Residue

5. Deception

Warning: mild language, reference to rape, violence. You have been warned.

Ephedra bolted upright. Hand in hand, hearts pounding, Eli and the girl walked to the door...

"Ephedra Alastor, come down to the station." She recognised that voice. It was Special Agent Emmett. "You'll need a lawyer. Lord knows how you'll escape this one..." Ephedra swallowed hard.

Eli insisted to go to the station with her. He had to wait in the reception. She was being held in a cell.

She did not speak at all. She did not want a lawyer. She did not know whether they would believe her anyway.

Special Agent Emmett walked in ten minutes after she was put there. He smiled apologetically at her.

"I know it is very early in the morning-"

"It is not even dawn yet."

He ignored her snippy retort, "But I have to follow procedures and ask you questions again. I'm sorry if they get too personal, but I need your full co-operation if you want to clear your name."

"Can I ask a question first?"

"Go ahead, Miss Alastor." He took a sip of his tea.

"Is your beverage lovely?" She cocked her head to the side. His eyebrows knitted together as his confusion was made apparent.

"Ye-" He began to cough. His eyes snapped up to her, widening as he tried to stand up and shuffle to get help.

"I do regret to inform you that sadly, we are shut out from the world. That CCTV is not recording, I swapped it to a tape of me just sitting in this room. Your friends are watching through that glass, however, you are simply drinking tea. You will drink it as if nothing is going on. Remain natural."

Special Agent Emmett needed to remain calm and took deep breaths. Panic would only spread whatever she put in his drink faster. He tried for a smile but it felt like his internal organs were slowly melting. "What did y-you put in there?" His eyes were turning red and a nerve in his temple was throbbing.

"My, my, Mr. Emmett... Can you move?" A smile twisted across the girl's face.

"What the fuck did you put in there God-damn it?!" His voice was sharp and dangerously low. He could barely get his words out. His cheeks hurt with the effort.

A tinkling laugh filled the small, dimly lit room. "I may or may not have put eight crushed hemlock leaves in your tea. How does it taste? I heard it is quite the appetiser," her laugh was venom to his ears.

His heart raced as he knew this was it. He did not have long left. His eyes quickly darted to the red dot on the tape to show it was not recording. His muscles already ached, he could not even press play to at least leave proof this monster killed him.

He laughed, dryly and lacking humour. "You are certainly clever. I have absolutely no proof you killed me. You look so innocent and sweet. Tell me how you did it."

"When you think about it, the police are not the brightest bunch. I paid one of my mother's dealers to ship me some dried hemlock and crushed it. I only had to carry it in a little plastic bag and use it at the appropriate time." Her black eyes were cruel: unforgiving, as she chuckled by herself.

"Why the drastic change in your personality, Miss. Alastor?" His face was flushed a bright scarlet. Foam accumulated around his mouth. Yet, he still remained as formal and polite as ever.

"I'm not Ephedra, you imbecile. That wimp gets too much attention these days. You're looking at the real genius behind all this!"

"Who are you?"