by Wendy Wang
“I guess it has. One of the girls told me not to forget them.”
“That’s horrible – for the girls I mean.”
“I know.” Charlie pushed her plate away, not wanting to finish the last few bites of her breakfast. She suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore. “I just wish I knew what to do for them.”
“Were they, you know – “Jen grimaced.
“Dead? I know at least two of them were. I don’t know about the other girls.”
Charlie got up and emptied her plate into the trash bin under the sink. She turned on the hot water and gave the plate a soapy swipe with the dish brush before rinsing it and placing it in the drainer on the counter.
“What are you going to do about it? These possible dead girls?”
Charlie turned and faced her cousin, leaning against the counter. “Not much I can do really.”
“You could do as they ask and not forget about them. I mean right now, you're coming at it from the perspective of somebody who's in law enforcement. Somebody who's looking for a missing child. Maybe you should look at it from their perspective. Maybe they just want someone to care what happened to them.”
“I do care about them. A lot,” Charlie muttered. “Maybe I am thinking about everything too hard from Jason's point of view.”
“What d’ya mean?”
“Every time I come up with a lead, I think I can't do this or can't do that because I don't have a probable cause or a warrant.”
“But you’re not a cop. Would you need those things?”
“Yes and no. I think it’s more complicated because I consult for them.”
“Would it be complicated for someone like me?”
“No, probably not. Police get evidence like guns and drugs from civilians a lot, and Jason told me once, it’s almost never suppressed.”
“Hmmm.” Jen twisted her lips and she stared off into space for a moment.
Charlie folded her arms across her chest. “What’s going through that head of yours?”
“I was just thinking about how I could help.”
“What do you have in mind?”
Jen got up and washed her plate, placing it in the drainer behind Charlie’s. “Maybe we should drive over there and take a look.”
“Take a look at what? You can’t see the girls.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you. If nothing else I can keep you company.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I also may have a trick or two up my sleeve, but I’ll need to consult the book.”
Charlie nodded. It had been years since she’d seen the grimoire that had been passed through her family’s women, and that her aunt and cousins kept and consulted. It held their most treasured spells and incantations. Charlie didn’t expect there to be much magic that would help her find these girls or know what happened to them, but she’d also learned a long time ago that sometimes the most magical thing a person could do was to have faith in the people she loved.
Chapter 16
On Monday afternoon, Jason stared at Emma Winston through the two-way mirror of interrogation room 2. She sat at the table in the middle of the room facing him but didn’t look up. Instead she stared at her clasped hands, her knuckles white.
“So, tell me again why you think this woman is attached to the Haley Miller case?” Beck asked. He stood next to Jason with his arms across his chest leaning back. Jason had seen that expression before. A mix of skepticism and curiosity.
“She and Haley went to college together. There were in the same sorority. She was the last person to talk to Haley before she died.”
“I thought you interviewed her already?”
“I did but I’ve got a few more questions.” Jason focused on her. Finally, she glanced up at the mirror.
“She'd be kinda cute if she didn’t look like somebody’d hit her in the eyes,” Beck said, referring to the dark circles.
“She's a little out of your league.” And possibly a murderer, but Jason didn't say that out loud. Truth was he didn't know what she was.
“Well, she sure looks as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”
“Yeah, well, that's what people look like when they're hiding something.”
Beck scowled. “What exactly do you think she's hiding?”
Jason held up a manila folder. “That is what we are about to find out.”
He stepped out of the box and headed for the interrogation room.
Emma jumped a little when he threw open the door. She pressed her hand against her chest.
“Sorry about that,” Jason said, chuckling. “I didn't mean to scare you.”
“Well, you sure have taken your sweet time.” She folded her arms across her chest and sat back in her chair glaring at him. “You said on the phone this wouldn't take long. I’ve got patients this afternoon.”
“Yeah, I apologize for that. It's been pretty busy around here this morning.” Jason took a seat in the chair across the table from her. He placed the folder down in front of them.
“So, Dr. Winston, I came across something curious during my investigation of Haley's death.”
“Okay. So, it's not an accident?”
“We haven’t ruled out anything yet. But I do have two different witnesses that said they saw a woman on the roof with Miss Miller the night she died. One of them said she saw the woman push Miss Miller off the roof. Which is consistent with some of our forensic evidence. The way she fell, the distance from the house, that sort of thing.”
Emma's hand drifted to her throat and her eyes flitted to the mirror behind Jason. All color drained from her cheeks.
“So, you think she was murdered then?” Emma asked softly.
“It's possible. But I'm not really here to ask you about that night.”
Emma didn't take her eyes off the mirror. “What are you here to ask me about?” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
Jason opened the manila folder and pushed it across the table. “Do you recognize this?”
Emma shifted her gaze to the paper in front of her. “It looks like a missing person’s report.”
“It is. For a young woman named Brianna Fiorello. A pledge of Mu Theta Chi, right?”
“I —” She played with the diamond heart pendant hanging around her neck. “I don’t remember. Maybe.”
“You don’t remember?” Jason asked.
“No, I don’t. This is dated ten years ago. I don’t remember every pledge,” Emma snapped.
“Not even the ones that you file missing reports for?” Jason said.
“What?” Emma shifted nervously in her chair.
“Yeah.” Jason flipped the stapled pages, pointing his finger at the signature field on page two of the report. “See here? Emma J. Winston. That’s you, right?”
Emma fixed her gaze on the report. She hesitated before finally answering. “Yes.”
“Still don’t remember her?” Jason asked.
“Um, vaguely, I guess.”
“Why don’t you cut the crap and tell me what really happened the night she went missing?”
Emma’s fake smile faded. “What does this have to do with Haley?”
“It may not have anything to do with her.” He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. Emma breathed in deep and blew it out in a huff.
“You told me Haley fell off her roof.”
“No,” Jason said, his voice firm. “I told you we were investigating her death and that we had a witness who saw a woman push her from the roof.”
“Well, I didn’t do it, if that’s what you’re implying,” Emma snapped.
“Oh, I’m not implying that you killed Haley.”
“What are you implying?”
“Nothing at this point. I just need to understand more about Brianna’s disappearance.”
“Brianna. Why are you asking me about something that happened almost ten years ago, when it’s right here in this report?” She pushed the report back toward him.
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“It is in the report, but I'd like to hear it from you. If you wouldn't mind.”
Emma’s nostrils flared as she blew out her breath through her nose. She leveled an angry gaze on him. “Everything you need to know is in that report. The pledges had tasks they were given to perform. One of them was to go to an old house and get an artifact that we had planted there and bring it back.”
“So, you’re saying that you and Haley didn’t take Brianna to this old house and just dump her off. As part of the test?”
Emma’s eyes tightened and her cheeks and neck reddened. She pressed her lips together into a flat line. “No. Of course not.”
Jason opened his mouth to ask his next question, but before he could, Emma jumped as if she’d been startled by something. Her gaze had moved off behind Jason, her eyes widening, staring at the mirror behind him. Jason threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Only the room was reflected in the silvered glass. He turned back to her and snapped his fingers in front of her face, making her jump again.
“You okay, Dr. Winston?”
She blinked several times and bristled. She cleared her throat. “I’m fine. Is that all? Can I go?”
“No,” he said flatly. He took the report back and read it to her. “You gave the addresses for these houses where you sent the pledges? Is that correct?”
“You know we did. They’re right there,” she snapped.
“All of the addresses?”
“Yes, of course. We were concerned.”
“Interestingly, this address doesn’t lead to anywhere. It’s not real.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I looked it up and it’s not a real address. Are you aware that lying on an official police report is crime? A felony actually.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. “I want a lawyer.”
“Okay fine – although technically you haven’t been charged with anything yet.” Jason closed the folder and rose to his feet. Emma stared at the mirror again.
“No wait. Don’t leave me here alone.” She sat up straight.
“Then answer my questions.”
Emma rolled her eyes and scowled. “Fine.”
“Were you and Haley the only people who knew about these old abandoned houses where you placed these artifacts?”
“No. We had a pledge committee. They determined the tasks.”
“So you and your committee had no problem with hazing, even though it’s illegal?”
Emma's mouth pressed into a straight line. “This was not hazing. The tasks were innocent. All the artifacts had historical significance to the sorority. No one was humiliated or threatened.”
“But if they didn't complete the tasks then they could be disqualified. Is that correct?”
“No. Not exactly the way it works. If one of the girls had not gone through with it for some reason, maybe they were scared or something, they could do some community service. Because that's what Mu Theta is really all about — serving the community.”
Jason smiled. “Sisters forever right?”
Emma scowled. Her gaze flitted to the mirror and then glanced at the gold watch on her wrist. “I have to go and unless you’re going to charge me with something, I know you can’t hold me.” Emma rose to her feet and threaded her arm through the handles of her purse. The expensive red leather bag hung from the crook of her elbow, brushing against her hip. Jason hopped up. “Sit down doctor, or I will charge you, with obstruction.”
Emma’s chest heaved with anger. “If you’re gonna play it that way, I want my lawyer.”
Jason hated playing chicken. In a case like this he had no reason to really hold her. She stepped forward looking him directly in the eye. It took all he had not to force her to sit her ass down and stay. She still hadn’t given him what he needed. “Is there anything you’d like to add to your statement? Maybe a different address. One you forgot.”
“No,” she said flatly.
“I gave the deputy in charge of the case ten years ago all the information I had.”
“I'll let Brianna's family know you were so cooperative.”
“Brianna's family? What do you mean?”
“Well, sometimes on missing person’s cases, especially old cases like this one, every once in a while the family will give us a call just to make sure nobody's forgotten about their loved one. We periodically go through cold cases too. This one just sort of fell into my lap because of the Haley Miller case.”
“Well,” Emma's cheeks flushed pink. “If you talk to Brianna's mother please send her my best. Let her know that she’s still in the thoughts and prayers of the Mu Thetas.”
Jason gave her a pointed look, his tone dry enough to peel varnish from wood. “I'm sure that will bring her great comfort.”
“Is that all, Deputy?” Emma scowled.
“It is. For now.” He stepped out of her way. Emma marched past him, without a second glance at the mirror.
Jason bent over the table and put the report back into the folder before thumbing it closed. A chill skittered down his spine, and for a moment he felt like someone was watching him. He scowled at Beck. Slowly he looked up at the mirror ready to sneer at his partner. The sight of the young woman standing in the mirror staring back at him made him drop the folder and take a step back.
Her dark wavy hair was full of pine needles and dirt. Her white t-shirt was soaked with blood. His breath caught in his throat, and his heart hammered in his ears. He didn’t blink and couldn’t look away. My god, was this how Charlie felt every time she confronted a spirit? And why was it he could see her? He opened his mouth to speak and the door opened. Jason glanced away.
“Well, you just gonna stand there all day or you want to get some lunch?” Beck said. Jason looked from his partner back to the mirror. She was gone.
“No,” Jason blew out a breath. “Come on. You’re buying.”
“Now I know why you like to come here so often.” Beck looked over the top of his menu toward the lunch counter where Jen Holloway stood talking to a customer. She wore jeans and a blue floral blouse. Wrapped around her waist was a green apron. “Who’s that hot little number at the counter? I wouldn’t mind cooling my bread on her rack.”
“Jesus, you are such a pig.” Jason made a disgusted sound in his throat. “That's Charlie's cousin. You mind your manners. She's a nice lady. And she has a kid. Not exactly your type.”
Beck closed his menu and laid it on the table. “Eventually all the women your own age will have kids. That's why I only date twenty-five-year-olds.”
“Right, like any twenty-five-year-old would touch you with a ten-foot pole,” Jason scoffed.
“Well hey there, Jason,” Jen said as she approached the table. God, he hoped she had not heard any of their conversation. A wide smile crossed her lips, and her large blue eyes sparkled. Beck was not wrong. Jen definitely was a looker.
“Hey Jen,” Jason shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Good to see you.”
“Good to see you too. What can I get for you guys?”
“I'm gonna have your special today,” Jason said handing her the menu. She tucked it under one arm. Beck looked her up and down. “You wouldn't happen to be part of the special today, would you?”
Jen laughed and her cheeks reddened. “No sir, but thanks for asking. I’ll be sure to let my six-year-old know that her mother’s still got it.”
Jason glared at Beck. “Gimme a break man.”
“No, it's all right, Jason. I can take care myself. What's your name?”
“Beck. Marshall Beck. I'm a lieutenant with the sheriff's department.”
“I see. That’s all the information I need. That and,” she leaned in close, “you have a little something on your shoulder there, Lieutenant.” She pinched a clump of hair between her thumb and forefinger. “Oh. Looks like you're losing your hair.” She made a tsking sound. “You know, you should go and see my cousin Daphne. She's the owner of the salon down the street and she can do wonders on thinning hair. Make yo
u look ten years younger.”
“Uh,” Beck reached for his scalp, pulling out another clump of hair. “What the hell?”
Jen wiped her hand on her apron, and Jason saw her slip the hair into the pocket of her apron. “Now, what can I get you today, Lieutenant Beck?”
Beck scratched through his scalp. “I'll have what he's having,” Beck mumbled and got up from the table, heading toward the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”
Jen bit her bottom lip, fighting a smile. “Good choice,” she said softly and wrote down his order. She picked up his menu and tucked it under her arm. “I know you want tea. Do you think your friend does too?”
“Sure,” Jason said, watching her carefully. He opened his mouth to ask her what she knew about his partner’s sudden hair loss but thought better of it. He didn’t really want to know. Jen headed back to the counter, and Jason got up and followed her, watching curiously as she pulled a napkin from one of the holders on the counter and pulled Beck’s hairs from her apron. She folded the hair into the napkin and put in the front pocket of her jeans.
“You collecting hair these days?” Jason asked.
Jen flashed him a smile. “As a matter fact, I am. I use it to cast my voodoo spells with.”
Jason laughed but it felt cold and brittle. He liked Jen and her sister Lisa a lot but sometimes they could be just downright strange, and he wasn't sure if she was joking with him or being for real.
“I guess I should be glad it wasn't me, huh?”
“Yes, you should,” Jen stood on her tip-toes and put the ticket on the wheel at the pass-through window and spun it. “Order up!”
Jason took a seat at the counter and leaned forward. “Hey Jen, you mind if I ask you a question?”
Jen put herself right in front of him and leaned forward on her elbows. She smiled wide. “You just did.” She chuckled. “No, of course I don't mind. What's going on?”
“Well, I had something strange happen today. And I tried to call Charlie but I think she's working so —”
“So, you just thought you'd ask me. Being her nearest relation and all.” Her tone was light and jokey, but there was something darker beneath it. “You know, I don't see what she sees.”