Genevieve sat at a computer station in the Newhaven High library, staring at the screen in a daze.
Belle Merrilee Swanson: a Nova Scotia teen wanted in connection with a murder. There were articles from small, local papers that contained interviews with Loretta Swanson, the girl's mother, where she pleaded for her daughter to turn herself in. Belle Swanson had a juvenile record a mile long, including everything from petty theft and shoplifting right up to assault. Then, last July, she murdered a man in cold blood.
And the more Gen looked through articles that included photos of the girl, the more certain she became that Belle was the same person she knew as Meredith McCreary.
At first glance, the two seemed nothing alike. Belle had a hard expression and wore a hell of a lot of make-up. If Gen ran into her in a dark alley, she'd probably run the other way. Merri, on the other hand, always seemed gentle. It wasn't just the way she dressed, either--it was her very demeanor.
But, Gen realized, she hadn't always trusted Merri. Every now and again she glimpsed another side to her--another person entirely. Although just one day ago, Merri had watched over her while she slept, then hugged her and promised it would be okay after Finn's assault, she had also shot a man several months ago. A man who attacked them, sure, but...but she hadn't even hesitated. She just killed him, and then acted like it was nothing at all.
Gen couldn't find many details about the murder victim, let alone Belle's motives. She might be able to give Merri the benefit of the doubt...
But at the very least, she's been lying to us, Gen thought with a shiver. Even if Merri had nothing to do with the murder she was accused of, she had never told anyone about it. Never told anyone she was a runaway, never told anyone she was being pursued by the damn police. Did Michael know? It seemed unlikely; Michael wouldn't want any extra attention drawn to them.
The police officer had told her little about why he was looking for Belle Swanson, except that authorities had D.N.A. proof she was at the club the night Warren Humber was killed. Gen had asked if the girl--whom she swore she had never seen--was wanted for that murder too, but the copy declined to answer.
Warren's ghost told Finn he had gone outside to wait for someone...for the new girl...
And Merri was definitely new in town.
She had disappeared that night with Thad for awhile, but who knows how long before he left? Merri came back inside alone nearly an hour later. She could have...
Stop it, Gen. How could she think her friend would kill Warren? Unless he was secretly a member of The Brethren and Mer had caught him trying to kill Sage, it seemed impossible...didn't it?
Perhaps it was time to look into things further.
Standing outside of Meredith's apartment building after school, Genevieve looked up at the many floors of windows. She and Sage had walked her home dozens of times, they'd been in the car with Michael to pick her up, and yet Gen had never been into Merri's place. She didn't even know what apartment number might be hers.
Although the rows of buzzer numbers near the security door were labelled with last names, none of them were McCreary--or Swanson, for that matter.
Aliases... The police officer had said Belle used a few different names after going missing. Leigh Bell was the only one he had given her, and that one wasn't listed either.
Guess I'm back to the drawing board. She wasn't sure what she expected to find at the apartment anyway. If Merri was around, should she tell her about the police? Demand the truth? What guarantee did she have that it wouldn't be another lie?
And if she is off killing people randomly, I'd rather not confront her about it right now.
Gen's gaze went to the apartment building next to Merri's. Maybe it wasn't necessary to involve Meredith--or even Michael--right away...
She walked up to the familiar building and buzzed apartment 7-F.
"Yes?" a woman's sultry voice answered.
"Uh, hi. I was here one time, like a couple of months ago, and I don't know if you remember me, but I kind of need to talk to you."
Silence followed, and Gen wasn't sure if the Wicked Witch of West Newhaven was still listening or not.
"I'm a friend of Michael Parris's," she offered. "Well, sorta."
Krysta responded by buzzing her inside.
Drunken butterflies dove around Gen's stomach like mad as she rode the elevator to the seventh floor. She wasn't stupid; she knew it was likely quite idiotic of her to involve Krysta in this, but the truth was that she didn't have anyone else to go to. Sage would go straight to Michael, Levi would tell her to go to the police, and Michael...Michael would probably just take Merri's side anyway. It probably wouldn't bother him in the least if they had a killer among them, considering he was so blasé about murder anyway.
And he did say that if he hadn't killed Finn, Merri would have and she'd be caught... So there seemed a good chance he knew already.
Krysta's apartment door lay open by the time Gen reached it, and the witch herself stood in the doorway. Her arms crossed over her stomach and shoulder leaning on the doorframe, she regarded Gen with a grin.
"If it isn't 'The Witch,' with a capital 'W' and everything," Krysta said dryly.
Gen bit her lip nervously.
Oh, great, she remembers... "Yeah, that's me. Look...I need your help."
That seemed to amuse Krysta all the more. "Is that so?"
"Yeah."
"Does it involve scaring off important people in town, like Austin? Because I'm not interested in that--I have to work here, you know."
Gen paled a little. "So you knew that was me?"
"Of course I did."
Her hope deflated. "So you're not going to help me?"
"As I said, it depends what it involves."
"I have a friend who said she lived in the building next to yours, but I think she was lying. And it's really important that I find out what's going on with her."
"You
could ask her."
"If I thought she'd be forthcoming, I wouldn't be here."
Krysta stepped back from the doorway. "Come inside, then."
Maybe I should have asked her to meet me in a public place. Though Gen felt the same trepidation she had felt the first time she went to Krysta's with Michael, she forced herself forward.
Genevieve went immediately for the couch across the room and perched on the edge, body tense and ready to jump should Krysta throw any evil Satanist spells at her.
"So what, precisely, did you have in mind?" Krysta sat on the arm of the chair near the couch and crossed one smooth leg over the other.
"Is there some kind of like...truth serum, only in spell form? Something I can cast to make her tell me the truth?"
"There
is such a thing, but I doubt you could cast it."
"Hey, I've casted plenty of things--"
"You'd have to have a stronger will than the subject of the spell." Krysta looked Gen up and down with a smug smile.
And Merri seems pretty strong-willed. Dammit, the witch had her there.
"So I'm screwed?"
"I didn't say that." Krysta rose and glided toward a bookshelf across the room. After scanning the spines of the various texts, she pulled a large hardcover off the shelf and flipped it open. "I wouldn't bet money on you being able to control someone else's will, but affecting yourself shouldn't be a problem."
"What do you mean?"
Krysta set the book on the coffee table in front of Gen. "We make you a seer."
Genevieve glanced up at her sharply. Why pick that word? Was she referring to Meredith in some way? Had Michael told her about them?
Gen decided to play dumb for the time being. "Meaning what, exactly?"
"You will temporarily be given sight. This spell calls for true sight, but that would probably drive you insane, so we'll simply give you the ability to detect lies. Grab the box behind you and we'll get started."
While Krysta left to pick up supplies from the other room, Gen turned and took a large wooden box from the windowsill behind her. She set it on the coffee table, then glanced toward the hallway. No sign of Krysta yet. She could just take a peek inside...
Fingers lightly touching the box, Gen lifted the lid and glanced inside.
"Go ahead and open it."
The lid dropped with a thud and Gen jumped back at the sound of Krysta's voice.
The other woman nodded at the box as she walked over with a handful of candles. "Pick something out of there."
Half expecting to find another scary voodoo doll or something, Gen opened the box with care. The interior was lined with velvet. One side housed a pile of chains, while the other kept stacks of various pendants and gems.
Gen selected a small, clear gem in a silver setting, as well as a chain. After placing them on the table next to where Krysta was setting up candles, she put the box aside. "So what is it for?"
"While you wear the necklace, you'll be able to see." Krysta gave her a look that reminded her of Michael's "could you be any stupider?" one. "You
have done that before, right?"
"No...oh, wait, yeah. I did it on Saturday. Only I used a rock."
Krysta froze and met her eyes suddenly. "A rock."
"It only lasted a few hours, but--"
The witch shook her head and went back to what she was doing. "I doubt it last more than a few minutes. You'd have to be much more skilled to use a stupid rock, and even then it wouldn't hold the magic long."
"My mistake." She'd have to mention that little flaw to Michael later, just in case the spell hadn't worked and he was, in fact, on the security camera by Finn's room. "So what do we do?"
"You can start by lighting the candles."
Gen glanced around. "No matches?"
Krysta rolled her eyes and sighed. Her gaze slid along the circle of candles; the wick of each one lit instantly.
I could do that. What a show off. "And after the candle lighting?"
Krysta placed one hand face up on the coffee table and touched the fingertips of the other to the pendant. "Do exactly as I'm doing, focus, and keep quite while I recite the words."
Gen set her open hand on Krysta's palm, then gingerly touched the stone of the pendant. Just as she closed her eyes, she felt a sudden rush of power unlike anything she had encountered before. The energy was deafening, like loud music playing at full blast, and seemed to strike her physically with its force. Suddenly the small spells here and there that she'd accomplished seemed like child's play.
As Krysta spoke the foreign words of the spell, Gen tried to focus and keep her concentration, but she doubted she was contributing anything of value to the casting. Several minutes passed, silence followed, and it wasn't until Krysta's hand moved that Gen's eyes flew open.
"Is it...is it done?"
Krysta's eyes went to the pendant and Gen's followed. The formerly clear stone had turned a dark violet. "I didn't put much into it, so it should only be good for the rest of the day. If you need more than that, you'll have to pay."
Gen breathed with some relief. "So this is a freebie?"
Thank god. She didn't have any cash on her, and--unlike how Sage was with Austin--she wasn't interested in owing favours to creepy people with a lot of power.
"We'll just say that Michael owes me," Krysta said with a smile.
Yeah, that'll go over well... She supposed there would be no way of keeping Michael from knowing about the meeting now.
"And you're sure it works?"
Krysta gave her a look that suggested she wouldn't dignify such an inquiry with a response.
"Okay, how about telling me how
I'll know if it's working?"
"While you're wearing it, ask your friend a question. You'll see a purple aura around her. If it goes dark, she's lying. If it goes light, she's telling the truth."
That seemed simple enough. Gen slipped the pendant onto the chain and fastened it around her neck. So far, nothing looked different, but then she hadn't asked Krysta any questions, so she couldn't expect to see anything yet.
"If that's everything..." Krysta's gaze flickered to the apartment door.
"Yeah, that's it." Gen rose and walked toward the door. Just as she was about to leave, she turned to glance back at her host.
Might as well see if it's working. "Just out of curiosity, when you said that Michael would owe you for this, did you mean a sex thing?"
"Of course not," Krysta said, her face impassive.
Gen shuddered a little. "You are
such a liar. Gross."
The walk to Michael's house was long and...strange. Though she didn't actually speak to anyone she saw on the streets, occasionally she encountered groups speaking to one another in low voices. Periodically, the tone of violet around them would change as they spoke--sometimes slowly, casually, other times changing so drastically that Gen had to pause and blink. About halfway to Michael's, her head began to ache.
If this damn thing gives me epilepsy, that witch will have hell to pay. Assuming, of course, that Gen could do anything but
not get her ass handed to her by Krysta if it ever came to that.
By the time she reached the house, it was dusk. She wasn't surprised to see both Sage and Merri in the living room.
"You're late," Michael said, but she ignored him. A dull ache had settled around her head and it took time for her gaze to focus. Slowly, her eyes moved to Merri.
"Who are you?" Gen asked.
Merri glanced at Sage and Michael respectively, as if perhaps they understood the question. "What do you mean?"
"Who the hell are you?"
Rising from the couch, Merri took a few steps forward so she and Gen stood just a metre apart. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm Merri." Her brows pulled into a frown of worry. "Did something happen to you? Was it a spell or--"
An aura of violet around Meredith darkened to near blackness almost immediately. The pendant around Gen's neck seemed to weigh heavily on her and she resisted the urge to yank the thing off. "The police are looking for you."
Merri's eyes widened, her body tensed, but when she spoke, she sounded collected. "Well, that's weird."
"They said you're a killer...
Belle ."
The room was silent but for an audible gasp that passed Merri's lips. "I have no idea who--"
"Stop lying to me!" Gen shouted, horrified at the darkness hovering around her friend. "Stop lying to all of us! I spoke to a police officer. I know you killed a man back in Nova Scotia. I know you've been lying about your name and your family--you don't even live in that apartment building, do you?"
"You've gone insane--I'm not answering these questions." Merri turned suddenly and picked up her knapsack, stuffing loose pages and textbooks from her homework inside.
"I know you were supposed to meet Warren outside the club the night he died."
Merri froze and looked up at her, grip tightening on the strap of her bag.
"What did you do to him?" Gen whispered, searching the other girl's gaze for something--anything--that might answer her question. If she didn't speak, she couldn't tell for certain whether or not she was lying...but her reactions so far made her look all the more guilty. "How are we supposed to believe that
you're not the serial killer or something?"
"Gen, that's silly," Sage began as she rose, but Gen waved her off.
"Just tell us the truth," Genevieve said, her gaze still fixed on Merri. "Merri or Belle or whatever name you want to use. What the hell have you done?"
Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Merri bolted from the house, leaving the front door swinging behind her.
"What the hell is your problem?" Michael snapped.
"My 'problem' is that we've been trusting a known murderer for months now. She hasn't even told us her real name!"
"Did it ever occur to you she might have had a good reason for it?"
"Did it ever occur to you that she's dangerous?" Gen shot back. "She brought the police here, Michael. She brought unwanted attention to all of us and she didn't even warn us. You, of all people, should be pissed off about that."
"I wouldn't say I'm exactly joyful about the prospect," he said dryly.
"Do you know what she's done? Is that why you're defending her?"
"I don't think there's cause for concern right now." His aura turned dark.
"You're lying."
Their eyes locked for several long moments, and then his gaze dropped to the pendant hanging high on her neck. "What the hell is that?"
"A little spell I cooked up with someone."
Not that I actually contributed anything; thank god he can't tell when I'm
lying. "It's for seeing who's lying to me."
"And what the hell is that going to accomplish?"
"I know she was lying--"
"So? What now?"
"Now she tells us the goddamn truth--"
"If she wouldn't tell you the truth before, she certainly won't now." He stalked across the room, grabbed his jacket from behind the door, and slipped it on.
"You're going after her?" Sage asked.
"Try not to get killed," Gen said.
"If she bolts--which is quite likely at this point--you're both in trouble," Michael said. "We can't afford to lose track of the Seer, for Christ's sake. Both of you go home--I'll see you tomorrow." Without even another glance at them, he stormed from the house and slammed the door behind him.
"So what's going on?" Sage asked.
"I'll tell you on the way home," Gen said with a sigh as she slipped off the necklace.
*~*~*
Metal hangers scraped against the bar in the closet as Merri yanked off a pile of clothes. She had arrived in Newhaven with nothing but her knapsack, and her current wardrobe certainly wouldn't fit in there. She threw everything from the closet onto the couch, then grabbed the dresser drawers one by one and emptied the contents on top.
Can't walk out with a pile of clothes in my arms... Why the hell hadn't she bought a fucking suitcase or something? Of course, the simple answer was that she didn't think she'd have to leave so soon.
Or leave at all...
She ran to the kitchen to open cupboards and drawers, rifling through the contents until she came across a box of garbage bags. That would have to do.
She stuffed armfuls of clothing into a large green bag, tied it once it was full, and dragged it toward the door. She had to get out--had to get on the road again. Deep down, she knew she shouldn't have stopped for long--she shouldn't have listened to Michael. Of course the police would be on her heels. She couldn't hide forever.
Can't hide, but I can run. And that was what she'd do. She'd just keep running.
Another tug on the bag and the side split, spilling clothes on the floor.
"Goddamn it!" she screamed, dropping onto her knees to stuff everything back in again. The bag continued to tear. Grasping the whole package, she heaved it across the room. Clothes were strewn across the floor and the bag knocked over a lamp on the far wall. The glass bulb shattered.
Merri let out a sob and buried her head in her hands.
I'm not ready. I'm not ready to go yet. God help her, but she liked it there in Newhaven. She liked her friends. She liked her boyfriend. She was...
Happy.
But she had been comfortable--too comfortable. She stopped paying attention. If the police had been asking about the night at the club, that must mean she slipped up then. True, it had been risky dressing a little more like her usual self, but that couldn't be the only thing she did...
But I was there all night--I probably left prints, DNA, and all that stuff around. And of course that kind of thing would be on file somewhere.
So the authorities officially knew she was in Newhaven, and not only were they after her for one murder, but apparently a few others that she didn't actually commit. They knew her friends and it would only be a matter of time before they found out where she lived.
Her cell phone rang from within the front pocket of her backpack. She'd take the phone with her and ditch it after being on the road for awhile; she didn't want to be traced, but leaving it there meant the police could cycle through her saved numbers, and then they'd be bugging people like Thad...
Thad. Her eyes teared at the thought. He knew something was up with her, but he'd never really pushed. He had trusted her. It would kill him to find out what she really was... But she didn't have time to say sorry. Didn't have time to explain or try to soften the blow. He'd learn that he spent all these months fucking a murderer and be all the more glad she didn't stick around.
Gotta keep moving. Merri dragged herself off the floor and grabbed a new garbage bag. This time she only half filled it, leaving the remaining clothes in a pile. She had enough clean clothes for a week or so; the rest could be evidence or whatever the cops decided to do with it. Though there was little food in her cupboard, she grabbed a few non-perishables and bottles of water from the fridge, and stuffed them all in her knapsack.
At last she came to the stack of letters from Lexie and the cash she and Jay had sent. If the cops figured out where she lived, they'd figure out the fake name she'd been using and no doubt check the post office. The next time she went in to get her mail directed to a new address, they'd catch her.
So much for any more cash from my family. She was definitely on her own now.
Money stuffed in her pocket, knapsack slung over her shoulder, and anything of need or value stuffed in the garbage bag, Merri cast one final look back at her apartment.
So this is all that's left of Meredith McCreary...
Too bad. I kinda liked her.
*~*~*
Michael had spent most of the night driving around town looking for Merri, but to no avail. He went by the building he knew was hers, but there was no sign of her. Local hotels--even the dives--brought up no results. He had swung by the bus station a few times, but it was empty as well.
It occurred to him that she might have already been arrested, which would be...problematic, to say the least. A short conference with a few contacts he'd made at the local O.P.P., however, and he knew that wasn't the case. No one matching Merri's description had been brought in, and the police had no more leads about the young fugitive, Belle Swanson.
Either she was still hiding in town somewhere, or she had hitchhiked out. The former, he could deal with. Wherever she was, she could be found. The latter, though...that meant they were in trouble. He hadn't a clue where she would go.
In part, Michael blamed himself for the whole situation. He knew she was hiding something. He knew she was on the run. Logic dictated it would all catch up with her eventually. But he hadn't asked for any more from her. If pushed, it seemed likely she'd run, and that could be dangerous. As it turned out, he was right, but...but if it had been him rather than Genevieve, she might have heard him out. And then he would have had time to prepare and ensure nothing came of this police investigation. Now, however...
Now it could be too late.
He went home to catch a few hours of sleep, then he was back on the road again in the morning, searching. It was when he decided to take a second tour of the bus station that he finally found her.
Merri sat on a bench in front of a sign for buses leaving town. A lumpy garbage bag was on the seat next to her and she clutched the strap of her backpack in both of her hands. He had to do a double take at first; this time, her hair was blonde and barely brushed her shoulders.
Michael took a seat on the other side of her. She didn't look at him, but instead kept her eyes fixed in the direction the bus would be arriving.
"Did you come to see me off?" she asked in a low voice.
"I came to tell you not to leave."
"Not really an option anymore." She fished a pack of cigarettes from her bag, pulled one out, and lit it.
"You can't keep running."
"Can't stay here either."
"You know Sage and Genevieve need you here."
"I'm pretty sure they feel safer
without me around, actually. I'll get caught eventually anyway...I just figure it'll be better if it happens away from them. It'll be better if they don't see it."
"Do you remember what I told you when we first met?"
Merri smoked in silence as she thought about it. "I remember you bitching at me for not getting in your stupid car when you first told me to."
"I told you that I don't care who you are or what you're running from. I'm here to help you. And that's still true."
"You don't know what I've done, Michael. You don't..."
"So what have you done that makes you think I won't still help you?"
"I..." She dropped her cigarette on the cement and stomped it out, then stared at the butt for several minutes. At last she turned her head and gazed up at him, long blonde bangs falling in her eyes. "I'm a killer."
Michael barely blinked. "And I'm not?"
"I know you've done worse than me, but...but that's not going to matter to Gen and Sage."
"Why did you do it?"
"It doesn't matter--"
"It might to them. Why did you do it?"
Merri shook her head. "It wasn't in self defense, it wasn't temporary insanity...it was cold-blooded murder. I made a plan that involved the death of someone and I executed it."
"Are you sorry?"
She shook her head again. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The only change I'd make is that I would have done it sooner."
"Sounds like your victim deserved it."
"Is that based on your considerable experience as a murderer?" she asked with a small smile.
"Either he deserved it or you're a sociopath--it's that simple."
"Does that apply to you too? Are you sorry for anything you've ever done?"
He didn't answer her at first. In truth, he didn't
want to give it much consideration. "Regret can't change the past."
"No...but it can certainly affect the future. So did all the people you killed deserve what they got, or are you a sociopath?"
It's not so black and white where I'm concerned, he thought, though he decided to ignore her question. "Are you coming back with me or not?"
"I can't. The police know I'm in town, they'll--"
"I can handle the goddamn police. You'll have to find a better excuse than that."
"Gen and Sage," she said. "What am I supposed to say to them? How are they going to trust me? Especially Gen--"
"Gen's a fucking idiot. I'll deal with her as well. Are you coming?"
She stared in his eyes without saying a word. Half of him expected her to bolt, but at last she nodded. "I trust you."
"It's about fucking time," he muttered.
"You have to tell me something, though. When we first met, you told me that if I let you in on my situation, you'd explain yours. So start talking."
Of course she had to bring that up. The kid had no sense of appropriate timing. "Later."
"No, now. I don't expect you to tell me everything--that'll take awhile, I'm sure. But...just tell me if I'm right. Was Gen the one who did..." She looked him up and down, then met his eyes pointedly. "...
this to you?" She studied him in silence for a moment, frowning as she thought. "No...it was because of her somehow, though, right?"
There seemed little point in lying since she already knew the answer. "Yes. In a manner of speaking."
"Are you ever going to tell her--or even Sage--the truth about you?"
"Hadn't planned on it."
"They will find out eventually.
Gen will figure it out. She's getting stronger."
"She'll only know if you or I tell her."
"Or if Shaw does."
Shit. She was right--Shaw knew. Shaw might say something... But until they got to that point, there seemed no use speculating. He'd deal with it when it came up.
"Can we leave yet, or are you planning to wait until the police finally show up here?"
"She scares you, doesn't she?" Merri asked, ignoring the fact that their conversation about Genevieve had already ended.
Michael sighed. "Why would she?"
Merri's eyes didn't leave his. "Because you think she's like you. You think you know what she could be capable of."
Yes, I do... "I know at the moment she's barely capable of putting out a fucking candle. We'll worry other situations that arise when they
actually arise."
"If you say so."
He highly doubted she'd leave the conversation there permanently, but it would do for now.
"I guess I should take my crap back to my apartment," Merri said as she rose. While she slipped her backpack over her shoulder, Michael grabbed the garbage bag. "I think I'll skip out on school again today and at least until this gets sorted out. Any suggestions for how to deal with the police?"
"For starters, we get you good identification and start forging records."
"I've got a fake driver's license from last year..." She dug the small, laminated card from her pocket and handed it to him. "It's the name I was using at the apartment and for my mail."
Michael only needed to glance at the card to tell "Mary Swan's" I.D. wasn't real. "I'm surprised that got you as far as it did."
"Yeah, I overpaid. But it was something."
"First thing we do is get you a decent birth certificate, new social insurance number, and a health card. Then you can apply for an actual driver's license." They reached his car and Michael tossed the bag of clothes in the back. He got in the front and Merri climbed in the passenger side.
"Great, and how much is that going to cost me?"
"I'll cover it."
"I don't like owing--"
"You won't be owing me anything. Consider it an investment in a worthy cause."
"Which would be?"
He gave her a sideways glance as he started the car. "Saving the world."
As he swung the car away from the bus terminal, Merri tugged at her blonde hair and the wig fell off. She tossed it in the back.
Michael glanced at her in surprise and she shrugged.
"You didn't really think I'd bleach it, right? Please." She ran her hands through her real hair, shaking it loose. "It's bad enough that I have to fix my roots all the time to stay a brunette. If I went blonde, it would be a daily chore to keep up. You might as well write 'trailer trash' on my forehead. So...any thoughts on what to tell Gen and Sage yet?"
As he drove, Michael thought about that very thing. Snarling, "Shut the hell up and deal with it," was a possibility.
"I'll figure something out," he said at last.
"Good, 'cause I don't know..." Her sentence trailed off as he turned the car onto her street.
Two police cars were parked in front of her apartment. Sure, it seemed possible--and perhaps even likely--that it was a drug bust, but it seemed too much a coincidence.
"Duck down," he said as he triggered the roof back up on the convertible. Merri slid down in her seat so she couldn't be seen as he rounded the corner away from the building.
"Shit," she swore. "Where the hell am I going to go?"
"For now, we hide you. There was nothing at your place that could trace you to me, was there?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. Never written down the address, never told anyone there...no ties whatsoever."
"Then you can hide there while I sort this out."
Thankfully, they didn't run into any other cops before they reached Michael's house, and the two of them got out of the car and swiftly moved to the front door.
"You don't go to school, you don't go to work," Michael opened the front door, "and you don't go anywhere until I--"
Michael and Merri froze just inside the door. Genevieve and Sage waited for them in the living room.
"Of course, you still have a fucking key," he muttered as he tossed the garbage bag of Meredith's things on the floor.
"No, you just left the door unlocked," Gen replied.
He'd smack the damn witch if she got in his way at that moment. Michael gestured for Merri to put her stuff in the spare room while he went to the kitchen for the phone. Time to purchase some decent forgeries. "We've got shit to do, so don't start your bitching 'cause--"
"Oh, for once we're in agreement," Gen said. "We don't have time to talk right now."
Someone knocked on the door suddenly. Michael and Merri both froze and looked to the door, but it was Gen who walked confidently over and opened it. She smiled at the intruder and gestured for him to come inside.
"Yes officers," Gen said coolly. "She's right here."
