8

March 26

Daphne waits outside the police station. It's cold and she shuffles on her feet to keep herself warm. Fred is inside with Judy going over the information the police have on Steven Shelby's murder. Daphne checks the time on her phone. Ten minutes have passed since Larissa texted to say she was almost at the police station and Daphne agreed to wait for her outside.

Soon she sees Larissa approaching her. Her hood is pulled over her head and her curly blonde hair hangs down, she has a small child in tow. As they come closer, Daphne sees the child as a little girl with brown eyes, she wears a Paw Patrol hat with matching gloves and a pink coat. 'Hi, Daphne.' Larissa says, 'Sorry I took so long, I had to bring my sister with me today, she's home sick from school.'

'Don't worry about it.' Daphne replies. Posie stares at Daphne curiously, not willing to say hello after she was dragged out of the house and walked/carried from Anacostia. 'Come on, let's go inside.' Daphne says. Larissa follows and drags Posie along with her. Daphne doesn't mention Larissa's findings in front of Posie as she leads them through the police station.

'Why are we here?' Posie asks. 'Because I have a super top secret mystery I need to solve, and you have to promise me you'll keep this a secret.' Larissa whispers to her sister, bringing her pointing finger to her lips. Daphne opens the door to the office where Fred and Judy are talking with an older-looking detective. He has slick back dark hair with specks of grey. He's tall and wears a dark suit with his detective badge hanging around his neck. Daphne assumes this is Detective Nelson who Judy has brought in for assistance. All three are surprised to see Posie with Larissa. She's pulled off her hat and Fred can see a likeness between the two sisters, 'Who do we have here?' Judy asks as she smiles at Posie, she gets down to her level and helps her take her coat off. 'Who's that?' Fred whispers to Daphne. 'Her sister.' Daphne replies.

'This is Larissa and Posie Shelby.' Daphne introduces the sisters and Posie waves. Larissa brings herself down to Posie's level, 'Pose, can you sit there while I talk to my secret agents?' Larissa points to a chair outside the room, 'You can watch Paw Patrol on my phone.' Posie looks at them, she looks back at Larissa and nods. Larissa removes her phone from her pocket and loads up Paw Patrol, she removes a pair of headphones from her bag. Posie does as instructed and sits quietly on the seat outside the room.

'Larissa Shelby. I'm Lieutenant Judy Brown. This is Detective Nelson. I understand you have something that contributes to your father's case?'

'I do.' Larissa says nervously, reluctant to share the information but this might be the only evidence in the case. She reaches into her bag, removes a small object, and puts it on the table, 'I found this in the cabinet at home. It's my dad's phone.' It's a black iPhone 8. It has cracks in the screen and on the back. 'I haven't turned it on yet.' Larissa says. 'And you're sure it's his phone?' Nelson asks. Larissa nods, 'I remember it.' Judy pulls on a pair of latex gloves to examine the phone. She presses the button on the side and the white Apple logo appears, 'It still has battery power.'

Larissa looks back at Posie who is swinging her legs while she watches Paw Patrol, unable to hear the conversation with the headphones on.

'Do you know the passcode?' Judy asks, holding the phone to Larissa to see it. On the lock screen, there is a photo of Steven with Larissa and her siblings at the fairground. Judy feels a tightness in her chest, and tears sting her eyes. 'Try his Birthday. July 17th, 1987.' Judy types the passcode in but shakes her head, 'No.' Larissa sighs and thinks for a moment, 'My Birthday. August 18th 2010.'

Judy types the date in and smiles, 'I'm in.'

'I'm looking through the phone records.' She says as Nelson and Daphne each make their notes. Judy clears her throat, 'Would you three mind giving us a few minutes?' She looks between Daphne, Fred, and Larissa. 'Why?' Larissa asks. 'I need to discuss things with my detective.' Judy replies. Larissa shakes her head, 'No. I want to know what is on that phone.' Her voice croaks and her lips tremble. She quickly wipes away a tear from her eye. 'And you will.' Judy says, 'But not right now.' Larissa clenches her fist and grinds her teeth. She can feel anger boiling inside her, she's waited four years for answers and she's closer than ever to finding the truth.

'Come on.' Daphne says, 'Let's go for a walk.' Larissa sighs as she follows Daphne and Fred out of the office. She picks up Posie's coat and the small child sneezes. 'I'll stay here with her.' Fred offers. 'Umm…' Larissa hesitates but Daphne places a hand on her shoulder, 'She'll be fine.' Poise pays no attention to the conversation and continues watching Paw Patrol. Larissa storms out the doors of the police station, 'This is so stupid, I can't believe they're not letting me see my own dad's phone!'

Daphne takes her to the coffee shop across the street. She orders coffee for herself and Fred. Larissa asks for a latte and a hot chocolate for Posie. 'They're not stopping you from seeing the phone, they need to see what's on it first. It's precautionary.' Daphne explains. 'Still stupid.' Larissa mutters. They sit down at a table, Larissa removes the lid on Posie's hot chocolate so it can cool. Daphne watches Larissa stir her latte, a disgruntled look on her face. She knows how it feels to be kept in the dark. 'So your sister is sick huh? Is that why you're not in school?' Daphne asks. Larissa glances up at her, 'I'm looking after her.'

'Are you going to school?' Daphne asks. 'What does it matter?' Larissa asks as she crosses her arms over her chest, Daphne looks at her sternly. She can't be mad at her, she was a disgruntled teenager once. 'I won't let this get in the way of you going to school, that's what matters.' Daphne replies and Larissa rolls her eyes, 'You sound like my mom.' Daphne takes a deep breath, 'You can't let this consume your life. 'I know it's hard. But-'

'What do you know?' Larissa asks, 'I hate school. The other kids pick on me all the time! They call me the dead junky's daughter. Do you have any idea how that feels?'

'Yes, I do.' Daphne replies. She and Larissa lock eyes across the table. Larissa's expression changes from resentment to confusion, 'What?' Larissa asks. 'I skipped school when I was thirteen, one day a cop picked me up and took me home. My parents were so mad.' Daphne closes her eyes trying to forget her parent's disappointment. 'Why?' Larissa asks. Daphne clears her throat, she's hesitant to talk about it, she barely mentions it to Fred let alone anyone else, 'For as long as I can remember, my mom has been an addict. She tried to hide it from my dad but he found out.' Daphne says. 'What did he do?' Larissa asks. Daphne shrugs, 'I don't know, I was a lot younger than you, but I knew she hadn't stopped. The kids at school used to pick on my sister and me for a long time. It finally stopped when I was in ninth grade and one of the girls in the year above got pregnant by a kid in my class.'

'Did you ever find out what caused your mom to become an addict?' Larissa asks. 'No.' Daphne lies, she doesn't want to take this conversation any further. She doesn't want to open up about her childhood trauma. 'I'd appreciate it if you kept this between us?' Daphne asks. 'Of course.' Larissa replies, realizing there is nothing she can do about the kids at school and she sighs, sitting back in her chair.

'Come on, let's go back.' Daphne picks up her and Fred's coffees and Larissa fits the lid on the hot chocolate, it'll still be too warm for Posie but she will have to wait for it. As they walk along the corridor of the police station, Larissa hears Posie giggling, and Daphne recognizes Fred's laugh. 'Are you sure about that?' Fred asks. They see that Posie is holding a small stone in her hand, 'Yes it is a magic stone.'

'How is it magic?' Fred asks. 'Because I wished not to go to school today and I'm not at school. I'm going to wish for a puppy tonight.' Posie smiles. Fred laughs, and he locks eyes with Daphne. He had always been great with kids. She sees the sparkle in his eyes and his sweet smile lingers on his lips. Her heart skips a beat and she can't take her eyes off him. The office door opens. Judy steps into the hall, 'I need to ask Larissa a few questions.'

'What questions?' Larissa asks, she crosses her arms over her chest. 'Questions about the contents on the phone.' Judy says. Detective Nelson leans against the threshold. 'Can you come with me?' Larissa asks Daphne, concerned as to what might be on the phone. 'Of course.' Daphne says, 'Will you be ok, Freddy?'

'Yes, I'll keep an eye on Posie here.' He says with a smile, Posie is too invested in Paw Patrol. Larissa and Daphne enter the office and Nelson closes the door behind them.

'So what did you find?' Larissa takes a seat opposite Nelson. 'We have looked through the contents of the phone. Our search began with the last text messages.' Nelson says, he picks up his notepad and reads, 'On the day your father died, he conversed with his social worker Madeline Bevor about the next scheduled meeting.'

'Yeah?' Larissa crosses her arms over her chest. Daphne writes her notes. 'Based on these messages we have reason to believe that your dad was getting on the right track, and several messages from his friends back that up.' Nelson explains. 'I told you.' Larissa smiles at Daphne, 'He wasn't at the park to meet a dealer that night.'

'No, but he was at the park to meet someone.' Nelson explains. Judy suddenly looks uncomfortable and Daphne notices the same look from Nelson. 'The last message sent to your dad was from your phone, Larissa. Asking him to meet in the park.' Nelson says slowly. 'No, that's not right, you're lying!' Larissa exclaims. 'I'm sorry, but it's what we read from the text messages.' Nelson explains. 'Can I see it?' Larissa asks. Nelson is about to rebuff, but Judy interjected, 'Of course.' Nelson looks at his Lieutenant but he doesn't question her. Judy shows Larissa the message, "Dad, can we meet at the park? I need to see you." Larissa can't believe what she's reading, she knows she didn't write that, 'No. No. That's not right, I didn't write that.' Larissa cries. 'I figured that might be the case. Is there anything you remember about the day your Dad died?' Judy asks. Larissa sighs, 'I don't know. I don't think anything was any different.' She twisted a lock of her hair around her finger. 'We had limited contact with Dad between visits, but Mom and Dad had contact with each other.'

'Is that how you got your dad's number? From your mom's phone?' Judy asks. 'No. Dad wrote it on a napkin at the fairground before we left. He said not to talk all the time in case anyone finds out. I only texted him at school.' Larissa replies. 'Did anyone know?' Judy asks. 'Not that I'm aware of.' Larissa replies. Something pops into her head and she replays the memory in her head. 'What is it?' Daphne asks. 'After my Dad died, I lost my phone. My mom blamed me but suspected one of the kids might have been playing with it. We looked for it but couldn't find it so she bought me a new one.' Larissa explains. 'Right, ok.' Judy says, Nelson makes a note of this. Daphne looks between Judy and Nelson, both glance at her and she realizes they're thinking what she's thinking.

'What are you suspecting?' Larissa asks. Nelson puts his notepad on the table and lays his hands flat, 'Do you think there is a chance that your mom knew you were talking to your dad?' Larissa glares at him, she clenches her fists, 'I don't know.'

'Larissa.' Daphne says quietly and Larissa sharply looks at her, 'What?'

'Try. Try and think for me, sweetie.' Judy says. 'It's not sweetie!' Larissa bangs her fist on the table. She slumps back in the chair and holds her face in her hands. She thinks back to 2020. She was ten when she had her first phone. Her mother allowed her to have it as she would be starting middle school and all her friends had phones. She had been messaging her dad all day, but none of the teachers noticed her. They talked about their trip to the fairground and he explained that he had a day planned for their next visit, only if the weather held up. Larissa didn't care. She last texted her dad before she began her walk home with Lily, she wouldn't be able to text him until the following day. She took her school bag and her phone to her bedroom where she left them. That night, when she brushed her teeth, her mother put her sisters to bed. The next day, she's told that her beloved dad is dead. 'Are you suspecting my mom had something to do with this?' Larissa asks. 'Was your mom home the night he died?' Nelson asks.

'She was yes.' Larissa replies. 'Do you think she could have got up in the night?' Judy asks. 'I don't know.' Larissa replies. 'Ok, this is all off the record, we're going to end it here.' Judy says. 'Why?' Larissa asks. 'We need to follow protocol.' Judy replies. 'What does that mean?' Larissa asks. 'We'll be in touch.' Judy says.

They end the interview, Larissa looks puzzled but Daphne knows they'll be investigating Sabrina.