“Yes, we are being very thorough with our investigation,” she lied.
“I guess, come on in.”
The detectives, both tall and in suits, followed Camille to the living area, where they all sat across from each other. Not wanting them to stay for long, Camille did not offerrefreshments. Tension filled the air as stillness intensified around them.
“We noticed some cameras in your backyard. We were wanting to see the footage, in hopes to find something that can help bring Miss Nancy’s case to a close,” the detective began.
“Our cameras barely catch anything. I have been meaning to ask my husband to take them down, as they might already be turned off.”
“We believe it might be worth looking at.”
“Okay, I can tell my husband to bring them to the station tomorrow.”
“We would appreciate that.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes, thank you, and sorry for taking so much of your time.”
As Camille walked towards the door, Detective Brown felt a chill run down the back of her neck, the kind of sensation people get when someone is watching them. The feeling was so intense that she was compelled to look back. When she turned her head, she quickly surveyed the area. Nothing seemed out of place, but her skin still crawled, and she hurriedly exited the house.
While the detective’s instincts might have been correct, her eyes had failed her. She didn’t notice Belinda lurking at the top of the stairs, her eyes black as night.
After the detectives stepped out, Belinda headed downstairs as she crossed paths with her mom.
“Back to bed?” Belinda asked, trying not to bump into her mother on the narrow staircase.
“Just shut up,” Camille answered.
Belinda knew that her mother was heading for the pill bottle and planning to knock herself out for the next few hours. With that thought in mind, she walked outside to find Detective Brown alone in her car. Her partner had brought his own car and had already gone to oversee a different investigation.
Detective Brown was sitting in the driver’s seat, looking at some papers when Belinda knocked on her window. Curious of why an overgrown teen was carrying a doll in her arms, she rolled down her window.
“Are you alright?” Brown asked.
“Do you have a minute to speak?” Belinda said.
“What would you like to talk about?”
“It might be better if you come back inside.”
“You are the Santo’s kid, right? I was just inside, so why didn’t you… Nevermind. Lead the way.”
After stepping back into the house, Detective Brown scanned her surroundings but didn’t see Camille anywhere.
“Where is your mom?” she asked.
“She went back to sleep.”
Belinda led the detective to the kitchen table and offered her a seat. After sitting down, the detective felt a sudden unease. She wondered what drove the teenager to seek her out and bring her back without her mother’s knowledge.
“Is there something you want to talk about? What’s your name again?”
“My name is Belinda. I would tell you what my friends call me, but I don’t have many friends.”
“Okay, Belinda. Tell me, what’s on your mind?”
“I really want to know about what you found. You know, with Miss Nancy,” Belinda asked.
