Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Good, because this isn’t even about me. I owe this to Ava… We owe it to the people of Portland. We owe them to finally get this right!”
White breathed heavily on the phone. Her heart was about to explode all the way out of her chest.
“Nikolai was the one who called us…”
“Yes, I found that out, but did he confess to anything at all, because I didn’t hear that with the little information I was able to dig up today?”
“No, not exactly. He called 911, saying a crime had been committed at his home. He was waiting there when the two responding officers arrived. They saw blood on him. Lots of blood. They immediately put him in cuffs once they realized he wasn’t injured, and the blood wasn’t his. He told them to go down into his basement. That’s where they found his hostage… and the box. They called for backup.”
She picked up a small notebook and pad, and began jotting notes.
“Now, who is the man he had down there? What’s his name?”
“We’re not sure yet. He had no identification. He was beaten up pretty badly though, and quite thin. Unwell. He’s unable to communicate. They put him in an induced coma due to swelling on his brain.”
“Okay, and what happened with Nikolai as he was being taken from the house? Did he act erratic?”
“No. He was calm, according to what was reported. He was asked a series of questions—was asked for his name, date of birth, things like that—and was then read his Miranda Rights. He went from his home with the arresting officers, without incident.”
“Any updates on Ethan? I can’t imagine him being off the hook considering the assault charge.”
“Right. Ethan is still in jail for the assault. He, too, has obtained an attorney, a public defender, but talked with us in great detail, expressing that he is not responsible for any murders. Not on the beach, or elsewhere. Nikolai, on the other hand, did not give an interview. He lawyered up pretty quickly, just as you said he would.” She smiled, though it wasn’t out of happiness. Once again, her gut had been right. “Nevertheless, during the interrogation, he said some things in Russian to the detective and we’re currently waiting for a professional Russian translator to interpret it. He’s been booked and presently being taken to Cumberland County Jail. He, uh, did say something interesting though during the interview, before he shut down.”
“What?”
“He said something to the effect of, he’d been doing our job, and he wasn’t going to do it anymore. Now, one could think he said that because most of the victims were drug abusers… and rumor has it that Nikolai Raven detested drug users. But maybe it’s something else? I’d like to know what he meant by that. I think that’s going to give us the missing pieces. I have a feeling you can help us find them.”
“May I have a copy of the interview?”
“Yeah. You do know though, because you’ve admitted to having an intimate relationship with him, I can’t officially keep you on this case, Porsche. Your name can’t be mentioned in any further documents from the date of his arrest. It could be used in court against us if he’s found guilty.”
“Yes, I know. So, I’ll do it unofficially. I don’t need any credit. I don’t need my name in the headlines or on a plaque. We’ll both know the truth. What I need is for these crimes to be solved, Captain. I need a resolution. I need justice for these families who had to bury their loved ones and were left with so many questions and no answers. That’s not justice. Justice doesn’t have to be loud and dramatic. It can be a mere whisper, but as long as that whisper is the truth and nothin’ but the truth, so help you God, then that’s good enough for me…”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The bitter cold of the whipping wind slapped her around and made her eyes sting. They watered up from the impact, so she put her head down, clasping her folders to her chest as she made her way back to her car. She sat in the driver’s seat and waved as several police cars departed from Nikolai’s house, which was now surrounded with yellow tape. Such a beautiful place, marred by the circumstances.
She wasn’t certain what she’d expected to feel stepping foot in there once again. All of her memories up until that point, under that roof, had been dreamlike. She’d walked around, trying to see everything with a detective’s eye—not from the perspective of a lover who’d had her heart crushed.
Things look pretty much the same… Despite a few broken plates and glasses in the kitchen, and the couch cushions and closets turned topsy-turvy from the police search, it felt the same in there, too.