When The Lake Calls

Chapter Eight: Darkness Is A Friend

She sighed, glancing away. Her eyes focused outside of the window on their side of the table, into the darkness.

My head felt tight like I'd stuffed cotton balls into it. Every time I went under, I came up feeling like a corpse, and now the smell of briny water surrounded me.

"They want to take you into custody," Mum said.

Her voice cut through reality, shattering it. She had to be joking.

"For 24 hours, they say. I won't allow it. What kind of mamaheuvo would take a victim child into custody? I know our rights, mija, and this is bullshit," she said.

In the living room, the Committee was silent. I reached out and grabbed Mum's hand, squeezing tight. She didn't squeeze back.

"Ms. Madigan, we're unsure if Annalise is truly a victim but-"

Mulroy stepped forward, then. I kept quiet. I didn't know what to say. My heart thudded in my chest, the insistent ticks of a clock. One that told me my time was running out. Something was coming for me.

I shook my head, pushing the feeling away. It didn't matter. Not now, when everything was going to shit.

"That's my job," Mulroy said.

His voice was footsteps crunching on a gravel path. Worn and grey.

"Fiona and I are investigating her involvement, and without giving details away we are certain somebody else is to blame. Her innocence is not the issue here."

He grunted once, cementing his words of reason into the Officers' heads. I didn't know if he was lying or not. If they'd found another suspect, they sure as hell hadn't told me. Una frowned and turned back to O'Malley.

"If Annalise is unable to come in for questionin', then there's one person left for us to investigate, so," O'Malley said.

He gestured to Mum, who sat up straight. Her hand jostled mine, and I loosened my grip to let go of her when her fingers clamped around my palm.

"Ms. Madigan, you'll need to come with us, so. We need another report, and this time a spoken one. The Chief Superintendent didn't think your written one was enough."

What?

"You never told me you gave one," I said, turning to face her.

She only pursed her lips, her head bent like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. I supposed it was. Dealing with me, and the baggage that I came with these days, couldn't have been easy.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say something? All this time I've been back and the only people that tell me what's going on are my principal and a bloody detective."

Somebody cackled in the living room. Una rolled her eyes towards the ceiling but didn't move an inch off her fat rolls to stop it. I gritted my teeth and tried not to imagine pulling Linda's hair out one strand at a time.

"I will go," Mum said. Her grip tightened on my hand when I opened my mouth to protest.

I leaned over the table, slamming a hand onto the marble. My palm stung. I relished the pain.

"Then what will I do? I have a brother to take care of," I hissed.

O'Malley stood up, like a panther in flight through the jungle. "Your brother'll go with one of the kind ladies from the Committee, sure. I believe Heather Beauchamp volunteered to take him in for the 24 hours. Nothin' to worry about, lassie."

Una nodded. "Please understand that we're only trying to do our jobs. You folks are lucky things work differently here in Black Hill. Anywhere else and this wouldn't fly. You'd be back at the station, giving everything you got. Annalise, I'd count my lucky stars if I were you."