8. Evelyn
8
Evelyn
T he air was thick with tension as the chief investigator and two officers from the Supernatural Law Enforcement Agency, SLEA for short, stood before us in Alister’s grand living room. Upon seeing me with my wings, all their eyebrows shot up.
One of the officers, a woman with sharp features and a hawkish gaze, remarked dryly, “What are those?”
“Wings.”
“I can see that.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Unusual for a witch, no?”
“Yes, I’ve been manifesting additional powers lately.”
Her partner, a man with a broad build and a no-nonsense demeanor, let out a whistle. “Coincidental timing, is it not?”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.
The chief investigator, a seasoned-looking man with streaks of gray in his hair, interjected, “Let’s sit down and you can recount the event to us.”
We all sat on the sofas—Alister and Chad beside me, Rafe and Lucien on chairs, and the officers on the sofa facing us.
I recounted the events of the night, staying as close to the truth as possible. Chad, Rafe, and Lucien added their parts to the series of events.
“We were able to revive the last few memories of Theo before his demise,” the chief investigator said. His eyes met mine and locked for a few seconds before adding, “They had been tampered with but corroborate your account.”
I nodded, relieved.
The woman officer leaned forward slightly. “We’ve heard from several sources that you and Theo had a falling out.”
A knot formed in my stomach. “I thought he had been spelled,” I admitted. “His behavior was…off.”
The two exchanged looks before the man said, “Students aren’t capable of such advanced magic.”
“I know,” I agreed quickly. “But Theo was my best friend. Someone was trying to turn him against me.”
“And your room?” the woman pressed on. “We noticed the spelled writing on your wall.”
They went through my things? Of course, they did.
“Yes, I had been the victim of bullying spells.”
She held my gaze but didn’t add anything else.
“Many students claimed you went into a rage after Theo’s death,” the chief investigator noted.
“I was mad,” I said, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “He was everything to me.” My voice cracked as I added, “In that moment of losing him…I guess I did go a little crazy.”
The chief investigator nodded, his expression softening slightly. “Loss can make us do strange things.”
The woman officer exchanged a glance with her partner, before stating, “We believe dark magic was involved. Do you know anything about that?”
I did my best to look surprised, my eyes widening slightly. “Dark magic? No, I had no idea. Who would be capable of such a thing?”
The chief investigator studied me closely, then nodded. “We’ll be looking into it further.”
I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. Chad’s hand found mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Do you suspect anyone?” the investigator asked.
Yes.
“No, I don’t know who would want to hurt him,” I replied. “But Theo’s behavior changed drastically. There aren’t many who could achieve that level of manipulation.” I didn’t want to blame anyone specifically, but everyone knew of Miss Clarissa’s ability.
The officers exchanged glances again, a silent conversation passing between them.
I shrugged. “I’m just speculating. I want to find this person as much as you do. Trust me.”
The chief investigator nodded solemnly. “Thanks for your time, Miss Everheart. We’ll keep in touch if we need anything else from you..”
I nodded.
As they wrapped up their questioning and prepared to leave, the chief turned to Alister and motioned for him to follow into another room for a private word.