Case: 1: A Dystopian Mystery (Annalise Storm Chronicles Book 2)

by May Freighter

  Half an hour later, Annalise had an EMT look at her neck. There was no lasting damage done except for bruising that would force her to wear scarves for a week or two. The Homicide detectives, Zach and Tia, found her in the station’s staff cafeteria where she was holding on to a hot cup of cheap steaming coffee. She was glad Devlin decided to leave her alone. She didn’t know what else they had to talk about. And since she couldn’t get rid of him, she needed some space to think things through.

  Zach took a seat opposite her on a plastic stool while Tia rested her hip against the kitchen counter. He reached over and patted Annalise’s hand. “Storm, we need your report.”

  She nodded, meeting his stare. “Graham contacted me this morning and wanted to meet at the station. When I got here, he seemed nervous. Then, we went to talk in the locker room where he threatened me and wanted me to pay for his way out of the city. I don’t know why he wouldn’t use his own credits instead of mine…”

  “It’s because we put out a BOLO on him,” Zach explained, drawing his hand back. “We read the reports you and Devlin had written. The audio file from your interview with Graham Green was corrupted, so we decided to pay him a visit. When he saw us, he jumped out of the window like a spooked cat. At first, we didn’t know why. We found Judy Wilson’s DNA on his clothes at the back of his closet. He turned off his comms and avoided the city’s surveillance cameras. We couldn’t find him.”

  “What about Gale’s murder? Did you find out the truth?” Annalise asked. She wound her arms around her middle for warmth. During the interview with Graham, she let her emotions get the best of her. She thought he was a suffering and misunderstood modded like the rest of them. He deserved her respect like any other person in the city. Was she too blinded by her desire to defend the modded? Did she miss something that could have helped them capture him before he became possessed?

  “We got a warrant for the principal’s office and located the video recording of the blackmail that took place there. Sage was using Roland’s and Judy’s affair to make them work for his drug business on the side. He had low doses of Red Dust distributed to the students during lunch to improve their cognitive functionality and the stronger stuff he passed on to the Black District dealers to which he owed a great deal of money. He’s being questioned by Narcotics detectives as we speak.”

  “Why did Graham kill Judy?” Annalise asked.

  “Good question,” Zach said with a charming smile. “We aren’t sure. What we do know is that on the night of Gale Green’s murder, his car was seen leaving the Montgomery Institute. He must have been there to pick her up after work or came to check on her. Our best guess is that he must have gone inside, seen her die by Roland’s and Judy’s hands, and decided to take his revenge on the Science teacher when she was alone.” He shifted closer, entwining his hands on the table. “I’ve seen an expression like yours before, Storm. Don’t blame yourself. You’re new at this.”

  Annalise looked away. He was able to read her easier than some of the people who knew her for years. “I’m not.”

  Tia tapped her comms with her slender finger. “We have to get going if we want to finish writing up our reports by tonight.”

  “Can’t we celebrate a little?” Zach asked with hopefulness in his voice. “We got another case closed!”

  His partner shook her head. “Work first, fun later.”

  He got up and slung his arm over Tia’s shoulders. She seemed used to it as she didn’t react when he leant in with his puppy-dog hazel eyes. “Please?”

  Tia smiled pleasantly and caught his ear in an unrelenting grip. She started dragging him out of the staff canteen as he pleaded for her to release him. “We will be off,” Tia informed Annalise, and they disappeared out the door.

  Annalise broke into a laugh. She had never seen such an odd combination. In a way, Zach and Tia looked good together, but she sensed that they were nothing more than good friends.

  She returned to the HPD office and filled out a report on her terminal about the events that took place earlier. Once she was done, she looked at the time. It was ten minutes past nine. She scrambled to put her jacket on and checked her messages. Now that the case was over, she wondered what trouble her next case would bring. After Graham Green, she wasn’t sure if she could so easily trust the modded at their word. Like the purebloods, they were people—and people lied, deceived one another, and hid darkness in their hearts. She was no different.

  Heading for the door, Chief’s voice stopped her. “Storm, have you arranged for your psych evaluation with a counsellor?”

  She cringed. “I was going to do it as soon as possible, sir.”

  “Good. Get it done.”

  On the way to the car, Annalise called Monique. She needed a friend to talk to after the way things ended today. There was some temptation to head back to the Green District and see if Mavel hadn’t left his hotel, but she needed a change of clothes and the long drive would exhaust her. She arranged to meet at Monique’s place at eleven and drove home to get ready.

  25

  Great Parenting

  In front of her apartment, her mother and father stood with varied facial expressions. Regina seemed nervous with the way she hugged her husband’s arm closer to her chest as if to keep him from running off in anger. Great, someone on the security team must have told him I arrived.

  Annalise approached them with caution. Her father had a temper, and she did, too. Two Storms in one place could cause havoc or enough commotion to hire a skilled PA to clean up the mess after them.

  “What were you thinking, leaving the gala like that?” her father barked as his face turned tomato-red. The veins under his skin were showing. Even his grip on his wife’s hand seemed over the top and painful.

  Her mother said nothing and continued rubbing his arm in a soothing way.

  Annalise did her best to remain stoic. “Why didn’t you tell me that Devlin was part of Falcon?”

  Regina looked around the hallway. “This isn’t the place to discuss such matters. Let us in, and we’ll talk.”

  “Fine.” Annalise scanned her comms to unlock the door to her apartment. She marched inside, not waiting to see if her parents followed. They had no right to be mad at her, not after they hid the truth for such a long time.

  The door slammed shut, making her turn around. Her father distanced himself from his wife and got close to Annalise. His hand flew up and slapped her across the face.

  She cupped her cheek in surprise. The right side of her face burned with the sting. In her entire life, William never raised a hand to her. He always shouted, screamed, hurled insults, but never hit her. Her limbs were frozen in place. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think.

  “William, that was uncalled for,” Regina scolded him and hugged Annalise. “You know how she is, stubborn like you.”

  “That doesn’t change the fact that she is threatening the stability and survival of this family by being stupid!” he retorted with his hands flying up in the air.

  Annalise pulled away from her mother. “What? This is about you again, isn’t it? It’s always been about you and your political career! Why can’t you understand that I’m sick and tired of being your chess piece? Can’t we live like normal people?” Her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Would it kill you to be a father for once, Will?”

  Her father seemed taken aback by her barrage of questions. He looked down at the hand he used to strike her and lowered his head in shame. “You do not understand how much is riding on this engagement!”

  “Enlighten me,” she snapped back.

  He pressed his lips together, forming frown lines around his mouth that showed his true age of fifty-five. “Regina, we are leaving her to her tantrum.”

  Her mother patted Annalise on the head and, like an obedient wife, walked to her husband, taking his hand.

  Annalise stared at them retreating from her apartment without giving her the slightest explanation as to why this engagement was so damn importan
t to them. Why couldn’t her father say it? She cursed under her breath and raked her fingers through her hair. Her eyes settled on her wrist comms. Devlin’s brother must have heard everything that was going on through the microphone in her comms. Well, maybe it was for the best that her father avoided discussing this subject in more depth.

  Grumbling curses, she trudged into her bedroom where she changed her clothes. She needed to get away from the world, reality, and men. So, she drove to her best friend’s apartment in Silver with two of the finest bottles of wine she could find in the Tower’s supermarket.

  Annalise turned off her comms. She didn’t want Falcon overhearing her heartfelt confessions to her friend. Using her nose to activate the doorbell, she balanced the two bottles in her arms with care.

  When David opened the door, Annalise didn’t expect him to be shirtless and shimmering with sweat. Her words were stuck in her throat as she took in his fine physique and defined muscles. It was no wonder Monique had a crush on him. He was a gorgeous alabaster in every meaning of the word. Is that an eight-pack?

  “Ms Storm, are you here to see Monique?” he inquired politely.

  Annalise nodded as speaking was somehow harder all of a sudden.

  He stepped aside, motioning for her to come in. She didn’t hesitate and propelled her body past him into the hallway that led to a living room where Monique was lounging on a plush divan with her legs hanging off one side of it.

  “You’re finally here! I thought I needed to start a search party for you.” Monique eyed the bottles of wine Annalise held. “Are we celebrating or mourning?”

  “A little bit of both,” Annalise replied, peering at David who shrugged on a black t-shirt.

  “Would you like to be alone?” he asked.

  Monique gave him a sheepish smile. “You can go back to your workout. There is no need to leave. Feel free to walk around topless anytime you like, though. My parents won’t be back for another month from their business travels.”

  Blushing, he bowed his head and left them alone.

  Annalise collapsed on the plush green rug next to the sculpted metal-and-glass coffee table. She handed one bottle to Monique. The other, she settled on the table before resting her back against the nearby sofa.

  Monique slid off her seat and left the room in search of glasses. When she returned, she sported a look of concern on her face while pouring their drinks. “What happened to your face and neck?”

  “I got attacked by a possessed beast today.” She didn’t feel like explaining that her father decided to take his great parenting skill to a whole new level.

  “Wow, and you’re okay? You didn’t break any bones or suffer the loss of limbs?” Monique poked Annalise in different places. “You seem sturdy for someone so small.”

  Annalise sipped her wine and snorted. “I’m glad to be alive. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to make it. There was so much power and force behind his every move. It was…terrifying.” Her eyes watered from suppressed fear she held in. “I could have died today if it wasn’t for Devlin.”

  “Oh, your fiancé in shining armour came through? He even saved you in your time of need. You must be overjoyed!”

  “I’m not.” Closing her eyes, Annalise witnessed the events again in her mind’s eye. They brought out more sorrow in her than she cared to admit. “For as long as I can remember, you and Mavel were the only people I could trust. And, with Devlin, I think I’ve made a mistake. I accidentally placed my trust in him, and he destroyed it by keeping secrets from me. I don’t know where we stand anymore.”

  Monique sat on the floor next to her and draped her arm across Annalise’s shoulders. “In times like these, people tend to say ‘follow your heart’, but I think that’s rubbish. Put yourself in his shoes. If he told you the truth straight away, would you listen to him? Would you let your guard down and give him a chance?”

  Thinking about it, Annalise shook her head. “He works for Falcon. I wouldn’t spare a second glance his way after what they did to Mavel and his—” She stopped before she could expose that Steinberg was his father. Rewording it, she added, “His work. They ruined his career and forced him to be on the run.”

  “Mavel is a big boy. He can take care of himself. I mean, he’s been taking care of you since you were ten. Who else could be up to such a formidable task?”

  Annalise burst out laughing. “You truly know how to cheer people up.”

  “Of course.” Monique placed her hand on her chest and spoke with forced elegance. “As a member of Narcotics at DPD, it is my official duty to bring life to my department. Too many of them are old and crabby sods. The new recruits who were selected with me were assigned better detectives to shadow than what I’ve got.”

  “Who is your supervisor?”

  Her friend groaned. “They call him ‘Grumpy Dante’ behind his back. He used to catch drug lords and effectively brought down over a dozen drug operations in his golden years.”

  “He sounds like someone you could learn a great deal from,” Annalise commented.

  Monique took a large mouthful of her wine and cackled as if she had heard the best joke of the century. “He is nothing like that anymore. He’s got no drive to work, either. And I got front row tickets to see him sitting in the patrol car all day, complaining that the world has gone to shit and no one listens to him.”

  Annalise shrugged. “He does have a point.”

  “Oh, come on! If the higher-ups don’t take him seriously, how can we?”

  “You might not see it now, but there are a lot of forces controlling and manipulating key figures in Divinity. If you are as unlucky as me, you may end up on their radar.”

  Monique pursed her lips. “I know. I thought brightening the mood a little would help push the alcohol down. Guess I was wrong. Whatever is going on, you shouldn’t get too close to the flame, Annalise. I’ve looked into your first case on the DPD’s servers. The data from it has been erased. Everything Falcon touched in the past decade was labelled as ‘no data found’ or ‘classified’. For your sake, keep your distance. Don’t go digging in their backyard. You might not like what you find.”

  “I am not going to go after them blindly and without help.” Annalise faced her friend. “I won’t drag you into this mess without your explicit agreement.”

  Monique put her glass on the coffee table and scratched her head with both hands, sending her loose curly mahogany locks dancing. She ran her hands down her face and met Annalise’s eyes. “I’m on your side, Anna. Whatever you chose to do, I’ll be there to either complain or support you. Or both at the same time.”

  Annalise hugged her friend. She wouldn’t risk endangering Monique needlessly. With Falcon watching her every move, she needed people to help her find their weaknesses. She needed to get the others in her department to consider the possibility of bringing that company down. They held too much power and deserved none of it.

  “Before we got into this depressing topic,” Monique began, “we were talking about your partner slash hottie fiancé. Other than him being a Falcon spy, what did he do to you?”

  His betrayal hurt every time she thought about it. Aside from that, Devlin did nothing else to make her think badly of him. He did his work diligently, taught her new things, and helped her understand possession better. It would have been easier to hate him if he was an insufferable, manipulative man whose main concern was power. But, from where she stood, his brother fit that bill better. Was she making a mistake by not giving him a chance to explain his reasons properly?

  “I’m waiting for an answer here…” Monique said, nudging her.

  Annalise blinked several times to pull back from her train of thought. “You know what, I think we should cut our drinking session short.”

  “Why?” Monique asked, capturing Annalise’s wrist.

  “You’re right. I have given him no chance to explain himself. Instead, I keep running away.”

  Her friend grinned and waved for Annalise to go. “Tell
me how it went tomorrow.” She got up and ran her hands over her black wrap dress. “I’m going to see how my servant is fairing with his exercise regime and drool to my heart’s content.”

  Annalise covered her mouth to hide her smile. “You’re such a pervert.”

  “Like you would never do it if it was Mavel in the other room.”

  She gave her friend a peck on the cheek. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. And don’t forget to tell me if you come across any nice places you want to view. I’m eager to leave the Tower.”

  Monique’s brows shot up. “Ah! I almost forgot. I did find a nice three bedroom house on the outskirts of Golden. It’s a little pricey, but I think we can pull it off.”

  “Great, arrange a viewing, and we’ll see it as soon as possible.”

  “Will do, Anna. Take care of yourself.”

  “You too.”

  Annalise left her friend’s apartment with renewed happiness and determination. She had to give Devlin a second chance. Leaving things as they were was going to ruin their partnership. She had to try and work things out instead of letting the problem fester.

  She turned on her comms to check her messages, and her heart stilled for a second. Dread chilled her when she read the next instructions from Mr X.

  UNKNOWN Sender: Your task for tonight is to spend the night with Devlin. And, a word of warning, Ms Storm. If you continue to turn off your comms, you will find that your good friend, Ms Stratford, is going to need a hospital room instead of a new home. I do hope we understand one another perfectly well.

  She didn’t know what infuriated her the most: the threat to her friend’s life or that Mr X wanted her to sleep with Devlin. Her legs gave way, and she sat on the cold concrete step of the stairwell. Without help from anyone, she couldn’t fight back, but dragging Monique into the rabbit hole with her would endanger her friend’s life. Her conscience wouldn’t let her live it down if Monique died because of her. For now, she had to do as she was told.