Detective Stark leaned back in his chair, the weight of the past few hours pressing down on him. He stared at the files spread across the table, photographs of the crime scene, witness statements, and Serena's trembling figure replaying in his mind. Every instinct told him she was innocent, but the evidence had to align in order to appease the masses.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally made his decision. He sighed, rising from his seat to head back to the interrogation room, his resolve hardening within his heart.
When Stark entered, he found Serena still sitting there, her head hung low, her eyes vacant and hollow from despair. He took a moment to observe her—the fear written on her face, the raw vulnerability she wore. There was no hint of malic nor deceit in her helpless demeanor.
"Serena," he said, his voice firm yet gentle, "I've been looking over the evidence. I think it's time we talk about your phone."
She looked up, her eyes blank and raw "My phone?" She says softly.
Stark nodded, sliding a folder toward her. "You see, your phone was recovered at the scene. We were able to extract some data, including timestamps and location services. It shows that you were nowhere near your home at the time we believe your parents were killed." He reassures her, watching every inch of movement.
Her breath caught in her throat, maybe she should have been happy. But not a second had she stopped to think about the hefty sentence about to be placed on her head. There is no longer a home for her to return to. She will never see the smiling face of her father, or the hopeful look of her mother ever again. Only flashes of the smoke-filled kitchen. Accompanied by the startling sensation of tripping what she now knew to be her mother's dismembered arm.
"Stark shifted, his expression deepening with sincerity. "We have footage of you entering the grocery store at 6:15 PM and leaving at 6:30 PM. Then at 6:40pm you were seen chatting with a man by the old library. The coroner estimates your parents were killed around 6:40 PM."
"Listen, Serena," Stark continued, his voice steady. "I need you to tell me everything you remember leading up to that. Your movements, who you were with. Any details you can give us may help us catch whoever did this. You are no longer a suspect; you're a key witness."
Serena didn't say anything more, taken away once again. She felt as if time had warped, dragging her through a surreal landscape of anxiety and confusion. Rather than being confined in an empty cell, she found herself in a waiting room. She tried her best to grasp any pieces of information that might free her from this tiredness but found only silence invading her thoughts.
Her mind swayed, desperate for clarity, for an explanation of where she was and what had happened. Just as panic began to bubble up beneath her otherwise dejected body., snippets of conversation broke the quiet intensity of the room. Two strangers sat a few chairs away, their hushed tones carrying like mosquitos in the ear.
"Have you heard what happened with The Oracle?" one of them said, glancing around as if expecting someone to overhear.
"Another group was found dead," the other replied, voice low.
"How many this time?" the first stranger pressed, curiosity mingling with dread.
"Three, I think." The second shrugged, their face drawn and pale. "They were just kids, you know? Freshmen from the university. No connection to anything... just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"What do you think it means?" The first stranger asked, their eyes darting nervously around the waiting room. "People are saying it's a sign… that The Oracle is trying to send a message."
"A message? Or are they just trying to scare us?" the second replied, "It's hard to know what's real anymore."