4. Chapter 4 Solitary Confinement

Chapter 4: Solitary Confinement

EVELYN

I sit at my desk, staring at the pile of folders in front of me. The room is quiet, the air thick with tension. My deputies are all gathered, waiting for me to speak.

"We need to set up a task force," I say, breaking the silence. "This investigation is now our top priority."

Deputy Mark looks up, his expression serious. "What's the plan, Sheriff?"

I take a deep breath. "We treat Alexei just like we treat everyone else. I don't care if he's the mayor or that he is my fiancé. We have the whole town watching us, and we need to work thoroughly and fast."

The deputies nod in agreement. "Understood," Mark says.

"We'll start by examining every piece of evidence we've collected so far," I continue. "We need to look at this from every angle."

Deputy Lisa speaks up. "Do you think he had a partner? I mean, killing six people alone... it seems unlikely. I mean did the killer have a partner though, because I still find it hard to believe that Mayor Alexei killed all those women."

I nod. "Exactly. We need to consider the possibility that someone else did this and they had help. Now they are trying to frame Alexei for it."

The room falls silent again as we dive into the work. Photos, reports, witness statements—everything is scrutinized. But the more we look, the more questions arise.

After what feels like hours, I push back from my desk. "I need some air. Keep working on this. We need to find something."

I step outside, the cool breeze hitting my face. I pull out my phone and send a quick text to Alexei.

How are you holding up?

No response. I sigh, slipping my phone back into my pocket.

I start walking, trying to clear my head. The town is quiet, but I can feel the eyes on me. Everyone is watching, waiting for answers.

As I walk, my mind races. Who could have done this? Who would want to frame Alexei? The questions swirl, but no answers come.

After a while, I head back to the Sheriff's Department. The task force is still hard at work, faces etched with concentration.

"Any luck?" I ask, stepping back into the room.

Mark looks up, shaking his head. "Nothing yet. But we're still looking."

I nod, feeling the weight of the situation. "Keep at it. We'll find something."

I sit back at my desk, staring at the evidence laid out before me. Photos of the crime scene, a statement from Alexei. None of it adds up.

"We need to dig deeper," I say, mostly to myself. "There has to be something we're missing."

Lisa looks up from her stack of papers. "What about the security footage? Did we get anything from that?"

I shake my head. "The cameras were down. Convenient, right?"

She frowns. "Very. Someone knew what they were doing."

"Exactly," I say. "This was planned. But by who?"

The hours tick by, each minute feeling heavier than the last. We go over every detail and every piece of evidence, but nothing points to a clear answer.

Finally, I stand up. "We need to talk to the witnesses from the bar again. Maybe they have remembered something new."

Mark nods. "I'll get the team ready."

As the deputies file out, I sit back down, my mind still racing. I pulled out my phone again and checked for a reply from Alexei. Nothing.

I sigh, putting my phone away. "We'll figure this out," I whisper to myself. "We have to!"

The next few hours are a blur of interviews and dead ends. Each witness has the same story and the same lack of any useful information. It's frustrating, but we can't give up.

I gather the task force once more. "We need to regroup. Go over everything again. We're missing something, and we need to find it."

They nod, determination in their eyes. "We'll find it, Sheriff," Mark says.

I take a deep breath, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. "Let's get to work."

We dive back into the evidence, searching for any clue or any small detail that could break the case wide open. The room is filled with the sound of papers rustling and pens scribbling.

Hours pass, but we keep going. We have to. For Alexei. For the town. For the truth.

As the night wears on, I can feel exhaustion setting in, but I push it aside. There's too much at stake to rest now.

Finally, Lisa looks up, her eyes wide. "Sheriff, I think I found something."

The room falls silent as she holds up a piece of paper. "Look at this. It's a statement from a neighbor. They saw a black SUV leaving the scene around the time of the murders."

My heart skips a beat. "Did they get a plate number?"

She shakes her head. "No, but it's a start. We can track down any black SUVs in the area."

I nod, feeling a glimmer of hope. "Good work, Lisa. Let's follow up on this."

The task force springs into action, each deputy taking a task. The energy in the room shifts, a sense of purpose replacing the earlier frustration.

As we work, I glance at my phone once more. Still no reply from Alexei. But now, at least, we have a lead. And that's enough to keep going.

The night stretches on, but we don't stop. We can't. We owe it to Alexei, to the victims, to the town.

As the first light of dawn breaks through the windows, I stand up, stretching. "Alright, everyone. Let's take a short break, then regroup. We're getting close. I can feel it."

The deputies nod, exhaustion etched on their faces but determination burning in their eyes.

I step outside, taking a deep breath of the cool morning air. The town is still quiet, but there's a sense of anticipation in the air.

"We'll get through this," I whisper to myself. "We must."

With renewed determination, I head back inside. There's still a lot of work to do, but for the first time since this nightmare began, I feel a glimmer of hope.

My phone rings, cutting through the quiet of the morning. It's Ana, Alexei's sister. Her voice is panicked.

"Evelyn, they've taken him!" she cries.

"What? Who took him?" I ask, my heart racing.

"They just sent a prison escort to pick him up. A judge ruled that Alexei should be in solitary confinement, not under house arrest. They've already taken him to the prison!"

I feel a surge of anger. "I'm heading to the courthouse. Meet me there. They have no right to make such a decision in my absence."

I hang up and rush out, my mind racing. How could this happen without my knowledge? I'm the sheriff! I'm supposed to be in the loop on everything involving this case.

Ana was already there when I arrived at the courthouse, her face pale and drawn. "Evelyn, this isn't right," she says, her voice trembling.

"I know," I reply, gripping her hand. "I'm going to fix this."

We head inside, and I make a beeline for the judge's chambers. The judge, an older man with stern features, looks up as I burst in.

"Sheriff," he says, his tone cold. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You ruled to have Alexei locked up in solitary confinement without consulting me," I snap. "Why?"

"He's a suspect in a murder case," the judge replies. "He poses a danger to the community."

"He's a suspect, not a convicted criminal," I argue. "The evidence against him is circumstantial at best."

The judge's eyes narrow. "Are you giving him preferential treatment because he's your fiancé?"

I feel my blood boil. "I'm treating him like any other suspect. House arrest was sufficient. This ruling is excessive and unnecessary. Hell, up until this happened, that man gave everything to this community! Are we going to pretend like he's not the mayor here?"

"The decision stands. He has been suspended as mayor," the judge says, his tone final. "Unless you can present new evidence exonerating him, he will remain in solitary confinement."

I take a deep breath, trying to control my anger. He is trying to bait me into making a mistake, and I won't give him that satisfaction. "This isn't over," I say, turning on my heel and storming out.

Ana follows me, her eyes filled with tears. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll find a way to get him out," I assure her. "But it looks like our best shot at that is to exonerate him, so, we need to get back to work and finish this."