Page 19 of The Raven
Based on the evidence gathered, the investigation findsthatupon discovering his partner was having an affair with multiple men, Eric Mills murdered Raven Blackwood in a fit of rage before taking his own life. No further persons are sought concerning the deaths of Mills and Blackwood, and this investigation is now closed.
My tears fell, silently gliding down my cheeks like a waterfall. I hadlimited memories of my life with Eric, but I knew how happy we had been in the moments before Grim broke in and destroyed us. I couldfeelthe love we held for each other, and I knew without questionthatEric would never have hurt me.
Like I was in tune with Mason, my body relaxed when I sensed himlingering by the door. I brushed my tears away, but there was no brushing away the wordsthatwere now etched in my brain.
I put the report down and turned to face him. He was leaning againstthe jamb, watching me. His shirt and pants were rumpled from where he’d been asleep, his hair mussed, and dark shadows circled his eyes. He lookedjustas exhausted as he did before falling asleep.
“You think Eric was responsible?”I accused.
“No. I never thoughtthat,”he replied. He met my eyes, his warm brownorbs filled with sympathy.“My boss wrotethatreport.”I glanced down at the report, finding it signed off by Lieutenant A. Brenner.“Brenner is a coward. He took the easy option of blaming Eric so he didn’t have to risk dealing with the Vipers.”
“Why didn’t you fight against it? If you never thought Eric was toblame, why didn’t you fight for the truth?”My words choked as the betrayal flowed through my veins.
Mason sighed, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the worldhadjustlanded on them.“Can I show you something?”
I held his stare, unsure if I could deal with any more heartache. But Iwanted to understand how the hell justice hadn’t been served. If I understoodthat, maybe I’d understand why I was trapped in this nightmare.
I prowled toward him, his wary eyes tracking me as if I were a predator heneeded to be afraid of. When I reached him, I raised my hands, ready to put them against his temple to see what he wanted to show me.
“No, I mean,showyou,“he said, stepping out of my reach, but gentlytaking one of my hands.
Warmth gathered where our fingers connected, spreading up my armand through my body, making it feel like I was being bathed in sunlight on a hot summer day. For a second, neither of us moved; instead, we stared deeply into each other’s souls.
An image flashed through my head. A snapshot of two young children: aboy with brown hair, the color of Mason’s, and a girl with straight, jet black hair like mine, the two of them were running on a beach, kicking up sand and giggling as waves crashed behind them.
It didn’t feel like a memory, and it didn’t make sense. The childrenwere no part of what had happened on Halloween almost a year ago, so why were their smiling faces seared into my brain like I knew who they were?
Shaking my head, I tore my eyes away from Mason, breaking thetrance we’d fallen into. The image receded into the far corner of my brain for me to worry about another time.Ifit was relevant at all, I didn’t know how this memory-reading ability I possessed worked.
Mason led me down a small hallway with my hand still clasped in his.When we reached a closed door, he paused, looking at me before returning his gaze to the door.“Hopefully this can explain everything,”he said cryptically.
He dropped my hand as he pushed the door open and stepped aside,allowing me to enter. Stunned into silence, I studied the room, my brows almost disappearing into my hairline from how wide my eyes had grown.
The walls weren’t visible because they’d been plastered with police reports,crime scene photographs, mug shots, and what looked like surveillance pictures of the Vipers.
Various lengths of string were pinned to the wall, linking documents toother pieces of information, while sticky notes with questions in bold red writing were placed sporadically across the reports.
The evidence board looked like something right out of a TV show,and I raked my eyes over every inch of the walls, trying to make sense of the information pinned there.
“What is this?”I asked with awe in my voice.
Mason moved to stand next to me, his arms brushing against mine.“Everything I could find out about the Vipers. Every crime I’m certain they committed and got away with. Every witness they’ve intimidated to stop from giving evidence. Every cop I believe is in bed with them, helping them to get away with every single crime they’ve committed.”
My mind whirled as I gawked at the walls. It must have taken Masonmonths,if not longer, to gather all the information, and I wondered how much of it had actually been obtained while he was on duty.
“I never gave up, Raven,”he said softly. I turned to face him, my guttwisting at the helplessness in his eyes.“I never gave up on getting justice for you, and for Eric. And I was determined to never give up until I saw all six of those cunts behind bars for the rest of their lives, but I guess I don’t need to worry aboutthatnow.”
His lips lifted into a small smirk, andeventhough there was a hint ofhumor to his tone, it didn’t lighten the somber mood.
“Why?”I asked, needing to know why he was so determined to solvemy case when itseemedevery other cop in Hadleigh Peak had agreed so easilythatEric was responsible.
Slowly, Mason raised his hand and lifted a few strands of my hairfrom where it was draped over my shoulder. His gaze focused on where he rubbed it between his fingers, almost as if he was convincing himselfthatI wasreallythere.
Butterflies went crazy in my belly as I watched him, and without meaningto, my eyes dropped to his lips, wondering what it would feel like to have them pressed against mine.
Pulling his focus away, he tucked the hair behind my ear.“Because-”Theshrill ring of his phone from his back pocket cut off whatever he was about to say. He closed his eyes briefly and muttered a curse.“One of these days, I’m going to throwthatfucking phone out the window.”
I smiledeventhough disappointment was thrumming through me,but I wasn’t sure if it was because he hadn’t answered my question or because of the loss of contact as he stepped away to answer his phone.
