33
G abriel stood beside the police officer, recounting the chaotic events that transpired. His eyes darted to where Roman lay as paramedics worked on him with urgency. Just a few feet away, another team bent over Lily, their expressions tense. A heartbeat monitor beeped steadily, an anchor in the whirlwind of activity.
In a blur of motion, stretchers were wheeled out. Roman’s pale face was barely visible under the oxygen mask, and Lily’s limp form was carefully maneuvered into the second ambulance. Emily climbed in with Roman, gripping his hand tightly, her whispered words of encouragement barely audible over the sirens. As the ambulances sped away, their flashing lights disappearing into the night, a heavy silence settled over the house. Gabriel stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the blood-splattered room, the chaotic scene now eerily still.
Detective Johnson broke the silence, bringing Gabriel back to the present. “We need you to come to the station for an interview,” he said, his tone firm but measured.
Gabriel nodded. “Just let me check on the kids and tell them where I’m going.”
When Gabriel reached the top of the stairs, he said, “You can come out now, boys.”
The boys’ doors swung open, and they rushed to their father’s side, embracing him tightly.
“You’re okay,” Hunter said, visibly relieved. “I thought you were shot.”
Gabriel hugged them back. “I’m fine, boys. I’m okay.”
“Where’s Emily?” Hayden asked anxiously. “Is she alright?”
“Emily’s fine,” Gabriel reassured him. “I need to go down to the police station for a while, but I’ll be back as soon as possible. In the meantime, I need you to watch your sister.”
“Dad, what’s going on? We heard gunshots,” Hunter said, his voice trembling with concern.
“There was an intruder,” Gabriel replied, trying to keep his voice steady.
“Did you shoot them? I didn’t even know you owned a gun,” Hunter said, confused.
“No, I didn’t shoot anyone,” Gabriel clarified.
“Then who did? Dad, I don’t understand what’s happening. This is the second time someone has broken into our house.”
Gabriel sighed. “I can’t explain everything right now; the police are waiting for me. I promise I’ll tell you everything when I get back. Just keep an eye on your sister, and whatever you do, don’t mention any of this to her. It will scare her. I got to go.” Gabriel said, heading down the stairs.
At the police station, Gabriel was escorted into an interrogation room. Detective Johnson gestured towards a chair and said, “Sit tight. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Detective Martin was lying on the couch, having just dozed off in front of the television, when the phone rang and woke him up. He grabbed the phone off the coffee table and answered sleepily, “Yeah.”
Detective Johnson said, “I think you might want to come to the station.”
Martin rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“Gabriel Anderson was just brought in for questioning.”
This caught Martin’s attention. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the couch. “By whom? That’s my case.”
“By Detective Sullivan, he responded to a shooting incident at the Anderson residence this evening. One person has been confirmed dead, and another is critically injured. I’m about to interview Gabriel and thought you might want to join me.”
Martin sprang to his feet. “I’m on my way,” he said.
Shortly after that, Detective Martin burst into the interrogation room, where Detective Johnson was questioning Gabriel. He quietly took a seat beside Detective Johnson and listened as Gabriel explained. “Yes, I’ve already told you. Lily and I were in a relationship. It wasn’t anything serious, at least not for me.”
“Just to be clear, this was a sexual relationship, correct?”
Gabriel tilted his head at the detective and said, “What do you think?”
“And how long had this relationship been going on?”
Gabriel threw his arms up, “I don’t know. About a year, I guess.”
“And did Maggie or Emily know about Lily?
Gabriel shook his head, “No.”
“Okay, and back to this evening. Why was Lily at your house?”
“I ended things with her and blocked her number. When she couldn’t reach me, she showed up at my house. She said she loved me and insisted we could finally be together now that Maggie was out of the picture and Emily was going to prison. I told her she was crazy and that we would never be together. That’s when she pulled a gun on me.”
“Do you own a gun, Mr. Anderson?”
“No.”
“Did you shoot Lily?”
“No.”
“Who did?”
“Roman.”
“What was Roman doing there?”
“I don’t know. Emily must have called him.”
“What happened when he arrived at the house?”
“Lily was holding me at gunpoint with her back to him. He raised his gun and ordered her to lower hers, but she refused. She turned and fired at him, hitting him in the chest. He managed to get off a shot before going down.”
“And then what?”
“I called 911, performed CPR on Lily, and then applied pressure to Roman’s wound.”
“Do you think Lily was responsible for killing Maggie?”
“Yes. She admitted it.”
“And how did Lily know Maggie?”
“The ransom note said she was watching Emily. She must have known Emily was staying at the Ritz-Carlton. I guess she must have been at the bar that night and saw Emily confront Maggie.”
Looking at Gabriel with disgust, Detective Martin finally broke his silence. “You’re a real piece of shit, you know that? Do you realize the danger you put your family in?”
Gabriel hung his head. “I know.”
“Two women are dead because of you. A man is barely holding on to life. You may not have killed them, but you are the one responsible for their deaths.”
Tears welled up in Gabriel’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I never intended for any of this to happen.”
“Save your apologies for your wife,” Detective Martin stood abruptly, his voice filled with scorn. “I’m not buying any of this bullshit,” and left the room.
Detective Johnson followed him out of the room. Once they stepped into the hallway, Detective Martin turned to him and said, “I’m going home. Tomorrow, I’ll visit Maggie’s neighbor. I’ll show her a picture of Lily and see if she recognizes her.”
Detective Johnson patted his visibly shaken partner on the back. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some rest.”