Back to the house

Forget about how bad your relationship with this particular PD is, you don’t have any real evidence. You smelled soap in the house. There were no bloodstains. You don’t know anything for certain, you’re just guessing. And the cops will not take what you have to say on faith.

But Sissy is either dead or in trouble, and staying quiet won’t help her. Furious, you head back to CCL house. You don’t know where else to go. To talk to Mavis? How can she help? Is she any more likely to believe you than the cops? It’s one thing for her to know that Professor Austen is gay, but ****?

As you approach, CCL House stands dark and quiet in the cold, windy night. No one is here. Most of the cars are gone, and not a single light is on. You thought you left the foyer light on, but you must be wrong. The place looks for all the world like a classic haunted mansion, and that hits differently after what you just experienced. You are a pretty cool operator who doesn’t rattle easily, but nothing like this has ever come your way. Drama, politics, sex… you can handle all that like a pro. This is on another level.

You need help.

“What’s wrong?” Kris asks you as you park the car. She’s the least wasted of the trio.

“Nothing. I need you guys to sleep it off,” you say distractedly, getting out of the car. They stagger up to the door as you unlock it and go in, hitting the lights. Giggling, clinging to each other, and stumbling, the three of them head for the stairs, but break off toward the kitchen. They’re hungry. Fine. You don’t care.

You close and lock the door, then turn all the locks.

Standing in the foyer of the silent house, you shiver. You aren’t being dramatic. It’s cold and drafty. More so than usual. Puzzled, you go into the dining room, finding one of the windows open. The drapes flutter.

You close the window and lock it, then head upstairs to your room. There, you take off your borrowed clothes and fold them. You’ll need to wash them and return them to Roxy, although you wonder who they really belong to. You could use a shower, but this is not the time. You pull on clean underwear and pajamas, then pace your room.

The more you think about it, the less it seems possible to keep the police out of this. It’s not possible. You have to report what you suspect, but there might be a smart way to do it.

You can call them and tell them that you’re worried. You can tell them that the last place Sissy was seen was Professor Austen’s house. You could even embellish it… suggest that Sissy was afraid of Professor Austen or something. That would put the police on the right track without exposing you or your girls too badly.

Or you could keep yourself and CCL out of it completely. You could craft a note of some kind, completely anonymous, and drop it off. That way, you could dish on everything, but the police would not be able to prove that it was coming from you. The note might be better, but… a phone call is quick. A note takes time.

Make the call?

Or make the note?