Chapter Twelve

       Mum came hurtling into the hallway, screeching like a wild cat. “A search warrant? Audrey you can’t be serious!”

       Andrews’ maintained her stern poise. “I understand you’re upset Emily, but I am only doing my job.”

        “You can’t seriously think Blair had anything to do with this?”

        “I would like to think not but unfortunately the evidence suggests otherwise.”

       Granda appeared next, arms flailing. “Evidence? What bloody evidence? You’re on a witch hunt! Always poking around the wrong places!”

Andrews’ ignored him, turning instead to Macdonald who signalled for Clark, and another officer I didn’t recognise to follow him in.

       “Why don’t we all just go have a seat and wait for the police to do their job,” said Jamie, ushering us all into the living room. Mum sank into the sofa, where he joined her whilst Granda paced around the coffee table. I stood, silent, leaning against Granda’s armchair, listening to the heavy footsteps on the creaking floorboards above us.

        Mum chewed at her fingernails and shot me a concernced look. “Blair, are they going to find anything up there they shouldn’t?”

       Now I was the snarling wild cat. “You can’t be serious. Do you really think I’m guilty of something?”

       “I heard about your outburst at the shop the other day, you’ve clearly been off your meds, I-“

        “I’ve been emotional because my best friend was murdered for fuck sake! That doesn’t mean I murdered her!”

       Jamie jumped up. “Blair calm down. Your mother is just asking out of concern. You have been acting rather erratically-“

       “You shut your bloody mouth before I shut it for you!” Granda bellowed, causing Jamie to sink back into his seat.

        Mum lowered her voice to barely a whisper. “Blair whatever kind of trouble you are in, I’ll always support you but you need to be honest with me.”

        “Oh my god there is nothing to be honest about! You’re driving me crazy!”

        “It’s just,” Jamie began, “Your story from that night doesn’t really add up.”
        I sneered back at him. “What are you a cop now? What the fuck do you know?”

Mum opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it as Clark came in the room. I clenched my fist, digging my nails into my palm as I watched his smug, satisfied face upturn photo frames and rake through the drawers of the welsh dresser. I wouldn’t have put it passed him to plant evidence; anything to keep me away from his brother. Granda cursed under his breath as Clark squeezed past him and sniffed around the coffee table, tongue dangling out the corner of his mouth like a bloodhound.

        “Find anything?” Macdonald stood in the doorway, holding a plastic bag containing my laptop.

        “Hey, I need that!”

         He shook his head at me and grinned. “Not as much as we do. You’ll have to find another way to profit from your friends death for the time being.”

I leant back against the armchair, forcing my jaw shut. How dare he? Yes, since my coverage of Dayna’s death my listener numbers had skyrocketed, and yes, in turn I had made a few quid from ad’s and donations, but that had never been my intention. I was just trying to get to the bottom of things and honour Dayna’s memory. Mum shook her head and began to weep. Jamie wrapped his arm around her and I turned to face the window. The sun was setting now, casting an eerie orange glow across the sea. I was remaining calm on the outside, but really my heart was racing and vision blurring.

Evidence.

The police had evidence.

What evidence? Evidence of what? Did they really think I could have hurt her?

Dayna was taller than me, stronger than me, and a lot more sober than me that night. How exactly could I have had the strength or wherewithal to attack her? How could they think I would be so cruel as to snuff out the person I loved most in the world? Sure, she infuriated me at times and yes, perhaps I had felt abandoned by her. How could I not when she had failed to come visit me after my father died, only showing up after she’d learned of my attempt to end my own life? But she had also been there for me through all the bullying, breakups and bitchiness of high school. She made me see my own beauty and worth, and I loved her for that.

       “Macdonald get up here!” Andrews’ screech brought me back into the stifling hot living room. “I got something!”

My body went rigid as a corpse, hairs standing on end as if I’d just shoved a fork into a plug socket. Mum stared up at me wild eyed, biting her lip so hard she drew blood. We all stared up at the ceiling as frantic footsteps stomped above us, followed by muffled voices. Granda edged towards me, perching himself on his armchair and sighing.

        “Blair.” Mums voice was stern but calm. “What have they found?”

       “Nothing. I swear there’s nothing.”
        “Blair!”

        “Mum you have to believe me I didn’t hurt her.”

The footsteps began to move again, making their way out of my bedroom and thumping down the stairs. Macdonald entered first, followed by a solemn faced Andrews’ who clutched something in a clear bag. Macdonald made his way towards me, revealing a pair of handcuffs as he did so.

       “Blair Campbell, you are under arrest for the murder of Dayna Khalid.”

        Granda lunged at him, shouting over mums wailing. “You can’t do this! My granddaughter is not a murderer!”

         Jamie held Granda back. “Frank calm down. If she’s innocent she’ll be back home in no time.”

       “If? If! Get your dirty hands off me!”

Mum stood up from the sofa and made her way towards Andrews’, almost falling to her knees in prayer.

       “What did you find Audrey? What on earth could you have found that makes you think Blair is capable of this?”

        Andrews’ stared at the ground. “We have video footage we would like to question Blair about. And this.”

Andrews’ outstretched her arm, the package she was holding coming into full view. It was mums blouse; the one I had borrowed that night. The one I had hidden in my wardrobe so she wouldn’t see that I had ruined it with mud stains. Only, it was not mud stains at all. It was blood.