Happily Never After (sequel to Stolen Love)

Chapter 15

"Alex, think about it. The one suspect who refused to talk to us. The one suspect who would know how to kill someone, where to stab them. The one who knew Riley better than anyone and Riley would've trusted going with them into the woods." I could almost see the gears turning in Alex's head.

"Maya." He blurted out.

Alex and I headed out to make the arrest. We didn't have enough evidence to get a conviction, so we would need a confession.

As we made our way through the station I heard my name called.

"Detective Towning!" I looked over to see Sam sitting in a chair to my left.

"Sam, what are you doing here?"

"Maya sent me a text. I thought you should read it." He answered me and handed his phone over.

I stared down at the words scrawled across the screen. "I'm so sorry. It was my fault. I didn't realize what I was doing until it was too late. I didn't mean to hurt Riley."

"Sam, we're heading out right now, could you stay here and wait for us."

"Of course." He replied before Alex and I left the station.

-- At Maya's house --

Alex knocked on the door and we waited for someone to answer.

"Detective Towning? What are you doing here?" Maya answered.

"Could you come down to the station with us?"

"Of course. Can I ask why?" She asked as she stepped outside, closing the door behind her. She seemed so innocent.

"We have a few questions we need answered," I replied. We didn't have enough evidence to arrest her, I couldn't take her in without her consent.

-- In The Interrogation Room --

"I know what this is," Maya said angrily.

"And what is this." I tried to sound calm, I don't know how well I was doing.

"You want to arrest me because you think I killed my best friend but you don't have solid evidence. You need a confession." She paused before adding on "And you're not going to get one. At least not out of me."

"You talked to Sam about Riley," I stated for her.

"Is it a crime to talk about my best friend with another friend?" She said it sarcastically.

"You told him how you thought her life was perfect and she had everything you didn't." I paused to give her a chance to speak; instead, she ignored me and stared at the wall next to her. "I know how it feels. You felt trapped in Riley's shadow, there was no way of escaping. The only way out was to take her off the top." Her expression was plastered to her face. "You found out she was cheating, with your boyfriend. And that was it. The last straw. The moment that sent you over the edge." I paused again, her face never changing. "So you took her out to the woods, you were upset and Riley couldn't figure out why. You yell at her, and before you know it, you've slammed the knife into her lung. She falls back, the tension and the pressure you felt before is suddenly lifted. You feel free. But it's not for long. You quickly realize that you have a knife in your hand covered with your best friends blood, and a dead body lying on the ground in front of you. So you used the knowledge you have from every crime show, book, movie, and you got rid of the knife. You left, leaving Riley's body on the ground, and you went and got her varsity jacket. When you came back, you wrapped it around her, and you pushed her cold, lifeless body into the river." I finished and waited for Maya to speak, or show any form of emotion what-so-ever.