Chapter 6 - Interrogation Room B
The metal table in Interrogation Room B was scratched and cold under my hands. Across from me sat Richard Pierce, dressed in a standard county-issued orange jumpsuit. His gray hair was disheveled, and a nasty scrape ran down his left cheek from where he had face-planted into the snow during the arrest.
Yet, despite handcuffs locking him to the bolted chair, he was smiling. That same smooth, infuriatingly polite smile he used to wear at family dinners.
“You shouldn't have come here, Clara,” Richard said, his voice smooth as silk. “This isn't a place for a mother with a sick child.”
“Where is it, Richard?” I asked, leaning forward, ignoring the bait. “What else did you do? What did you mean when you said the cream was just the beginning?”
Richard chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You always thought you were the smartest person in the room, didn't you? Thinking you could keep my granddaughter away from me. Thinking you could dictate who she spends her time with.”
“She is my daughter,” I snapped.
“She is a Pierce,” he corrected, his eyes suddenly turning ice-cold. “And a Pierce doesn't forget disrespect. When you blocked that hunting trip, you humiliated me in front of the entire lodge. You made me look weak.”
“So you tried to burn her face off?” My voice trembled with suppressed rage. “You put industrial lye in a gift meant for a nine-year-old child?”
Richard leaned back, unfazed by the accusation. “Lye is harsh, isn't it? But effective. And it taught you a lesson about boundaries. Unfortunately, your little girl had to suffer for your stubbornness. But hey, children heal fast these days.”
“There’s more,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “The police found your ledger. They found the notes. You planned other things.”
Richard’s smile widened just a fraction. “Curiosity killed the cat, Clara. Or in this case... whatever is sitting in the garage at home.”
My blood ran cold.
“What’s in the garage?”
May you like
“A little holiday surprise,” he whispered, leaning across the table. “Something you and Daniel packed away after Thanksgiving. A box you never bothered to check.”
Without waiting another second, I stood up so violently my chair scraped loudly against the linoleum floor, turned on my heel, and stormed out of the interrogation room.
