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✦ Chapter 55 — (Continued)
POV Jackson
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It had been an hour.
An hour of sitting there.
An hour of going around in circles.
The same questions.
The same answers.
Again.
And again.
Time stretched on.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
The sheriff eventually stood up.
Without a word.
He left the room.
The silence settled back in.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
---
I stayed still.
Sitting.
Elbows on the table.
Hands clasped.
Perfectly calm.
On the surface.
But in my head—
everything was moving.
Too fast.
---
The door opened again.
The sheriff came in.
A drink in his hand.
He set it down calmly on the table.
Then his eyes lifted toward me—
and he stopped.
---
I was no longer sitting. I was standing.
---
A beat passed.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
— Sit down, Jackson.
His voice was calm.
Controlled.
But firmer than before.
---
I held his gaze for a second.
Then I sat back down.
Slowly.
Without arguing.
---
He took his seat across from me again.
— Still don't want anything?
Same tone.
Same calm.
But this time it was a test.
— No, I answered, simple and direct.
He gave a slight nod, as if he'd expected it.
Then he resumed.
The questions came back.
Again.
But this time they weren't quite the same.
They were… adjusted.
Refined.
More precise.
---
— What made you go to the Greenes' place, the night Kevin died?
I didn't even think about it.
— Like I already told you, a friend.
— Claire, was it? he asked again.
— Yes, she was worried.
— And why?
A pause.
Minimal.
— Avery wasn't answering her phone, that's why.
— She tends to exaggerate sometimes (I continued, leaning back in the chair).
He stayed silent and wrote something down.
Without taking his eyes off me.
— And Kevin?
---
A beat.
---
— What was he doing there? he asked.
---
— I have no idea (I said, tapping the chair).
A smile crossed his lips.
Brief.
Almost invisible.
Then—
he continued.
— Why come back to the scene?
---
There.
That was the moment a new element came into play.
---
— I'd forgotten something.
---
A lie.
Improvised.
Quick.
Too quick.
---
A short laugh escaped him.
— You're serious?
I didn't answer.
He leaned forward slightly.
— You're a little too smart to go back to a crime scene without telling the authorities… just to grab "something."
His eyes stayed locked on mine.
— What was it?
— I didn't find it.
I paused.
— And it wasn't anything important.
Silence.
Then—
colder:
— So why go back?
I didn't answer.
For the first time—
I chose silence.
---
And he saw it.
---
Of course he did.
---
A new smile.
More discreet.
More satisfied.
---
He shifted his angle.
---
— Avery.
My body reacted before I did.
Barely.
But enough.
---
I swallowed.
---
Damn it.
---
— Do you two get along?
— Yes.
— Friends?
— Yes.
A silence.
---
Then—
more slowly:
---
— Just friends?
---
I held his gaze.
— Yes.
Too direct.
He noted it.
Again.
---
Then—
he looked up.
---
— Interesting.
---
A beat.
---
— Because several witnesses mention some kind of… altercation.
---
My body tensed.
There.
A mistake.
Tiny.
But real.
---
I clenched my jaw.
---
— What altercation?
---
His head tilted slightly.
As if he'd been waiting for that.
---
— You.
Her.
And a stranger.
---
Gabriel.
---
The name didn't come out.
But it was there.
In my head.
---
And that—
he didn't need to know.
The silence fell.
And this time—
I felt it.
He was holding onto something.
Not the whole truth.
But—
a crack.
And he wasn't going to let it go.
— Jackson…
His voice was lower now.
More measured.
— Maybe you'd like to start over from the beginning?
I didn't answer.
Not this time.
---
A silence passed.
Then—
he sighed.
Light.
Almost annoyed.
---
— Alright.
He straightened up slightly.
— We'll do this another way.
I didn't move.
But inside—
I braced myself.
— This is the last time I'm going to ask you.
---
A beat.
---
— Start over.
I held his gaze.
Then—
I spoke.
Again.
Same version.
Same structure.
Same carefully maintained lie.
But this time—
he wasn't really listening.
He was waiting.
When I finished, he grabbed a file and opened it.
He pulled out a sheet and slid it toward me.
A portrait.
I lowered my eyes.
One second.
No more.
---
Brown hair.
Tall.
Dark eyes.
---
Not perfect.
But enough.
---
Gabriel.
---
My gaze rose back up.
Neutral.
Controlled.
— Several witnesses.
His voice was steady.
— Saw you have an altercation with this man.
I didn't answer.
— Do you know him?
— No, I answered without blinking.
He nodded slowly.
As if he'd expected that too.
— And yet…
He tilted his head slightly.
— You were seen arguing.
---
Silence.
---
I didn't move.
---
So he continued.
---
— The neighbors also reported noises.
He briefly checked his notes.
— Not normal ones.
---
A beat.
---
— Then they saw you all leave.
You.
Him.
And Avery.
---
My heart sped up.
Barely.
But enough.
---
— She wasn't in a normal state.
He paused.
— According to them, she seemed… hurt.
Or at least in very bad shape.
My fingers tensed slightly against the chair.
— And a few minutes later…
He tapped the portrait with his finger.
— She leaves with him.
---
Silence.
---
Long.
Heavy.
---
I said nothing.
---
And this time—
I felt something shift.
---
In him.
---
A more pronounced breath.
A tension.
Tiny.
But real.
---
— Do you think I'm stupid, Jackson?
His voice was harder now.
— You know something.
---
A beat.
---
— And you're refusing to talk.
I stayed stone-faced.
But inside the pressure was rising.
— You know this silence could cost you?
He cited a statute.
A legal term.
Lack of cooperation.
Obstruction.
I didn't react.
Not outwardly.
Then he shifted his approach again.
His tone softened.
Almost.
— Listen…
He leaned forward slightly.
— Right now—
you're the suspect.
---
A beat.
---
— Kevin's death, your presence at the scene.
Your return to the crime scene, not to mention your hasty departure when my officers arrived.
---
Every word was deliberate.
Calculated.
---
— And now witnesses place you in a situation… that's very murky.
---
I saw it again.
The marks.
On the wall.
And Avery fighting to live, and that inhuman feeling at the scene.
---
My jaw tightened.
---
— If the evidence goes against you…
He shrugged slightly.
— You're risking a lot.
---
Silence.
---
Then—
he let it drop—
almost casually:
— Unless it's to protect your girlfriend…
— Avery isn't my girlfriend.
The words came out.
Too fast.
---
Damn it.
---
A smile.
Faint.
— I never said she was your girlfriend.
I held his gaze.
— You implied it.
— No.
He answered calmly.
— Not at all.
---
A silence.
---
Then—
lower:
— But if you're doing this to protect her…
He paused.
— You could very well ruin your future.
---
A beat.
---
And there—
something shifted.
Because behind his words—
there was something else.
Another angle.
---
Could Avery also be in his sights.
My gaze hardened.
— Avery has nothing to do with this.
— What makes you say that?
— Because she doesn't.
Too firm.
Too direct.
And that was a mistake.
I saw it.
In his eyes.
That glint.
---
He was holding onto something.
---
Not the truth yet.
---
But a direction.
---
And he was going to dig.
---
He opened his mouth—
ready to continue—
---
The door burst open.
---
A sharp movement.
Authoritative.
I turned my head.
And I saw him.
My uncle.
---
Standing in the doorway.
---
His gaze moved from me—
to the sheriff.
Then—
back to me.
And in that simple exchange—
I understood one thing.
---
The game—
had just changed.
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[END OF FLASHBACK]