she eyed them suspiciously before she got offended.

"Wait you think I'm involved?"

"No Ms. Hollis that's not what we said, we just find it funny that the night in which you and Mrs. Booker didn't spend the night in the same home and you had her daughter was when this occurred."

"Bullshit, look Aya is one of my best friends. I asked her if she wanted to come by me instead but she insisted and I always keep Destin especially now. Aya's heavily pregnant and she can't drive her around that much."

The officers scribbled down notes while Vashti fumed in her seat. Tears sprung to her eyes as she couldn't believe what was being asked of her.

"Okay Ms. Hollis but are you sure you don't know or have any involvement with Kaliko Enterprises, Kaliko Club or Kenneth "Pace" Weathers?"

"Of course I don't, I have no idea who that even is." Vashti clarified "How is Aya? How is the baby? What even happened?"

She shot off questions a mile a minute and taking in her disheveled demeanor Detective Barnes looked at his partner who shook her head. There was no way Vashti was involved in this. Looking at her they could see that she looked evidently traumatized by the event.