September 2, 2012
Sunday
11:23 p.m.
Dear Janet,
ETHAN COVINGTON IS A FUCKING MONSTER.
I just came back from the bonfire that I wish I hadn't gone to in the first place. There was no one present in the backyard except for the four of them. And then there was me, the one they chose this evening to be their target.
We played a game of Never Have I Ever. More so I was forced to play.
"Never have I ever had a shameless slut of a sister," Ethan had said and I balled my fists at his fucking audacity. It was then that Thomas brought a flask of alcohol and made me chug on the drink. I tried to fight him off but Archie and Paul held me down. Ethan laughed as he saw me struggle, delighted at how much I reminded him of you.
The same happened four times. He demeaned you every single time and I was forced to drink every single time until Ethan felt 'pity' for me. He wanted me to initiate this time, and I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.
"Never have I ever been the reason behind someone's death." My words made him snap. His eyes turned bloodshot. The grin on his face was gone. His jaw twitched and he made his way over to me. He was expecting me to be terrified, but I stared him in the eye with a rage that was far greater than his.
"You imbecile!" He grabbed my jaw with a greater force than Thomas'. The adrenaline gushing in my veins numbed the pain. "Back off now before you lose more than just your sister. Janet was a crazy whore who killed herself for attention, you get that?"
I didn't nod. He didn't get a single reaction from me and let go of my face before ordering his friends to leave with him.
I can't imagine what horrible things they did to you if this was how they treated me for one evening. They will pay, I promise Janet, for everything they did to you I'll take back every scream, every scar, every suffering you had to go through. And for that, I will have to set the traps in place. They will be buried in graves they dug out for you. They'll fall to their deaths too.
The Domino effect they started will get back to them. I promise. They'll see it for themselves. Just be on my side, ok?
I love you.
Your brother, Jeremy.
***
TIME IS FASCINATING, RIGHT? One moment I'm with my best friend, roaming the halls of our boarding school without a care in the world and a moment later, ten years have flown by; she's now the prime suspect in a case I'm investigating.
Diana and Ethan were engaged for almost a year now. Gossip forums say they were supposed to get married in January of next year. I still remember how much she spited Ethan, especially after a student took her life by jumping off our school rooftop. Diana avoided any conversation with Ethan or his friends from that day. She felt that he was behind the death and somewhere in my mind, I believed it too.
"Coffee?" A hand popped up from nowhere, holding a mug of steaming coffee. I jumped a little in my seat and turned around to find a pair of bright green eyes staring at me.
"Oh my go—" I bite down on my tongue. "Ray!"
"Whoa, am I scarier than a dead body?" he says, placing the mug of coffee on my desk and peeking at my tablet with a hundred tabs open on it. "Diana Park, huh? You said she was your friend from high school?"
"Yeah," I say, taking the coffee mug in my hands. "We were attached at the hip. She was my best friend."
"So, what? She stabbed you in the back or did you stab her in the back?" I turn to my left to see Detective Jackson doing his paperwork. He doesn't lift an eye even as he asks me the question.
"Neither! I moved to Pennsylvania," I answer.
"And why would that be?" He asks again, cocking an eyebrow this time.
"...I had my reasons," I say and turn to my tablet, taking a sip out of the coffee Ray had brought. He is still standing behind me, watching the screen of my tablet with an unbreakable stare. "How long have you been working here, Ray?" That question breaks his unending stare and he finally looks at me.
"Who, me?" he asks, pointing his finger at himself.
I nod.
"Longer than I've been here," Aiden interrupts and answers in a mellow tone.
"Really?" I ask Ray and he nods, grinning from ear to ear. "And how old are you?"
"Twenty-eight," he answers and I raise my eyebrows in surprise. He's three years older than me and here I was thinking I was ten years older than me.
Aiden then leaves for the washroom and I turn to Ray once again. "How old is he?"
"Aiden?"
"Mhmm."
"He's twenty-eight too." Ray shrugs and I sigh while rolling my eyes.
"And how long has he been working here?" I ask him.
"Two years," he answers.
"Wow," I say with a scoff and shake my head. "I wouldn't have guessed. He has the pride of a veteran and the humor of a kindergartener." I snarl.
Ray snorts and sits down on the chair next to mine. "Yeah, Aiden can be a bit...too much to handle."
"He's an ass, just say it," I comment in a whisper.
"Don't let him hear that," Ray warns and I roll my eyes for a second time.
"As if you're gonna tell him."
He hums and nods. "You're right, but I wouldn't say Aiden's a bad person. He's just...reserved and mostly keeps to himself. That's why he worked alongside Captain Hale. He's like one of the best detectives here."
"You're smothering him with compliments like you're his parent," I say and Ray laughs.
"No, but really, he's a great guy. Perhaps he'll open up to you once you get to know him better."
"I don't wish for that to ever happen," I say.
Just then, Savannah passes by us, and something shifts in Ray's posture. He straightens up and wears a wide smile on his face. "Hey, Savannah, you look gorge—"
"Not the time, Jenkins," she says and doesn't bat an eye in his direction. Ray smirks and lets out a small cheeky chuckle.
I sense a little something in the air with their little exchange but don't say a word and get back to my work as Aiden returns from the washroom.
"Ray, do you have any tabs on the Covingtons if they're coming for an interrogation?" he asks as he takes his chair.
"Yeah uh, I made some calls and they can't be questioned today. They're grieving over the loss and can't make it today," Ray explains and my ears perk up.
Aiden nods in understanding but I speak up. "Isn't that weird, though? I mean it's not like they expected Ethan to die. Won't they be the ones who'd want their son's death to be solved at the earliest?"
"Appreciate the ambition, rookie," Detective Jackson replies, turning to me for the first time during this whole conversation, "but pro tip: Don't let every little piece of information get to your head. Not everything is a clue."
I roll my eyes for the third time and slump my shoulders, before getting down to work. It is a futile effort to speak a word around someone so full of himself.
***
A few hours later, we are informed that Diana has arrived at the precinct and is waiting in the interrogation room.
Detective Jackson and I get to our feet when he asks me, "Are you ready for this?"
I suck in a deep breath. Am I ready to face the person who was once my best friend and is now a suspect in a murder case? I don't think I know that yet. It is only after I go into that room that I will be certain. But for the sake of an answer, I nod to the Detective and we make our way over to the Interrogation Room.
We pause for a minute as we stand outside said room when he proceeds to speak once again. "Rookie, I want you to know that the person on the other end of this door isn't your friend. She's a suspect in what can be described as a gruesome murder. Don't let your emotions get the best of you."
"I won't," I reply in a cold tone.
"Still, for your sake, I'll be asking the questions. You're free to back out right now if you've changed your mind."
I turn to him and it's the first time that I see something more in his eyes than ego. For once, I think he cares. "Thanks for the empathy, Detective Jackson," I say with a slight smile on my face and turn to face the door, "but I can handle myself."
He shrugs. "As you say," he mutters and pulls open the door.
The Diana I see on the other end of the door isn't the one I knew from school. I saw pictures of her on my screen just minutes ago, but seeing her right in front of me was more striking. She has lost the innocence she had on her face ten years ago. She is stern now, her eyes piercing and darker, her skin paler, her body thinner and her demeanor icy. The tabloids refer to her as the 'Ice Princess' and I can understand why.
She doesn't stand up as we walk in. It's only when Detective Jackson speaks up that she looks at him.
"Miss Diana Park?"
She gives him a stoney gaze and inhales deeply, before nodding. "That's me," she says. Even her voice reflects the hostility in her manners, like she's here against her will.
"Detective Aiden Jackson," he introduces himself and reaches out his hand, which she shakes. "And this is my partner," he adds and it's then that Diana glances at me...and her gaze widens.
"Detective Amara Willow," I introduce myself and it takes her a second for her to collect her thoughts and shed the shocked look on her face, and finally shake my hand.
Detective Jackson looks between the both of us with a look of suspicion. "Do you know her?" he asks Diana as we both take our seats in the small, gray room.
Diana glances once more in my direction before shaking her head. "No," she says and intertwines her fingers.
I'm not shocked that she doesn't tell the truth. She may not want to be associated with a detective that's investigating the case of her dead lover. Or maybe, she's equally surprised to see me here. It's better to pretend to be a stranger than a potential criminal in front of an old friend.
Detective Jackson raises his eyebrows and sets his folder on the table. "Alright," he says and leans into the table. "So Miss Diana, what was your relationship with the victim?"
Diana eases in her chair and answers him. "Ethan was my fiancé. We were supposed to get married next year."
"And since when have you known him?"
"Since high school."
"What was your first impression of Ethan?"
I notice Diana's jaw twitch a little as she breaks eye contact and looks at the silver desk instead. She draws in a sharp breath and replies, "I didn't know him that well. He was my senior and he seemed...fine, at least from how much I knew of him, that is."
She is lying, once again. That's the part that confuses me. Why is she trying to erase the way she used to be before? Why is she defending Ethan against something she blamed him for in the past?
"And how did you both fall in love?" Detective Jackson asks.
Diana shrugs, biting her bottom lip. "We didn't," she says simply. "Our families have known each other for a long time. They felt it would be a wise decision to form an alliance."
"And you didn't question their decision?" he asks in response.
Diana shakes her head in answer. "Both families would have benefited as a result of this marriage. I'm no one to raise a finger."
Detective Jackson isn't convinced by the cynical look on his face. Still, he moves on to the next question. "You were at the private party the Covingtons' threw last night, right?"
"Yes."
"Did you notice anything unusual in Ethan's behavior?"
I notice her gulp at the question before she shakes her head. "No. Everything was...fine."
Detective Jackson cocks an eyebrow upon hearing her response. "Well, appearances can be deceptive too, Miss Park," he says and looks through his folder. "Where were you around midnight to two a.m. today?"
"At my apartment," she says indifferently.
The Detective shuts his folders and turns his entire attention toward Diana again. "Miss Park, do you feel there might have been a possibility of Ethan cheating on you?"
In the blink of an eye, Diana's frame shifts, and the cage she built around herself, cracks. She turns to the Detective with disbelief in her eyes. "Why...do you think that?"
My partner watches her in intrigue, his chin resting on his fingers as he explains, "Oh, by the nature of this homicide, it feels like a crime of passion." Diana opens her mouth to speak but the Detective doesn't let her. "Miss Park, Ethan was always in the spotlight, right?"
Diana clenched her jaw and asks. "Yes, but that's what you get for being a Covington."
He smirks and shakes his head. "Did that never...bother you?"
Diana tilts her head to the side and narrows her eyes at the Detective. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"Well, in this...alliance, Ethan was the only person people noticed. The media continues to define you as "Ethan's fiancee," and never sees you as an individual." He leans into the desk and lowers his voice. "What if that ignorance didn't sit right with you? What if you wanted to build an identity separate from Ethan's? What if you didn't want to be a part of the alliance anymore?"
"Detective Jackson I—"
"And the best solution to that," he interrupts Diana, "was to just get rid of the one person holding you back from being yourself?" He reclines and smiles at Diana, who looks like she's living the most shocking moment of her life. "The media would turn to you then and name you his "grieving girlfriend." People would see you as an actual person and you'd finally be in the spotlight in place of Ethan. Isn't that the perfect motive?"
The confusion Diana showed now turns into a look of rage. She grinds her jaw and answers through gritted teeth. "I would never do that, Detective."
He nods, still smiling before he stands up. "That'll be all, Miss Park," he says and I get up as well and the both of us make our way to the door.
Once we're back at our desks, I turn to Detective Jackson. "What was that?"
He glances at me and then back to his computer. "What was what, rookie?"
"What you did back there. Why were you so rude?"
"Would you have said the same thing if you didn't know the suspect previously?"
Words don't leave my mouth as I search for an explanation myself.
Detective Jackson now turns to me completely. "Diana lied during the questioning. I'm pretty sure you could see that too." I hang my head, knowing well his words hold nothing but the truth. "She isn't innocent, rookie, and she's not what she was when you were kids. If she can appear to have forgotten you, maybe she doesn't want to be friends anymore. She's her own person now, and a prime suspect in this murder. I won't treat her like anything less and I expect nothing but the same from you, got it?"
I chew on my bottom lip and produce a nod. He is right. I am letting my emotions cloud my judgment. If Diana doesn't want to be associated with me anymore, I'm no one to force her or myself to carry on with a friendship that's doomed. I've worked for years to become a homicide detective, and I'm not going to let a lying suspect get in the way of that.
Diana isn't the girl I knew from school. She's a suspect and I must remember that.
***
"Rookie? Rookie?" A hand shakes me awake. I look around the dimly lit office, with everyone gone except for one. "Sleeping on your first day of work? That's a tad bit unprofessional, is it not?" Detective Jackson comments and that makes me sit straight back up.
I click on my black computer screen. It blinks to life and on it are search tabs filled with information on the Covingtons. I move my eyes to the bottom right and look at the time. 10:24 p.m., it reads, that almost makes me gasp.
"You need a ride back home?" he asks and I press my fingers against my temples.
I have been asleep for two hours and have also missed my last bus. I can't ask my roommate to come to pick me up as she's staying over at her boyfriend's. In the end, it's either spending the night in a cold dark office or making a pact with the devil himself.
"Come on answer me. I don't have all the time in the world," he says, glancing at his watch.
I hesitantly accept his offer and wrap up my stuff, grab my bag and make my way out of the precinct. Soon, we are in his car, heading to my apartment.
"So," Detective Jackson strikes up a conversation as he drives, "why'd you want to become a detective?"
I give him a side eye and keep my gaze fixed on the nearly deserted road. "Are you always this nosy in your junior's business or am I just that special?"
He scoffs, which soon turns into a low chuckle. "I don't know rookie. Why don't you tell me that?"
I roll my eyes for the fourth time in the day, fearing they would roll back into my skull entirely. "I had my reasons," I answered and stayed quiet for a while before asking him the same question. "Why did you become a detective?"
"The world needs good people, ones who aren't scared of fighting evil." I was expecting some snarky comment from his end, but I'm pleased when he gives me a decent answer. "Now, are you always this nosy in your senior's business, or am I just that riveting?"
Well, never mind.
"Neither, and definitely not the latter," I say and notice the smirk creeping up his face. He is enjoying every second of him annoying the life out of me and honestly, it's getting a little out of hand.
***
The rest of the ride is silent, kind of, with some bickering and more eye-rolls, until we finally reach my apartment. I thank him for the ride and immediately get out of the car, breathing in the fresh air after being trapped under the same roof as him for the whole day. I sigh the most relieving sigh of my life, knowing I am about to see him again in less than twelve hours. That thought in itself makes me want to scratch my eyes out.
I close the car door behind me and almost make a run for the building when Detective Jackson calls out to me. "One more thing, rookie," he says and I turn around, forcing a smile on my face. "Don't be so hard on yourself. It's only your first case."
"Why do you care?" I ask, irritated.
His lips form a curve as he places his hand on the steering wheel. "No reason," he says and turns on the ignition, "just because."
I exhale and am about to turn on my wheel when he speaks up once again.
"Also, just because I call you rookie, doesn't mean you have to call me Detective Jackson all the time. Aiden's fine by me."
"So why don't you call me Detecti—"
"Goodnight, rookie." He waves his hand without looking at me and turns the car around before driving away in the night.
I let a groan of frustration and am about to turn around when I notice something dark laying on the pavement. I walk over to it and pick it up.
It's a Tarot card, the same as the one I found at the scene of the crime — black and crimson with a skeleton figure etched on it. This time, however, it isn't a Death card. It's a Fool card.
I look around me, trying to find anyone who could've kept it there or dropped it, but not a single person is in sight.
The Fool stands for new beginnings, some for the better while others for the worse. Only time can tell which one is written in your fate, but needless to say, it's a message that was meant to find me.
It was a message sent by someone who wants to tell me something, someone who has to do something with the death of Ethan Covington, and perhaps, even with me.
***
AUTHOR'S NOTE
What are your thoughts on this chapter? Let us know in the comments section down below!
Sorry for the slight delay with the update, but did you like it? Safe to say, I love writing Amara and Aiden bickering. We love that you enjoyed the prologue and the first chapter and we thank you so so much for the sweet comments you've left on this book!
Also, did you pick up the little easter egg in this chapter (hint- it's from one of my other books, The Butterfly Effect XD)
Stay tuned for the next chapter because the mystery has only begun and there's so much to come! Meet you next Tuesday for a new chapter!
-Adrianna