THE VELVET KILLERS III

(13) TWISTY TWISTING TWISTS

ALEXIA

My world was falling apart. 

Fresh off the hospital, where I asked for a reinforced security watch for Shelina and our daughter Alice, I got a call from Ana informing me that, one, Ingrid had disappeared and, two, Ona Batlle murdered Mrs Lehmann and her whole election campaign managers and sponsors. Rosella and Laura Feiersinger were found unconscious on the floor. 

Chaos was now reining in London, as the future mayor died just a week before the election, leaving a free way for her only rival, a humanitarian man that was way late in terms of electoral percentages. 

As soon as I get to Section 17, I run into Frida - or, rather, she is running right at me - as she starts saying, in a calm panic:

"We need to find her, Ale..."

"We will" I say, as a promise. 

The Swedish woman, who wasn't too fond in showing her emotions, had a hard time doing so whenever it comes to the woman she loves. But she doesn't say anything else, trying to remain calm, as I burst into the main room.

Ana, Lucy and Magda all turn around, as I waste no time in saying:

"What have you got?"

"Surveillance cameras clearly show Batlle firing a machine gun - same bullets that were used to the hit-and-run with Alisha Lehmann - but then no sign of her outside the building or anywhere in London and surroundings. We tried to get fingerprints or clues, but we've got nothing yet."

"It's not good enough" I coldly say, as Ana nods her head. 

Lucy and Magda exchange a concerned look, before the British woman continues: 

"Kadidiatou Diani is one of the employees missing: cameras show her pointing a gun at Rosella Ayane and Laura Feiersinger, so we can safely assume she is working with Batlle. Furthermore, we brought Feiersinger in for questioning, she's ready whenever you are."

"Where is Ayane? I need to talk to her" I declare.

"She's in your office already, boss" Magda says, nodding her head.

"We need to keep working, and two times harder : Ona Batlle is not invisible, she will make a mistake at some point, and we need to catch her as fast as possible, before she makes other casualties."

My three colleagues nod, before Ana immediately walks into the interrogation room to join Feiersinger, while I walk toward my office. I am stopped in my motion when I realise someone else just walked into the police station. 

My sister is here, looking at me with her hands raised, showing me as an act of good faith that she wasn't armed. I hadn't seen her since the wedding, and I would lie if I said it didn't do anything to me: she looks more tired than she usually does, with dark circles under her eyes and her facial features deeply marked. 

Quite immediately, Lucy takes her gun out and points it straight to her face. Without hesitation, I get in between the agent and my sister, before ordering:

"Gun down, Agent Bronze."

"But, Ale-"

"I said, gun down. Please carry on with Ayane's interrogation while I have a chat with my sister, will you?"

Quite reluctantly and by throwing me a deadly glare, Lucy ends up putting her gun back in its case, before angrily walking away and closing the door behind her in a bang. Meanwhile, Magda had understood that she had to go back to work, so she quietly exits the room. I make a clear enough yet silent sign to Mapi so that she'd follow me away from curious and deadly gazes, in another interrogation room.