25th October, 2015 (Twenty Days after the Murder).

04:15 PM.

“Are you ready to talk now?” Ian asked a handcuffed Eric as he sat beside Suarez in the interrogation room. He hated perverts, and as he examined Eric clinically, it was very obvious what women saw in him – he was quite easily one of the most good-looking men Ian had ever seen. Two days in a holding cell did nothing to diminish his handsomeness, only accentuate it. He had a five o’ clock shadow which made his jaw look more prominent, and his clothes were rumpled, making it seem like he had just been in a fight.

He had requested to speak to detectives, even without the presence of a lawyer, and Ian wondered what he had to say for himself.

“Do you want to start or should I?” Ian questioned.

At Eric’s silence, he began, “There is a lot that one can uncover in a day, Eric. Or should I call you Joshua?”

Eric sat upright in shock, and Ian smirked. Seeing that look on the faces of criminals was one of the best parts of his job.

Detective Suarez observed Eric curiously without saying a word. The teacher was good-looking enough, and if he was sleeping with the young whore, obviously had motive. He hated the fact that the mayor’s kid had been temporarily released, but sought solace in the fact that the boy was still young, with more than enough time to commit numerous offences and be thrown in prison.

Ian opened the folder in front of him, “Joshua Smith. Born on the 3rd of September, 1981 in Manchester, United Kingdom. You stayed there for a couple of years, and moved to the States when you were 20. You got fired from a couple of jobs, but your true nature was exposed when you worked at Forcas High. Amanda Stone was the underage girl you were caught having sex with. You then changed your name from Joshua Smith to Eric Johnson, dyed your hair, and adopted a new life.

“You know what they say, once a pervert, always a pervert. It was only a matter of time before your past caught up with you. Now, tell me why you murdered Bethany,” Ian said as he placed his hands on the desk.

“You know something, Ian? I have been in a whole lot of worse situations, and I will get out of this. If you think I would blab all about my alleged past deeds, then you obviously think I’m stupid, and I did not make it out on my own by being stupid,” Eric replied with a smirk.

Ian addressed him coldly, “You’re going to regret laying a hand on Alyson.”

“Oh! the attractive sister,” Eric said with a smile so beautiful, it seemed to light up the room.

“It would’ve been fun laying her, but I prefer my women willing yunno,” he continued. Ian dug his nails in his palms to avoid slugging the pretty-faced bastard in the face. Suarez noticed the movement, and relaxed in his seat. He was certainly enjoying the interrogation.

“Oh before I forget, I will mention one thing. I went to Bethany’s house the day she was murdered. For purely… academic reasons of course,” he said with a wink.

“And imagine my surprise when I saw her in a heated argument with her supposedly sweet sister. The words that were exchanged would make even my abusive mother blush.”

Ian did not want to ask, but the curiosity was killing him.

“What were they fighting about?” he asked hesitantly.

“About Bethany kissing some guy, can’t remember his name. Some boyfriend of Alyson’s by the looks of it. She was bleeping furious. Wondered why they couldn’t just share him. Threesomes are all the rage these days,” he said with a smile.

“What was his name?”

Eric dragged his fingers across the desk slowly, “Dunno, Hob, or Job or something like that.” From his tone, it was obvious he remembered exactly what he had heard, and was playing with them.

“Bob?” Ian asked.

Eric snapped his fingers, “Bingo. Knew it sounded like that.”

“I will get out of this. You know that right?” Eric asked.

“If you killed Bethany, I would NEVER let that happen,” Ian replied.

“And if I didn’t?”

“You’ll still be guilty of rape. Bethany was underage during your affair,” Suarez stated matter-of-fact.

“Where’s your proof?” Eric asked.

“The lady who reported you is underage as well,” Ian replied.

“Revert to my previous question. See detectives, that’s the beauty of small towns. In the end, everything would be kept hush-hush.”

“The lady you slept with at Forcas High?” Suarez asked.

“Circumstantial evidence at best.”

Eric smirked savagely, “I don’t know if saying this would make you feel better, but Alyson has a really good body. Her breasts fit perfectly on my palm.”

Ian stood up so quickly, his chair overturned with a loud clash. He made a grab for Eric, but Suarez stood up quickly, and held him back before he could lay a hand on him. As Ian struggled with Suarez, Eric got up and walked as far away from the desk as he could, away from the crazy detective’s reach. From his reaction, it was obvious the loon cared about the girl. Eric scoffed with distaste.

“Get him out of my sight,” Ian yelled.

Eric smiled, but maintained his distance, “You know Ian, if this was a different scenario, we may have been close. I’ll see you out on the streets huh, mate,” he said cheerily as Suarez walked towards him and guided him out the door.

Ian took several breaths to control his anger. From what Eric had said, he came to the bitter realization that Alyson had lied about not knowing about Bob and Bethany. She had lied about everything!

*****

26th October, 2015 (Twenty-one Days after the Murder).

06:10 AM.

The police car stopped with a jolt in front of Alyson’s house. Ian loathed what he was about to do, but it had to be done. He would have sent Suarez to make the arrest, but he had to do it himself. He owed Alyson that, at least.

As he walked up the stairs that led to the old house, he felt like his feet were leaden with lead. He rang the doorbell and cleared his throat. It was not a time to show weakness.

The door opened at the second ring, and Alyson appeared. She looked like she had been interrupted from the most beautiful dream ever. Her eyes were darkened and heavy lidded, and her hair fell like fiery waves around her shoulders. There was a slight bruise at the side of her mouth, and her lips were rosy and full. She had on a green halter top that showed off her flat stomach, and grey sweatpants. She looked divine.

“Can I help you?” She asked him looking around at the cops all around them.

“Alyson Cooper, you are under arrest.” He placed handcuffs on her wrists as he read her the Miranda rights. She stared at him with a look filled with such loathing that he felt his heart almost being wrenched out of his chest.

“Would you like a sweater? It’s pretty cold out,” he asked.

She ignored him and walked toward the parked car. An officer helped her get in, and she sat without saying a word. He would have preferred it if she raged at him and called him out for betraying her again, rather than her stony silence. He would have chosen to crawl to the station, than riding in the same vehicle, but he got into the car and sat beside her. The deed had been done, he just had to stand by his decision.

The drive back to the station was tense and awkward, with only the roar of thunder signaling the impending rain to keep them company. He stole a look at her – she was stiff and unconsciously moved away from him when she sensed him staring. When they got to the station, he helped her get out of the car. They moved towards the interrogation room mechanically, and Ian was aware of the looks and snide comments some officers threw her way as they passed. He hoped she had not heard.

As they got into the room, she sat down across him and Suarez, and placed her hands on the table. The room was cold and unwelcoming, and as she looked around, she noticed a camera staring right at her from above. She wished she had carried a sweater, but resisted the urge to wrap her arms around herself.

“You lied about not knowing about the relationship between Bob and Bethany,” Suarez started.

“That gives you motive,” he continued.

“Bethany was your sister. That day, you not only admitted to seeing her prior to her death, but you have no verifiable alibi. That sounds like opportunity if I ever heard of one. What do you think McNeil?” Suarez asked.

Ian felt two pairs of eyes on him, as they waited for his answer, “That’s what it seems like,” he said.

“Let me tell you what happened, Alyson. You found out Bethany kissed your boyfriend. That was unacceptable, and anyone who has been in this town long enough knows you were ten times worse than Bethany when you were her age. You confronted her, and it got ugly. In the middle of the argument, she admitted to wanting to sleep with him, and additionally told you she was not going to take the path you chose for her. You wanted her to go to college and remove yourselves from this town right? It was an open secret. She told you plainly then that there was no way that was gonna happen, thus exposing how much of a bitch she truly was.

“That made you angry. You were furious, and your temper is legendary in this town. You saw no need for her anymore. You sacrificed almost a decade to take care of her, and you were not gonna lose out. You had no idea her teacher was outside the door, listening in. You made sure she left the house, and got a shoe lace. You were prepared.

“You waited for her for hours, but she was in the process of finding her boyfriend cheating. She usually walked home, and you stalked her in your car; Now this is the part I’m not sure of. We don’t know where the murder happened, but we do know she was eventually thrown into the lake. You had a car, you put her body inside it and dumped her in the lake. That now gives you motive, opportunity, and means,” Suarez counted them off with his fingers.

“What does not add up were the male shoe prints found at the crime scene. Did you seek help perhaps?” he broke off thinking. Ian was pleasantly surprised. For such a bitter man, Suarez had a surprisingly sharp mind, and impressive analytical skills.

“Unless… you wore Bob’s shoes to set him up. You knew all these would lead to you, so you wanted to place it on someone else. I gotta give it to you, lady, you’re certainly pretty and smart.”

“So you just told me how I supposedly committed my sister’s murder,” Alyson stated sarcastically.

“And quite accurately so,” Suarez smiled satisfactorily.

“If I didn’t know better, I would say you know too much about the crime,” she said.

“I’m a detective on the case.”

“But you seem to know what was going through the killer’s mind at that moment. Who better to know how to dispose of a body and plant fake evidence better than a detective?” she asked.

“Shut the fuck up,” Suarez ordered.

“How do we know you were not one of her numerous fuckboys? Well… a fat, old man she was fucking, in this case?” she asked as she gave him a disgusted glance over.

Ian shook his head impatiently, “That’s enough, the both of you. Alyson, I need you to tell me what happened that night.”

“Call my lawyer,” she said.

“Alyson, please.”

“CALL MY FUCKING LAWYER,” she screamed.

“Suarez please excuse us.” He said. He knew Suarez would be watching from outside, but at least they had a semblance of privacy. Suarez got up and left the room, but not without giving Alyson a dirty look. It was obvious she had gotten to him with her words, and not much could get to Suarez. Her biting sarcasm, with the harsh and bitter words she threw at Suarez showed another similarity between her and Bethany Ian had seen before.

“Alyson, please talk to me,” he pleaded.

She sighed in resignation, “I do, but you never seem to listen.”

He walked towards her, and sat on his heels, so they could be at eye level. He held her hands and said, “I am willing to listen now. You can tell me anything.”

“It’s like we were never meant to be together, huh?” she said drily.

“Ally. Tell me,” he insisted.

“What you said, all that time ago, about being there for me. Was it all lip service?” she asked.

“I meant every word.”

“This is the time to prove it,” she said as she squeezed his hands.

“No matter what the world says, no matter what the evidence says, I need you to be there for me. I need you to believe me and believe in me. That’s all I ask.”

“Did you kill Bethany?” he asked.

“I did not,” she replied, looking into his eyes.

“I believe you.” He said as he stood up, bringing her up with him, and hugging her tightly.

He let everything go, what his head was telling him, what his instinct was telling him, and placed his trust in his heart. He was sure Alyson did not hurt Bethany, and he was willing to stake his life, and badge on it. He was sure he was not making a mistake.

*****

13th January, 2020 (Five Years after the Murder).

01:35 PM.

“Can you tell the court your name?” Attorney Bill asked.

“Detective Ian McNeil.”

“And you were in charge of the Cooper case?”

“I was.”

“Tell us about the case.”

“It seemed like a crime of passion at first glance. The way the crime was committed, the intimacy, it was clear the killer knew the victim,” Ian replied.

“And initially were there any leads?”

“There were a lot of false leads. The defendant was very thorough in trying to dispose of the body, as well as trying to provide fake leads.”

William made a look of shock, “What did that tell you?”

“It was well planned. That was not a crime that happened in a moment. It was well thought out,” Ian said.

“Did you ever question the defendant about the case?”

“I did.”

“What did the defendant say?” William asked.

“There was denial of course. We could not prove the alibi, because the whole night was not properly accounted for.”

“Did the defendant have any guilt?”

“There was none, whatsoever,” Ian stated plainly.

“In your line of work, was that normal for someone with a supposed mental condition?”

“No. Usually, when killers murder their victims and feel remorse, they make it known. They expose themselves, and don’t go about hiding the body. They certainly do not go on framing another person.”

“What broke the case open?” William asked.

“The case had grown cold, but I still had my suspicions on the killer. It was three years after the death of Bethany that I got the information I needed from an unlikely source.”

William turned towards the jury and asked, “So the defendant never came forward to admit to the crime?”

“Never,” Ian replied.

“Thank you so much for your time, detective. Your witness.”

With each click of Vivian’s heels, the court felt a wave of apprehension at what she’d do next.

“Detective McNeil. How long have you been a detective?” she asked.

“About nine years.”

“Was it a smooth time being a detective?”

“I would not say so,” he said after some thought.

“Do you consider yourself to have a sound character?”

“I do,” he replied.

She nodded her head in understanding, “Then tell us why you were temporarily deployed to Atwood for professional misconduct.”

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding? Detective, were you or were you not deployed to Atwood because of professional misconduct?”

“I was but…,” he tried to explain, but she continued.

“And were you also removed from the Cooper case during the course of investigation?” she asked.

“It wasn-,”

“Yes or no Detective?” she asked.

“Yes,” he admitted.

“Then you are obviously not capable of giving any trustworthy facts about this case. You are not a trustworthy witness…,”

*****

Same Day, 02:55 PM.

Ian came out of the washroom looking as miserable as he felt. Where the fuck had they gotten that bitch from? She tore into him like a shark; once the first drop of blood was seen, it was a massacre. It was a fucking nightmare. After she pointed out that he had been removed from the case at some point, it went downhill from there. To everyone at court, he seemed like a joke.

He glanced at his watch – the court was to reconvene in five minutes, and he had a lot of mental preparation to do. He was about to enter the room when someone touched him lightly on the shoulder.

“Hey, Detective,” he heard the melodious voice call. He turned around, and saw Alyson’s beautiful face, smiling at him. His heart rate increased, and he could not help the wide grin that broke out on his own face.

“Alyson. It’s been a while,” he said. He wanted to hug her, but couldn’t. He opted for a handshake instead.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said to his outstretched palm and hugged him. She smelled really good, like fresh rain on sand. He did not want to pull away.

“You look good, Alyson,” He said as they broke the hug. It was true. She had amber highlights on her hair, and her makeup was flawless. She was taller and leaner, with a more toned body. Hollywood looked really good on her. She had sunglasses on to obscure her face, but people still pointed in her direction as they passed the hallway. He was happy she was finally living her dreams. She certainly deserved it.

“I thought you wouldn’t make it,” he said.

“I postponed filming for it, because I just couldn’t miss the trial. It’s closure,” she stated.

“Oh, and sorry about that lawyer. She’s a pain in the ass,” Alyson continued.

“After what she just did to me, if I was a normal person listening in, even I wouldn’t hire me,” he said as they laughed. Ian would not admit it, but he had looked forward to the case because he hoped to see her again. After five years, they would finally be together again.

“The prosecution would soon be rounding up. With the way the case has been going, I can’t wait to see what the defense would pull from their ass,” she said.

“Well, I do know the DA. My only consolation is that he’s the bigger asshole,” Ian replied.

“I look forward to it,” she said. They held hands as they strolled back into the courtroom.

Has any of your theories been squashed? Do let me know.

Thank you so much for your support.

DON'T FORGET

VOTE!

FAN!!

COMMENT!!!