March 30, 2027
Los Angeles Police Department–Office of Detective Tache
It was less than a week after his case with the burning car was closed that Ethan received a visit that he never saw coming. He was in his office typing up a lengthy report for the Pike's Peak murder. Extra care was made to ensure this report was as concise as possible, given who the prosecutor was who would be reading it–the less questions he got from Ms. von Karma and her whip, the better.
The detective's concentration came to an abrupt halt when someone knocked at his door. He looked up to see the reception officer standing in his open doorway. "Something the matter?" he greeted.
"Are you expecting a visitor, Detective?"
Ethan hesitated, his mind racing. His default answer was no, but he couldn't help but wonder. Was it Ms. von Karma? No, she would've just walked right into his office if she needed him. A witness to the case, perhaps? "Not particularly… Who's looking for me?"
"A woman. Said her name was Ms. Danielle Emmett."
Ethan's hands, which had been hovering over the keys, quickly pushed the keyboard back and planted themselves firmly on the tabletop. "I… come again?"
The reception officer repeated the name. There was no denying–it was her. "Escort her in," Ethan said. The officer nodded, and disappeared. A minute later, she returned. Accompanying her was someone Ethan hadn't seen in a long, long time.
It had been 15 years. Baby Dani was all grown up. Her black, frumpy hair had grown into long, wavy tresses, and her baggy hand-me-down clothing had been replaced by a stylish crop top and dark green cargo pants. Even so, Ethan couldn't help but see his childhood best friend in her as she walked in.
Ethan rose to his feet. He managed to tear his eyes away from the young woman and gave the reception officer a nod. "Thanks. I'll take it from here." The reception officer left, closing the door and leaving the two of them in the office.
Finally, Ethan couldn't contain his boyish smile. Dani returned it with a small, shy one. The detective walked around the desk. Habit made him consider extending his hand to shake, but he remembered who he was with and instead pulled her into a hug. He heard Dani give a surprised laugh and hug him back. "Wow, I can't–when did you get back to Los Angeles?"
They pulled apart, though Ethan kept his hands on her arms. "I just got in last night," Dani admitted. "I'm staying at a hotel for a few days."
"What's the occasion?"
"I'm just… visiting."
"Your sister?" Ethan guessed. Dani didn't answer, but he was too distracted to notice her silence. "God, I can't believe how much you've grown." He placed a hand on the top of her head. "The last time I saw you, you were–what? Ten?"
"Eleven," Dani corrected. She reached up and pulled Ethan's hand off her head. She took his other hand, and held both of them between her own. "Actually, Ethan, I should know better than to hide the truth from you. I'm not here just to visit Annalise. I'm looking for her."
"Looking for her?"
"Yeah. It's a long story. A lot happened after you left for college," Dani told him. Ethan could tell there was a lot that she wanted to get off her chest. He gently pulled one of his hands away and beckoned for Dani to sit down at the chair by his desk. She did, and Ethan took a seat on his own. The worn leather creaked as he settled in. "I've got time for a long story."
Dani flashed him a smirk that seemed to have come straight from his childhood. "You sure about that?" she asked. "From what I remember, you could never sit still."
"What can I say? I learned patience among many other things in the years. Just one of the perks of having a fully developed frontal lobe." His mouth turned upward into a crooked grin. "I'm sure someday you'll get there too."
Dani made a quick slap at his arm, but was too far away across the tabletop. "You're lucky that you're hiding over there behind your desk!" she laughed.
Ethan was about to tease her back when there came a curt knock. Whoever it was didn't wait for an answer. The door opened, and the sharp click of heels came through. A woman walked in, dressed in elegant black and white clothes. Her short, light blue hair was worn in a pristine bob. Her eyes were icy, as was the aura she seemed to emit.
Ethan cleared his throat as the woman entered, awkwardly tapping his fingers on his desk. Dani looked over her shoulder at the newcomer, and the two women locked eyes. Ethan didn't miss how Prosecutor von Karma's gaze flickered from Dani to him in a calculated, analytical manner. Leather creaked as her gloved hand tightened around the whip held at her side.
"Detective," von Karma addressed with a cool voice, "am I interrupting something?"
"Prosecutor," Ethan replied as he quickly stood and walked around his desk. "Allow me to introduce you two. This is Baby–ah, Ms. Danielle Emmett. She's an old friend of mine. Dani, this is Prosecutor Franziska von Karma."
Dani popped up and offered her hand. "Ms. von Karma, good to meet you!"
The prosecutor shook her hand in a slow, deliberate manner. "Likewise," she said, her voice steely. Her eyes flicked back to Ethan. "Let me know when this little visit is over, Detective. I have some things I want to discuss before we meet with the police chief this afternoon." Without waiting for an answer, she turned abruptly on her heel and left the office.
When the door closed, Dani turned to Ethan. "Wow," she remarked. "She could freeze a volcano."
"She's not so bad," Ethan replied absent-mindedly as he walked back to his chair. He didn't catch Dani's raised eyebrows.
"Oh?"
Ethan shrugged as he sat down. "Some people just take a while to warm up. Some way more than others. I remember your sister wasn't exactly fond of me either when we first met." At the mention of Annalise, Ethan immediately felt the mood shift. "Look, I didn't mean–."
"No, you're right," Dani assured quickly. "Annie was always like that, wasn't she? But I guess you could say she was being protective." Dani sat back, crossing her legs and resting an arm over the back of her chair. "I mean, you're quite the suspicious character."
"What can I say? It's easy to get intimidated by perfection." Despite their light banter, there was something that bothered Ethan ever since he had heard Dani say it. "But you mentioned 'finding' your sister… Did the two of you lose contact?"
Dani hesitated. Ethan could feel the gentle taps of her toe against his desk. "The thing is," she began slowly, her face and voice growing serious, "a few years after you left for college, Dad relapsed again. He'd been doing so well–we all thought he was actually turning things around this time. But then he went and fucked it all up. Mom got fed up with getting disappointed by him. She took me and we just left. Annalise was in college at that time, so she couldn't come with us. We kept in touch for a few months, and then…" Dani pressed her lips together. Whatever her next words were, she seemed to struggle with them. Her eyes were focused on the wall next to her, but Ethan could tell that she didn't seem to see it.
He leaned forward on the desk. "Hey," he said gently to her. It seemed to work in bringing her back, and Dani looked back at him. "I'm sorry about your dad. I remember watching you and your sister having to grow up with his addiction."
"That's just the thing, isn't it?" Suddenly, an uncharacteristic anger filled Dani's eyes. "All our lives, we had to deal with that and walk on eggshells around him. And then when we were finally getting our chance to move on–you know what Annalise told me after Mom and I moved out? A few months later, she finally admitted to me that she had dropped out of college and moved back home to take care of him. She said she had to because Dad had no one left. She had to?" Dani let out a forceful sighed. The fire in her eyes calmed down, if only a little. "It just really pissed me off that she was choosing to chain herself to him again. We had a huge argument–said some things to each other that we shouldn't have. We haven't spoken since."
"What made you want to break the silence now?"
"I don't know," Dani admitted. "I guess I've always really wanted to. And now I finally found the courage to do it, and I wanted it to be in person."
"Hmm. I have to say, I'm surprised that you came to see me first instead of her."
"That's the thing… I can't find her, Ethan."
"Come again?"
"I tried calling her last night to let her know I was in town. It went straight to voicemail. This morning, I stopped by the house. My key still worked, but… the house was empty. Like completely empty. A few pieces of furniture were left, but that was it. I could tell by the dust that no one had been in there for at least a few years." Dani leaned back, running her hands through her jet black hair with claw-like fingers. "There was no trace of her or… or Dad. I was kinda hoping you'd help me find out where they went."
Ethan paused, absent-mindedly tapping a finger against the desk. He didn't want to admit it, but at that moment he felt wracked with guilt. He had met Dani when he was 13, and for most of their childhood they had been thick as thieves–siblings even, despite their different blood. They were a daily part of each other's lives. From playdates to adventures to day trips, their friendship had persisted and evolved.
That all ended when Ethan turned 18 and went to college–even though they tried to stick together, life had a bitter way of pulling them in separate directions. Their attempt at long-distant friendship didn't last, and they lost contact for no other reason than the ever-moving tides of life.
Every now and then, Ethan would feel small surges of shame that he hadn't tried harder to keep in contact. To lose such a close friendship over… nothing, really. He had no excuse. But all of that remorse he had felt over the years was nothing to what he felt now. It was all because he had absolutely no idea where Annalise or her father had gone. He hadn't even bothered to check in on them. And to think he considered himself a good friend…
"I hope you don't think this is the only reason I wanted to see you." Dani's words shook him from his morose thoughts. Ethan realized he had been staring holes into the desk and looked up at her.
"Of course not," he reassured her. He was glad when Dani looked a little relieved. "It feels just like old times doesn't it, Baby Dani?"
"Oh God, not that name again." Dani rolled her eyes. "Call me that again, I dare you."
"Not a chance! The last time you challenged me like that, you bit me."
"I was seven!"
"I'm playing it safe." Ethan leaned back in his chair, absent-mindedly scratching at the stubble on his jawline. "As for Annalise… I hate to say it, but I haven't the slightest clue on where she could be. But," he added, quickly holding a finger out, "that doesn't mean I'm just leaving you out to dry. I'll see what I can dig up from my end–if she left any paper trail with us, I'll find it. Good thing you've got friends in high places, non?"
"I guess it pays to be a high and mighty detective," Dani mused. "Seriously Ethan, I really appreciate this. And… I'm just glad to see you again."
"Likewise, Baby Dani. You're welcome here anytime." His words elicited a small smile from the young woman.
"Well, I'll be in touch." They exchanged numbers, and then Dani stood. "I better be off. Wouldn't want to keep you from that icy prosecutor."
Ethan stood too. "Let me walk you out," he offered. "Another minute won't kill her. Wouldn't you believe that I'm the only one around here who can keep her waiting and live to tell the tale?"
"Hmm, makes me wonder if there's a reason for that."
"Ah-ah," Ethan chided, "I'll stop you right there. I'm the one who does the deducing here." He stepped around the desk and escorted Dani through into the hallway. His quick shut down seemed to spur Dani's curiosity even more.
"What's up? Is there already a Ms. Tache?"
"Well, I did meet a girl in college…"
"You did? That's so sweet!"
"… But the last time I saw her, she was throwing my stuff off her apartment balcony after our messy breakup."
"Oh."
Ethan laughed. "There's no need for that kind of reaction," he assured. "This was well over a decade ago. My parents were never too fond of her, and I guess they were right in the end. They were always the better judges of character, and I was too blind at the time."
"Speaking of your parents, how are they? I should go visit them and say hi!"
"They'd love that. You know where to find them–they're still running that bakery."
Dani shot Ethan a look over her shoulder. "No way," she mused. "I dance for a living, and you know there's going to be no way I'm going to control myself in there."
"Like it or not, they're probably going to give you a pain au chocolat on the house."
Before Dani could respond, someone came around the corner and nearly smacked right into her. Quick on his feet, Ethan quickly pulled her back before the head-on collision could occur. The girl let out a yip. The other person, also surprised, took a step back.
"Pardon me, fräulein, I didn't see–."
Ah, Ethan immediately recognized Prosecutor Gavin. He hadn't expected to see the prettyboy rockstar all the way here, although the sight of a prosecutor at the department wasn't unusual if there was an active case going on. But still, leave it to Gavin to immediately pull the fräulein card at the sight of a girl. What Ethan didn't expect, however, was the stunned silence that immediately seized the usually composed prosecutor.
"Dani?"
Ethan didn't miss how Gavin's eyes quickly flitted between the two of them, and then to Ethan's hand that was still on Dani's arm. Ethan let that hand drop. That split second felt like minutes, and the detective couldn't help but wonder what the story was between these two that had them looking at each other like that.
Dani was the first to recover. Her disarmed look of shock quickly hardened into a stony stare. "Do I know you?" she snapped. Without giving him a chance to answer, she hurried past him and disappeared around the corner. Ethan wordlessly rushed forward to catch up to her.
When he did, he saw the look on her face–one that made it quite clear to not bring up what had just happened. Ethan decided it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. Their cheerful banter had been left behind in that hallway, and they spent the rest of the walk back to the police department entrance in silence. Upon reaching the front door, Ethan held it open. He caught Dani throwing a quick glance over her shoulder towards that hallway. Finally, she turned back.
"Thanks, Ethan."
"Of course," he replied. "I'll give you a call if I find anything. Take care of yourself, Baby Dani."
Dani shot him a smirk. As she passed him out the door, she chomped the air as if to bite him. Ethan returned the sneer, and then took a few seconds to watch her walk out into the parking lot. When she disappeared into her car, Ethan finally returned to the police station. As he walked back to his office, a passing officer remarked, "You're a lucky man, Detective."
Ethan suppressed a sigh. It felt like deja-vu–he had spent his teenage years trying to convince everyone, from his parents to his peers, that he and Dani weren't like that. She might as well be his second sister. Still, Ethan knew how the two of them looked to everyone else.
And it was certainly how they had looked to Prosecutor von Karma, whom he was meeting with right after this. For the first time in a long time, Ethan was a little nervous about that whip.
March 31, 2027
The Emmett House
Her fingers tapped a nervous rhythm against the leather steering wheel of the rental car. Her gaze was fixated on the house just beyond the driver side window. After a few moments, her hands stilled. With a slow, controlled sigh, Dani sat back in the car seat. Seconds passed, and she spent them gathering up the last of her courage. Finally, she opened the door and stepped out.
It was hard to describe the feeling she had as she walked up the driveway. Minus the overgrown weeds and dandelions growing through the seams within the concrete, this walk up the driveway stirred up several long-dormant memories. A part of her, the one she thought she'd outgrown, was slowly starting to wake up.
Dani stepped up onto the porch. She looked down at the brass doorknob, worn to a dull gold from years of hands. She remembered the way this doorknob looked at eye level–the way she would reach up with both hands to turn it after coming home from playdates with Ethan. She reached out and rested a hand on the knob. With her other hand, she pulled a key from her pocket and unlocked the door.
The knob and hinges both wailed as she opened the door, testifying to years of neglect. Slowly, the interior of the house came into view. Although this was the second time Dani had returned to this house, she felt as though she was seeing her childhood home for the first time now. With the urgency of finding Annalise having calmed down, the memories of this old house were slowly returning to the forefront.
The door opened to a long hallway–the spine running through the body of the house. To the left was a staircase leading to the second floor. To the right was an open archway leading to the dining room. The derelict dining table was covered in a thick layer of dust.
Dani stepped in. Immediately as she entered, her footsteps echoed off of the drywall. Her gaze traced every detail of the house. What her eyes saw and what her mind remembered fought against each other–both seeing the same walls in different ways. The home that Dani remembered didn't have dead bugs scattered across the floor and cobwebs stretched between the walls. It had never been this quiet and lifeless. There had always been noise to liven it up, whether it had been her and Annalise playing or their parents fighting.
Dani walked down the length of the hallway. It opened up to the kitchen, where more dead bugs littered the countertops. Strangely, the cabinets were still full of ceramicware and cooking pans. Beyond the kitchen, the living room was just as Dani remembered–down to the ugly, floral couches and that small TV. She took a second to picture her father sitting in his usual spot on the couch in front of the TV, and then turned to leave the kitchen.
She went to the stairs. Dani recalled that the third step from the floor creaked–she and Annalise had quickly become experts in hopping over that step so as to not alert their parents.
But for old time's sake, Dani decided to walk on that third step. She wondered if it would even still creak after all these years. As she put her weight down on her foot, she heard the old plywood groan loudly. Man, it was louder than she remembered–no wonder Mom and Dad could hear it from their room. Dani continued up the stairs. Muscle memory guided her straight to her room. She reached down to take the dusty doorknob–it was an old brass knob shaped like a round flower. Dani remembered seeing it as a little girl in the hardware store. It had been love at first sight.
But Dad–he never wanted to 'waste' money on those kinds of things. He always considered them frivolous. God forbid he had to waste money on his family rather than his damn drug addiction. But Annalise had somehow managed to convince him to buy the flower doorknob. Even to this day, Dani never understood how her older sister could always manage to get through to him.
Hinges whined as the door was slowly pushed open. What lay beyond was a room stuck in time. Dani found herself unable to move as her eyes surveyed the room. Everything was as she remembered–untouched by the years. There on the dusty old desk was the makeup set she had forgotten to take. Dani remembered feeling devastated when she realized she had left it behind, although she knew there had been no way she would be coming back to get it.
She walked into the room in an almost daze-like trance and sat onto the edge of the bed. This room… felt so small now. Dani looked down at the flower-themed covers underneath her. She turned her head and looked out the single window. Beyond was a great view of the front yard. She remembered peeking out from that window, hoping to see Ethan waving to her from the end of the driveway.
Dani stood up and left her childhood room. She walked further down the hall and stopped in front of Annalise's door. There was a particular spot, a few inches above the doorknob, that she would always knock on. Dani reached out and touched that spot. Then, her hand lowered, and she opened the door.
The room beyond was dim. The thin curtains were partially drawn. This room too seemed to have been preserved in time. Although it was only now that Dani saw the juxtaposition between her and her sister's room.
Where Dani's bed had been adorned with the designs of blossoms, Annalise's bed was a plain gray. Her desk was small, and the lamp was cracked and clearly secondhand. There were no decorations. The walls were bare and the floor expressionless.
At the sight, Dani felt her eyes burn. She swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped into her sister's room. Her foot stepped on something hard. Dani looked down. There was a pen on the ground. She bent down and picked it up. There was a logo on the pen–the letters 'LAPD' written in simple, blocky font. Other than that, it was simply just… a pen.
Thinking nothing of it, Dani placed the pen on the desk and left the room. This trip down memory lane had gone on long enough. There was nothing in this old house that could tell her where her sister was. Maybe it was time to call it a day and head back to the hotel. All she could really do was wait until Ethan got back to her about any leads on Annalise's whereabouts.
Dani returned to the car. The fresh air seemed to clear her mind, freeing it from the nostalgic haze that had hung thick in the house. The young woman let out an exasperated sigh as she leaned her head back into the seat.
Maybe it was all the sentimental memories that had filled her mind for the past half an hour, but Dani's mind drifted back to that other encounter back at the police station. Of course, of course she would run into that pompous, purple-clad jerk on the first day back in this accursed city. Well, trying to meet up with Ethan was certainly going to be more awkward with him hanging around.
Dani reached forward and started the car. Nevermind that. Nevermind HIM. That was all in the past now. Just like this house. And he wasn't part of the past she was trying to reconnect with, anyway. Dani took one last glance at the old house, and then pulled back onto the road.
