Mystery Loves Company

Chapter 62 - File #6.17: The Detective's Wife

Avery

A day before Election Day, everybody was gushing out about it. Some students made a small group to debate which candidate should be the better mayor—something I had seen for the last two months. One said that Jennings would give the town a fresh look, while the other argued that Rickard would be a great long-term leader. Besides, all the news surrounding Norris' case served as negativity for Jennings. Noel and Jake's sacrifice did so little to the result, but at least it turned the positions for a while.

It was only after lunch when a shocking news broke through. Everyone was on their phones and made some little discussion groups in the cafeteria. I took a bottle of water, and the girls before me were staring at me.

Danna approached me and slightly pulled me away from people's view. "Have you checked the news?"

"Why? Your dad gets more votes?" It sounded so mean, but Danna never read news unless it's about celebrity or her father.

"No. It's your dad," she whispered, "or so I think."

The water bottle slipped out of my hand—I didn't bother to pick it up because she said something that was supposed to be a secret. I hastily took out my phone and checked the news outlets.

Apparently, Chief had announced that Leonard Pierce would officially be charged for Michael Norris' murder.

"...a husband to Vivian Kane, Mr. Norris' colleague for the mayoral campaign of Peter Jennings," Chief Snell clearly stated.

My hands were shaking. No... this is not happening.

"Is that true?" asked Danna, but I didn't feel like answering anything.

Getting out of the cafeteria, it gradually got worse as the students were looking at me. Whispers, giggles, even words like 'she cheated to get A's, you know' could be heard along the hallway. It was painful to even reach my locker.

The rest of the day was awful. I couldn't even feel confident to answer any of the teachers. From the usual 'give another student a chance' to 'what do you think, Avery?'. They never asked my opinion before because I always answered. It meant I was extremely quiet today.

Having a murderer's daughter in school was certainly more interesting than having a future mayor's daughter for them. Everywhere I went, their gazes followed me.

The reporters were already in front of my school, but they weren't here for Jake this time. They were here for me.

"Avery, a word on Leonard Pierce?"

"Look here, Avery!"

"Avery, is it true you haven't met your father since you were born?"

All these ridiculous questions showered at me when I was trying to get through them. I knew what Jake was feeling that time—scared, anxious, and annoyed. How did they even come up with the theory that I never knew my father?

If eight years ago Mom didn't follow Norris' advice to leave Havenbrook, I would probably feel the same way back then. I tried so hard to lay low all this time because I knew that it wouldn't be flowers and rainbows once someone found a connection between me and the murder suspect. And it was just a matter of time until everyone knew about that night.

I took a bus home, and I would never be more grateful to see that my house wasn't swarmed by reporters yet.

When I opened the front door, I heard the sound of another door slammed hard. I saw my mother appearing behind the partitions that led to the corridor to our rooms.