Ch. 24: A Break in the Case

Makayla's POV:

It's hard to not feel nervous, as we pull into the parking lot outside the police station. For years now, I have been looking for anything that could point me in a new direction to finding out the truth of the night of December 3, 2018.

The night my mom was murdered.

Asher shifts the car into park and leans back against the driver's seat. After Sage called with an update, Asher told her to meet us downtown at the station. I sent a short text to my dad, letting him know we were on our way over before we left Asher's place. The car ride had been silent, so I had taken the time to try and process my emotions. I could feel Asher's gaze on me the whole ride over, only ever turning away to focus his attention back on the road.

"Hey, are you okay?" Asher's voice breaks the silence in the car, as I glance over. It's clear from the look on his face that he's worried about me. I don't really think I have the words to ease his concern. I have waited so long for answers. There are several emotions racing through my head at a mile a minute, never landing long enough for me to settle on just one. No matter how hard I try to get a handle on my emotions, I keep going back and forth between the two.

Fear.

Hope.

I'm both scared and hopeful for news. Scared I won't like what Sage found. Hopeful that it might be enough to reopen my mother's case.

Justice for her death has been pushed aside for so long, I'm scared to hope.

On and off for the last six years, my mom's death has clung to me, never loosening its' hold for too long. Whenever I start to feel a moment of peace, my grief hits me like a riptide. I'm caught, thrashing, trying to swim against the current, but there's no use. I'm pulled under the water and left to drown.

Deep down, I know my mom wouldn't want this for me. She would want me to find a sense of closure in her passing and live my life for myself, not for her. I can't help it. There's that nagging feeling in the back of my mind that tells me I won't have closure until my mom does. She deserves peace, just as badly as I do.

Asher gently places his hand over mine, startling me from my thoughts. I realize I still hadn't answered his question. I sigh, running my fingers through my air, as I speak.

"I think so. As okay as anyone would be in this situation, I guess." I say, shrugging my shoulders.

He nods in understanding before lifting my hand up and placing a kiss on the back of my palm. My heart warms at his gesture, grateful to have him here with me. I take one last deep breath before exhaling, unbuckling my seatbelt.

"Let's head in. My dad and Sage are probably waiting for us." I go to open the passenger side door when Asher stops me.

"They can wait one more minute." Asher smiles, tucking my hair behind my ear. I blush and lean towards him, our lips meeting for a moment. The gesture is sweet, and I feel my anxiety start to waver. We pull apart, resting our foreheads against each other. "Okay, now we can go in." Asher remarks, planting a kiss on the top of my head and then climbing out of the car.

I follow suit, heading towards the entrance of the station. I feel Asher grab a hold of my hand, lacing our fingers together. I feel more grounded with him next to me. He pulls open the door, letting me walk in first before following in behind.

It's early in the evening, and the station is crowded. Officers buzz around the room like bees, never staying still for too long. People are moving from one task to the next, their chatter drowned out by the constant ringing of telephones. I look around before seeing my dad talking with Uncle Matt and two young girls. Asher and I make our way over to them; one of the girls spotting us first, as she bounces over.

"Took you long enough! Lily and I have been waiting for ten minutes, and we got sucked into small talk. You know I try my best to avoid people in general." The girl remarks, punching Asher in the shoulder as she talks. She only laughs when she sees him groan in pain and annoyance, clearly loving getting a rise out of him. Her black hair is pulled up in a messy bun, subtle streaks of violet are present in her locks. Blue eyes are hidden behind a pair of black framed glasses. I take in the rest of her appearance, and it's clear she has a coolness about her without even trying. This must be Sage.

Asher had told me a few details about Sage when he first asked her to dig up some intel on the texts. According to Asher, she's a genius, majoring in computer science with a focus on cybersecurity. Asher met Sage and Lily, her girlfriend, freshman year, and he's been good friends with them ever since.

"I'm sorry I made you socialize, Sage." Asher says, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, sure you are." She replies, scoffing in a joking manner. She then turns her focus to me. "You must be Makayla! God, the way Asher talks about you, I feel like I already know you." She slyly smirks in Asher's direction, as I notice his face flush in embarrassment. He's freaking adorable.

"C'mon, babe. You're embarrassing the boy." The other girl, Lily, interrupts the conversation, bumping into Sage's hip in a playful manner before hugging Asher. Asher pulls away, grinning.

"See, this is why Lily is my favorite." Asher jokes. Sage responds by sticking her tongue out like a child, making Asher copy her actions. Lily groans, folding her arms across her chest.

"I swear these two are children. Hi Makayla! It's really nice to meet you." Lily smiles towards me. Lily's auburn hair falls gracefully down her back in loose curls. Her caramel eyes have a warmness to them, as they practically twinkle in the light.

"Likewise! Sage, I also really appreciate your help with all this." I turn to get Sage's attention, seeing her ruffling Asher's hair. Lily only rolls her eyes at the two, as if this is a common occurrence.

"Don't even mention it." She waves me off. "Besides, we had to meet the girl Asher has been hung up on since freshman year." She teases Asher, who pinches her in response. Sage yelps, going to retaliate when Lily pulls her back, scolding the two. I try to hold back a laugh, watching the three interact. Sage and Asher act like siblings, while Lily is the mom of the group.

The moment is interrupted when my dad and Uncle Matt call us over. I give them both a hug in greeting before stepping back. We follow them into the I.T. lab and get settled in. Sage sits down at one of the empty desks, getting her computer and the remaining equipment set up. Once she gives us a thumbs up, we all gather behind her to get a better view of the screen.

"Okay, so before I show you what I found, I have to confess that my methods aren't exactly what you would call 'legal'." Sage starts, air quoting at the end of her statement. My dad and Matt share a look before my dad sighs.

"How illegal are we talking?" He asks, his tone is skeptical at best.

"Well, before I answer that, where do we land on immunity? You know since I'm assisting on a criminal investigation after all?" Sage asks innocently, her words thinly veiled in sarcasm. Uncle Mark coughs to cover up his laugh, while my dad rubs the top of his head, mulling it over.

"Dear lord. Give me a second," my dad replies, walking out of the room. We all share nervous glances, as Sage leans back in her chair.

"I swear, if your dad comes back to place me under arrest, it's really going to put a damper on our new friendship, Makayla." Sage jokes, kicking her feet up on the desk, while she waits.

I know she's only kidding, but honestly? I have no idea what my dad will do. This was a mistake coming here. I know my dad wanted to be included in the investigation, but I don't think I thought the legal ramifications all the way through. Before I can spiral any further, my dad walks back in, but this time not alone.

"Okay, Sage. This is Evan, our computer forensic analyst. He's going to be taking over from here." My dad explains, as Evan goes to sit down at a desk in the back corner of the room. He immediately starts typing along his keyboard, logging into the system. Sage looks like a fish out of water, continuing to gape at my dad in shock.

"Woah, wait a minute! You're replacing me? When did I suddenly go from being Batman to Robin?" She asks, a mix of sarcasm and disbelief in her voice.

"Anything you tell me would be admissible in court, if you obtained it illegally. Unless you were making a joke, and you didn't break any laws?" My dad raises his eyebrows. Sage sinks back against the chair, huffing.

"I plead the fifth." Sage mumbles, groaning at the turn of events. Lily sighs, placing a hand on Sage's shoulder to comfort her. Sage smiles at her girlfriend's gesture before standing up. "Alright, well at least let me make sure this guy knows where to look first?" My dad thinks it over, before agreeing.

"Lead the way, Robin."

****************************************************************************

Since the texts are related to the stalking incidents my dad had me file, a judge grants a warrant. Allowing Evan to contact my cell provider, he starts scanning through data records. After a few hours of waiting, Lily, Asher, and I left to grab dinner. Sage chose to stay behind and watch Evan work, claiming she wanted to be there to help when he inevitably made a mistake. After stopping at a fast-food joint, Lily gets a text from Sage to hurry back to the station.

Rushing back into the tech lab, I hand my dad and Uncle Matt their food, while Lily hands Sage's order to her. Sage thanks her with a kiss on the cheek before turning her focus back onto the computer in front of her.

"What did you find out?" I ask Evan, as he looks up from the computer at my question.

"Basically, everything I already knew." Sage rolls her eyes, shoving a few fries in her mouth. Asher chuckles, sneaking a fry before she could stop him. Smacking his hand away, Sage raises her middle finger in response.

"After obtaining access to the phone records, I was able to start tracing the signals. Unfortunately, a lot of them were dead ends. I was, however, able to triangulate the last two texts sent to your phone by seeing which cell towers they pinged off from. I can't give you an exact location, but the general vicinity is about a 5-mile radius. It's going to take me a little longer to figure out any other information, though." Evan explains, enlarging the image on the screen to give us a better view of the signals blinking on the map.

"How come?" I ask, confused and trying not to get impatient.

"Whoever has been sending you these messages is using burners. Those types of phones are made with the sole purpose of having next to no information that we could use to identify the person on the other end. It's why I can't trace the previous text messages from a few months back. The person already dumped the burner, so any data was wiped clean." Evan replied, frustrated.

"Anything else you can tell us, Evan? A vicinity that wide is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. This guy nearly ran my daughter over with a car," my dad stops mid-sentence, taking in a shaky breath.

A pit forms in my stomach at the thought. Asher notices my mood change, throwing his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer. I snuggle into the side of his sweatshirt, trying to ignore the anxiety creeping back into my head.

"Well, there is something else." Sage and Evan both say, trying to talk over one another. Matt frowns, motioning for Evan to continue. Sage sighs, relenting and letting him explain.

"I'll keep digging. See if I can find who the device is registered to, but I do know where the phone was manufactured. White Industries."

"So? White Industries is one of the largest biotech and engineering conglomerates in the world. Try finding someone who doesn't use their software." Asher points out, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, you're right, but remember that 5-mile radius I mentioned? Guess whose building is right in the center of it." Evan replies, leaning back in his chair. Across the room, I notice dad and Matt share a knowing look. I frown. What was that? I start to speak, wanting to ask what the looks are about, but I stop myself, not being able to find the right words.

"What exactly are you implying?" Lily chimes in, having been silent for most of the conversation. Sage clears her throat, gaining the attention of the room.

"He's saying that it wouldn't be a bad idea to start looking into the employees over at White Industries."

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Author's Note:

Oop! Sorry to leave y'all on a cliffhanger!

Any theories so far? Comment below!

As always, Thanks for reading! ❤️

Disclaimer: I don't know the legality of using established references in works of fiction, but any mention of pop culture or fictional people, places, or things, are not my own. All rights to original creation.