Evelyn

Chapter 2

It hadn't taken the cops long to arrive at the haunting scene on the bank of lake Loholm. Eve hadn't stopped shaking from the moment she had noticed, and even under the warmth of a blanket that a kind cop had put over her shoulders, her shivering hadn't relented. 

"What happened?" the cop asked, sitting on the bench next to Eve.

"I just found her here," she replied, her voice quivering. She let out a loud sob and clutched her blanket tightly.

The man stood up and approached his colleague. Eve knew that she would be able to hear what they were saying if she tried hard enough, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Her sister was dead. Nothing else mattered.

"Come on, kiddo," the cop said, gesturing for her to follow. She hesitated, before standing up and following his footsteps.

The ride home was a burr, and Eve didn't want to get out of the car when they arrived. She was sure that the flashing lights would have not just awakened her parents, but the whole neighbourhood.

The door to the house opened before Eve had even unbuckled her seatbelt. Her father rushed out, closely tailed by her mother. They were both dressed in night clothes, their eyes wide with worry.

"What on earth is going on?" Her father asked, opening the passenger's door of the car.

"Do you know how much worry you have caused us?" Her mother shook Eve's shoulders slightly. She didn't reply. "And arriving home in a police car? Whatever have you done Evelyn?"

The cop grimaced. "Perhaps we would better move inside. There is something that I must discuss with you as a matter of urgency."

Eve was all too aware of the opened shutters and eyes that were peeking out from across the street as she walked up the driveway and into her home. It was a place that usually brought her such comfort, but in the dull light of the moon, it didn't seem so welcoming.

They sat in silence on the couches as her mother made the cop a cup of coffee. The wait felt too long in Eves mind, and she fiddled with a stray thread from the cushion to try and pass the time. The clock in the corner of the room ticked much slower than normal, and the hands seemed to barely move.

When they had finally all sat down, the cop turned to her parents. His face was pale, and his eyes glistened with emotion.

"There is no easy way to say this, but we have some news that will be a shock to you." He took a deep breath in. "Your daughter's body has been discovered hanging from a tree by the lake."

Her father gasped, and her mother started sobbing, clutching the arm of the chair for support.

"What? You can't mean it sir?" her father said, his face a ghostly pale.

"I am afraid that it is true."

"No!" her mother was saying as she rocked back and forth. "Not poor Madison!"

"I'm sorry for your loss." He seemed sincere. "Now, I suggest you get a good night's sleep in before we come back and interview you all tomorrow. I understand your need to grieve, but the best way to get closure will be to find out what exactly happened. Evelyn, we will need you to come to the police station to make an official statement."

"Why?" she asked. "Can't I just have an interview here?"

"I'm afraid not. You have to understand that you will likely be a suspect. You were the only person for miles," he replied, sending her a look of pity.

"But I didn't do anything. I told you that I just found her like that!" Eve was beginning to raise her voice.

"You found her?" Eve's father asked, watching her with wide eyes. "What on earth were you doing by the lake? You know that you are not to go there alone!"

It seemed in that moment that her father was filled with hatred. There was an odd light in his eyes, reflecting the anger that he felt towards his youngest daughter. And this scared her.

Eve stood up and ran to her room, the blanket that the cop had given her trailing on the floor behind. She couldn't bear the thought of being blamed for her sister's death. And she certainly hated to look into her father's accusing eyes.

Eve crept under her blanket and switched off the lamp without even bothering to change her clothes. She clutched the covers tightly, closing her eyes in an attempt to sleep. But sleep didn't come, and Eve soon found herself switching the light back on in fear of being alone in the dark.

The night seemed to go on forever, with Eve drifting in and out of fitful sleep. She would drift off one moment, and awaken the next, drenched in sweat and shaking with fear. Dreams of the hanging corpse woke her up, and her tears left the pillow damp.