Phillips stops writing. “Why?”

I give them complete honesty. “I didn’t want him buying me…like my mother.”

Avery’s lips form a thin line as he takes this in. “Can you expand on that?”

A frustrated sigh leaves me. “It feels wrong speaking badly about her when she’s gone.” A tear falls down my cheek. “She didn’t always do the right thing…but she was still my mom, you know?”

Phillips’ eyes fill with sympathy. “I know this is very difficult for you, but we need you to tell us everything you know.”

I brush my damp cheeks with the sleeve of my shirt. “We were broke right after my dad died. Leo gave us money here and there to help, but it wasn’t enough.” Because she didn’t use it to pay the bills like she should have. “But then she started seeing Trent.” My shoulders slump. “She once confessed that she married him so we could have a better life.”

They exchange another glance. “I see.”

Detective Avery scribbles something on his notepad. “You said you were at the senior prom the night of the murders. Is that correct?”

It takes everything in me not to scream. For fuck’s sake, I was still in my prom dress when they showed up.

“Yes.”

Avery brings the end of his pen to his mouth. “Did you stay until the end?”

Oh, boy. Here we go.

I feign embarrassment, like I’m hiding a secret. Knox told me this was the best approach to take because it would make me seem more honest.

Besides, they already know the truth.

“No…I wasn’t.”

Phillips leans back in his seat, his gaze scrutinizing. “Why is that?”

“Because I left with my stepbrother, Knox.”

Avery brings his coffee cup to his lips. “There are reports of you two dancing and sharing a kiss on the dance floor before you left. Is this true?”

“Yes.”

“What happened right after you left the prom?”

I lick my dry lips. “We went into the backseat of his jeep.”

Phillips's expression grows curious. “Why?”

“So, we could hook up.”

“Is that what happened?” Avery questions.

“Yes.” I avert my gaze. “Kind of.”

“Can you explain what you mean by that?”

“We started fooling around…”

“Fooling around how?”

My cheeks heat. “Seriously? What, do you need specifics?”

“Yes,” Phillips deadpans.

“His hand was under my dress and he was…fingering me.”

Safe to say I have their undivided attention.

“And then what happened?”

“Knox wanted me to give him head before we had sex, but I complained that there wasn’t enough room and someone might spot us.”

“How long have you and your stepbrother been hooking up?” Phillips questions, and I don’t miss the judgment in his tone.

“A few weeks.”

Avery rests his elbows on the desk between us. “When did it start?”

“The first time was last month. We were fighting—like we always did—but then it kind of just…happened.” I curl my arms around myself. “And then it just kept happening.”

“Back to prom night,” Avery says. “You stated you were afraid someone would spot you while you were in the backseat of his jeep. What happened after that?”

“He suggested we go home and wait until our parents went to bed so we could screw in his bedroom like we always did but I…” I let my sentence trail off.

“You what?”

“I don’t know…I wanted more. I wanted him to take me someplace a little more…special.” Ashamed, I cover my face with my hands. “So, he took me to a motel.”

“The Magic Motel,” Phillips says, and it’s clear he’s trying to hide his amusement.

“That’s the one.”

Detective Avery, however, keeps a straight face. “What happened while you were there?”

“We had sex a few times—oral and intercourse—and then we took a shower together before we left.”

They nod.

Phillips clears his throat before he speaks. “Were you afraid your parents might find out you were having sex with your stepbrother?”

At that, I snort. “Not just my parents.”

“Can you clarify what you mean?”

“Knox is…not my type and not someone I can see myself being with long term. We’re complete opposites. But as far as our parents finding out about us…they probably wouldn’t have been thrilled with the idea, but it’s not like we were planning on walking down the aisle or anything.” I shrug, forcing the words out of my mouth effortlessly. “It’s just a fling.”

“So you didn’t fear any repercussions from your parents?”

I shake my head. “Not really. They would have been annoyed, but like I said—it isn’t serious between us, so they wouldn’t have been mad for long.”

Detective Avery caps his pen and places it on the desk. “All right, I think we’ve covered everything for now. We’ll contact you if we need any more information.”

Chapter 52

Knox

“What was your relationship like with your father?” Detective Phillips questions.

Anger warms my blood, but I know I have to spew the shit they want to hear.

Because once it gets out that a cop slaughtered his family…people start looking at them in a whole new light.

And they fucking hate that.

My best course of action is to be an ally.

“We weren’t that close when I was younger because he was always working, but after my mom died, our relationship improved.”

Detective Avery picks up his pen. “Did you ever get into any fights?”

Understatement of the fucking century.

I shrug, forcing myself to appear nonchalant. “Sometimes. My dad could be a hardass about my grades and doing chores. And there was one time he reamed my ass out for stealing his car in the middle of the night to meet up with some chick, but nothing crazy.”

Phillips takes a sip of his coffee. “What did you think about your stepmother?”