A/N: Things are heating up and it's only going to get worse before it gets better.
Reporters were hanging outside the LAPD. News travels fast.
David and Tori were led to an entrance on a side of the precinct that was restricted by civilians.
They walked the corridors to the room with half a dozen cots and blankets. It isn't much but it suits the officers too tired to go home. Right now, it was vacant.
"Nobody's here," Tori observed.
"Everybody's working overtime," David said. "By tomorrow, this room will be packed."
Tori sat on the flat mattress.
"I miss home but it won't feel like home anymore, will it?" she asked.
He sighed and put his hands on his daughter's shoulders.
"No. It won't be the same. Get some sleep, okay?"
Tori laid down and turned on her side away from her father.
"Goodnight, Tori."
"Night."
David walked toward the door before turning back.
"I'll be here. If I can't hear you someone can come, get me."
He then shut the door behind him.
Officers converged on the scene of the carnage that plagued the EMT's on the lonely country road.
"This is anarchy," said one mustachioed cop. "A real shit-show."
An older cop joined up with the man.
"Give me a figure, Barker."
"Two stiffs, Craven. And look at this."
Mustache followed Barker's flashlight as it revealed spikes on the road.
"That's how they slashed the tires. You can buy the damned things off Amazon these days."
Indeed, it was a strip lined with steel spikes that when driving one direction, they do nothing. But go the other way, they inflict tough damage. Would-be security nutjobs would install these on their driveways only to slash their own tires.
"So, this was already planted," Craven observed. "The perpetrator wanted them to drive here at this spot but stop them if they tried to retreat."
"A trap."
Craven nodded at Barker.
Barker went over to the driver's body and lifted up the sheet.
"Yeesh," shivered Craven. "I hate it when they do something to the eyeballs."
He pointed to the other corpse.
"His buddy isn't any better," Barker quipped. "Looked like a cow being koshered."
"Check the vehicle?" asked Craven.
"Yup. Cellphones are missing. And that's not all."
Barker opened the ambulance doors, and the "cargo" is gone. All that sits is an empty gurney.
"I don't follow..."
He then showed Craven the clipboard.
"That a fact?"
"I don't believe in zombies, Craven. So, I think our killer took a trophy when he was done."
The cop stroked his mustache as he looked in the direction of the city.
"What kind of psycho are we dealing with?"
Hollywood Arts, the following morning.
Students scramble to the building where they immediately notice a sizable police presence.
"Whoa," marveled Beck when he got out of his car. "What happened?"
Robbie stood up and retrieved Rex from the back seat.
"You didn't call in a bomb threat, did you?" he asked the wooden dummy.
"No way," he said back. "I learned my lesson."
Beck gave him a glare.
"You know this is getting less endearing as time goes on."
"There's no crime scene tape," noticed Rob. "Maybe a student went missing?"
The Canadian shrugged.
"Dunno but they're not shutting down the school for this, so I guess we'll find out."
In the halls, teens are talking amongst themselves.
"Over here!" called out Andre.
Cat turned and hugged both Robbie and Beck.
"Ooof!" cried out Rob.
"Seriously," groaned Beck. "What's the deal?"
"Didn't you hear?" asked Andre.
The two boys shook their heads.
"Trina was killed last night," he said.
Andre is a pretty chill guy, but he was damn serious when he said that sentence.
"No, way!" blurted out Rob.
"You're kidding me," said Beck.
Rob looked around as the pockets of student were glancing here and there at their group.
"Do they know who did it?" he asked.
Cat shook her head.
"No," she sighed. "Poor Trina. I mean we didn't always get along..."
"You mean never got along!"
Rob and the others gave the meanest stare down to the puppet.
Rex looked up at Rob.
"What'd I say?"
"Has anyone seen or heard from Tori?" asked Cat.
"Nah," said Beck, shaking his head. "Nobody?"
The rest of the group responded in the negative.
"Hope she's okay," sighed Andre. "She must be a wreck right now."
Beck jerked his head to look past his friends.
"Hey, where's Jade?"
Tori sat up, initially confused where she was until reality crept back and she remembered.
The room with the beds was still empty but the sun was coming through the windows. The shades were drawn but not completely, so it was dark enough. Not as jarring as coming to at the hospital.
She heard muffled voices coming from below. They were shouting; heated even.
The Latina stretched and planted her feet onto the hardwood floor and began her search for the bathroom. Luckily, it was a couple doors down. Once she had relieved herself, she then descended the stairwell.
"Dad?"
Tori heard nothing in return, but the raised voices grew louder although still difficult to understand.
It was such a rush coming through the police station through the rear that memories are vague. But she didn't recall seeing interrogation rooms just before these steps so she would try there first.
"Dad?"
She then heard him.
"This is ridiculous! I was at the archives during that time!"
What was her father talking about?
Then an unfamiliar voice weighed in.
"Look, Vega; we don't have records of you being at the archives until the time you said. The sign-in sheet shows you got there at 4 pm but the time you left is missing."
Tori jumped when she heard the slammed fist hitting the table.
"God-DAMMIT, Woods! I just got the call that my house was broken into with my girls at home! Sorry I didn't give a SHIT about some clipboard!"
"Listen, Sergeant..." came a younger voice.
"Can it, kid!"
That was a sudden burst of rudeness from her father, but he sounded livid. Who were these guys and what were they insinuating?
"Cecil was in the archives. He corroborated you're being there for a few hours but didn't confirm your time of exit because the was in the bathroom."
"I don't believe this," huffed David. "So, you're trying to pin something on me based on someone's weak bladder? Jesus Christ; I can't fucking grieve for a second?!"
"Vega, listen..."
"NO!" he cut off this man named Woods.
"I still have a daughter who needs me right now and you're wasting MY TIME with this stupid bullshit!"
Tori hid when she heard someone coming. They walked past her and entered the room the three men were arguing.
"Woods, I have the DNA results."
"What do you got?"
"All the blood tested positive for the victim's..."
"I could have told you that!" spat David.
"Not so fast sir," the newcomer said. "As you know, DNA can go as deep as the family bloodline. It can be Trina's, but it can also be an immediate family member."
Tori peered through the crack in the door. The guy with the DNA evidence didn't close it.
The three men were looking at her father.
"You can't be serious!"
"There's more," sighed the younger cop that David told to shut up. "We found this diary in your daughter's room."
"What about it?"
Woods took the book and flipped it to a random entry.
"Is this your daughter's handwriting?"
David looked at it closely.
"Yes, that's it. A little sloppy though. Her penmanship was always immaculate. The best in the house we'd say."
"The reason I ask is because we have multiple entries in this diary of abuse from you; verbal, physical..." Woods cleared his throat. "And sexual."
"What?"
All four men were drawn to the door when Tori burst through.
"It's not true!" She then looked at her father with watery eyes. "Tell me it isn't true."
"Tori, I have done things that I'm not proud of but I never in my LIFE would hurt your sister!"
Det. Woods rubbed his forehead.
"Konrad, please place Sergeant Vega under arrest."
"No, you can't!" he protested.
He looked like he wanted to lay his fist on the rookie, but he kept his cool, despite what was happening.
"David Vega, you are under arrest for the murder of Trina Vega. You have the right to remain..."
"TORI, LISTEN TO ME! THIS ISN'T TRUE! I'M BEING SET UP!"
Tori stood in shock, crying.
"You have the right to remain silent," continued Woods. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
Konrad tightened the cuffs and began escorting David out of the interrogation room as Woods continued reading the Miranda.
"You have a right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one..."
Their voices got drowned out as they marched down the hall.
Tori felt a vibration in her pocket. She took out her phone. There were dozens of missed calls, texts and voicemails.
"Guess the word's out," she sighed.
A new text popped up from Cat.
"Tori! Are you okay! WHERE ARE YOU?"
The Latina sobbed as she clicked on the phone icon.
"Cat?"
"TORI? Oh my God! Where are you?"
"The police station," she sighed. "I need help, can you come down here?"
"I'm at school but I can ditch. This is important!"
"Thanks, Cat."
She hung up the phone and stared at the closed door her father was taken through.