A Cell Full of Secrets

The ride to the police station was silent.

Mia sat in the back of the patrol car, wrists bound in cold steel cuffs. Her fingers twitched, her breath steady, but inside, her thoughts raced.

Nathaniel Blackwell was dead. Someone had killed him.

And now, she was the prime suspect.

She replayed everything in her head: the explosion, the locket, the man who attacked her. He was looking for something.

Give me the locket.

Who was he? What did he want with it? And why had he run when the police arrived?

Mia clenched her fists. This wasn't some random crime. There was a connection, a thread pulling all of these events together.

She just didn't know what it was yet.

The officer driving the car, the same tall woman who had cuffed her, glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "You want to tell me why you were at the scene of a murder?"

Mia swallowed hard. "I" She stopped. What could she say?

I found a locket that led me to a dead man? Someone tried to kill me too?

No one would believe her.

The officer sighed. "That's what I thought."

Mia turned her gaze to the window, watching the blurred city lights streak past. The further they drove, the heavier the air felt.

She was in trouble.

And she had no idea how to get out of it.

The police station smelled of sweat, disinfectant, and stale coffee. The harsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as Mia was led past rows of desks and officers typing reports. Conversations hummed around her, but all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.

She had never been arrested before.

And now she was being treated like a criminal.

The officer guided her into a small interrogation room with gray walls, one table, two chairs. No windows.

A single camera blinked in the corner.

Mia swallowed.

The officer uncuffed her and gestured to the chair. "Sit."

Mia obeyed, rubbing her sore wrists.

The officer sat across from her, folding her arms. "Detective Amber Lawson." She leaned forward. "Let's start with the basics. Who are you?"

Mia hesitated. "Mia Carter."

"Why were you at Nathaniel Blackwell's apartment?"

Mia licked her lips. "I was looking for him."

Lawson's dark eyes sharpened. "Why?"

Mia could feel the weight of the locket in her pocket. She had slipped it in before the police arrived. If they found it, would she be in even more danger?

She chose her words carefully. "I was… following a lead."

"On what?"

Mia stayed silent.

Lawson sighed. "Look, Mia. A man is dead. You were in his apartment. No forced entry. No signs of a struggle. But you? You just happened to be there."

"I didn't kill him." Mia's voice was firm.

Lawson studied her for a long moment. "Then start talking. Because right now, you're my only suspect."

Mia's mind raced. If she told Lawson everything, would she be safer? Or was she better off keeping quiet?

Before she could answer, the door swung open.

A man in a sleek suit stepped inside, carrying an air of quiet authority. He had sharp blue eyes, short-cropped blond hair, and the kind of confidence that made people listen when he spoke.

Lawson turned, frowning. "And you are?"

The man smirked and flashed a badge. "Agent Damian Cross. FBI."

Mia's breath hitched. FBI?

Cross slipped his badge back into his coat and folded his hands behind his back. "Detective Lawson, you can let her go."

Lawson's jaw clenched. "Excuse me?"

Cross gave her a polite but cold smile. "Mia Carter is no longer your concern."

Lawson scoffed. "She was found at a crime scene. That makes her very much my concern."

Cross's expression didn't change. "Nathaniel Blackwell was a federal asset." His gaze flickered to Mia. "This is out of your jurisdiction now."

Lawson bristled. "If she's innocent, why not let me finish questioning her?"

Cross sighed, like he had dealt with this before. "Because if you keep her here, you're interfering with a federal investigation." He tilted his head. "Unless you want me to have a conversation with your captain?"

Lawson's nostrils flared.

Mia stayed quiet, her pulse hammering.

Finally, Lawson exhaled sharply and pushed back her chair. "Fine." She turned to Mia. "But don't leave town. This isn't over."

Mia nodded stiffly.

Lawson shot Cross a look before stalking out of the room.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Mia turned to Cross. "Who the hell are you?"

Cross smirked. "I told you. FBI."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Cross pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. "You're in trouble, Mia."

She tensed. "I figured that out already."

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "Listen to me very carefully. That locket you have? It's not just a piece of jewelry."

Mia's stomach dropped.

He knew.

Cross watched her closely. "It belonged to Nathaniel Blackwell. And if the wrong people find out you have it, they won't stop until you're dead."

Mia's hands curled into fists. "Who are they?"

Cross didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached into his pocket and slid a photograph across the table.

Mia hesitated before picking it up.

Her breath caught.

It was a surveillance photo grainy but clear enough. The man in the picture was the same one who had attacked her in Blackwell's apartment.

Cross's voice was quiet. "His name is Logan Pierce. Former black ops. Now a ghost."

Mia's fingers trembled slightly. "What does he want with the locket?"

Cross exhaled. "The same thing everyone else wants." He leaned in. "The truth."

Mia's throat tightened.

She thought back to the date on the locket.

07-15-1998.

Whatever happened that day… it was something worth killing for.

Cross stood up and smoothed his suit. "Come with me."

Mia didn't move. "Why should I trust you?"

Cross gave her a wry smile. "Because right now, I'm the only thing standing between you and a bullet."

Mia's pulse thundered.

She had two choices:

Stay here and risk whoever killed Blackwell coming after her. Follow Cross and uncover the truth before it was too late.

She exhaled.

Then she stood up.

"Let's go."