Page 59 of Craving Venom
Acknowledgment of Confidentiality:I skim the section, signing where necessary.
Penalty for Unauthorized Disclosure:$10,000 fine and potential legal action.Fantastic.
Blondie taps her nails against the desk impatiently. “You done?”
“Almost,” I mutter, scanning the last few lines.
Do you have prior felony convictions?No.
Do you understand that some files may contain graphic or distressing material?Yes.
Do you waive any liability against the archive for emotional distress caused by reviewing case materials?
I hesitate. That’s a weird clause.
With a small sigh, I sign my name.
Blondie takes the form, skims over the details before stamping it.
“Alright,” she says, standing up. “Follow me.”
The guy beside her spares me a glance but doesn’t say shit as she stands and leads me down a hallway.
The further we go, the stronger the smell of paper and dust gets. The hallway is lined with locked doors, and I swear this whole place is built like a damn fortress.
Blondie stops at one of the doors, swipes her keycard, and pushes it open. “This is the file room,” she says, as if I’m too dumb to figure that out myself. “Index is on the computer. Don’t mess anything up.”
I step inside, and she’s already walking away before I can even saythanks for the hospitality.
The file room smells like dust and ink and things people have tried to forget.
Rows and rows of shelves stretch out in front of me, stacked with files, case notes, trial records, all of them holding the worst days of someone’s life, neatly categorized in boxes.
I pull the first file from the stack and flip it open. A crime scene photo stares back at me. Blood is splattered across a cheap motel floor and a broken bottle is lying next to a woman’s outstretched hand. Her eyes are open, vacant.
I swallow hard and turn the page.
Another case. Another victim. Another ruined life.
