Melanie was positioned inside a room that served as an interrogation area, her handcuffs preventing her from maneuvering her limbs freely. She then witnessed the entry of a police officer into the room, upon which her eyes immediately shifted to reveal a look of disdain and exasperation as she awaited the start of the questioning.
"Well, first I thought you were just stepping up your game. Credit card fraud, breaking and entering, and this one... puzzled me." The officer began by listing off a set of illegal activities, expressing a sense of confusion regarding the escalation of the nature of the alleged crimes. "Grave desecration. But still these are a long way from murder." The officer concluded by mentioning the most severe criminal charges that the siblings were facing, with the exception of the murder they did not actually commit. "But I gotta tell you something. You look pretty healthy to me."
Melanie maintained a state of silence, responding to the comment with both a derisive frown and a dismissive gesture, indicating her resentment towards the accusation and its implications.
"So now we know that Karen Giles was not the first individual you murdered." The officer stated, alluding to the fact that he was under the impression that the pair of siblings had already committed similar criminal acts beforehand.
"But I guarantee you that she will be the last." The officer surmised. He stood up and exited the room, leaving behind a tense and unsettling atmosphere that persisted even after his departure.
Melanie permitted herself to utter a sigh, her breath revealing the underlying tension and emotional distress that she was experiencing. She then proceeded to close her eyes, seemingly seeking to shield herself from the harsh realities that surrounded her with a veil of darkness and solitude.
Hours later, Melanie remained with her head lowered and engaged in a continuous stream of internal monologue.
"Dana Shulps, Dana Shulps. Maybe it's not a name." She spoke to herself, her voice indicating uncertainty and speculation as she mulled over the possibility of Dana Shulps being more than just a name.
The sound of a gentle knock at the door prompted Melanie to look up from the state of introspection that she had been in, and her curiosity was piqued as she witnessed the emergence of a smiling middle-aged man whose head was partially visible through the cracked open doorway.
"Ms. Winchester?" The man asked, his voice conveying a tone of politeness as he identified the recipient of the message.
"Yeah." Melanie affirmed, acknowledging that she was indeed the individual referred to in the question and raising one eyebrow in a gesture of suspicion and curiosity.
"I'm Jeffrey Kraus. I'm with the public defender's office. I'm your lawyer." The man explained, conveying a sense of professionalism as he introduced himself and revealed his role.
"Oh, thank God." Melanie responded sarcastically, indicating her skepticism and disbelief by providing an ironic response to the situation and indicating that she had hoped for a different attorney to be assigned to her. "Hey, could you, uh, borrow me a pen? Some paper?" Melanie requested from the attorney.
"Sure." He responded immediately, readily handing over the requested items to her. Melanie took possession of the provided pen and paper, and she proceeded to start writing.
"Uh, well, the police haven't found a weapon yet. So that's good. But, uh, they got your prints. And literally blood on your hands. And with your police record, uh..." The attorney expressed a mixture of optimism and pessimism as he evaluated the circumstances surrounding the case, expressing both hopefulness and despair as he did so. He then turned to Melanie as she remained focused on her writing, noticing her tendency to ignore his words. "Ms. Winchester?" His voice rising in volume, he attempted to elicit her attention.
