The air around her was cold.
The muscles in her shoulders were taut. She had to make an effort to even her breathing. Despite the air conditioning, sweat slithered down her neck before rolling down her back. Her fingers quivered.
"I believe the officers have filled you in on the way here."
Bella's lips tightened. They told her brother was dead. Gone.
Before it had felt like a nightmare she wanted to avoid. Lock and throw away the key-evade it like the plague.
But now, it felt real.
Her throat tightened.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Heidi's sharp green eyes dimmed with sadness. Pity, even. Sunlight sparkled on the greying strands of her hair.
Dead.
Dead.
Dead.
It thrummed in the background forming a whirlpool that sucked everything out of her.
Bella could only muster a sharp inhale.
"But you should already know that this wasn't the reason why we brought you here-at least it wasn't the only reason." Heidi leaned against the coffee colored table, swinging her legs back and forth as though they were about to have a casual girl chat.
If only that was the case.
"I'm going to need you to answer every question truthfully. Honest. Is that okay?"
Bella was grateful that Heidi seemed patient-almost kind. Still, there was something about her. The calculating look. The way her wrinkles tightened with her purses lips. The way she chose each word carefully as though trying to gauge her reaction.
Bella didn't feel the slightest bit at ease.
"Were you close to your brother?"
It took a moment for her to reply . "Yes."
"You knew he was a detective, yes?"
Bella nodded.
Deep breaths.
"And you knew he was barred from working on the case he was originally assigned to?"
Bella nodded. Her heart beat hitched with every passing second.
I hope they didn't see me that night.
"Do you know why?"
"No." She tapped her thigh. So far, she was safe.
Still...
The fingers on her thigh drummed faster than before.
Heidi inhaled then folded her arms over her chest. "His actions against an innocent civilian-not bringing him to the station as he was supposed to and instead using him as bait cost the civilian's life. Did you know that?"
Bella shook her head again. This talk of blood and death rattled her nerves.
What was she getting at?
"What was he doing in the house of a civilian in the middle of the night?"
Bella stiffened. Cold water drenched her. Goosebumps sped down her back, perking underneath the tank top which now clung to her skin.
Now she wished she'd worn a less form fitting top.
"I have no clue." She lied.
"Really? So you're telling him that you didn't know about any of this?"
"No."
"What were you doing that night?"
"Sleeping." At least that wasn't technically a lie. She had slept off.
You slept while your brother was burning alive? You're such a great sister.
Heidi chuckled. "You don't seem to understand how bad this is. Let me bring you up to speed."
"Miles broke into a civilian's house."She raised a finger.
Had someone seen them?
"Breaking and entering is already a punishable offence. But that isn't all of it. Apart from a rogue detective illegally entering into a civilian's home-he was also found dead. Both he and the civilian."
Heidi opened the folder on the table and handed a couple of pictures to her.
Bella gasped like she had been slugged in the gut. Her fingers quivered.
Underneath a windowsill, there was a burnt corpse. He was unrecognizable. All his clothes had melted and all that was left was charred, blackened flesh.
"It can't be Miles." Bella muttered under her breath, her eyes stinging.
"We confirm his identity through dental records. That's him."
She swallowed the bile down her throat. Bella slid the pictures back to her. A shudder racked down her back, dispersing to every inch of her body.
The revenant killed Miles. The innocent one. The man who only wanted to help. The one who had good intentions in mind.
But now he was also burnt up like a criminal. Like the murderers that the revenant hunted for.
More than the numbness, she felt a douse of fire flood down the length of her body. Her fists clenched.
Heidi closed the folder before pushing it aside. Heidi leaned in, studying Bella's expression with sharp eyes.
Bella hardened her gaze.
"Do you know what I believe?"
"No."
There was a small pause. Then, Heidi spoke. Soft-cunning as though intentionally stringing what she was about to say.
"I believe he wanted to use Gideon as bait."
"What?"
"You heard me. He was found dead in a crime scene that shared the exact same patterns as the other deaths he'd been investigating. Third degree burns. Ice on the windows. Unruffled sheets."
"I suspect your brother went rogue. Wanting to save his pride, he used this innocent man as bait-"
"That man was not innocent!" Bella hissed.
Heidi raised an eyebrow. Her eyes glinted.
"No one is guilty unless proven otherwise in court."
"Did you have any personal encounter with Gideon?"
Shoot.
Bella swallowed the lump in her throat. "No."
"So how did you know him? Unless.... you really knew about what Miles was doing behind our back."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I'm going to ask you again. Where were you two nights ago?"
"I told you I was asleep. I don't know anything !"
Heidi's eyes narrowed. "If your brother had survived he'd have been locked up for a minimum of 10 years."
"Excuse me?"
"Taking justice into his own hands just to save his own pride. Not one. But twice!"
"He tried to save him!"
"He more than anyone knew that stupid decisions like these are costly. Now both he and an innocent man is dead. Murdered!"
Bella slammed the table. "My brother put his life on the line for that man!"
"We don't applaud chivalry! What we want is a protocol following detective. He was suspended. He should have stayed out of the case! If he had information about who the killer would attack next, he should have called-"
"But he called-"
"He didn't. He still tried to handle everything by himself! He should have left it for us-the authorized personnel-"
"What if he couldn't!"
Heidi shook her head. "A sensible detective would have done everything he needed to save a life even if it meant being humble-"
"It wasn't about pride!" Bella roared.
Her fingers shook. Her chest fell and rose faster than before.
Pride. Pride. Pride.
Memories flicked past her mind's eye. The way he'd trained for that night. The way he'd constantly pushed himself to the edge. The fire. The life.
The passion.
Where fear and sadness once pulsed, a seething rage crackled. She could almost feel the steam curling out of her ears already.
Heidi lowered her raised brows.
"You seem to know much more than you've let on Bella. If it wasn't pride, then tell me-what is?"
She was testing her. Spurring her to spit the truth out of anger.
At that moment all she wanted to do was punch the woman in the face. She wanted to so desperately erase that irritating smirk.
But, she couldn't say it.
They wouldn't believe her. They'd call her mad. Maybe, they'd even lock her up in a mental asylum.
Just like Carrie.
After a few minutes of silence, Heidi waved her off. "You can leave."
That surprised her.
With still shaking hands, she pushed the chair back. She stood up.
Breathe. 1. 2. 3.
"But-"
Bella paused. She didn't glance back at Heidi. Her muscles tensed again.
"I'm disappointed in you. You and your brother are both a disgrace to your mother."
She froze. Her fingers curled. She still didn't look at her. "You don't know anything about us."
"Really? I know enough to know that you had the chance to make a life for yourself. A future after your parents divorced. But this is how you turned out."
Bella could hear the judging notes in her voice. The hidden coarseness springing up to the surface.
"You don't define me."
But you know you're a failure.
Mother replaced you within days.
You are nothing.
The woman only hummed in response, mocking her.
You are nothing!
Fire shot through her veins, spiraling and curling out of control.
Bella hurried out of the room before she did anything that she'd regret.
***
Bella entered the room.
The first thing that hit her was the stench of charred flesh. Even though there was no corpse, the smell still simmered the air. Like jelly, it congealed the air with sticky hands.
She flicked her torchlight to the side.
Mud footprints were imprinted into the floor. Blood splatters traced each step.
With every splatter of blood she saw, her mind conjured different images. Miles howling in pain. Miles bent over. Miles needing help but no one was there.
Even she-the one who had offered to help-was sleeping just downstairs.
Instead of fear, her pulse skyrocketed.
Her stomach churned. Her vision doubled. Her fingers shook. The hollowness that had encapsulated her was long gone.
Now, what she felt was rage.
Bella tip toed to the window.
Blood formed two large dots on the floor.
Miles' blood.
Her breathing picked. Her eyes flicked up. Ice coated the window.
The revenant did this. It-not she-killed him.
The revenant had killed Miles. Just like their father.
Heidi had insulted Miles. Had blamed him for the death of someone that he was trying to protect-someone that didn't deserve it.
The revenant killed Miles.
The thoughts splintered in her head. Shards flew faster than she could comprehend. Each thought seared past her chest.
Hot. Cold. Warm.
She vibrated-each nerve rattled with energy she didn't think she had anymore.
Heidi's incredulous smile ransacked her mind. The way she had stared at her as if she were a joke. The way she had talked about Miles as though he were selfish.
Meanwhile, he was the most selfless person she had met. One she never admitted-but she adored. From their childhood till now.
Someone that she was proud to call her brother.
Bella wanted to scream. Cry. Punch Heidi in the face. Burn a hole in the wall.
She couldn't do any.
But what she could do?
She could hunt that revenant down and banish that abomination back to the ghost plane.
Miles had been selfless-devoted to helping people.
But she-a coward, people pleasing has been model was nothing close.
She had none of his admirable qualities. But she knew she had one thing.
Rage. Anger.
And she would show the abomination that her rage was hotter than the flames it carelessly threw.