Down By The River

Case Closed

Officer Myers shifts in his chair, hands clasped together, resting on the table. He glances at the person sitting opposite him.

"You killed Maeve Anderson. Why?"

Yvette Anderson looks down at her own hands, running a thumb against the silver handcuffs.

"How did you know?"

The man leans forward, picking up the small plastic evidence bag that sits on the table beside him.

"Recognise this?"

Yvette flinches.

"You used it to inject Eliah Finch, didn't you?"

The woman remains silent.

"Awfully smart of you. You stabbed Miss Anderson shortly after Amirah Quill left. When you heard Eliah coming, you hid, but not before you threatened her. I expect you told Maeve you'd kill poor Mr Finch if she said a word. You told her to throw the knife, and dispose of the evidence, and then, she would die by Finton Creek like you had intended."

The officer pauses briefly.

"Of course, you knew she would go to the creek. It's where she would meet Elijah. At the party, you spiked her drink with huge amounts of Codeine, causing the violent mood swings that had made her lash out at both Amirah and Adara in the first place. Then, you made your way to the creek, with a syringe full of Codeine, and a bottle of tablets too."

Yvette Anderson bites her lip anxiously.

"After you'd stabbed her, it was easy to make it look like you were never there. When Eliah refused to throw the knife, you injected him with the Codeine, knowing that it would knock him out for a short time. After all, he'd quit, his tolerance for the drug was at an all time low. Then all you had to do, was plant the tablets, and leave."

Steven Myers taps the empty Codeine bottle with his index finger.

"You knew that once Eliah had a taste, he wouldn't be able to resist more. In fact, you counted on it. He was an addict, attempting to get over the drug, and he easily succumbed to the temptation. You were smart. Smart enough to leave just enough to mess with his mind, but not enough to kill him. No, just enough to make him believe he killed your daughter."

The man stands, walking around the table towards her.

"And then, you played the grieving mother, and watched it all play out."

Yvette looks away.

"So tell me, what did she find out, that you had to kill her for?"

Running her finger faster along the handcuff, she bites the inside of her cheek.

"Did you know," she begins, "That Finton Creek tastes like blood."

Officer Myers stares at her in confusion.

"It's a folk-tale," she elaborates, "Maeve was obsessed with it. It became a code between her an Eliah. They used it as a way to say everything isn't what it looks like. Because it isn't."

Coughing, she glances over at the clock.

"Our family isn't exactly the richest in Finton. We were struggling financially. It's why I married Amirah's father. It wasn't enough though. I just wanted to live luxuriously. When Maeve's father was in the picture, we'd lived like royalty. So I stole. I found a way to drain some of the richest families' accounts into my own, and for some time, it was amazing. Until she found out. It was stupid, I hadn't closed the window on my laptop, and she saw it. She demanded I give back the money, or she would tell the town, but I couldn't give back the money. I just couldn't. So I killed her. I had to."

The man shakes his head at her.

"You're going to prison, Yvette, for the rest of your life if I can manage it."

She nods.

"Of course."

Officer Myers clears his throat.

"The money will be returned."

Yvette Anderson looks up at him one last time, before he turns away, locking the door of the cell behind him.