“Diana!” Storm says sharply.
But I don’t look at him. India is staring at me, her eyes wide. She is shaking her head, but I know that what I said is sinking in. She believes me. She knows that Rachel is dead.
“She was stabbed to death,” I say relentlessly. “She was stabbed in that alley that the two of you went into.”
India starts sobbing, her shoulders shaking. “No she’s not,” she says. “She’s not. She’s not.”
“Yes she is,” I say. “She’s dead, and you have to remember what happened to her.”
“Diana, that’s enough,” says Storm firmly. He strides towards me and puts his hand on my shoulder, making it clear that he wants me to leave the room.
I shake his hand off. “She needs to know this. She needs to remember. You can remember, India. You left the bar with Rachel. You wanted to smoke or you were feeling sick. You walked up that alleyway. Why did you walk up there? Why?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”
“Yes you do,” I insist. “Remember, India. Remember why you did it.”
“Rachel felt sick!” she says suddenly, her words rushing out.. “She was upset. She walked off. And it was so dark. And then there was a bright light. And… and…”
She starts gasping for breath. The heart rate machine starts beeping rapidly again. India reaches out her hands as if to grab me, but she only grabs the thin air, as if she is reaching for something that she can’t touch. She begins weeping.
“What happened to her?” she says, sobbing frantically. “What happened? Why didn’t I protect her? What did I do?” The heart rate monitor starts beeping even more frantically. India starts pulling its wires off herself. She starts getting out of the bed.
The doctor and a nurse rush into the room. They firmly put India back into the bed.
“Get out,” the doctor orders us. “All of you out right now!”
“What did I do?” India is wailing. “What did I do?”
Chapter 13
DIANA
The doctor has to push DI Zael out of the room because he refuses to leave. When the doctor has slammed the door shut on us, he paces in agitation outside it.
“She as good as confessed it,” he says victoriously. “If that damn doctor hadn’t thrown us out of the room she was going to admit what she did. I know it.”
“That wasn’t a confession,” I say hotly. “You don’t know what it was. She was scared and upset because Rachel is dead is all!”
“We won’t know what it was until her memory comes back,” Leo says.
“Bullshit,” Zael says. “That girl was telling us lies
as fast as she could invent them. And you saps fell for it.”
“Are you blind?” I snap. “She was distressed. She obviously couldn’t remember.”
“If she couldn’t remember it’s because she didn’t want to remember. She doesn’t want to remember what she’s done.”
“I know what it’s like to have amnesia. I know what it’s like to not remember. She wasn’t lying.”
He waves his hands in the air mockingly. “Wooh. You know because of your special psychic skills!”
“No actually. Because I have amnesia too. You can get it from the shock of a traumatic event. But I suppose you think that trauma couldn’t possibly happen to a werewolf? Just because you see India as a wolf and Rachel as a bunny rabbit, you’re convinced India killed her.”
“Don’t give me your predator-prey bullshit again. That girl is as guilty as they come.”
“The only thing she is guilty of is being a werewolf.” My voice rises. “She didn’t ask to become a werewolf. Someone did it to her. And what motive does she have for killing her best friend? Her only friend. Because it’s not easy to make friends when you’re a werewolf. It’s not like people trust you. Tell me her motive!”