“If she can identify the ghost, then why is she still alive?” Mitch asked.
Salvi looked at him. “Because Mellon still loves her. She falls under his protection.”
Salvi and Mitch stood outside Francis Mellon’s luxurious multi-story house, pressing the comms buzzer on the gate console.
“You know what time it is?” a dark-haired man in a sweat suit answered. By the looks of his broad torso, he was one of Mellon’s security.
Salvi and Mitch tapped their holo-badges. “We need to speak with Myki Natashi. We believe she’s staying here.”
“Where’d you hear that?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. He didn’t look like they’d woken him, which meant Mellon had put him on the night shift. Salvi wondered if that was usual practice for Mellon, or whether he’d recently stepped up his security coverage.
Salvi smiled. “She’s a witness in a murder case and we have a few final questions for her.”
“She’s not here–”
“No,” Myki said stepping into view, pulling a robe tightly around her. “I’m here.” She rubbed her face awake and the guy gave her a pissed look. “They’ll just come back,” she said to him.
“Yes, we will,” Salvi said firmly.
Myki turned to face the camera as the security guy stepped out of frame. “What do you want?”
“We just need to ask you a few more questions,” Salvi said.
“I told you everything I know.”
“Myki, more people have died since the attack on your apartment. We’ve got an epidemic on our hands. It’s just a couple last questions.”
Myki sighed and looked away from the screen for a moment, her mind turning over. She looked back at the glowing holo-badge projecting from Mitch’s chest and read the details. He was a new face to her, after all. She finally relented and buzzed them in.
“I’ll see you at the front door.”
The gates before them opened and they stepped onto the property to be greeted by another member of Mellon’s security. This one was female, muscular, and with a hard look about her face. Salvi wouldn’t want to fight her. The woman, chewing gum, motioned with her head for them to follow the path to the front door. Salvi nodded and led the way while Mitch followed silently. In the grey early morning light, they began walking along the white path that split a green lawn surrounded by thick tropical gardens. At least they would be come spring; most had shed their leaves through the cold.
The porch lights turned on and Myki stepped out in a long robe, with the security guy waiting close by.
“Myki,” Salvi nodded, pausing at the steps that led up to the porch.
Myki stood before them, arms folded. She clearly didn’t want them to enter the house. Perhaps she was protective of Mellon too. “I don’t have anything else to tell you about that night. I told you I don’t remember.”
“I know,” Salvi said gently, knowing exactly what a night on Flyte felt like. “I believe you when you say that. We don’t want to talk about that. We want to talk about Francis Mellon.”
“What? Why?” Myki’s face screwed up as though they’d insulted her.
“Is he here?” Salvi asked.
“No,” she said. “He’s out of town on business.”
“But she’s not alone,” the security guy warned them.
“We can see that,” Mitch said.
“Can we talk alone, Myki?” Salvi asked, motioning to the security guy.
Myki glanced at him, then sighed impatiently and moved down the steps of the porch and along the pathway a few steps, before coming to a stop.
“Why do you want to know about Francis?” she asked.
“It’s just interesting,” Salvi said, “that the night Devon was killed, an associate of Francis’, Vincent Calabri, was in the area, then literally a few days later, you’re moving back in with Francis. I’m just trying to understand what’s going on here. With you and Francis. Are you here willingly?”
“Yes,” she said adamantly. “He didn’t kill Devon. Neither did Vincent.”
“How do you know, Myki?” Salvi asked. “You said you couldn’t remember what happened. You sure he wasn’t jealous about you being with Devon?”
“No.” She looked away. “Our break-up was mutual. Francis is… he’s complicated, but he understands.”
“Understands what, Myki? How to use fear and intimidation to get what he wants?”
She looked back at Salvi. “You don’t know him at all.”
“If he’s that great, why did you break up with him?”
“That’s a personal matter between me and him. No one else,” she said firmly.
“Myki, Devon was killed and two days later you’re back with your ex. You know what that looks like, right?”
“Can you tell us about his friendship with John Dorant?” Mitch asked. Myki turned her eyes to him, then looked back at Salvi.
“If Francis is the criminal you think he is, do you think he’d be so stupid as to draw attention to himself like this? If you know Francis at all, you’ll know that isn’t his style.” Myki took a few steps away, looking at the large wall that bordered the property, giving it privacy from the outside world. “Whatever you may think of him, he’s not like that. He’s a classy guy. He has a heart.”
Salvi stared at her in analysis. “You still love him.”
Myki glanced at her, then turned her eyes away.
Salvi stepped closer to Myki. “Did Francis rescue you from Devon?”
Myki looked back at her. “No! Devon wasn’t like that either. You think I’m some stupid model that will take any asshole that shows me attention? I have standards too, you know. They both treated me well.”
“So why was Devon killed and you were left alive?”
“I told you I don’t know!”
“Vincent Calabri and his associates were spotted by drones in the vicinity the night Devon was killed, Myki. Calabri works for Mellon. We know he sent Calabri there to kill Devon, and we know he asked that you be spared. Because he loves you too. What we want to know is why Devon had to be killed.”
Myki shook her head and looked away, quickly brushing a tear from her cheek.
“John Dorant has the power to order a hit,” Salvi continued.
