Chapter 4

Ethan stood beside Seraphina, his face a mask. But Anya saw the flicker in his eyes when he looked at her. He seemed troubled by her state, by her unwavering silence.

Later, he spoke privately to Sheriff Brody.

"What evidence do you have, Sheriff? Real evidence, not just... this." He gestured vaguely to the cell where Anya was kept.

"She was found there, Ethan. Covered in their blood. Holding the knife." Brody sounded tired. "She won't say a word."

Seraphina sensed Ethan's unease.

"Darling," she said, her voice smooth as silk, her hand on his arm. "It's a clear case. A terrible, savage act. She must be guilty. You mustn't let your past sympathies cloud your judgment."

Her eyes, though, held a warning.

During a recess in the endless questioning, a deputy made a show of checking Anya.

"What's this?" he exclaimed, pulling something from her clenched fist.

It was a piece of fabric, tattered, stained dark brown with dried blood.

Clutched in it, almost hidden, was the letter. The one announcing Ethan' s engagement to Seraphina Thorne.

It was "discovered" as if Anya had been hiding it all along.