by M. K. ROZE
something like that? And two other guests, who happened to
hear what you said?”
“I don’t know, Dad. But I didn’t say anything like that
to them. And the other people were probably their friends.”
Dad let out a loud sigh. “Are you one-hundred percent
sure no one from school told you where to find the bodies?
They’re not in trouble. I just need to know, so I can talk to
them to rule them out as the killer. Or killers.”
Adelyn’s eyes widened. “I thought the people were
mauled by a pack of wolves?”
“They were, but not until after their deaths. We told the
reporters it was wolves for now, but Detective Able believes
their throats were slashed before the wolves got to them. We
couldn’t find all their blood. Their bodies must have been
dumped there. Don’t tell anyone I just told you that.”
“I won’t. Maybe the attorney couple did it and they want
to blame it on me. And maybe the other people were in on
it to back their lie up.”
“I don’t know, Adelyn. This is unbelievable news.”
“Call that psychic lady and ask her. She solved a murder
before.”
Dad glared her way. “You know damn well I don’t
believe in that crap.” He checked his side mirror and took
off down the road.
Adelyn was hoping that would open up a door to tell
him about what happened. She couldn’t think of anything
else, but perhaps a ghost using her body to tell the couple
where the bodies were.
“Put your seatbelt on,” Dad ordered as he gunned it
down the road.
“Where are we going?”
“To the police station. Detective Able has to talk to you
about the lawyers’ accusations.”
“Am I getting arrested?”
“Not unless he feels you’re lying. This is why I need you
to tell me the truth. I may have to get you an attorney.”
“Holy shit. I’m telling you the damn truth. I would never
lie about something like this.”
“Okay, I believe you. Just tell Detective Able what you
told me and you’ll be fine.”
Adelyn felt horrible having to lie to her dad, but she
wasn’t about to live the rest of her life in prison, so she had
no choice. She shook her knee and bit her nails while looking
out the window, hoping the detective wasn’t going to give
her a lie detector test. She was certain she’d fail it. She’d never
been so scared in her life. And when she thought about the
rumors of how vicious Detective Able was when he
interrogated someone, didn’t make her nerves any calmer.
Dad pulled up to the police station. “You ready?”
Adelyn nodded and got out. She looked at the brick
courthouse that was a part of the jail, remembering cleaning
it when she was younger for extra money. Her dream job was
to be an attorney until she saw a prisoner stab his lawyer in
the neck with a shank. She decided to become a doctor
instead, hoping it was a safer job.
When Dad opened the door to the police station,
Adelyn stepped inside and smiled at the familiar cops behind
the desk. She followed Dad to the back of the building,
where he opened the door to a small room. She stepped
inside and looked at the metal table and two bolted down
chairs, hoping she wouldn’t be in there for long.
“I’m going to tell Detective Able you’re here. Take a
seat.”
Adelyn sat and crossed her arms, hating having to be
there. “Are you going to stay in here with me while he talks
to me?”
“No, I can’t. You will be fine. Just tell him what you told
me.”
“Does Mom know I’m here?”
“No, I’m about to call her and tell her.”
“Great.” Adelyn started biting off another nail, knowing
her mom was about to freak.
When Dad walked out, she heard her Dad talking to
someone, then an older man walked into the room a minute
later with a pad of paper in his hand. He sat across from her.
“Hello, Miss Mae. I’m Detective Able.”
Adelyn looked into the hefty man’s gray eyes—sure
she’d met him in the past. “Hi,” her voice trembled. “Have
I met you before?”
“Yes, a few times when you were younger. I believe it
was when you came here and cleaned the courthouse.”
Adelyn smiled, hoping he wouldn’t see how nervous she
was.
Detective Able examined Adelyn’s eyes and her body
movements. “Before we get started, would you prefer me to
call you Adelyn or Miss Mae?”
“Adelyn is fine.”
“Alright, Adelyn it is. Please tell me everything from the
moment you met Mr. and Mrs. Connor while at work last
night.”
As Adelyn told him the same story, she had told her dad,
the detective wrote every word down that came flying out of
her mouth. He set the pen down and looked at the white wall
like he was thinking about something. He sighed and sat back
in the seat with his arms crossed and looked at Adelyn in
wonderment. “I don’t understand why the Connors would
make up a lie about someone they never met. Or the other
two guests that happen to be locals.”
Adelyn shrugged. “Maybe they killed them and were
trying to blame me and the locals were in on it.”
“That’s not possible. The Connors have an alibi for
where they were on the day the paranormal hunters were said
to have been murdered. As for the locals, they don’t know
who the Connors are, and I trust that they were telling me
the truth. So, let’s try this again, but tell the truth this time.”
Adelyn was sure he knew she was lying, but she wasn’t
confessing to what she said. “Well, maybe they knew who
the killer was and tried to pin it on me.”
“I don’t believe the Connors would be involved with
such a horrific act. But only time will tell.” He paused and
looked into Adelyn’s worried eyes. “I don’t think you are
capable of killing them, but I do believe you are protecting
someone who may have told you where their bodies were. Is
this so?”
“No.”
“Are you sure you weren’t threatened by anyone if you
told us? Perhaps they said they’d kill you or harm your
family?”
Adelyn knew where he was going with all the trick
questions. “No.”
Detective Able wrote something down. “Were you
diagnosed with having any mental health issues?”
Adelyn giggled. “No, I would think my dad would’ve
told you that by now.”
“You’d be surprised what a parent will go through to
protect their child.”
Adelyn glared his way. “My dad would never lie about
something like that. And I don’t have a mental illness. I’m as
normal as they come.” She tried to keep a straight face,
knowing that wasn’t true, and looked away.
Detective Able exhaled and set the pen beside the
notepad. “Calm down, Adelyn. I ha
ve to ask these questions
to rule you out.”
“Rule me out? Do I look like someone who would kill
four people?”
Detective Abel’s eyes widened. “The woman that tossed
her kids off of Broom Mountain a few years back, and
blamed it on a mythical witch, didn’t look like she’d harm a
fly. But she did much worse than that. I’m sure you
remember her. It was all over the news.”
Adelyn remembered who he was talking about and
rolled her eyes, not like being compared to a murderer.
“My point is, Miss Mae, no one can be ruled out until
the case is solved.”
“Do you really think I told the Connors that?”
Detective Able looked down at the table. “Yes, I do.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry. I have no choice but to arrest you.”
Adelyn’s mind went blank, and flashes of the detective
burying a girl with a blue ripped dress, next to a large rock
and a familiar oak tree, came into focus. Her face contorted
with rage. She slammed her fist on the table, then jerked
forward—inches from his face. “If you dare to arrest me,”
she said in a Romanian woman’s voice from her head, “I will
tell everyone about how you raped your younger sister when
you were a teen, then how you dismembered her body with
your daddy’s ax.” Adelyn sat back down, grinning his way,
snapped out of the trance, and cupped her trembling mouth,
knowing where his sister’s body was buried up on Spell
Mountain.
Detective Able quickly stood. “How do you know that
information?” he said in a hushed tone. “I only told one
person, and that someone died a few years before you were
ever born.”
Adelyn’s tears fell down her face as she stared at him in
horror. She didn’t know what to say and feared he would kill
her.
“Are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to find
out the way I know best?”
Adelyn gulped and ignored him—sure he was about to
shoot her right where she sat.
Detective Abel grabbed the notepad with his shaky
hand. “You’re free to go, Miss Mae. Tell no one, or I will kill
your entire family.” He stormed out the door without
looking back.
Adelyn cried hysterically. Her stomach churned,
imagining the detective killing her family, and she puked
onto the floor.
Dad walked back in. “Adelyn, are you okay?” He rushed
over to her standing over her vomit.
She glanced up at him, wanting to tell him, but she
feared he would lock her up. “Yes, I guess my nerves are shot
from being scared. Do you have something to clean this up?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Dad rubbed her back and
walked her out to his truck. He got in and handed her a
tissue. “Are you sure you’re okay? You looked scared out of
your mind.”
Adelyn wanted to tell him what she found out about
Detective Able killing his sister and where her body was, but
she didn’t want him asking her how she found out. She knew
Dad wouldn’t believe her, and she didn’t want the detective
killing her family. She nodded. “Yeah, I’m good now.”
Dad took off back toward the school. “I think you
should take off the rest of the day. You’re under a lot of
stress.”
Adelyn didn’t want to be alone. “No, I’m fine now.
Really.”
Dad sighed. “I’m sorry for having you go through that.
But you know it’s my job. If I didn’t get you in time, another
cop would’ve, and who knows how they would’ve treated
you. These cops aren’t like they used to be.”
“I know. Did you speak to Detective Able after he saw
me?”
“Yeah, he told me you were free to go.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah, he seemed like he was in a rush.”
Adelyn looked out the window in silence, wondering
what the detective was up to until Dad dropped her off just
in time for lunch.
Inside, Adelyn walked down the busy hall like a lost
puppy and went into the cafeteria, where she got her lunch
tray and found a seat. She did her best to act normal, but she
was sure it was written all over her worried face.
Nellie sat next to her. “Hey, why weren’t you in class
earlier?”
Adelyn wanted to tell her what happened, but she knew
Nellie was known for telling everyone’s secrets. “I had to go
to the dentist for a tooth that’s been hurting me.”
“Oh, that sucks.” Nellie was about to eat, and she smiled
at someone from across the cafeteria. “You won’t get mad if
I go sit with Bradley, will ya?”
“No,” Adelyn lied, not wanting her to leave. She needed
her friends more than she’d ever needed them.
Nellie got up. “See ya later.”
Adelyn forced a smile. “Bye.”
As Adelyn watched Nellie walk away, someone grabbed
her shoulders. “Hey, there,” Marissa said.
Adelyn turned around to Marissa laughing. “Not
funny.”
Marissa sat next to her. “Have you been crying?”
Adelyn shook her head.
“I know you have, so tell me what’s going on. Plus, you
freaked out and you were gone half the day, so confess.”
Adelyn hesitated, then leaned across the table. “If I tell
you something, will you promise me you won’t tell a soul?”
Marissa shot her a smirk. “Did I ever tell anyone about
when you made out with Brand—”
“Whoa.” Adelyn placed her finger up to her lips,
silencing her. “Okay. I believe you.” She lowered her finger.
“Brandon was hot,” Marissa whispered. “You should’ve
dated him.”
“His breath smelled like a dumpster.”
Marissa shook her head, smiling. “I would’ve bought
him a pack of mint gum.”
Adelyn managed to laugh. “You would.”
“Kidding. So, what’s going on?”
Adelyn told her about what happened at her job and
how she had to see the detective, but she wasn’t about to tell
her about what she knew.
“Damn, that’s crazy. Weren’t you scared?”
“Um, yeah, I was freaking out. I thought he was going
to arrest me.”
“I can’t believe them fucks said you told them. That’s
beyond crazy.”
“I know.”
“Well, at least the detective believed you, and you’re not
going to prison.” She paused. “His last name sounds familiar.
Isn’t that the same detective whose sister went missing when
he was younger?”
Adelyn looked down. “I don’t know anything about
that. Why … what happened?”
“I read that she got lost in the mountains and died. They
just haven’t found her bones yet.”
“What do you think really happened to her?”
Marissa leaned into the table. “I think it was her dad
who killed her and that’s why her brother became a detective.
He wanted to open the case again so he
could figure out what
really happened to her.”
Adelyn wanted to tell her the truth, but she knew her
life would be at risk. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” She
picked at her sandwich, not hungry, and took a sip of her
water. “What was her name?”
Marissa thought about it. “Beth, I think. Yeah, it was
Beth. She has the same name as my aunt.”
“Oh.” Adelyn went silent.
“Why are you so sad?”
“Everything’s been off with me since I came back from
vacation.”
“No, you haven’t been acting right since your accident.”
Adelyn touched her chin, remembering the minor
accident they got into after they left a party up on Broom
Mountain. It was a monthly gathering, Marissa begged her to
go to because of a boy she liked. Adelyn hated having to sit
around a blazing firepit with a bunch of kids trying to
summon Sula, but she did it for Marissa.
Adelyn stopped thinking about that horrible day and
glanced at Jake, who was talking to one of his friends. She
wished she was as happy as he seemed to be. “Do you want
to come over and hang out for a little bit after school?”
“I can’t. I have to go to work. Do you want to follow
me and hang out while I make tons of coffee?”
“Nah, I’m tired and still freaked out about what
happened. And I’m backed up on school work. I feel like I
will never get caught up.”
Marissa took a bite of her chicken finger. “Ask Keven
to do it for you. He’s cheap.”
“No. He got too many people F’s before. I’ll do my own
homework, but thanks.”
As Marissa finished her lunch, Adelyn thought about
what happened to her at the police station. She wanted to
run and hide, but she didn’t want anyone to notice anything
wrong with her, so she sucked it up and kept a straight face
for the rest of the day.
After school, Adelyn went straight home and spoke to
her mom about what had happened. Mom wouldn’t stop
hugging her, glad she wasn’t a suspect.
Adelyn went to her room and picked the mirror up from
the end table. She lay in bed under the blankets and stared
into it. “What is happening to me?”
She got a sudden itch on the back of her head and
