Haunted

Chapter 13: AJ

The flash of anger Noah had earlier seen in Clark's eyes returned as the boy looked ready to protest. It was gone within seconds, however, as Clark shut his mouth tight. A smug smile formed on Clark's lips and he raised his eyebrows briefly, challenging the Sheriff.

"You're not going to talk 'til you get to talk to your brother?" Noah realised from Clark's actions. The teenager responded with a curt nod. "Right. I think you're forgetting," Noah responded, keeping his tone calm and casual as he manoeuvred one of the chairs in his office and positioned it opposite Clark, "In this station, I'm the one in charge. I call the shots." The Sheriff took a seat on the chair he had moved, putting himself on the same level as Clark. He didn't want to intimidate him. "Here's the deal. You answer some questions and then you can see your brother. Sound good?"

The only response he received from Clark was a steady stare; no confirmation, no sign of dispute and very little blinking which was somewhat unnerving. Noah asked a question anyway. "Can you tell me how you came across the victim's body?" He already had the story from Stiles but he was interested to see how Clark's matched up, to get a gauge of the teenager's honesty. If he even got a response.

There was a silence that lasted a good number of seconds and just as Noah was ready to accept that Clark was going to be as stubborn about talking as his brother, a word escaped his lips. "Laura." It was said in barely a whisper and Noah struggled to make out what Clark had said.

"What was that?"

"Her name. It is..." Clark trailed off, catching himself. His eyes dropped to the floor as he narrowed them. "It was," he corrected himself, forcing the word out bitterly, "Laura. Laura Hale." Clark lifted his head up, making eye contact with the Sheriff once again as he saw the realisation hit him. "My sister." Clark's behavior made a lot more sense to Noah with that revelation. "Derek wouldn't have killed her."

"Then why did he bury her?" Noah asked.

"I don't know!" Clark replied, hitting the armrest of the couch in his frustration. None of it made sense. That was the problem. "That's why I need to talk to Derek. I need to understand all this!" There was a desperation in his voice that Clark hadn't intended to show.

"They didn't have a falling out recently?" Noah prompted.

"No! I told you it wasn't him." Clark insisted immediately.

"Okay," Noah decided to move on. He didn't want to frustrate Clark and, with finding out his sister had died and his brother was the prime suspect, he figured Clark's tolerance levels were lower than normal. "Scott told me you thought it was a coyote buried there."

Clark nodded reluctantly. It made him feel stupid. He should have smelt that it wasn't. He should have recognised her scent. "That's what Derek told me."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and Clark turned to see Deputy Lattimer had opened the door and was hovering in the doorway, her right hand remaining on the door handle, "Sheriff, Melissa McCall's here. She wants to speak to you."

Behind Lattimer, Melissa hastily appeared still dressed in the work clothes Clark had earlier seen her in at the hospital's vending machine. "Only if you're not busy. I can wait," she told the Sheriff.

Noah looked at Clark thoughtfully before turning back to Lattimer and Melissa who were both waiting for his decision. "Lattimer, take Clark to see his brother."

At that, Clark was immediately on his feet; with more life in him than the Sheriff had seen since arriving at the crime scene. There was a sense of determination in the way he walked to the door, Lattimer taking a few steps back to let him out of the room and proceed to lead the way to the interrogation room that Derek was in. With Clark and Lattimer heading elsewhere, the doorway was emptied, allowing Melissa to walk through. She pushed the door shut softly behind her, shutting out the light hum of the deputies working in the busy station on the other side of the door.