Hollow Nights (Deziel Book One)

Preparation

Katie Marron could not shake off the images of the night before. The symbol, the body, the head leaning underneath the armpit. Everything just seemed so confusing. Yet that boy, Deziel, seemed to be able to discern ninety percent of the crime scene in an hour. That was an amazing feat, even for someone of her caliber. Yet, he was so young. Only sixteen years of age, witnessing something of that gruesome nature and not even being slightly fazed by it. It seemed out of place. 

Her brother, Commissioner Alex Marron had already assigned her a job for the next day. It called for her to interrogate a man they believed to be the killer. A man going by the name of James Craven. Katie was handed a file about the accused at the scene, which she flicked through on this very sunny, winter morning. Her calm, cool brown eyes scanned the pages as she ate her breakfast, absorbing every word. It read: 

James Craven

Age: 24

Sex: Male

Occupation: None.

Income: Government Funding. 

Spouse: Deceased as of 26 July 2012. 

Children: None.

Past Offences: Once threatened wife with a butcher's knife. 

                             Three counts of theft.

                             One account armed robbery.

                             Sexual harrassment charges. Released. 

                             One count of rape. Released. Innocent. 

Katie looked over at the mugshot of James that sat in the centre of her dining table. He was a scruffy, dirty-looking man, with a prickly beard that looked as if it had been dipped in red paint towards the tips. It was odd for someone to dye their beards. Considering that James looked as cruel as his criminal record conveyed, Katie guessed nothing was seen as strange in his soul-piercing blue eyes. Her cereal had gone soggy, drinking up the milk in large gulps until it looked like a small puddle. 

The rapping at her door caused Katie to jump, almost spilling her glass of orange juice onto the confidential document. Tying up her dressing gown, Katie answered the door to find Deziel. The boy glared at her through his hair. He was no longer dressed in his vest, instead he wore a black t-shirt with neon-green lines scribbled over it. 

"Did I scare you?" He smirked, eyeing her dressing gown, perplexed. "Your brother told me to come here at midday. I decided to come earlier. Guess I came too early." Katie scorned. "Can I come in?" She moved aside, letting Deziel pass. He gawked at the house's entrance corridor, as if he had never seen something of its like before. It was arched, coloured white, pictures of Katie's childhood hung on the walls. 

"You know," Katie said, trying to hold back the disappointment. "I prefer to be warned before visitors come by. Especially when they come early!" She stopped him from intervening, his mouth left in a small O. "Deziel, it's bloody 9 o'clock in the morning. I have been forced to come back to work early since last night's debarcle and now, you have the smallest amount of respect to come three hours before you were told!" She walked up the stairs and into her bedroom, locking the door. She undid her gown, hanging it up. As she did, she could hear Deziel's heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Katie was disgruntled at the fact that she couldn't have a shower, too afraid of the teenage curiosities that stood outside her door. 

"What's the plan? Go in there, question him and go home?" Deziel asked. 

"Pretty much." Katie said as she pulled the aqua coloured shirt over her head. "Interrogating is much more than just questioning. You must also observe them. Everyone reacts differently to different questions or answers." Deziel scoffed. 

"Who is it we will be interrogating?" 

"A man named James Craven."

"Anything interesting we should know first?" Silence. It was as if Deziel had asked a rather obvious question. 

"His wife was the first Ichabod Crane victim..."