"That's absolutely ridiculous. My sister-in-law is not an alien. She and Hayden have been married for six years, I'd know if she was alien."
"I don't have time to tell you everything that happened, but trust me when I say, that Jade has something up her sleeve. I know Jade. We used to hang out at the bar all the time. I know everything about her. But she's been lying to you, to us. And maybe even to Hayden."
Violet took a deep breath, looking away. "And you're sure that she did it?"
"She fits all the boxes. I don't have any proof. But I remember her last night. She was there. I visited her gallery."
Violet pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's assume for a second that you're right. That Jade really murdered everyone. Why would she do that? She's such a sweet woman, she couldn't hurt a fly. Let alone Hayden or mom and dad."
"I don't have answers yet." Maggie answered honestly. "And I'm stuck here, so I can't do anything to get them either."
"Right, about that." Violet closed the file in front of her. "I've been thinking about a strategy. But it's looking pretty grim in terms of evidence. There are no witnesses for last night, and the only information they have is a note that says 'forgive me, Alex' and a photo with you at the crime scene. Without other information that can explain it, there's not much we can do."
"So… What's the strategy then?" Maggie asked, cuffs clinking together as she rested her head in her hands on the table.
"… I need to go do some field work. Get evidence that proves you're innocent. You're going to have to wait it out. I'm sorry."
Maggie nodded slowly from her spot on the table, looking up again. "I figured things were pretty bad… Call Alex Danvers, my girlfriend. She's a special agent, she's been helping me. You can trust her."
"I will." Violet said, getting up. "If Holmes is breathing down your neck, or you feel like something is off, get on a line with me, Maggie. They can't stamp you as a bad guy without knowing the full story."
Maggie smiled weakly. "Thanks."
"Get some rest, okay?"
As Maggie watched the woman leave, she was hit with a wave of sadness. How Violet remained so strong with her entire family being murdered was beyond her. The rollercoaster she'd been on these past few weeks was nothing compared to the loss she'd feel if she ever got the phone call that everyone she loved was dead.
It was… odd. How stoic the woman was.
But Maggie put it aside. She couldn't afford not to trust Violet. She was the only link she now had to the world outside her cell.
"Alex…. Alex…."
A voice stirred her back into consciousness. For a quick second, she could pretend that it was Maggie calling out to her, kissing her shoulder blade and spooning her from behind to start the day. But soon enough, she was snapped back to reality, when she was hit with a torrent of ice cold water.
She gasped, jumping up at the sensation, and momentarily flashbacking to Malverne's water tank, before realizing that she wasn't surrounded by water. Just lying down with her hands and feet tied up, in a room she didn't recognize.
The walls were a concrete gray, the ceiling had a few fluorescent lights that buzzed lightly.
"Wakey wakey."
Alex managed to focus her eyes to look around, and finally found the source of the voice.
Scarlet, standing next to an easel, holding a few tubes of paint. The clicking of the woman's heels as she approached her reverberated in Alex's head, but she told herself not to show weakness.
"There you are. There are those beautiful eyes."
"W-why would you do this." Alex grunted, her head still fuzzy from unconsciousness. "Why did you bring me here."
"You… are going to be the subject of my newest masterpiece. I'm going to call it… 'The Other Half'. What do you think?"
"The other half of what?" Alex groaned as she crawled up to a sitting position, to look at the woman better. She was still in her Scarlet form, but that was probably one of her disguises.
"Of you and Maggie, of course." Scarlet smiled, as she put the tubes of paint down on a nearby table. Alex deducted that she was in some sort of art studio. The soft music playing in the back gave the scene a creepy and unsettling tone. But she didn't see any discomfort on the other woman's face as she continued. "I tried to paint her yesterday, but she was so rude. Kept on screaming about Hayden. I mean, he was my husband. Why is she upset? Right?"
Alex couldn't respond. Her brain was still trying to catch up.
"… Well, I mean, I like it when they scream. It's all much more raw and emotional. But if they don't hold still, it ruins the painting process."
"What did you do to Maggie last night, Jade?" Alex growled. The redhead lowered the paintbrush she'd picked up, and laughed. "Nice one. You figured it out. You're probably the only one."
"By the time they find me, everyone will know about you."
"Yes. And what will you do, Alex? Lock me up like you tried to lock that Magh'rah up that was just trying to live his life?"
"That thing tried to kill us. He killed people. And so did you."
"You humans are so morally unjust." The woman sighed, before morphing into a tall, slender brunette with long, waving hair. That had to be Jade.
"You keep on asking me why I do what I do. I've been on this planet for centuries. I have painted every single thing you can imagine, and none of it is as satisfying as seeing that fear on human's faces. That fear of death, fear of the unknown. Fear of me. I guess that's why people like my artwork so much."
"So why don't you just let them go then? If they won't remember anything the morning after, why don't you just let them walk?! You could have saved those people, and you chose to murder them."
Jade raised an eyebrow as she moved back to her easel, and continued her painting. "I let Maggie walk, didn't I? I could have killed her. Although, to be fair, she kind of jumped into that dumpster on her own."
"Why Ian? What did he do?"
"He came too close!" Jade hesitated, and then smiled after her outburst. "He shouldn't have picked up the case. He should have left it alone. And I warned him, numerous times. But he wouldn't listen. And then Joan knew that I'd been on the boat, so I had to get rid of her too."
She continued painting, unfazed, as if she'd just read out loud from a book. Completely emotionally distant. And Alex began to consider that maybe she just honestly didn't care about the family at all.
"This is just one of your lives, isn't it?" She swallowed thickly. "You just… Pick up the pieces and move on to something and someone else."
Jade chuckled, but her eyes didn't leave her canvas. "I am Michelangelo and Hopper. Vermeer and Bosch. I am nearly every single painting you have ever laid eyes on. There are museums all over the world with just my work. My purpose in life is to paint."
"Why does Michelangelo need to murder women in an alleyway to make masterpieces?" Alex shot back.
Jade looked like she was going to answer, when a sharp ring made the both of them look up. Jade put her paintbrush down with a sigh. "Late night visitors. Stay quiet, Alex. For your own good."
She closed the door to the studio behind her, leaving Alex alone, and headed into the gallery.
A woman was standing at the door, and she unlocked it quickly, her eyes widening in surprise. "Violet! Hey!"
Violet smiled weakly, and reached forward to kiss her on the cheek. "I just got back, I just… need someone to talk to Jade… God, w-what the hell happened?!"
Jade nodded, a sad frown on her face, as she let Violet into the gallery. "Can I get you anything? Something strong? Vodka?"
Violet laughed weakly. "I still have to drive back to my hotel, I'm fine."
"The police won't tell me anything." Jade said with a frown, as she took a seat on one of the chairs in the corner. "… I… I can't get them to tell me what's going on, I don't know anything."
"Well, they arrested someone. A cop. Apparently she's been behind the whole thing."
"Is that what they're saying?"
Violet shrugged off her coat, and sighed, taking a seat next to her sister-in-law. "If I see that cop face to face, I'm going to kill her for what she did to my family."
Jade put a hand on hers, and squeezed it gently. "We've only got each other now, Violet. I'm here for you, whatever you need. I'm with you."
"I want revenge." Violet whispered, looking up at Jade. "I want to kill that woman for ripping my family apart."
"I understand, Vi." Jade nodded. "You're frustrated, you're looking for anything to take that sadness in your heart away. But this… you making a stupid mistake, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life. Hayden, and Ian and Joan wouldn't want you to do it."
"But then… what am I supposed to do?" Violet sobbed. "I… I don't see an exit. I don't see a way out."
"Let me handle it. I promise you. Things are going to get better. Okay?"
Violet took a deep breath, and nodded. "Actually… Could I get some water?"
"Yeah, of course." Jade got up, and walked over to the back. When Violet was sure she was out of sight, she grabbed her phone and started making photos of every painting in the gallery. Most of them were relatively abstract, and definitely not proof.
She had to go to Jade's studio. She knew that was probably where she kept all of her dark things.
She got up, and sprinted towards the door out of the gallery, that lead into a small hallway. She'd been there before, as Jade had shown her around when it first opened. She knew her way around the building, and ran straight for the door to the studio.
She reached for her phone, and pushed the door open slowly.
Her eyes widened at the first glimpse of the room.
"I wouldn't go there if I were you."
Violet froze at the sound of Jade's icy voice behind her.