Revelations

Then

"Mom doesn't want us to talk anymore," Kayla whispered.

I clutched the phone to my ear. I was at the police station, again, being questioned. The detective had let me take a break, and I needed to hear my sister's voice.

"You know I didn't do this," I said.

"We moved," she told me. "I'm sorry, but Mom doesn't feel safe in the house anymore."

"You mean she doesn't feel safe with me," I said angrily. "And neither do you."

"Nina."

"I have to go," I said quietly, and ended the call.

The detective slipped out of the interrogation room, looked at me, and nodded. "We're going to need you back in here, Miss Bentley."

"Can I get some coffee first?" I asked.

"Of course. We'll continue the questioning once you're settled."

**


"My memory of that night is a little fuzzy," I said as I sat back down. "But I didn't kill my father. I keep telling everyone I'm innocent. But the last detective, he didn't believe me."

He consulted his notes. "That was Detective Harris. He can be a little gruff."

"A little?" I said. "He sounded like he wanted to burn me at the stake."

Detective Gellar chuckled. "He can be a bit much, I've learned." He flipped through the file he held. "I've gone through your other statement, and I think that's all I need for right now. I'll be in touch, okay?"

I nodded. "Sure."

As I stood to leave, his voice stopped me.

"For the record, I believe you."