Page 52 of Butterfly 6, Phase 1

“Okay,” she whispered more to herself than to anyone else.

Morgan nodded and deadpanned on Messiah. He gave a simple nod, and Morgan walked out of the room.

When she was little, she used to love watching Saturday morning cartoons. Looney Tunes was her favorite, and suddenly she remembered an episode where Tom made Jerry walk the plank. This felt like that. She was walking her own plank as if that innocent cartoon had been a foreshadowing of her eventual downfall. She didn’t know how she had gotten here. Life wasn’t supposed to lead to this. She had been at college, she had been in love, sneaking and getting a little dick behind Ethic’s back. Life had been easy. It was all books, clubbing, fucking, and friendship, and then out of nowhere, those easy days had disappeared before her eyes. She remembered the Thursday night that changed every Thursday afterward. The night she discovered Messiah was a liar. Nothing had gone right since that day. It had all gone to shit. She followed Ethic all the way to his car, and he held open the back door for her. When they were all tucked safely inside, Morgan let her thoughts out of her head.

“What happens to the twins if something happens to me? You and Alani get them, right? We established the trust fund, but it was before Messiah came back home. Does that change anything?”

“Should it change anything?” Ethic asked.

“I want them to know him. If something happens to me, they should be with their daddy. It’s a privilege to have one,” she said, her mind drifting back to a time so long ago that she was starting to lose some of the memories. “I want Messiah to raise them, but you and Alani have to raise him. Messiah bucks against rules, against dependency, and against structure, but family is what he needs most.”

“Sounds a lot like someone else I know,” Ethic quipped without looking back at her.

Morgan scoffed.

“You don’t have to worry about the trust or the twins. Just focus on right now.”

The next hour felt like a blur. She rode shotgun as Ethic drove her to the police station, and although she knew this was serious, her mind was stuck on her child.

“Messari is with Aria. She’s going to bring him to the house today. I know Alani isn’t at one hundred percent, but…”

“We’ll take care of Ssari. He’s good. Don’t focus on that right now,” Ethic stated.

“And Einstein?” Morgan asked.

“He’s already there,” Ethic stated.

She nodded and reduced herself to overthinking as they made their way to the police station.

When they arrived, Einstein stood at the door, awaiting them. Morgan looked like yesterday. It was obvious she hadn’t slept, and her fancy dress was wrinkled.

“Good morning,” Einstein greeted. “They’re ready for us.”

Morgan took a deep breath and gave Ethic a look of uncertainty before following Einstein inside.

“I’ve got her from here,” Einstein said, stopping Ethic in the lobby.

Dread filled Morgan, and her eyes instantly watered.

Ethic stepped closely to her so that only she could hear him.

“Appear weak, but be strong,” Ethic stated. “You can do this. I love you.”

He hugged Morgan, and she squeezed him so tightly she wanted to bawl. She held him like she had when Raven had died. She held on like she had when she was a child, and he would come show her that monsters weren’t real. He had lied back then. Monsters were very much so real. She had encountered a few.

She reluctantly followed Einstein to the front desk, and they were escorted to an interrogation room.

“Thank you for coming down to the station, Ms. Atkins. I’m Detective Moore, and this is Detective Evans. Would you like coffee or something to drink before we get started?”

“No, thank you. I’m good,” Morgan replied.

“I have to let you know that this interview is being recorded,” Detective Moore informed.

Morgan squared her shoulders and crossed her legs. “I’m not quite sure why I’m here, but I don’t have a ton of time. My two-year-old daughter is hospitalized. If I can be helpful, I will, but can we make this quick?”

“Very sorry to hear about your daughter,” Detective Evans said. “We don’t want to take up too much of your time. A few questions and we can have you on your way, ma’am.”

Morgan clocked their demeanor. Good cop was Detective Evans. He was hiding his malice under the veil of kindness. He was a brother, not much older than Ethic, and he wore plain clothes. Morgan wondered if he was chosen to sit in just to make her comfortable. Detective Moore was the hardass. He was Hispanic and older with a disposition that told Morgan he wouldn’t hesitate to lock her up if she gave him even an inkling of suspicion.