Candice Adams Candy to those who knew her well Paul Katore's girlfriend. A cute blonde with a once-bright smile that now seemed permanently dimmed.
"Thanks, Mrs. Eggon," Charles said after finishing his brief conversation. He turned toward Alicia. "Ready?"
"Where are we going?" Alicia asked as they stepped onto the sidewalk.
"The Willows."
Alicia's brows knitted together. "The Willows?"
Charles laughed softly and tugged her along. "You'll see."
They stopped in front of a modest cream-colored house with ivy creeping up the walls. Charles knocked. The door creaked open almost immediately, revealing Mr. Willow a tall, thin man with tired eyes.
"Hello, Mr. Willow."
"Hello, Charles. How are you doing?" His voice was calm, almost too calm.
"I'm fine, sir. This is Alicia," Charles said, gesturing beside him.
"I know her," Mr. Willow replied. "Lives next to Mrs. Henshaw, right?"
"Yes, sir. Good morning," Alicia said politely.
"It's all right," he said, stepping aside. "You're here to see Candice, I assume?"
"Yes, sir. We'd like to speak with her briefly, if you don't mind," Charles replied.
"Of course. Come in. Helen's in the kitchen, and Candice is in the dining room."
They stepped inside.
"And Jason?" Charles asked casually as he followed.
"I think he's with Caleb."
Charles leaned closer to Alicia. "Jason's his grandson," he whispered.
Alicia nodded.
They entered the dining room and immediately spotted Candice. She sat stiffly at the table, hands folded in her lap, staring into nothing. She looked lost like she had seen a ghost and never quite come back from it.
Charles nudged Alicia gently. "Go on."
He turned toward the kitchen. "Mrs. Willow, I'm home."
"Charles, my boy is that you?" came the cheerful voice from inside.
"Yes, ma'am," Charles chuckled, walking in.
Alicia took a deep breath and approached Candice, sitting beside her.
"Hi, Candice. I'm Alicia,Alicia Michaels."
No response.
Candice didn't blink. Didn't move.
"Hello?" Alicia waved a hand gently in front of her face.
"You know, Jason talks about you a lot," Mrs. Willow said suddenly, stepping out of the kitchen.
Alicia startled.
"She won't respond to you that way," Mrs. Willow continued calmly, placing a freshly baked pie on the table.
"Good afternoon, ma'am," Alicia said quickly.
"Good afternoon, dear. Alicia, right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Alicia replied, wiping her hand on her shirt before extending it.
Mrs. Willow shook it warmly. "How do you do, love?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Alicia answered, her tone polite but clipped.
"Well, you'll have to forgive me," Mrs. Willow said. "Charles didn't tell me he was bringing company."
Charles walked in just then, holding a slice of pie. He stopped short when he noticed the three of them staring at him.
"If you want to talk to her," Mrs. Willow said lightly, "tap her shoulder gently. I'll be in the kitchen baking."
She walked away.
Alicia swallowed and did as instructed, tapping Candice's shoulder softly.
"Hi, Candice. I'm Alicia. You already know Charles."
Candice blinked slowly. "Hi, Charles," she said, managing a weak smile.
Charles felt his stomach twist. The bubbly, talkative Candice Adams he knew was gone replaced by someone pale and hollow.
"I'm really sorry about Paul," Alicia said gently. "But could you tell us what happened at his house?"
"I know it's hard," Charles added softly. "But please try."
Candice nodded.
"Okay… it was around six forty… or maybe fifty. I'm not sure." Her voice trembled. "I was upstairs, half asleep. Paul said he was thirsty, so he went downstairs to get a glass of water."
Mrs. Willow appeared again, this time holding a glass.
"Well, here's some water so you don't get parched," she said, handing it to Candice.
"Thank you," Candice whispered, drinking slowly.
"Drink up, dear," Mrs. Willow said before returning to the kitchen.
"It's okay," Alicia reassured. "Take your time."
"Yeah," Charles muttered. "But not too much time."
Alicia shot him a sharp look.
Candice set the glass down and continued.
"After about five minutes, he wasn't back in bed. I went downstairs to check on him." Her voice cracked. "That's when I saw Derrick… I saw him pulling the knife out of Paul's belly."
She broke down sobbing.
"I'm so sorry," Alicia said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"There was blood everywhere," Candice added.
Alicia stiffened. "What do you mean by everywhere?"
"On the rug, the floor, the stairs… even the walls. It was splattered everywhere," Candice said, wiping her eyes.
"Last I checked, I didn't see..." Charles began.
Alicia shot him a look so sharp he stopped instantly.
"One last question," Alicia said calmly. "Can you describe the living room? Everything that was there."
Candice nodded slowly. "The sofa. The lamp stand. Framed photographs. Miniature plants. Everything was in place, and the.." She stopped. "Never mind. He sold it."
Alicia noticed the hesitation but didn't push.
"I'm sorry," Alicia said, squeezing Candice's hand gently.
"But why Paul?" Candice sobbed. "He was rude sometimes… mean, even. But he cared. He really did."
Alicia stood. "I think it's time we go, Charles."
"Yes," Charles agreed quickly.
"Leaving so soon?" Mrs. Willow asked, appearing again.
"Yes. We have errands to run," Alicia said.
"Lots of errands," Charles added.
"Thank you so much," Alicia said, already pulling him toward the door. "Have a nice day."
"Bye, Mr. Willow," Charles called out.
Mr. Willow grunted in response, eyes never leaving his newspaper.
Outside, Alicia exhaled.
"That was weird."
"What was?" Charles asked.
"Didn't you notice? Candice wasn't speaking loudly, yet Mrs. Willow heard everything from the kitchen."
"The house echoes," Charles offered.
"And the blood," Alicia continued. "Paul's body was in the living room. Blood couldn't have reached the stairs like that."
"And the house looked clean," Charles added. "Too clean."
"Something doesn't sit right," Alicia said. "Something's really off."
"So what do we do now?" Charles asked.
"We talk to every resident," Alicia replied firmly.
Charles checked his watch. "We'll have to be fast. We've only got an hour left."
The clock struck eight.