Coming Home Again

Chapter 1: All Is Not As It Seems

13 years later; Delphi, Alabama

A silent frustrated scream invaded Amanda Bennett's end-of-Friday-exhausted mind as soon as she opened the door. Occupying the two interrogation rooms that the Delphi Police Department (DPD)Criminal Investigation Division (CID) used exclusively were two highly unusual people. Unique and interesting enough to immediately rouse Amanda into full alertness; even more effective than the bitter red eye coffee she ingested to help her wake up each morning or whenever she needed a jolt.

"This is restricted area, Miss..." a police detective stated.

"That's Amanda Bennett, Brewer; remember, she's always allowed here." Detective Lamar Davidson reminded the newbie. He turned to Amanda and smiled, which she just returned with a slight nod. Her eyes never left one of the occupants of the interrogation rooms. But, that didn't deter the exuberant detective from talking. After four years of working with her, her aloofness didn't bother him anymore. "By the way, this is Grant Brewer; he just transferred from patrol. Amanda's our favorite county Deputy DA"

After his mistake, Grant shyly offered his hand to shake Amanda's. But, she didn't acknowledge his hand...nor him.

"Amanda doesn't shake hands, Brewer," Lamar whispered. He didn't add that she also never followed many things they did in the police department, like calling people by their last names. Behind her back, he mouthed off, "Germaphobe."

Withdrawing his hand, Grant nodded his understanding and replied belatedly, "Nice to meet you, Amanda."

This still didn't garner any response from her at all. Lamar just shrugged his shoulders at his new partner. It was pointless to explain Amanda to anyone because she was just one of those unexplainable people that you have to interact with to understand (if at all). After knowing her for more than three years, she still baffled him. But, he also knew that she was one of the good guys.

Plus, new people like Brewer needed to find out for themselves about Amanda the same way he did with no help from anyone. It became some kind of initiation/rite of passage in the precinct. He turned his attention to the person who ensnared her focus away from everything else.

"Very lovable, huh?" Lamar smirked as he also looked at the fifteen-year-old "emo" girl being grilled by Lieutenant Marcus Jefferson, the CID commander, and Det. Regan Thomas, the only female member of the Violent Crimes Unit (VCU).

The teen-ager's all black appearance (in contrast to her translucent almost ghostlike pallor) – her Marilyn Manson T-shirt, tattered jeans, leather jacket, boots, nail polish, lipstick, thick eye liner, dog collar, and dyed spiky short hair (with about two inches of ginger red roots showing) – scared everyone away. Add to that all her piercings – nose, upper lip, left eyebrow, tongue, and multiple earrings (with skull as the major motif of her jewelries) – and her self-inked fake tattoo of the devil's face on her right cheek (too young for a real tattoo). She definitely looked like the devil's spawn.

"That's Tara O'Malley," Lamar related. "She's the terror at Delphi High School. She's usually absent, and whenever she shows up in school, she refuses to follow the rules (In truth, both the teachers and the students avoided her, so they never called or talked to her at all). She lives with an alcoholic mother. She claimed that she doesn't know who her father is. She's alleging that she came upon Mr. Albert Johnson assaulting a friend of hers, who she refuses to name, by the way. Of course, due to the nature of the allegation, we do have to drag poor Mr. Johnson here on a Friday afternoon when he could be spending his time with his family."

Amanda's attention shifted to Albert Johnson. He looked like anyone's average friendly middle-aged neighbor – brown sweater, black pants, checkered cream long-sleeved shirt, clean shaven, military cut hair, and only a wedding ring as jewelry. His very calm and affable demeanor made him easily likable...and unmemorable. In addition, unlike Tara who clammed up after getting "attacked," he didn't mind chatting up the friendly detective interviewing him. His soft-spoken voice emitted through the speaker.