DeLeina, Maya - Veil of Seduction [Ambrose Heights Vampires 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Maya DeLeina Read Free Book Online Page B

sister was the cause for the commotion.
    Shaking her head and trying to regain her composure, the detective said, “I–I don’t know why any of us didn’t pick up on that by the birthdates…”
    “It’s easy to overlook. We were born in different years. She on December 31 st and I on January 1 st ,” interrupted Anya.
    “Interesting. Please, take a seat,” said the detective as she took her seat and continued. “Thank you for coming down so quickly. We like to interview family members early in the case. Learning about the victim…I mean, Anise, from a close family member can sometimes help to uncover leads that the evidence couldn’t.” Detective Doyle folded her hands together on the desk and continued openly. “I apologize, Mrs. Evans. This type of meeting is never easy for me. I’m good at stating facts and evidence. I’m not good with the human aspect of it all. Forgive me if I seem straight to the point. I’ll share with you the basic facts that we have at this point and then I’ll have questions for you.”
    Anya nodded.
    The door to the office slowly opened, and a male voice spoke, “Sorry I’m late, I just got things wrapped up.”
    “Mrs. Evans, this is Sergeant Stemper. He was on the line when I phoned you earlier.”
    “Mrs. Evans,” greeted the sergeant.
    He took a chair from the corner of the office and placed it next to Detective Doyle as he handed her a manila folder.
    Turning back to Anya, the detective continued, “Sergeant Stemper is from our criminalist unit. He’s in charge of the evidence in your sister’s case.”
    Anya gazed at Sergeant Stemper, noting his handsome face. Although absent of any noticeable accent, he had a slight foreign quality to his features, aristocratic by sorts. Anya nodded in understanding as she inwardly evaluated the sergeant.
    “Mrs. Evans, please call me Alex.” He flashed a smile at Anya. “So, let’s start with what we know. The owner of the cattle ranch found Anise’s body in an old well as he was checking the fence lines. Shortly after the discovery, he found her belongings scattered near the well. Her purse was found not far from its contents.”
    The detective opened the manila folder that Alex had given her and placed evidence photos of the purse’s contents on the desk for Anya to examine. Anya recognized much of the contents as belonging to Anise.
    All of Anya’s early attempts at composure faded, and she started to cry.
    “Her body was in the well? She fell in? Why wasn’t the well covered or something?” Anya managed to get out her sentence in between her bouts of crying.
    “Mrs. Evans, Anise’s body was placed in the well and burned,” Alex explained.
    “Burned? Oh my god, Anise!” Anya sobbed heavily at the thought of her sister’s demise.
    “Do you know if your sister had any enemies? You know, jilted lovers, angry coworkers, someone she may have owed money to?”
    “No.”
    The detective flipped through papers in another manila folder. “You and Anise were the only surviving members of your family, is that correct?”
    “Yes. Our parents were killed in a crash. They were vacationing in Kauai. On their last day on the island, they decided to take a helicopter tour of the island…” Anya trailed off in a vacant stare. “My mother hated flying.”
    “I’m curious, how was the relationship between you and your sister in the past, since it was just the two of you?” probed Detective Doyle.
    “We always had a strained relationship. We were supposed to be so in sync with each other, but we were complete opposites. But after our parents died, we really made an effort.” Anya paused, feeling a faint smile develop. “Ryan was the dynamic that really changed everything. He had lost his parents, just like us, and understood our pain. Once he was in the picture, he made our interactions…better. It was easier to have her around. It made our communication stronger. Most importantly, he made Anise and I laugh