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Laura entered the clinic with one thing in her mind. Answers. She needed the last piece to make the puzzle fit and Tiffany Anderson was the only person who could help her.

She walked to the secretary who was engrossed in whatever she was doing that she didn't hear her approaching.

"Is Dr Anderson in?" She asked gaining the secretary's attention.

"Miss Montez, long time no see." She said flashing Laura a professional smile immediately she saw her. "I doubt you have an appointment today."

"Is she in or not? I need to get something immediately."

"Give me one second." She said before picking up the telephone and dialed Tiffany's office. "Ma'am Assistant DA is here to see you... Okay ma'am." She dropped the receiver. "You can go in now ma'am."

Laura walked into the office a second later shutting the door with a bang making Tiffany to panic.

"Jesus Laura! You want to break my door?!"

Laura ignoring her drew a seat and crossed her legs. "So where are the files I sent to you? I need them now."

Tiffany sat still staring at her like she had seen a nutcase. "Seriously?! You are unbelievable." She muttered.

Laura didn't want to be here but it was her last hope. Dr Tiffany Anderson was a psychologist and a criminal analysts who was the best around which made the police department and DA's office use her services very often.

"Fine I'll get the files." She opened a drawer and brought out a brown folder. "Here." She handed it over to Laura.

"So what do you have to say about it? I'll like to hear your analysis before I read it."

Tiffany adjusted her glasses, making her oval-shaped face look more professional than ever. Her ebony black hair packed in a ponytail with a lab coat that screamed her profession. "The killer is a male. He is probably between the age twenty-seven to fifty-seven. He is also right handed. He is not killing for pleasure that's for sure but for penance. To him he is serving as a justice system for whatever wrong the victim had committed. From the ways he split her stomach and the Star of David sign we saw it was a cultic killing. He may not be religious but the cult has a meaning for that symbol and the coin. He left her clothes and turned her upside down which shows that he has a conscience. He was probably somehow attached to the victim. Also the way he left the crime scene neat and the cut of the wounds. Our suspect is a neat freak. He will be a person with a clean criminal record and who works close to authority. He is also a very attractive person for the victim to feel insecure around him."

"So does Jones fit in this category?" Laura asked.

"He is within the age grade but he isn't a person who has so much of a sense of justice in him and is definitely not a neat person. If Jones was to murder someone it would be out of revenge or impulse. The murder was too strategic for him to plan. The murder was not a one person thing. Sure one person killed her but a lot of minds were behind it."

"What do you mean?"

"First, the killer is not a brutal person and from the little attachment he had with the victim the killing method was too brutal. He isn't an assassin either because of the too much sentiment he left at the crime scene. The killing was like a script the killer should act on. The method of killing, how he should position the body, where he should drop the note and coin, it was all premeditated. What they didn't expect was the sentiments he felt for the victim. That's the best way to catch the killer."

Laura nodded taking notes of everything she said in her head. She knew that Tiffany's analysis was very reliable. She had earned her name in the business for over seven years and she knew she deserved it. She was good.

"Thanks, I'll be going."

"No you won't. You cancelled our appointment three months ago and you didn't give me a good explanation."

"I wonder why." She said sarcastically rolling her eyes.

"Laura you can't do this to me forever-"

"I can and I will." Laura immediately cut her off.

"I know you're hurt but I did the right thing. Devina would have wanted-"

"Don't you dare call her name!" Laura said raising her voice.

"She was my mother for christsake!" Tiffany was now raising her voice too. "You behave like I don't have a right to say anything about it. Like I am not grieving too but she was my mother."

"And you betrayed her." Laura said with disdain.

"I did what she would have wanted me to do."

"Your testimony was what killed the case. Maybe if you didn't say that we would have found who killed your mother."

"Maybe. Or maybe if I didn't say that you will be dead!" Immediately Tiffany said that she cursed under her breath dragging her hands from her hair down her face in paranoia.

"What do you mean by that?" Laura said after a moment of silence.

"I think you should leave Laura." Her face was still buried in her hands.

"You didn't need to tell me what I was about to do." She stood up from the chair, picked the file and opened the door with anger.

"Laura," Tiffany called out. "Don't go digging for answers when you are not ready to face the consequences."

"Speak for yourself." And she left her office.

How much she hated that crazy doctor.

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Starbucks was just three blocks away from the DA's office making her almost a junk addict. The only reason she wasn't overweight was because of her affinity for the gym and her compulsory morning runs.

"Good morning Miss Laura. I've reserved your order." Mindy the teen waitress that worked there said with a smile as she handed her her coffee and doughnuts.

"Thanks." Laura said as she took it from the counter but not before leaving her bills and a twenty dollar tip. She was on the parking lot walking towards her car when she heard her phone chime. It was a test message. She quickly read it happy about the news she got when her phone rang.

"Chloe, what's up?" She asked immediately she picked her call.

"The DA is looking for you."

She groaned. She knew this day would come but she wasn't really ready for it now. "Tell him I'll be there in a few hours. I have a meeting to attend." She opened her car and put her key in the key-starter.

"He is actually here now." She whispered. "He wants you to come here now."

She brought the phone out of reach and cursed for a few seconds before she replied her. "Fine, just give me a minute." And she hung up. Out of frustration, she hit the steering wheel a couple of times, making the horn blast in the air.

"We love out eardrums girl! Can you keep it down?" An elderly man shouted as he passed by.

"Sorry." She mumbled as she turned on her car and drove off.

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She knocked on the door but didn't wait for answer before she entered.

"Yes, he sure did!" The DA laughed. She wasn't surprised when she saw Gary Donovan with him. It was no secret that Gary was the DA's lab dog. Or that Gary had his eyes for her position. They had nothing in common except their hatred for each other. Gary was the typical example of a misogynist and the idea of a woman being his superior was too unsettling for him.

She coughed making her presence known.

"Oh Laura you're here." She gave him a polite smile. "Gary, so will talk about this later."

"Yes sir." He said standing up from his chair and left the office but not before whispering to Laura. "Goodbye woman."

If not for the anxiety of this meeting she would have asked him what he meant by that but she decided to let him be. He wasn't worth her time anyway.

"Sit." The DA said to her after Gary shut the door. She immediately complied. Brain Berners was a stout man who had a pot belly and a formally blond hair which was now turning grey. Like her father he was in his late fifties. He had a face which you could tell was handsome back in the day but due to his new best friend, beer and wine, he lost his build as well has his skills. Why he was the DA was beyond her. He was once a brilliant negotiator and attorney but that was in the past. Recently he sometimes forgot what he said after few minutes. His women problems was so bad that he couldn't even keep up with the women anymore. Although she couldn't wrapped her head around the fact why anyone would want to sleep with him. But despite all this facts she has to say he had great leadership skills. When he was not drunk he actually knew his way around the system. That was one of the reasons she decided to work for him. That and the fact she wants his seat one day.

"I have something to tell you." He said after a few seconds. She knew what it was. The fact she was pushing with the fact that Jones was innocent was not a secret which she was sure the DA has heard especially with the talk with her father. It was only a matter of time before they made their move.

"And that would be?"

"The Attorney General called me last night."

She was shocked. She knew her news has reached the DA's office but she never expected it to reach the Attorney General's office.

"Okaay." She said unsure of what else to say.

"So apparently the DA in New-York was impeached last week. It was discovered that he was into some fraudulent practices." Laura nodded unsure of where the conversation was going to. "The whole state is in a state of emergency and a selection of a new one is being conducted by the Mayor and the AG." He paused after her said that then handed her a folder.

"What's this sir?" She asked as she opened it and saw a printed paper.

"Read it." He replied. And she did.

It couldn't be. "I don't understand sir. It says here that you recommended me for the position." She said still uncertain if she saw the right thing.

He nodded. "You're a bright woman Laura. You fight for justice and do your job well. I think what that city needs is someone like you with morals as impenetrable as steel. They need something different. And what's more different than a woman who is unfamiliar with the politician thereby no political bias and a record as straight as a ruler. I think you are most suitable for the job."

She didn't know what to do at that moment. She couldn't cry or laugh. It was just to real to be true. She didn't know why she had a feeling that there was a catch.

"So that's it?"

He smiled. "I knew you're a smart girl."

"I'm not a girl. I'm a full grown woman." She snarled.

He laughed which irked her more. "Women, you are all the same. You get angry when they call you woman, you get angry when they call you girl. You know with my experience with women you would think I understand them but I never do." He chuckled.

"What's the catch?" She said ignoring his statement.

"You drop the Jones-Jordan's case. Or you'll prosecute the defendant. A minimum of twenty years and a max of the death sentence with a charge of first degree murder."

"You mean the innocent man."

"Laura you can't prove he is innocent and even if you can I won't let you."

"So let me get this straight. You want me to prosecute an innocent man, which you know is innocent by the way, and charge him with first-degree murder in exchange for an escape from this shit hole and a position as the DA? "

"That wraps it up."

She laughed. "And if I don't?"

"I take you out of the case anyway. You may also lose your job because of the charges we would drop on you. Due to personal reasons you let a killer set free. That would interest the media." He said twirling his chair a little.

"Personal reasons like what? I had a secret affair with Jones?" She scoffed. "Please if you are planning on soiling my name, tell a more believable story."

"I don't care the story we give the press. The people are angry and hungry for someone to put the blame on. Jones doesn't deserve to be out of prison. He is rotten inside out and deserves this."

"Nobody deserves it. Us convicting him means we are letting the real killer go free."

"Sometimes the living is more precious than the dead. If the people are afraid a murderer is out there, the peace we are trying to maintain will be destroyed."

"So you want us to give the people false hope?"

"Laura, I'm telling you this because you may be in my position one day. Decisions are the hardest things to make and it takes the strongest of minds to make the toughest decision. Someone has to sell their soul to the devil for peace to reign."

"One person is enough. You don't have to push me into your charade. I won't do it and I'll still be on this case. You want to know how? Because the moment you take me out of it an anonymous tip will get to the press. Saying that the two crimes are connected with proof to back it up. You taking me out will just prove it since I have a personal relationship with the first victim. Then the peace you are so bent on keeping will be a myth. How do you think the people will react when they find out their DA is personally trying to prosecute an innocent person when the real killer is out there? 'Cause if the two deaths are connected then how did Jones kill Devina when he has a strong alibi for that day. I don't want to be there when you are explaining it to the angry press."

"You can't leak confidential details to the press." His face shone beetroot red.

"Who said I'll do anything?" She smiled, then her mood became serious again. "Don't threaten me again Brain. I'm not your son's girlfriend anymore that was trying to impress you and I'm also not an idiot. You said it yourself. I have morals as impenetrable as steel and I'm not ready to bend it for any reason. Let's both respect each other and do our jobs." She got up from the chair dropping the paper on the table. "And I don't need this. I wouldn't start a job on lies and dirty ways. Maybe Gary will be more than happy to be a bigger lab dog."

"Keep it. Don't be to haste to make decisions and for your sake, I hope you are ready to face the consequences of your actions?" He called out. "You may think you have won now but it's far from it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Thanks for the advice. Tell it to someone that needs it." She left his office with her state of mind in disarray.

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She was running from something. She didn't know how long she was running but she couldn't feel her legs anymore and stopping wasn't an option. She ran till she came back to the place it all started.

In the dark empty closet.

She didn't know how she got there but she always did. No matter how she started she always ended up there. Alone at first until she was not. Her two companions who she wasn't still immune to would join her any minute from now.

Click-clack.

The noise came closer. The person she was afraid of but whose identity was still unknown to her.

Their presence became stronger with wails and laughter that made her stomach churn with fear.

She turned and faced them even though she was scared to her bones. But today had something different for her. Instead of the face of her former friend and mentor, Aria Jordan stared at her with a manic grin on her face.

"There are coming for you cowARD!" She screamed and laughed. Laura moved back with her heart beat faster than her body could produce. She hit something behind her. Slowly turning she saw Devina in her zombie like state but this time she was pointing at something.

It was her baby hanging from a rope with his eyes popping out.

"You killed him. You KILLED ALL OF US!!"

And for the first time in two months, she screamed.

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She was out of breath but she didn't stop. Running was the only thing she could do to stop the images from rushing into her head. Temporarily.

Where they right? She asked herself as she ran. Was she a coward? Could she have done anything differently to save them? Maybe if she followed her instincts Devina would still be alive. And if she was strong headed enough to find who killed her Aria would have still been alive.

And Theodore, her dear Theodore. If only...

Maybe they were right, it was her fault. That's why she has to make it right. Today will be a start. She would do the right thing in court. Then look for that bastard killer.

Medusa or whatever they call theirselves.

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9:47am.

She had nothing less than an hour to get to the court house. She looked at the mail she just received this morning. She took the files she needed and put it in her suitcase. She had enough evidence on her path.

She was about to leave her office when she saw Nathan.

"Laura thank God I didn't miss you."

She cursed as she faced the door. She was already emotionally unstable with the lack of sleep and all and she didn't need Nathan to add to the list.

"I have to get to the court now Nat. Can't you tell me whatever after that?" She said as she looked at him.

"I need you to hear me out now."

"Fine what?"

"It's about this case."

She cocked her brow. "What about it? If you are here to tell me to dr-"

"God can you just let me talk! I overheard something from my dad this morning. Laura, I really think you should talk to him."

"What did you hear?"

"I can't say. Just talk to him before you leave okay. It's important. I have a case to get to so I'll be going now."

She walked to the DA's office this time without knocking. "What is it sir? You want to talk to me about something?" He was reading a paper which he suddenly put aside and took of his glasses.

"You know for a girl who came from money and had the type of education you had, you are quite rude." He said the word girl to irk her. She knew it well and decided to ignore him.

"I'm sure you didn't just notice that now sir and that's not the reason you called me. I have a court case in less than an hour now."

"Fine. Straight to business now. I really didn't want to come to this kid." He threw the paper he was reading in front of her.

"What's this?"

"It's a file of Devina. Formally known as Isabelle Endrigo. An immigrant who created a new identity for herself after some charges where dropped on her. She was deported from our country over a two decades before she changed her name. She came back under a new identity. She and her daughter were also the main suspect of the death of a Mr Luca Rodriguez. Her husband for seven years before she fled the country under a fake identity."

"You're lying." She said still not believing him.

"You can check it. It's authentic. Even though she is dead she disobeyed some federal laws that I'm sure will only spoil her name and put her family in a mess. She would be sued a million of dollars and God knows what else. And let's not forget her daughter. Tiffany that's her name right?"

"But she's dead. Why are you still doing this?" The pain was visible in her voice as she gripped the handle of her suitcase.

"Because just like you I'm trying to protect what is mine. Prosecute the Jones guy and you can save what's remaining of your friend."

"You're a monster." Her voice was low, laced with venom.

He smirked. "Like I said, one of us has to be the devil and I don't mind being that guy."

She looked at him for a second before she said. "Go. To. Hell." And she stormed out.

"I trust you'll make the right choice kiddo!" He shouted after her.

She was not to far away from his office when someone grabbed her. She tried to free herself until she saw who it was.

"Hey take it easy!" Nathan said."It's me."

She looked at him for a second before she realized something. "You knew." She accused.

"Knew what?" He said looking genuinely confused.

"Don't play dumb with me."

"I seriously don't know what you are talking."

"Just get your hands off me." She freed herself from his grip. "And to think I wanted to marry you."

"Laura list-"

"I'm not interested in your cock and bull story. I have a trial to attend to." And she walked out.

The only question in her mind what she should do and more than anything.

Was she ready to face the consequences of her action?

Thank you so much for the reads. Really appreciate. Please do comment and help me be more specific. Like if you like it ,what do you really like? And what do you feel about the characters? What don't you like?

Please I know I'm asking much but it would really help. Thanks. And don't forget to vote⭐️ and tell your friends about this book. Would really appreciate it.

Love ❤️ Toris