The Little Dove #3 ✔️

56. The Girl Behind It All

When I finally stop trembling involuntarily, sweat sticks to my skin, glistening under the light that blurs above me, "Are you just going to lie there, Melanie? Get up, you lazy hag." She giggles, kicking the chair in front of me and knocking it into my leg. I grunt at the metal movement, slowly sitting up and shielding my abdomen. I breathe out heaves of breaths, my sight never staying focused and my bones still shaking in the aftermath of the torturous taser she kisses. I shuffle to a stand, taking the seat with a thump as I lean against the back of the pale white sleek chair.

She makes herself look bored as blue eyes scorch my amethyst ones, "You have the ugliest eyes, by the way. There's nothing natural about it. You almost look mutated." She says to me, raising her bushy blonde eyebrow. It looks as though she's dyed it too.

I ask a question that might divert her, "What about Maven? Did you sacrifice him on your chess board?" I ask her, moving my pawn forward.

She doesn't bat an eyelash, "Oh, I did love him, but you just had to talk to him. That set Johnson on edge. He thought you were getting close, so he sent Sinclair to see what you were up to. You were still so sure it was Finley Forthright who was the culprit. You jumped like a little mouse every time he was near you. Honestly, it was hilariously entertaining to watch. Especially when all he was doing was trying to sort those cases while falling for your weird eyes." She points at me, moving her first pawn. I capture it with one of my knights, and she does the same with mine.

She stares directly into my eyes, "What? You want to deny it, Melanie?" She asks me.

"Why did you fake your death? You would have had to get Johnson's help in that?" I ask her, staring her down.

She raises an eyebrow, "No one would have ever guessed that the dead victim was, in fact, the coordinator, dictator, and perpetrator of all. It's a perfect cover for me to slide even through your cracks, Melanie. You had no idea, not one clue of my tricks and treats. I lead you so narrowly yet beautifully down a dark and dreary hole. I just wanted to meet you in person to get a feel for your apparent scary aura. I must say, you cannot accept it as well as your mother. After all, she did kill her parents' killer. Aaron was a greedy one who wanted Parker's enterprise. I made sure the cover-up was extensive. Your Grandpa Stevens' brother, Sam, did after all work for The Cordial Matrix in that small gang of his." She says, so cryptically as I try to follow her words, struggling most not to want to shove the King and Queen game pieces into her eyes.

I move my castle, "Why to tell me all this?" I ask her darkly.

She grins, "Because we have so much time on our hands."

"Why would anyone give someone as insane as yourself the time of day? All unless you forced them to do so because you're a lonely, psychotic bitch who should stop holding such a bloody grudge." I say sarcastically. A wringing sting echoes against the glass walls as I slowly look up at her.

She backhanded me.

A menacing expression on her hollow face, I swear her skull looked like it was barely holding on. She did look like her own ghost with pale strands framing her frustrated cheeks, "Understand something, the more you insult me, the faster I will likely kill you, and I want a small amount of bonding time with my cousin before shooting her in the fucking head for good riddance. You're smart, Melanie. I'd think carefully, not just on the game board but right now. I let your sad little lover and your brother leave. They can live, I don't care, but you won't." She points at me harshly, splicing knives with her manicured fingers.

I scrutinize her, "What do you get by killing me, Charlize?"

She leans back, "Long lost family member that looks exactly like you and can relieve a mother and father's depression of losing their only daughter and yet gaining someone who can love them more, Melanie. I get the satisfaction of being the better daughter you could never be. It'll take time, of course. I know I have to ease into it." She explains.