18. Chapter 18 An unexpected move

Chapter 18: An unexpected move

EVELYN

I wake up to knocking on the bedroom door. Groggy and disoriented, its Ana's voice, frantic and loud, that jolts me fully awake. "Come in," I call to her, not ready to leave my room and admit a new day has begun just yet.

"No Evelyn, you need to come out here and watch the news. Now."

Still half-asleep, I go into the other room where the TV is blaring. My stomach drops as I see Cassandra's tear-streaked face on every channel. She's crying, claiming harassment from the sheriff's department. Clips play of me confronting her at her house and of Alexei's visit.

"Reporters are swarming outside, Evelyn. They followed you here last night. They're outside Alexei's place too, demanding he be jailed."

I quickly get dressed, my mind scrambling for a way to manage this disaster. The drive to the department is a nightmare. Reporters swarm around my car, shouting questions, cameras flashing. I manage to push through the crowd again, my heart pounding.

Inside, the department is pure chaos. Phones are ringing off the hook and deputies rush around trying to control the situation. I make my way to my office, where Mark and Teresa are waiting.

"What's our status?" I ask, trying to maintain a calm facade.

Mark shakes his head, looking grim. "It's bad, Evelyn. People are protesting outside Alexei's place, demanding he be arrested. The news outlets are eating it up."

Teresa adds, "We've got people calling in, accusing us of bullying Cassandra. We need to get a handle on this."

I nod, trying to formulate a plan. "We need a statement. Something to calm the public and show we're handling this professionally."

As I sit down to draft the statement, my phone buzzes again. It's Alexei.

"Evelyn, this is getting out of hand," he says, his voice tense. "They're camped outside my house. I can't even leave."

"We're working on it," I assure him. "We'll get this under control, just stay put for now."

I hang up, and I get back to work. I finish drafting the statement and hand it to Mark.

"Get this out to the media immediately," I instruct. "We need to regain control of the narrative."

He nods and rushes off. This is a nightmare.

A knock on my door interrupts my thoughts. It's Ana. She looks as frazzled as I feel.

"I can't believe this is happening," she says, sinking into a chair. "Cassandra's playing the victim card perfectly."

I sigh, shaking my head. "We need proof that she's behind the murders. Until then, we're fighting a losing battle."

Ana nods. "We need to be smart about this. Find something that ties her to the crimes, something undeniable."

The hours drag on as we try to manage the crisis. The statement goes out, but it only seems to fan the flames. Reporters twist our words, making us look even worse.

By afternoon, the situation outside Alexei's house has escalated. Protesters are chanting and holding signs demanding justice. The extra deputies are barely holding them back.

I decide to go there myself. The drive is tense, the crowd thickening as I approach. I park a block away and make my way through the throng, trying to ignore the shouting and camera flashes.

Alexei is waiting at the door, looking exhausted. I pull him inside with me, away from the chaos.

"We need to find a way to end this," he says, running a hand through his hair. "I can't stay locked up here forever."

"We will," I promise. "Just hang in there a little longer."

He nods, but I can see the doubt in his eyes. We sit in silence for a moment, the noise from outside seeping through the walls.

Suddenly, my phone buzzes with a message from Teresa. It's a link to a new video that's gone viral. I play it, my blood running cold as I watch.

It's footage of me confronting Cassandra, edited to make me look like the aggressor. Her tears, her words about feeling unsafe... it all looks damning.

"This is bad," I mutter, showing the video to Alexei.

He watches, his expression darkening. "She's turning everyone against us."

"We need to fight back," I say, determination hardening within me. "We'll find something on her, something real. This isn't over"

I leave Alexei's house, the anger and frustration boiling inside me. This is just getting started, if Cassandra wants to play games, then I am ready to play with her.