Loaded Secrets (ONC 2023)

Chapter Ten: Mother Mother

The next morning, Aria and Epson were on their way to meet Miranda's mother when the sun was just beginning to crest the horizon. Aria didn't confide in Epson about what she had learned from Ayden the day before, nor did she tell him that he possibly recognized one of his assailants. She felt that the connection was too personal and raw to share at that moment. She also worried that Epson would dismiss Ayden's statements and insist on his own theory. Aria was tired of pleading her case with him. He agreed to let her do this one interview, and she would take the opportunity while she could.

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to," Aria said, hoping that Epson would wait for her in his vehicle instead.

"Oh, but I do. I do have to come with you. That is part of the issue," Epson responded sarcastically.

Aria sighed to herself. Of course, he had to follow along, to supervise the "unruly" human. God forbid she may do something unexpected. Aria was getting exhausted by these interactions and being treated like an incompetent nuisance. Last night she had decided that she needed to start devising a plan to get away from Epson. She wasn't naive enough to believe that she would get better treatment from anyone else in the unit. Clearly, there was no permanent place for humans there. Once they had observed her and gotten the information they needed, they would most likely leave her in one of the derelict neighborhoods occupied by humans to fend for herself. And who knew how other humans would treat her if they knew she had previously worked with Enforcement. Like a cop going to prison, it never boded well. She had to be prepared for the worst.

With that on her mind, Aria did not wish to engage in any more conversation with her partner. Fortunately for her, neither did he. They silently walked along the narrow streets and got into Epson's vehicle to drive to their destination.

"Enforcement!" Epson announced in his booming voice, pounding on the rotting door of a house that looked almost identical to Miranda's.

The door opened a crack. "You got a warrant?" came a hoarse female voice from within.

"We are just here to talk to Tina Andrews," Aria replied calmly.

"You jerks are never here just to talk! Always prodding around, hoping to find something. So get a warrant or get lost!" The woman spat out. A loud, rasping cough followed.

"We do not require a warrant to interview you as a witness with respect to a murder investigation," Epson declared, barely managing to keep his annoyance at bay.

"Murder investigation? Huh! And what would someone like me have to do with something like that? And here I was thinking you're sniffing around for illicit substances," the woman answered mockingly.

"I think you know full well what you have to do with this," Aria tried to sound firm, although she did feel out of her depth dealing with this unexpected hostility. It wasn't as if she had never dealt with uncooperative witnesses before, but Aria was still trying to figure out the subtle cultural forces at play in her new world. "Your daughter's ex-boyfriend just got killed."

"Probably got what he deserved, the good for nothing waste of space."

Aria was slightly taken aback by that response. Even though she knew there was animosity between Ayden and Miranda's mother, she didn't expect her to be so open about it or gloat at his demise to the Enforcement unit. This woman was either very cunning or incredibly obtuse.

"I don't think anyone deserves to be killed," Aria heard herself saying.

Epson told the woman something that Aria didn't quite understand, and the woman only hummed in response. Moments later, Aria found herself following Epson into the woman's shack. The place was dark and untidy, with empty containers occupying almost every surface, clothes strewn about, and broken furniture piled in a corner. Aria's ears picked up what sounded like muted howling, and she prayed it wasn't an unfortunate animal the woman kept as a pet.