CHAPTER 18

"What the hell is happening here?" Amanda's mother, Jada, yelled. Quickly walking towards the detective and her daughter. She had just arrived from picking up her younger daughter, Tina, from school. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked the detective with venom filled in her eyes.

"Mrs. Hall, I need you to calm down-" McKenzie was speaking but she cut in.

"Don't tell me to calm down. I asked you a question." 

"Mommy," Tina's young voice called from behind her.

Jada turned and saw the fright in her daughter's eyes. "Honey I need you to go in, I'll be right behind you." 

Tina did as instructed, leaving her mother and sister with the strange man. 

"Mrs. Hall, your daughter is a person of interest in a case we-"

Jada cut in once again. "Does it have to do with that kid Nate Connor?" There was so much spite in her voice as she said his name.

"I'm afraid so."

Mother turned to her daughter with piercing eyes. "I told you to cut that boy loose. Look what he has dragged you into." She turned back to the detective. "What did he do this time?"

"It's connected to the night he went missing." The detective paused. "A man was murdered that night and another was reported missing the following day. We have evidence connecting Nate Connor to both incidents."

"Murder?" She exclaimed in shock. Looking at the detective then at her daughter in disbelief.

"Yes, and your daughter's fingerprints places her in Nate's car which is connected to the murder and in the car of the missing person. Mrs. Hall, this is enough evidence to bring her in-"

Jada Hall quickly put two and two together. "If you have the evidence you say you have then you would have already brought my daughter in, but you're here, meaning you need something."

The detective almost smiled, impressed by the woman. "You're right, we do need something. We have all the evidence to put Nate behind bars, all we need to do is a witness who can provide a more detailed account of what happened that night. I have talked to the district attorney and there's a deal on the table." 

"What deal?" Amanda finally spoke, shifting her eyes from her mother to McKenzie.

"Your testimony against Nate Connor for complete immunity." He got into his folder and gave them a document. "All you have to do is tell us what happened and what Nate did that night."

"If she does this you won't press charges?" Jada inquired, her eyes rushing all over the document.

"Yes, that's what complete immunity means." 

Jada looked up from the document, at the detective then at her daughter then back at the detective. "We'll need to discuss this with my other daughter, her attorney-"

"Definitely, just know that time is running out. You have until tomorrow midday to make a decision." He said closing the file. "A piece of advice," he said in a more friendlier tone to Amanda. "It's a good deal, I suggest you take it." He gave the two women a nod and walked away, leaving them with the document. 

There was a loud frustrated sigh from Amanda. She couldn't believe that this is what her life had become. She had distanced herself from Nate but hid evils were still haunting her. Her eyes began to water and before another thought could cross her mind, she broke down. Tears running down her cheeks uncontrollably. 

"Hey....hey," her mother drawled, throwing her arms around Amanda and embracing her tightly."I'm sorry about all this baby." She felt horrible for her daughter. She didn't deserve any of this, she was a good child.

"I'm so scared mom." she cried, tightening her arms around her mother. 

"I know baby, I know." She added gentle pats on her back. "It's gonna be okay."

Her crying didn't stop, she started trembling in her cry. Her tears soaking her mothers top. "I don't know what to do." She admitted.

"Hey, listen to me." Her mother started in a firm voice. "We're gonna figure it out. I won't let anything happen to you baby. I promise." 

Once they got inside the house, Jada made a phone call to her eldest daughter, Breanna. She explained everything to her, from the ambush by detective McKenzie to the immunity deal he had offered them. Breanna was in court but promised to get home as soon as she could.

*-*-*

Nate, his mother and his lawyer Marcus Donotelle all sat in the living room of their house, each of them on their own chair.

"Nate you're gonna have to give me something to work with." Marcus told the boy, dropping the notebook he had on the coffee table. Obviously frustrated by the teenager. They had been talking for hours, trying to work on his defense but Nate was holding back. Changing small details about his story every now and then when put under pressure.

"Nate these people won't give you these many chances, they catch you in one lie and you are done!" Marcus informed the boy who remained silent. 

"Do you want to go to prison Nate? Because that's where you'll end up if you don't come clean. You just turned eighteen so you'll be going to a federal prison and trust me, you don't want to know what that's like."

The attorney got to his feet and collected his files. "Call me when you're ready to come clean. We don't have a chance of beating this thing with you changing your story every five seconds." 

He packed his briefcase and walked out the door, Nate's mother having offered to see him out also stood and walked with the man.

She stepped out and pulled the door behind her shut, hoping for some privacy with Marcus.

"Mrs. Connor," Marcus called, turning to face her. "I'll be honest with you. It's not looking pretty for your boy. We are already at a disadvantage, first he doesn't have an alibi, all the evidence is pointing towards him. Make sure he understands how much shit he is in. If he is not going to come clean then he might as well admit guilt to all these charges."

"I'll talk to my son. Just promise me we'll win this." She pleaded.

Marcus sighed, dropping his head. 

"You don't think we can-"

"I didn't say that. I can't promise you anything unless he comes clean. I need to know what happened that night. Get him to tell and I promise to do my very best to win this." 

Nothing more was said between the two. Mrs. Conner stood on her front porch and watched as the man got into his car and drove off. She turned and walked into her house.

"Nate we need to talk." She started as she walked into the living room to find it empty.

"Nate," she called, looking at the stairs leading to the first floor of the house.

She took the stairs and walked to his room where she found the door closed. "Nate," she knocked softly on the door but no response came from the other side. "Nate open the door, we need to talk about this." 

There was no response from the room. She turned the knob and pushed the door. He wasn't in there. She panicked. Straight in front of her, she saw the window open. She rushed to the window and looked outside, he was nowhere to be seen.

She rushed downstairs and got her phone, quickly dialing her son. "Hey, this is Nate, I can't pick your call right now, please leave a message and I'll get back to you ASAP."