First impressions

The real reason she had come here was because if she spent a moment longer in that mansion with her thoughts she would lose her mind. Every place, every corner was filled with their memories and if she thought of it for a moment longer she feared the dark hole that continued to suck at her. This was her escape from herself.

He was stuck staring at Evelyn Dawson sitting in her expensive car. He followed every action of hers. He saw her falling over the car seat in the back. The hospital gown hadn't gone unnoticed by him. He was aware of the fact that she was supposed to be in the hospital. Heck the entire city knew that Evelyn Dawson had fainted at the new year's party. The big blow of finding her best friend dead. He wondered how much he was supposed to believe the girl who had come at a crime scene in the middle of the night and had still dared to threaten him.

His phone rang piercing through the silent cafe.

"I think you should see this," the caller said.

"What exactly?" he questioned looking at his screen as the caller's voice boomed in the cafe.

"Three nights ago an accident happened on the highway about a mile from the cafe, no one was harmed and the number plates were gone. There was a heavy smell of blood and cleanser in both cars but no sign of blood or body." he observed silently at the dark picture of the two cars brutally crushed. One of them being extreme high end and polished. While the other a vintage but polished nonetheless except for the parts that had crashed.

"Three nights…." he said aloud. "....it means.."

"The night of William Adler's death" the caller confirmed his suspicion.

"Ethan" a hoarse voice called him out. With sleepless eyes he looked up from the monitor screen of the station that displayed the car crash.

"Another night at the station" the man -his senior- asked him.

"It seems like all the information regarding the incidents have vanished from the face of earth." Ethan nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"Someone is here to meet you for the case" the man relayed and a glint of hope appeared in his eyes and then vanished the same second.

"Don't tell me it's another person from the lake city empire" he mocked the last name.

"Look for it yourself" the man chuckled, leaving the younger in his own pool of despair.

By now Evelyn had memorized the name by heart. Ethan Ashford. She had repeated it multiple times, in case she forgot. She wanted to call her company and get information about him but after hearing her uncle's call she wasn't sure what information she would receive. She had a doubt it was the same detective she had met last night and she had arrived to confirm her suspicion. The car was stopped in front of the police station for about 15 minutes and Evelyn Dawson was still nowhere near making a decision. There were a few reasons for it. She still didn't know what exactly she was doing here besides confirming who the detective was but her purpose for such a search still seemed to be a blur of confusion. If her uncle really was talking about the same detective, then the question was why did he really want the search for William's killer to be stopped. Though she had herself told the detective to stay away from her family, she hadn't thought that it could be someone from her family, not until the call she heard this morning. And then the promise to William's parents and him burned like a tattoo in her mind.

Evelyn pushed open the car door with force stepping out in the cool humid weather. If she sat any longer she would drown in her own thoughts. Wiping her hands against her black coat - another black piece of clothing- she walked with determination towards the police station, hiding the real reason she had come here.

The old man looked at Evelyn's figure peculiarly questioning. Evelyn took off her sunglasses ready to introduce herself but the man spoke first.

"How come we have the pleasure to meet the heir of the city?" The man questioning was genuinely surprised by her presence. The biggest celebrity of the lake city was known for her private lifestyle, never seen in public.

"I wanted to meet Ethan Ashford" Seh announced and some sort of realization dawned on the man's face.

"He's in a meeting currently" the man ushered Evelyn inside the dimly lit police station lined with different desks and monitors. She saw the barred jail in the back of the room. People filled the small room rushing around collecting files and interrogating writing reports. The man pulled out a comfortable office chair at the end of the long line of desks and left hurriedly. It hadn't gone noticed by her that other guests who had come for complaints were made to sit in plastic chairs by the entrance. Evelyn's eyes roamed around the place and landed on the interrogation room in the corner with a green light above the door indicating that it was in use she guessed. Curious about the happenings of the room. She focused on the happenings of the palace listening intently from her spot.

"Now speak honestly I can hear every lie you utter as clear as day" Evelyn's eyes widened at the familiar rough voice, the same one she had heard last night. Curious, she looked around cautiously and walked towards the room standing by the wall beside the room hearing on the insides of the room.

"Are you the owner of the cafe?" his authoritative voice questioned.

"Yes- yes" the man responded, stuttering.

"Where were you three nights before?" The detective questioned.

"I was at my house with my family" the man spoke calmly only earning a scoff from the former.

"dId I not tell you I can see right through your lies" Evelyn could almost imagine him speaking through gritted teeth. "We'll start once again" he spoke calmer this time. "With the truth, unless you want to rot in jail for the rest of your life. Where were you three nights before?"

"You can not send me to jail, I am innocent" the man claimed. Evelyn heard the screeching of a chair backwards and she unconsciously moved her head closer to the door.

"I'll ask you one more time or I'll arrest you" the detective spoke with odd calm again. "Where were you three nights before"

The latter remained silent and no reply was returned.

"Answer the question" Evelyn flinched at the loud noise of the table being slammed.

"I was at the bar with my friends I swear" the man rushed out his words with a slight quiver. "I did not kill William Adler. I wasn't even there. A part time employee was"

"Have you come in contact with William Adler before?" he moved onto the next question.

"He often used to come there often with that rich girl. I never saw him with anyone else before. I swear I know nothing. Let me go. I can give you the details of the part time employee" as if scared of the detective he ratted out every other thing.

"Also the location of the bar you were at" the detective demanded.

"But why do you need that?" The man cried but he didn't answer. Evelyn guessed it was for alibi. She was so immersed in listening to the man's rambling she missed another heartbeat that moved closer to her.

The door to the interrogation room was pushed open and Evelyn's entire body jerked up in reaction as she sucked in a breath trying to move away from the door that came crashing towards her. She grunted aloud in pain and the door was pulled away from her.

"Evelyn Dawson" the name rolled off his tongue smoothly.

"Evelyn looked up rubbing her nose at the sound of her name. Her eyes took one over on him that she had failed to do last night in the darkness of the shattered cafe. A six feet tall guy stood there ruffling his tousled black hair that continuously annoyed his round doe eyes. He rubbed his perfectly sharp jawline as his brows joined in confusion at the sight of her. He towered over her with her black combat boots that he had matched with his bramble brown button down plain shirt that was tucked in faded black jeans.

"Were you perhaps snooping over here?" his eyes…..voice brought her back from her trance and she tore her eyes away from him.

"I am looking for Ethan Ashford" She stood up taller facing the guy.

"May I ask what you want from him?" His eyebrows vanished up into his hair as he countered her.

"That's none of your business" she scoffed.

"It is unfortunately" he sighed. "I am Ethan Ashford"