In The Dark by Ava Strong

Author:Ava Strong [Strong, Ava]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-02-29T16:00:00+00:00

He nodded once.

"And you seemed uncomfortable when I asked you about Belinda. Why was that?"

He shrugged slowly. "I'm often uncomfortable."

"The last two nights," Tom said quietly. "Where were you?"

A flicker of something flashed across Marcus's features—a mix of uncertainty and unease—but it vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared. "Well," he replied, his tone steady. "I'm a loner by nature. This workshop is my sanctuary, my refuge from the chaos of the world outside."

"So you were here both nights?"

"Well, as it is, I wasn't."

"So where were you?" Elle demanded, starting to grow irritated with his coy attitude.

"I was at The Fifth Note, the jazz bar downtown. I go there most Thursday nights; they have an open mic."

"Can anyone vouch for your presence there?" Elle asked.

"Sure, sure," Marcus responded, setting down his tools and stepping over to a cluttered desk. He rummaged through stacks of paper until he retrieved a crumpled flyer for the bar's event. "They've got cameras. You can check. I'm there in the background, nursing a drink and listening to the amateurs butcher Coltrane."

Elle exchanged a glance with Tom, who gave a subtle nod, silently communicating their next move. While Marcus had appeared twitchy and erratic, his alibi could easily dismiss him from their list of suspects—if it held up.

"Music seems to be your alibi as well as your passion," Tom remarked with a hint of irony in his tone, watching Marcus's reaction.

"Indeed," Marcus replied, his fingers involuntarily tapping out a staccato rhythm on the wooden table, betraying a nervous energy. "It's more than that—music is my sanctuary."

As Elle processed this information, her mind raced through the possibilities. Could someone so entrenched in the world of melodies and harmonies step out of that sanctuary to commit violence? Her parents' own obsession with patterns and language had taught her that fixation could sometimes lead to unexpected outcomes. But something didn't fit; the puzzle was incomplete, and Marcus was just another piece that refused to align.

"Thank you for cooperating, Marcus," Elle said after a moment, her eyes never leaving his. "We'll verify the footage. If everything checks out, you'll be cleared."

"Of course," Marcus answered, his gaze drifting past them to a half-reassembled piano, as if eager to return to the certainty of his craft.

Elle stepped forward. "Is there anything else you can tell us about Belinda?"

He frowned at her. "You mean Amelia?"

Elle nodded innocently as if she hadn't been testing him once more.

He sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair. "It was a professional relationship. I'm not sure what I could tell you." He trailed off.

"Was there ever anyone with her when she visited? Anyone strange."

He looked up suddenly, his eyes sparking.

Tom was already moving towards the door, phone in hand, placing the call to verify Marcus' alibi. Elle, on the other hand, remained put, facing the man.

"Well... I mean... there was one person. A boyfriend, I think."

"Name?"

"Vinny... Vin or something."

"Okay. And why does he stand out?"

A shrug. "Wasn't a musician."

"It isn't a crime to not be a musician."

"No. Like I said, I don't know anything, but you're the one pressuring me for information.

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