"So you're saying that you noticed this man was about to attack the two supermodels—who are your parents, I assume—"
Moyes turned to Bertha, who affirmed with a nod.
He nodded back, seemingly satisfied with her confirmation, then turned to Zara again.
"And that you tackled him off the runway, stopping him from achieving his supposed goal?"
"Yes."
Zara affirmed. She had told this story like a hundred times already, but for whatever reason, the police officers still treated her with suspicion.
Officer Moyes scribbled something into his notepad. Then he turned to his colleagues, who hadn't changed their doubtful expressions.
"Okay, do you mind telling me what's wrong, Officer?"
Moyes looked up at her, his face unreadable.
"The thing is, the reports we got when we were called were very different from what you're telling us."
"What do you mean, officer?"
Bertha spoke up for the first time since the interrogation had begun.
"We got reports that your friend, Zara, here was the one who attempted to kill Roland and Hannah Drew."
"What? That's not true!"
Zara's voice rang out, sharp with disbelief.
"Who would even report that?"
"I did."
Zara and Bertha turned simultaneously.
Usually, Zara wouldn't have needed to see the speaker's face—she knew that despicable voice like the back of her hand. She'd lived with it for most of her life.
But even now, she needed to confirm just how far some people would go to be demons in human skin.
And she had just discovered that for Ariana Blake—or rather, Ariana Desmond, her insufferable stepsister—there were no limits.
Her ex-fiancé, Collins, stood by Ariana's side, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"She was the one who attempted to kill this poor girl's parents," Ariana proclaimed, her voice laced with false concern.
Zara's eyes narrowed at her half-sister, her glare sharp enough to cut.
"You little snake. How dare you?"
She took a step toward Ariana, who instantly cowered like a mouse caught in the paws of a cat.
"Help! Now she's about to kill me too!"
Ariana shrieked, shielding her head with her dainty fingers.
Zara's blood boiled. She wanted nothing more than to slam her stepsister's head into the nearest wall.
"Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to step away from the woman, please. Let's handle this like civilized adults."
Officer Moyes spoke up, dragging her from her violent thoughts.
"Yes, Zara. Step away from my wife."
Collins stepped forward, blocking Zara's view of Ariana. The two of them stood face to face, eyes locked in silent defiance.
Zara didn't flinch. She stared at him with such intensity that Collins shifted uncomfortably, eventually taking a step back and nearly stumbling.
She took a breath and turned back to the officer.
"If this girl says she's telling the truth…" —Zara pointed at Ariana—
"Have you bothered asking her for any proof, Officer? Because these are bold accusations."
"Yes, we were getting to that part. Mrs. Desmond…"
Moyes turned to Ariana.
"Aside from your written statement, we're going to need tangible evidence to support your claims against this woman."
Zara turned to Ariana. She'd suspected her half-brained sister hadn't thought this through, but Ariana's confident smile made her stomach twist.
It was a smile she knew all too well.
Ariana always smiled like that when Zara was walking headfirst into one of her traps.
"Actually," Ariana said sweetly, "I spotted her hiding the weapon in her handbag. Go ahead and search her."
Moyes turned to Zara.
"I'm afraid we'll have to search you, Miss Zara."
"Go on. I have nothing to be afraid of."
But that wasn't true.
Despite how desperate Ariana could get when it came to ruining her name, Zara doubted her stepsister would make such a bold accusation without having set something up.
Could Ariana have planted a knife that looked identical to the one used by the mysterious man?
It seemed unlikely—but not impossible. Still, Zara agreed to the search with confidence. She was sure there was no knife in her bag. Ariana could be bluffing.
And she had to appear innocent—even if she wasn't sure anymore.
Officer Moyes began rummaging through her bag.
Twenty seconds passed. Why did it feel like an eternity?
Then he stopped and slowly pulled something out.
Zara's heart sank.
A double-edged pocket knife.
One eerily identical to the one used by the mysterious attacker.
Bertha gasped.
"There you have it!" Ariana screamed triumphantly.
"Officer, didn't I tell you my stepsister was a cheap liar?" Ariana went on, her voice oozing fake grief.
"I've lived with her all my life. I know she's capable of this."
"You cheap fool!" Zara spat, rage boiling over.
She turned to Officer Moyes.
"She must've planted that in my bag when I wasn't looking!"
"Calm down," Moyes said evenly, still the only one who didn't seem convinced of her guilt.
"We have a forensics setup in my car. My team and I will test the knife for fingerprints and get back to you."
He turned to the rest of the group.
"But we'll need fingerprint data from all of you."
"All of us?" Ariana stepped up, her voice shrill with indignation. She got in his face, clearly trying to intimidate him.
"I already told you. She's the one who murdered him!"
She pointed dramatically at Zara.
"Calm down, please!" Moyes barked, losing a bit of his composure.
"As you all are present, we identify everyone as a suspect until the real culprit is confirmed. This procedure won't take more than five minutes. Surely, if you didn't commit the crime, you have nothing to worry about."
He raised a brow at Ariana, who faltered slightly before pasting on another fake smile.
"Alright, but make it quick. I need to get home and cook something special for my hubby."
She turned to Collins, caressing his cheek seductively, clearly aiming to provoke Zara.
Zara didn't react. She just watched.
The officer signaled to his colleague, who brought over a scanner and began collecting their fingerprints, one by one.
But Zara's mind was elsewhere.
This should've been the moment her name was cleared. The moment everyone realized she was innocent.
But her sister's calmness was unnerving.
Something wasn't right