Working the Case

26

𖤍𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚗𖤍

A long time goes by before I get to see Evie again. I didn't get to talk to her after help arrived.

Instead, I was immediately taken away by a couple of familiar cops. They took me to the hospital even though I pointed out I was completely fine. It was nothing I couldn't have cleaned up at the inn.

Officer Lark flicked me in my forehead when I told him I was completely fine. Almost immediately, white hot pain shot through my head. He laughed when I pulled away immediately.

He's always been a bit of a jerk. Smart ass too. Especially in high school.

I'm not even allowed to leave immediately after they put a bandage on my forehead and check out my ribs. Agent Adler and Agent Beckett ask to talk to me before I can go.

I huff, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed that they won't let me get out of. "Why're you talking to me?" I ask.

"We just want to know what happened." Agent Beckett reasons. "Your side."

I press my lips together, wondering if my next question is stupid or not. Could it get me in trouble?

"Where's Agent Hopkins?"

Neither of them even blink at my question. They expected it, probably. "You can't talk to her about it." Beckett sighs. "Well—" He glances at the ceiling. "You can, it just won't be official and that's what we need, so—"

"Tell us what happened." Agent Adler interrupts him to ask me again.

I sigh deeply before I begin telling them what happened. We were arguing about something 'stupid' at the inn. I tried walking away, but he hit me with something when I did.

The next thing I knew, I was tied up in the cabin. I tell them about what happened before Evie got there, and after.

She got close to him. Tried to get him to put the gun down. She tried to go for it, but he pulled away. I took a chance that probably wasn't mine to take, and tackled him to the ground to try to get the gun away from him so Evie could arrest him.

I didn't actually mean to shoot him. He kept trying to turn the gun on me, so I grabbed the barrel and turned it away from me.

I pulled the trigger by accident when I turned it away and ended up hitting him. Or maybe he pulled the trigger. I don't know.

"You're sure it was an accident?"

I pause at the question. "Yes." I scoff quietly, staring back at Agent Beckett. Agent Beckett doesn't look convinced.

"It was self defense." Agent Adler offers. "It's clean if it wasn't on purpose. You just need to tell us."

"It wasn't." I insist. Sure, I wanted to kill Will—still do—but I didn't do it on purpose.

Agent Adler pauses for a long minute, but he eventually nods. "Okay." He accepts. "If you'd like, I can get Evie in here." He offers. I nod at him, so they both turn and leave the room.

It's not until the door closes behind them before I realize he called her Evie. He didn't say Agent Hopkins like how he usually has when I ask for her.