The woman spoke first. “Miss Anderson, I’m Detective Billings. This is my partner, Detective Holloway.”
“Where’s my father?”
“He’s here. We just spoke to him.”
“I want to see him.”
“Before we get to that, I need to apprise you of your rights.” The woman tapped her smartwatch and a recording played, reciting the Miranda warning. Adeline had seen it hundreds of times in movies and TV shows. She never thought she’d hear it in person. This was so bizarre. It had to be some kind of mistake. That was the only plausible explanation.
“Do you understand the rights that have been read to you?” Billings asked.
“Yes,” Adeline said quietly.
“We’d like to ask you some questions, Miss Anderson. With these rights in mind, are you willing to speak to me?”
Adeline stared at the two detectives. This was all wrong. Being arrested. Her father being arrested. It had to be a mistake. Talking to them could clear it up. After all, the cops existed to protect people like her father and her. Innocent people. Refusing to answer would look suspicious. Might even land her in trouble.
“What do you want to know?”
“Last night you visited Dr. Nora Thomas.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She… wanted to give me some things.”
“What sort of things?”
“Items my mother had given her. She thought I might want them.”
“Was that the only reason she wanted you and your father to come over?”
“No.”
“What was the other reason?”
With her thumb, Adeline began picking at the skin next to the nail on her middle finger. In her mind, she couldn’t help replaying the fight that had taken place inside Nora’s home.
“Last night,” Billings said carefully, “you got upset, didn’t you, Miss Anderson?”
“Yes.”
FOUR
Two uniformed police officers led Sam from the hospital-like room to another holding area.
To him, the new cell felt more like a one-bedroom apartment. There was a sitting area with a couch, coffee table, and two club chairs, a long table with six chairs, and a separate bedroom and bathroom.
It certainly wasn’t an average police holding cell. And for good reason: Absolom City wasn’t a typical small town. Absolom Sciences Inc. had built the city to house its corporate headquarters and research facilities. It was located in Western Nevada, near the California border, in the middle of a vast expanse of desert. Around the town, a massive solar field spread out in every direction, collecting the immense amount of energy the Absolom machine needed to operate.
Most of the town’s sixteen thousand residents worked at Absolom Sciences, and the houses had been designed and built specifically for their needs. So had the police station. With the sheer amount of surveillance cameras in the city （and Absolom as a penalty for the worst offenses）， crime was nearly nonexistent in Absolom City. But like human nature, crime couldn’t be completely eradicated. There was always the occasional drunk and disorderly. A domestic dispute. A teenager sowing wild oats—or crying for help.
These cells in the police station had been designed for those occasions. They were like hotel suites where wayward—but valued—citizens could sleep off the excess alcohol or reflect on what had landed them here.
As Sam sat on the couch, he wondered if he would ever leave this place a free man. He was certainly the first murder suspect to be arrested in Absolom City.
He did have one thing going for him: he could have visitors. In this day and age, everyone was well aware of the fifth amendment—and their right to an attorney. If a suspect under arrest wanted to avoid talking to the police and communicate with the outside world, it was simply a matter of asking for a lawyer and passing messages from that person to anyone outside the police station. As such, the police were more liberal with allowing people to visit suspects under arrest. In many cases, talking with loved ones even encouraged suspects to confess. And confession was the typical conclusion to crimes in Absolom City, thanks to the ubiquitous cameras recording all public spaces and a well-trained police force.
Tom sat in the club chair opposite Sam. Elliott plopped down in the other one.
“They can’t record in this room,” Tom said. “Can’t even question you here.”
Sam nodded absently. “They arrested Adeline as well. I want her released. This has to be some mistake.”
Tom took his phone out and tapped out a text message.