"It was supposed to be a joke." Roxie insisted, her hands hovering over the table with her fingers extended away from each other, having made a single swipe with her hands in opposite directions in front of her.
"A joke?" Detective Waterson asked, clearly not buying what Ms. Gallagher was saying.
"My coworker said she would only have it last for a little while, and then she'd stop. Not have it drag on for a year." Roxie said.
"You told me earlier your coworker convinced you to use your quirk on Ms. Lockhart for a couple years. Is that correct?" The detective asked.
An embarrassed blush formed in Roxie's cheeks before sighing. "…Yes." She said.
"What is your quirk?" Waterson asked.
"Depression. I can basically make people lose interest in life. It can affect many things, such as not bothering to do tasks, losing interest in dating, leaving things unattended, etc." Ms. Gallagher explained. "The loss of their happiness is stockpiled into me. I can steal happiness."
"So you've been putting Ms. Lockhart through mental torture for a couple years at this…" The detective briefly glanced at paperwork below him. "…Ms. Towers' request?"
Roxie nodded.
"Why?" The detective sincerely asked.
There was a moment of silence, and Roxie's face fell. She looked as if she was coming to terms with something. A sign of guilt. "Well…technically, that part was my idea. " She started. "Nicola and I wanted to knock her down a few pegs. I told her about my quirk and suggested it, and she told me to use it on her."
"You wanted to, 'knock her down a few pegs' for what reason?"
Another moment of silence passed. The detective could tell Ms. Gallagher was keeping something to herself, something she didn't want to reveal. The slight twitches and tiny formations in the woman's twisting face showed that she was ashamed of it.
After another sigh, she answered. "Two and a half years ago, this guy started working in our department. Ironically, he was a lot like Hawks. Handsome, cool, laid back. His presence brightened the room. He was fun to be around." Roxie said pleasantly, having been fond of the memory. However, she soon cringed a little. "Ever since I've known Nicola, she's always had this…unhealthy sexual appetite? When all of us would go out to bars or parties, she always had to snag a man and bring him back to her place. Sometimes she even hid away with men in the office. This guy became one of her…'targets', if you wanna put it like that. Nicola tried to engage sex with him multiple times, but he always denied her. I have no doubt in my mind that Nicola attempted to use her quirk on him, but it never worked with him. I mean, he was cool, he just wasn't interest in her."
The detective frowned. "What's this man's name?"
"Drew Foster." Roxie instantly replied.
The detective saw Ms. Gallagher's eyes gaze down at the table. She gave a depressed glare at its surface. "I don't know if Carissa noticed right away, but Drew started flirting with her. Asking her what things she likes and hobbies she enjoys. They got on friendly terms pretty quickly." She explained. "…Nicola ended up shooting herself in the foot, because one day while they were working on something together in a separate room, she overheard Drew asking Carissa out on a date…and I was perplexed by how angry Nicola got."
"What do you mean you were perplexed?" The detective asked during a brief pause.
"When Carissa was began working with us, the girls and I tried to pull her into our friend group. She didn't seem too interested in befriending us. It was like she was depressed before I even used my quirk on her." Roxie said. "When Daphne asked her if she had a boyfriend, Carissa said dating was 'not her thing'. We didn't really believe her at first, because she seemed like a real catch. She was just so…pretty. But I guess Nicola never believed her."
The detective noted the way Roxie said the word 'pretty', holding back a hum. "Would you say you were jealous of Carissa?" He asked, trying to piece things together.
"…Yeah, I guess you could put it like that." Roxie admitted. "To be honest, I was kind of happy Drew didn't sleep with Nicola. I liked him, and was planning to ask him out without Nicola knowing. But it wasn't long before he showed he had a thing for Carissa."
The detective saw Ms. Gallagher's shoulders slump.
"Nicola got really mad and burst into the room on the spot, demanding to know why Drew would date a nobody like Carissa and not someone who could give him a good time. Nicola can also have a very bad temper. There was some arguing that resulted in a physical fight and Nicola had to be dragged out of the room." Roxie gave a final sigh before continuing. "Drew was fired not long after this incident. We decided not to include Carissa in our friend group either, since Nicola never liked Carissa. She's the queen of the group, after all."
"Drew was the one fired?" Detective Waterson asked, now perplexed himself. "Why?"
Roxie ruffled uncomfortably in her seat, showing another sign of guilt and unexposed information.
When she did not reply, the detective decided to make his suspicion known to her. "There's something you're not telling me." He said.
Roxie gazed back at the detective, taking in his serious expression. She knew this was going to happen. The guilt would not allow her to continue on. Might as well reveal everything and get a lighter sentence. "Drew got fired…because Mr. Baxter saw him as competition." He said.
A switch flicked in the detective's brain. "What're you talking about?" He asked, his tone showing more suspicion.
Roxie bit her lip. "You know how I said Nicola is a sex addict? She was using her ability on Mr. Baxter, too. Whenever she was in the mood for easy sex, she would use her quirk to use Mr. Baxter as a sex toy. She also used it on him for other things, like allowing her to get away with not having to do as much work in the office and letting her go home early and stuff." She explained. "Nicola basically wanted revenge on Carissa and Drew. She cast her 'spell' on Mr. Baxter and had him sexually torment Carissa before having Drew fired when he noticed the interest Drew showed in Carissa."
Waterson's eyes squinted. He suspected intimacy was happening between Carissa and her former boss after all, but assuming Ms. Gallagher was telling the truth, things were making more sense. There were rumors that Ms. Lockhart and Mr. Baxter were sleeping together, but Ms. Lockhart did not appear to be lively or show any romantic interest in Mr. Baxter at the same time, according to her father and employees in the office.
"Wait a minute…" The detective muttered softly, but loud enough for Roxie to hear.
That building where Ms. Lockhart works has large windows. The heroes from Japan came to the office before Mr. Baxter was murdered. According to Ms. Gallagher, Hawks showed interest in Ms. Lockhart when they met in the office. Not long after, Mr. Baxter had been found dead in his office…
…Rumors of Carissa and Mr. Baxter sleeping together…Mr. Baxter having been under Nicola's influence…Mr. Baxter seeing this Drew Foster guy as competition between him and Carissa…Mr. Baxter sexually harassing Carissa…Hawks possibly being under control of Nicola's quirk as well…witnesses saying Hawks stalking Carissa and trying to engage sex…
Knowing Hawks was the flying type and had fantastic eye vision, it would not be difficult for him to see something happening through the window of Mr. Baxter's office.
Hawks was present at Mr. Baxter's death investigation at the crime scene, too.
Detective Waterson stared at Ms. Gallagher in the eye, his finger unconsciously pointing in her direction. "Are you telling me…that Hawks murdered Mr. Baxter?" He asked. "While also under the influence of Ms. Towers' quirk?"
Roxie closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes." She answered.
The detective's eyes widened.
"The first time Hawks came to our office, Nicola instantly tried to entice him…Not that I could blame her." Roxie said. "But Hawks didn't show interest in sleeping with her. Not only that, but Hawks went right over to Carissa as soon as she stepped into the office and started flirting with her. To my surprise, Carissa still had no interest in getting together with this hero. But it still sent Nicola over the edge. She became enraged. Because I was her friend, she told me she was going to use her quirk on Hawks and have him torment her, too." Roxie said. "I tried to talk her out of it. I reminded her that she was already having Mr. Baxter do that. But Nicola was just too mad. She did not care. She told me not to stop using my quirk on Carissa, either. Sure enough, I saw the evidence online. She was engaging her quirk on Hawks, having him harass Carissa."
"Why didn't you come to us then?" The detective asked, trying not to sound intimidating. "Mr. Baxter could still be alive right now."
Roxie shook her head. "You don't understand. Nicola can be a really evil pig. The things she's claimed to have done or would plan to do are very disturbing. I was already under her radar. I didn't wanna get on her bad side." She pleaded. "She said it would only be for a little while. But then Mr. Baxter was killed, and then Carissa went missing…the months dragged on… I know Nicola never released Hawks. If she did, Carissa would've come right back to the office while still under my quirk. I recently asked Nicola if she let Hawks go, and she asked me what I was taking about."
Roxie shook, tears building up in her eyes. "The way she said it…the way she looked at me…I could tell Nicola was not planning to let him go at any point. That she was enjoying the fact that this was happening. She was having that hero do God knows what to Carissa and no one would be able to save her…and it was partially my fault for not saying anything…
…I think Nicola enjoys watching people suffer. Like, she gets off on it somehow."
Strangely, this Nicola Towers woman sounded a lot like another woman he dealt with in the past.
And now Detective Waterson understood it was because Nicola Towers was in fact Jezel Quade, the same woman.
The one-way mirror revealed 'Nicola' in the interrogation room, her legs crossed as they rested over the table. The fabric of her dress appeared very close to slipping down and revealing her the bottom of her ass. She held an arrogant smirk on her face as her gaze lazily stared at a random direction in the room she was confined in.
Detective Waterson and Endeavor glared through the glass at the woman, who looked completely unfazed by the whole ordeal.
"She's the one making Hawks do this?" Endeavor asked.
"Most likely, yes." The detective replied.
"Has she admitted it?"
"She's neither confirmed nor denied."
"Tck." Endeavor hissed. "What is her quirk?"
"She calls it 'Possession'. It makes people do her bidding without her being directly involved. It only works to a certain degree, though. She can't make her victims do exactly what she wants, but has influence over them. She can only plant an idea of what to do in their head and have them go on their own accord." Detective Waterson explained. "It really depends on the person she possesses."
Endeavor turned to the younger man. "You seem to be familiar with this woman." He pointed out, having noticed the annoying aura lingering around the detective since he brought the suspect in.
"You're correct. This isn't the first time she's done something like this." The detective revealed. "Her real name is Jezel Quade. She committed similar crimes three times in the past."
"Three times?" Endeavor asked, his voice almost booming. "Why the hell is she not locked up?"
"Underhanded reasons." The detective said bluntly. "Her family bailed her out multiple times. Even though she should've been incarcerated, the system was able to be convinced she wasn't too much of a threat to society as people were making it out to be. She usually works as a fashion designer. But seeing that she's been living under a different identity and working at some random office building, I'm assuming she was waiting for everything to cool down before returning to her usual life."
"Why is she doing this?" Endeavor asked while turning to the woman, his tone revealing pure confusion as he glared in irritation.
"She's a vindictive nymphomaniac and a sadist." The detective answered. "Given her history and what Ms. Gallagher claimed, she tried to seduce Hawks, but he showed more interest in Carissa."
"She caused Baxter's death?"
"Apparently so, but one could argue it might've been unintentional. She can plant ideas in people's heads, but not control them directly. However, she still illegally used her quirk on him and it resulted in his death. We'd have to prove it." The detective explained.
"What the hell are you waiting for? Go in there and interrogate her!" Endeavor demanded, losing his patience.
"We have to check the house to see if she's withholding any evidence before we start the interrogation. Trust me, I want to take her down right now too, but have to follow procedures." The detective explained.
Endeavor was getting annoyed with the whole thing, wanting to go into that room and rip the information out of this woman himself, but held back. He hated to admit it, but he actually found himself worried about Hawks. The winged hero was good at his job, but this was a new problem he couldn't overcome. If this Lockhart woman were to give birth and die, how would that affect Hawks?
They were running out of time.
