THE VOICES IN HER HEAD

~Hanesville, Present day~

Cassandra Blake felt strong hands grab her along the aisle that was lined on either side with cells. She recoiled as she saw the questioning faces of the inmates of the cells, poking their heads out to see who their new member was.

Fortunately, the officers that held her on both sides were not heading there. They were heading to somewhere less conspicuous.

They came to an abrupt stop before a heavy metal door. One of the police officers let go of her and punched on keys on the electronic keypad on the wall. A moment later, the door creaked open and they entered inside.

The inside of the room was painted with bleached white color, and the three seats surrounding a square table in the room were all black. They lowered her forcefully onto one of the seats and exited the room, leaving her alone to herself.

Cassandra heaved a deep breath. It had been a long and bizarre day. From the moment she opened the doors of the coffee shop where she worked and found a dead bat on one of the window panes, she’d known something was going to go wrong today.

Then, there were the voices she’d heard all morning in her head. They were saying something to her, muttering incoherent words in her ears. She’d thought was going crazy. Then, it stopped abruptly. She’d thought that was the end of it. She had no idea what was coming.

With long flowing blonde hair with pink streaks, an oblong face that rarely had any makeup on it, and a petite body, Cassandra Blake was beautiful only to the right pair of eyes.

Her roguish look and her penchant for always wearing oversized clothes disguised her beauty. She was the kind of woman any man could easily walk past on the road without looking at twice unless she made herself seen.

Cassandra was going through what had happened just a couple of minutes ago at the coffee shop in her head for the hundredth time, wondering what would have happened if she had only refused to serve the damned old man the coffee he asked for. Perhaps she would not have been arrested today after all.

But it didn’t matter. Her lover would soon intervene and rescue her from this sickening place. Dating the mayor's son had its perks. Eugene would soon get her out of there.

The iron door dragged on the ground, interrupting her thoughts. Someone had just walked in. Cassandra looked up at once and her eyes met with those of a detective she recognized from her regular escapades from the police station.

Her name was Detective Gina Parker and from her experience with her, she was a force to be reckoned with. Detective Parker stood before her face, leaning on the table before her with both hands.

“Cassandra Blake,” She began, “I see you’re back here after all. You know, at this rate, I think you should make this your second home,” She paused for a moment.

When she did not get a reaction from Cassandra, she continued, “Unfortunately, you will not be getting out of here anytime soon. And your boyfriend can’t save you this time either,” She sneered at her, “This is not one of those violent street fight cases you’re usually involved in,” Her eyes widened as if to drive home the point, “You killed a man, Cassandra. You have to pay for it.”

Cassandra's eyes flashed at her at once.

“I did not kill him!”

“Tell that to Detective Palmer. He’s going to be questioning you.”

“What?” Cassandra asked, confused. Usually, Detective Parker questioned her.

“Yeah, he has just been transferred into the department and your case has been given to him,” Detective Parker explained. “Good luck.”

She turned and walked away before Cassandra could respond.

The door opened and closed and there was silence again. Moments later, the door was opened by a male detective. When Cassandra looked up and saw him, she knew he was the one.

He was tall and good-looking, with heavy-set jaws that sat on a long, lean neck. She thought she liked him. And that was odd, considering the situation they were meeting. He avoided her eyes until he took his seat. Then, he straightened and placed a file on the table before him. He began to flip through the pages of the file.

“Cassandra Blake, I believe that is your name,” He said without looking up, “You have a pretty interesting profile. You’ve been to rehab when you were a teenager and as a young adult, you’ve been in and out of therapy,” He paused and took a long look at the file before he continued, “On top of it all, you’ve gotten into lots of street fights,” He lifted his eyes slowly and gazed at her. “Somehow, you always manage to find yourself where the drama is happening.”

Cassandra did not answer. Her eyes were glued to him. He had the most devastating blue eyes to ever grace a human face. They were the sort of eyes that haunted a girl's dream. For some reason, she found herself becoming attracted to him. A very wrong move.

“I’m Detective Carmen Palmer, by the way,” Detective Palmer continued, “And I’m here to find out the truth from you. A certain Mr. Gary Brown is dead because of you. Yet, you keep denying your involvement in his death.”

“I did not kill him!” Cassandra said, pounding her fist on the table. The fondness in her eyes disappeared.

“Careful there,” Detective Palmer warned.

“Tell me what happened.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes and heaved a tired sigh.

“Fine. He came to the coffee shop where I work and asked that I served him coffee with no sugar in it and that’s what I served him. When I went to clear the table, I realized the coffee mug was still full. Before I could say anything, he took the mug and poured the content on me. I gasped in surprise and pushed him on his seat in anger,” She stopped to catch her breath, “That was it. Just a small push and he fainted. I called the ambulance but they pronounced him dead on arrival. See? I didn’t kill him.”

Detective Palmer was listening with rapt attention, trying to draw a conclusion from what she’d said.

“But you did push him.”

“I told you!” Cassandra said, her tone rising, “It was just a little push, not enough to kill him.”

His dark, blue eyes regarded her for a moment.

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because it's the truth! He must have had it coming already. I did not kill him!”

Detective Palmer opened his mouth to say something, but he never made it through. The door creaked open almost immediately. Detective Parker walked in and handed a file to him. She’d barely looked at Cassandra twice before walking out again.

After she’d left, Detective Palmer glanced through the pages of the file, his expression changing as he did so. He looked up at once, his sharp eyes darting at Cassandra.

“The coroner’s report just came in. And for some reason, the results seem to be in your favor,” He leaned back on his seat and regarded her with keen eyes, “It says here that Mr. Brown died of a heart attack. Given your records, somehow, I doubt it. I have just one question for you,” He leaned closer. “How did you do it?”

But Cassandra was no longer listening. An electrifying sensation went through her and her eyes drew inward. Her palms began to sweat.

The voices she’d heard in her head all morning had suddenly returned. They’d gotten louder. This time, she could make out part of what they were saying. She heard a name loud and clear in her head. Tom Banes.

Who was Tom Banes and why was his name reechoing in her head?

Slowly, Detective Palmer’s voice drew her back to the present. She heard a slurry voice ask, “Hey, are you okay?”

Cassandra Blake looked up, suddenly coming back to herself. Her mind swirled in confusion. Detective Palmer was eying her questioningly from the corner of his eyes.

Cassandra stirred in her seat, beginning to rise. She knew instantly that she had to look for answers.