The Witness (H.S.)

24

"Oh my gosh, that's just terrible!", Gemma whispers appaled. Her eyes are full of compassion as she's embracing me.

"I'm so sorry, Mia."

"Thanks Gemma. But that's not all. That night changed my whole life, everything I thought I knew were just more lies", I tell her even though I'm sure I shouldn't. But honestly at this point I don't care what I should and shouldn't do. It feels good to finally talk with someone about that night. I've been keeping it in way too long. And if in the long run it proves to be a mistake I'll be gone anyway. There's no way Sam will let me stay.

"Let me brew us some tea and I'll continue, ok?", I suggest and earn her agreement. So I stand up from the couch and go into the kitchen to fill the kettle with water. I need a moment to just take deep breaths. As unnerving as it was to talk about James, his betrayal and death the hardest part is still to come. When the water is hot enough I get cups out of the cabinet, put tea bags and pour the water in. Afterwards I carry them to the kitchen table where Gemma joins me. Again I take a deep breath and let the air slowly escape my mouth.

"Well, of course they took me to the police station to interrogate me as I was the only witness..."

Still shocked I stared at the table top unable to keep looking at the pictures in front of me. They were of two men I thought were our friends but I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"I am", I confirmed again. When I got up that morning I didn't expect to find myself sitting in that dark and seemingly cold room at the end of the day. Feeling betrayed, anxious and at the same time furious. Well, the latter mostly with myself. It was supposed to be a good day, a happy day. And then it was just not. 

"Miss Bouletti, you said they were talking about an usb device. Do you know anything about such thing?", the elderly officer asked. His hair was almost completely grey and his light blue button down sat tightly around his belly. His brown eyes studied every of my movements and held more questions.

"No." I tightened my arms around me in attempt to keep myself together.

"They said it probably got confiscated with all of the other belongings of my parents", I filled him in even though I didn't knew anything about that either. He looked intently at me then sighed.

"Do you know why all the belongings were taken?" Again my answer was no. I was only nine when my parents were murdered.

"Hold on. They were what?", Gemma asks shocked.

"Yeah, That's another story to tell."

"Wow... you really didn't give anything private away, did you?", Gemma remarks. I just shake my head and continue with my story.

"My grandmother took custody for me and explained that they were murdered because of their work..."

I was too young, too hurt and too confused to ask her any questions. I accepted her words because I didn't knew better. Of course I wondered why all their stuff was taken. All I've left of them is the necklace I'm wearing which is shaped like an owl with a heart as a body and my teddy bear.

"Well, for years they were hunting a serial killer gathering evidence to link unsolved crimes to him, looking for accomplices and victims, traveling all around the country for it", he explained but I stared at him dumbfounded.