Page 13 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“Jax handles all of our technology needs. This is where he does all his tippy-tappy computer shit. I don’t get it, but he’s a genius.” Sully’s deep voice echoed in the room, followed by a bassy chuckle.

“Ms. Ayers—er, Maddy, would you have a seat? We need to go over your statement now.” I pulled a chair out beside me, allowing her to sit comfortably. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, but it must be done.

“I really don’t know what more I could say that I haven’t already told the police.” Her defensiveness was palpable, from the way her lips set into a scowl and her arms crossed over her chest.

“The mind is such a powerful, enigmatic thing. It’s incredible, really. But when one goes through trauma, the brain often shields itself from certain memories and events as a form of protection. Through specific lines of questioning, and with time, the truth does come out. You’d be surprised at what kind of information you will remember today, versus a couple of days ago at thestation.” Jax’s peculiar way of speaking so matter-of-factly, and with unerring intelligence, was still a bit unnerving to me, even after all these years. But he was right.

“Let’s start at the beginning. Where were you this past Friday evening?” I asked, clearing my throat before speaking.

“I was at Desire, a club downtown, with my friends.”

“What time did you arrive?”

“Around ten-thirty, I think? We had come from this bar called Juniper. Well... I guess it was just me and Jess at first. The rest of my group did not come until a little later.” Her brow furrowed as she thought back to that night. I did not miss the way her body language was already changing. Her arms tightened around herself, but at least she was answering my questions.

“Was there a reason for them being late?” Jax asked from behind me, his fingers typing furiously on his keyboard, eyes focused like lasers on his screen.

“Kerri was being a bitch that night and got caught up talking to some guy at Juniper. Most of our group stayed with her while Jess and I headed to Desire.”

“About how long was it until your entire group joined you at Desire?” I asked her, jotting down her answers on the pad of paper I had sitting on the desk. I preferred the tried-and-true pen and paper, unlike the rest of my colleagues.

“I don’t know honestly…” she trailed off for a moment. “Maybe half an hour? Maybe twenty minutes? Something like that.”

“What happened when you arrived at Desire? Walkme through it step by step,” I urged her as gently as I could. She was a skittish thing, and I didn’t need the wrong tone or the wrong question to push her walls back up.

“I got there first, as usual. Jess showed up after a few minutes, and then we both waited in line for twenty or thirty minutes, like I said. When Kerri and the others—”

“Who else came with Kerri? What were their names?” I interrupted her gently.

“Lily and Melissa, Kerri’s shadows. They go wherever she goes. If she’s running late, you’d better believe they will be too.” Maddy’s words were derisive, but her small, rueful smile told me that her words were only partially sincere. She seemed to like this group of friends.

“Go on,” I encouraged her. “What happened after they all got there?”

“Kerri got us all in through the front door right away. That girl is too good to wait in lines, apparently. That, or the bouncer was a sucker for a nice pair of tits. Either way, we got inside and headed to the bar to order drinks.” She continued, her eyes staring into the middle distance as she recalled the events of the evening.

“Ooh, what drink did you get?” Sully asked. It may have seemed like a silly question, but I knew what he was doing. He was lightening the mood with a little levity, allowing her a breather as we traversed down this path.

“I ordered a martini.” The little smirk playing at the corners of her lips told me Sully’s attempt was working.

“Something fruity and yummy?” Sully asked with mirth lighting up his eyes.

“No way. Not that night. I love a good fruity drink.Honestly, it’s usually my go-to, but I was dealing with a lot that night. I wanted something with bite. So, I ordered a dirty martini, nice and smooth,” she explained.

“What happened after you all got your drinks? Did anyone speak to you?” I asked, pulling us back on track.

“Not that I can think of. Well… wait.” I watched as her eyes darted back and forth, her mind scouring over her memory of that night. “There were a few guys who approached us, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.”

“It could be. Do you remember anything they said that felt off?” I asked, curious to see if there was a connection.

“No, it was the standard lame pickup lines. You know the ones.Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?Or my favorite one from the night.Have we met before? Because you look like my next girlfriend.” Her nose scrunched up with distaste just as Sully’s roar of laughter filled the room.

“You look like my next girlfriend. That’s hilarious.” Sully slapped his knee, shaking his head.

“It’s lame, that’s what it is,” she grumbled. “But no, nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Okay, what happened next?” I asked, jotting down a few things on my pad of paper. So far, there was nothing in her story that seemed out of place. And while there were a few added details, she hadn’t mentioned anything of note thus far. Though having read her report at least a dozen times since Quinn had sent it over, I knew the hard part was yet to come.

“We went out onto the floor all togetherand started dancing. We stayed out there for a while, ignoring any guys who dared to bother us. I think one of the girls must have talked to Kerri before they arrived, because her attitude was at least a bit better. It was fun, actually. It got my mind off of—” She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes growing sad and her mouth drawing into a thin, tight line.

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