Where Secrets Lie

The chainlink fence rattled as Mancini scaled over it, but it didn't hinder Kara's pursuit. With ease, she followed him over. She knew this song and dance all too well and the short cuts in this part of town. At the end of the alley, she cut him off and clotheslined Mancini square in the chest just as he rounded the building. He fell to the ground but immediately looked up, ready to start running again. However, her pistol drawn and staring him in the face said otherwise.

"Where you think you're going?" she said slightly panting.

Without warning, Mancini jumped up. Kara quickly flipped her gun and pistol-whipped him in the face. Mancini let out a pained scream and fell to the ground. With a smirk, she slid her gun back into the holster.

"Look at what you made me do."

Kara glanced down at the asphalt where Mancini lies. His handsome Italian face scrunched up in anguish. Curled up like a giant armadillo, holding his newly broken nose. At that moment, he looked far from the evil criminal he was. He looked frail, weak and defeated. In her younger years, this scene would have brought forth feelings of sympathy, but that was before her years as an officer and a detective had hardened her in a way that most women will never experience. Despite how he looked, he was a vile criminal, and he deserved no sympathy from her.

She dropped to one knee and read him his Miranda Rights then slapped the cold metal cuffs around his wrists. They both struggled as she tried to raise the heavy man to his feet. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes, but it still didn't force sympathy from her. She glimpsed at him.

Crying won't help you now sweetie, She thought.

Suddenly, the sound of quick and steady boots hitting the gravel behind her startled her. As if it had a mind of its own, her hand reached for her gun, but she stopped and let out a relieved sigh. It was only Grant. He darted around the corner, gasping for breath.

The look on his face told her he was just as relieved to see her. Despite everything she had accomplished as a detective, he still saw her as that young, bright-eyed, naïve officer who first joined and needed his help. She wasn't that girl anymore, and she knew how to take care of herself. One day, she hoped, he would realize that. She relaxed her hold on her pistol and turned her attention back to the task at hand. "Nice to see that you're unharmed Grant. Now could you please help me escort Mr. Mancini to the paddy wagon?"

The three walked back in silence, except for the occasional groan of the disgraced mobster. Grant opened the back door and placed Mancini down next to his colleague in the jacket. "Watch your head now sir. Don't think you need any more injuries tonight." He spoke in a faux friendly tone that only enticed a verminous glare from the criminal. With a chuckle, Grant shut the door and approached Kara.

She leaned against the passenger's side door as she stared at her phone, the somber blue light reflecting off her face.

Grant knew what was bothering her, but he chose instead to change the subject. "So, are we going to actually book this creep or what?" He said as he slid into the driver seat of the squad car.

With a sigh, Kara put her phone away. She opened the creaky passenger side door, reminding herself again to get that fixed.

"I'm sorry, Grant," she said and slid into her seat. "It's been two weeks since I heard from Alyssa. I'm really worried." She loosened her ponytail then ran her fingers through her tangle of greasy white blonde hair and let it fall into a tousled mess across her forehead. A habit she only did when something truly worried her.

Grant started to reach out to place a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but he pulled back. Something like that wouldn't go over well with Kara. He understood how close she was to her sister and how strong their relationship was, and he couldn't stand to see her this way.

"The girl's in college...she's probably just studying, or, you know, having a good time. You should think about trying it yourself." He gave a nervous chuckle, but Kara continued lamenting.

"She used to call me every day, she's my baby sister, and I'm just worried about her."

"That's natural girl, we all worry about the people we care about from time to time, but you've got to ease up a bit. I'm sure she's all right. Now let's get this guy booked and get on with our night. Whattaya say?" She finally smiled, and Grant couldn't help but smile back.

Applause and cheers greeted them back at the police department. Christopher Mancini was one of the biggest cases in Ayers, and Kara had been tracking him for nearly a year. The exhaustion this case left on everyone involved made them all want to celebrate now that it was finally over.

Kara expected applause and congratulations, but it wasn't as fulfilling as she expected. A surreal feeling encompassed her, making it seem unreal. She assumed it was caused by her lack of sleep.

"I thought you would be a little more excited about finally closing this case," Grant responded, his dark eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I am excited. Just a bit exhausted." Kara appreciated his concern, but she refused to open up and tell him about the nightmare. It wasn't Grant's fault; she hated the thought of opening up to anyone. Although a small part of her did want to open up and share her pain, she stuffed that feeling deep down. With a fake smile, she told her co-workers goodbye and headed home. On the drive back, her phone started playing a familiar ringtone. "Alyssa, thank God." She answered the phone while keeping her eyes on the road. "Alyssa, you had me worried sick, why haven't you called me?"

"Sorry, I've just been so busy with school, and I've made some new friends. I really think you would like them. So, what's up?" She spoke in a completely casual tone as if oblivious to the pain she put Kara through.

The way Alyssa spoke, it seemed like going two weeks without speaking was normal for the two of them. An urge to start shouting passed through her, but she stopped herself. She was grateful to finally hear from her, and she didn't want to start an argument.

"Well, Ayers is short one more dangerous criminal. You should come celebrate with me tonight. I'll cook dinner and we can pop open that bottle of wine that's been hiding in my cabinet for three years now." Kara laughed, hoping to hide her desperation.

She expected Alyssa to happily agree, but her voice sounded conflicted. "Oh, well, I did have plans to go out with my new friends tonight." She paused for a moment as if waiting for Kara to tell her to not worry about coming over. "I guess, I can stop by for a minute though. It will be fun." However, the sound in Alyssa's voice made it clear she had no desire to stop by.

For a moment, Kara almost told her to forget it, but she missed her sister, and her lonely apartment made her take anything she could get. "Alright, see you around six then?"

"Six it is."

********************************

There was a knock at the door just as Kara pulled the roast chicken out of the oven. A smile spread across her lips as she headed for the door, excited to see her baby sister. However, the young woman who stood in her doorway looked nothing like Alyssa.

Alyssa was quite like Kara when it came to her looks: something easy and let the natural beauty shine through. Alyssa always wore her hair long, hanging down her back, combed but not styled. Now, she styled it in a short bob with bangs. The strangeness only worsened. About a gallon of makeup covered her beautiful face, making her look more like a plastic model. The skimpy red dress she wore hugged her body and showed off every curve. To top it off, she wore spiky heeled shoes that made her a foot taller than she actually was.

Most people probably thought Alyssa looked gorgeous and amazing, but the look disturbed Kara, and she chose her words with care. "Wow. You look...different."

"Yeah, I cut my hair," said Alyssa as they hugged. "You like?" she asked walking over to the dining table.

"The haircut was the last of what I was referring to," Kara said but quickly decided she didn't want an argument. "Well, I hope you're hungry."

"Not really, but it smells so good. I guess a few bites couldn't hurt. You really shouldn't have gone through all this trouble just for me."

When Alyssa said "a few bites," she literally meant a few bites. She'd only managed to eat three spoonfuls when her phone sounded. She read the text message, grabbed her purse and stood to go.

"You're leaving already? It's only been about ten minutes. I thought we were going to open that bottle of merlot." She tried not to sound like a stereotypical overbearing sister.

"I'm so sorry, Sis. My friends are already downstairs waiting for me. Can we do it tomorrow night?"

"Sure, go have fun. Not too much fun though." Kara forced a smile and walked her sister to the door. Her gut told her to make Alyssa stay, but she knew it wouldn't work. Besides, Alyssa said she would come back the next night, and Kara wanted to believe that. As Alyssa disappeared into the elevator, Kara waved goodbye, hoping she would see her again soon.

The following morning as Kara entered work, Grant nearly ran her over. "Everitt! About time you got here. Check this out. There was a call last night. A huge disturbance down at Immortal. I've been watching the security tapes."

Immortal was a huge nightclub downtown. Getting in there was nearly impossible unless you knew someone who was on the mysterious guest list. Of course, to get to know someone on the guest list, you had to be an Immortal regular. The creepiest and craziest people went there, and disturbances were a nightly occurrence.

"That shady nightclub? There's always a disturbance there. So what?" she replied.

"You'll never guess who was there." He said.