Fuming, Ava closed the folder.
"This can't be true."
"Evidence doesn't lie."
"My brother is a Private Investigator. His clients are— "
"He was seen in Valdez a couple of days before the latest victim disappeared."
"He travels a lot. "
"Really? Then explain why he was also seen in the place where the rest of the victims were believed to have stayed?"
"This— " she waved the folder before throwing it on the space next to her. "All circumstantial." Her brother worked as a PI. Most of his clients were married people who asked him to follow their partners to see if they were cheating on them.
"Exactly. That is why we have a few people on the list."
Ava looked at Matthew. "The reason why it took you too long to give it to me… was it because of my brother?"
Matthew said nothing. But his silence already confirmed everything.
"Phil would never hurt my mother."
That was simply impossible. There was no way Phil could hurt their mother.
"I grew up with him." She added. Phil was always supportive and protective of her and Gabriella. As a child, Ava grew up like a nerd. She liked to read and didn't really like to wear trendy clothes. Because of this, many people bullied her.
And Phil was always there for her.
He was always sweet and caring.
Just like an older brother.
There must be some mistake in Matthew's information.
She eyed his serious expression. However, she couldn't spot any doubt in him. Matthew was confident about the information that he had.
"There's no way that— Phil wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Your brother's record in the military says otherwise."
"You have— "
"I was trying to be thorough."
Speechless, she shook her head. Impossible. This is just impossible. Phil wouldn't hurt a fly! He was the sweetest person that she knew.
"I— "
"I won't see you out," Ava uttered in a low voice. She needed time to think about everything.
"I knew this would happen," he sighed. "I truly wish I could have done something."
She lowered her head and eyed the file. Yes, she also wished she could do something about it.
...
It had been hours since Matthew left.
But Ava never left the couch. She sat there frozen as she stared at the information about Phil. A part of her couldn't believe it. But the CCTV that Matthew provided was enough to make her doubt her initial beliefs.
Phil was indeed seen around the places where the victims were last seen.
But it didn't prove anything.
She convinced herself that it was all a coincidence.
How could Phil hurt those people?
Phil knew that Gabriella was a witch since he was young. He saw Gabriella practice magic and would even help Gabriella in some of her potions. The man grew up with two witches and even married another witch!
How could he hurt other witches?
When Ava realized that she had been sitting on the couch for hours, it was already dark outside. The fire from the fireplace was long gone and the house settled into an uncomfortable silence that could make anyone shiver.
She got up and added more wood so she could start a fire.
And that's when she heard it.
A low guttural growl that she thought came from the second floor of the house.
She eyed the stairs and gulped. She couldn't sense anyone outside or inside the house aside from herself. The absence of the buzzing sound means no one, not a shifter or human was around the house.
She slowly got up.
CREAKKKK…
The sound should come from the older floorboards. The ones that they haven't renovated yet. Her mother's room.
Weirdly enough, her heart didn't thunder against her chest. She felt completely calm, confident even. This was her house. Another witch wouldn't just walk inside another witch's house.
When another floorboard creaked, she frowned. She tiptoed and slowly made her way into the second floor using the stairs.
The absence of light wasn't really a problem for Ava as she could clearly see in the dark. Just one of the weird abilities that she had. Witches aren't supposed to have these abilities and she knew better than to announce this to everyone.
Only Gabriella was aware of her abilities and now that she's dead, no one else knew how she had been like this since she was… seven.
She chewed on her bottom lip, as she observed the surroundings. Still no buzzing, still no indication that someone or something was around her.
However, the creaking didn't stop.
For some reason, she felt like someone was walking inside her mother's room. Her hand lingered towards the doorknob for a few seconds.
Since she had arrived, she hadn't been in her mother's room yet. Was it because she was scared? The answer was No.
As a witch, Ava was never scared of ghosts or spirits or other people who lived in another dimension.
Rather, she didn't want to see her mother's belongings. She didn't want to see the beige interior, the familiar bed, the floorboards, the windows, her crystals, and candles. She was almost certain that the room still smelled of her mother.
This time, her pulsed race. Despite the cold, her hand started sweating.
When another floorboard creaked, she abruptly turned the knob and pushed open the door.
Nothing.
The room was still mostly covered with white sheets.
SWOOOSSSHHHH….
The sudden chill coming from the open window made her shiver. Approaching the window, she immediately realized that one of the panes had a small hole in it. Below the window, pieces of glass lay undisturbed.
A small rock can be seen just a few steps away from the glass.
Judging from the dust inside the room, she concluded that the glass had been broken for some time now. Seeing the hole up close, she realized that it wasn't that big. It was just enough for her pinky.
She looked outside and saw nothing but trees covered in blankets of snow.
Kids.
No footsteps. No signs that someone was inside the room.
Sighing, she roamed her eyes around the room. However, her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a low buzzing sound coming towards the house.
"V? Are you here?"
It was Phil, her brother.