Page 11 of Shattered
CHAPTER 4
Mel
The police came swiftly, sirens blaring and alerting the entire neighborhood that something bad had happened. I put on a large sweatshirt with a hood to hide myself when I went to answer the door.
They prodded Colin with different instruments. Outlining where his body lay. Flashing cameras to document the exact aftermath. It was fascinating to watch, and worse that nothing seemed to stir inside of me. Colin was dead, a man I had lived with for years, a person I had once considered a friend. But I felt nothing. Nothing as they put him in a large black bag, zipping him tight, carrying him out like he was a sack of bricks. Not even the rage that had almost consumed me when I watched Aldrich die.
A part of me wished I had helped. Handed the killer the rope. Given Colin the payback for wounding me years ago. But I buried that thought deep inside of me, under the weight of nothingness, not letting it come out.
I probably should have been better about answering Detective Foreman’s questions. But as this was the second time we were doing this in less than twenty-four hours, I didn’t have the patience or the energy to try.
“So you were sleeping when you heard a strange noise?” Detective Foreman asked.
“No,” I said for what seemed like the fifth time, “I wasn’t sleeping. I was lying there when I heard a noise and I went to go investigate.”
“Why weren’t you sleeping?”
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately.”
“Something keeping you awake? Guilty conscience?”
I glared at him. What the hell was he implying? “I’ve never had great sleeping habits. But thanks for the concern, Detective.”
He was acting more accusatory than usual. How could I subtly remind him that I was part of the Dahlia District, and therefore protected from most prosecutions by the local mob?
“And you said you didn’t see the man at all?” he asked.
A vision filled my head, of his masked face looking down at me, with those bulbous eyes reflecting an eerie stillness. The metal over his mouth. That strange voice. Mechanical, eerie, and undoubtedly male. The power he had over me in a few short moments.
“No,” I said. I shook my head. I stuck to my gut; it was almost true. “It was too dark.”
“Too dark with or without the hood?”
“Both,” I said.
“Where’s the hood now?”
“I don’t know,” I said. I looked around as if it might be tossed on the ground, but we were in the living room, and I had this feeling that the killer hadn’t even been in this room at all. “He must have taken it with him.”
“What makes you think it was a man?”
I scowled at him. “Because I could feel his dick get hard when he was holding me down, Detective.”
That shut him up for a minute. He buried his nose into his notepad and I crossed my arms.
“Please tell me this will be finished up before work,” I muttered.
“Work is tomorrow evening?” he asked. “Definitely, Ms. Foley.”
I rolled my eyes. It was a sarcastic statement. But thanks again, Detective.
Once they were gone, I checked my phone. Dahlia had texted me, reminding me about our agreement. I sent back a response that, Yes, I knew I had a shift, with too many smiley faces to be sincerely happy.
I heard about your roommate, she sent next.My condolences. I’ve contacted our protectors about the situation. And remember, you’re always welcome to move in.
I groaned at the phone, then decided to ignore it. She didn’t care about Colin’s death, nor about my legal safety beyond the fact that I was a product that she couldn’t sell in jail. Our protectors? Hah! Ourhandlers, making sure thatwenever stepped out of line. She didn’t want me to move in; she simply wanted to cut another portion of my income, especially with the new club member seeking me out.
But I did need money to pay next month’s rent, especially if Colin was gone.
