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Tremaine headed his way. He didn’t greet his friend, but Frankie’s eyes said it all. He was definitely scared of what awaited him on the inside of his house. Together, they walked up the stairs and right into Sergeant Denton who was waiting in the doorway.
    â€œMr. Bingham?”
    Frankie nodded. “Where’s my brother?”
    The sergeant led them into the foyer of the home and paused, holding his hand up in front of Frankie. “Mr. Bingham, let me bring you up to speed on what we know so far.”
    It felt odd to Frankie, having this cop stop him from moving freely about his own home. But he was anxious to find out what was going on. Frankie was all ears and Tremaine, too, hung on the officer’s every word.
    â€œWe were called here tonight by your wife…” The sergeant looked at his notepad and found the name he was searching for. “… Camille. She informed us that she arrived home to find that your brother had been shot in the kitchen. According to her, he was dead when she arrived.”
    Frankie felt the blood drain from his face.
    â€œThe murder weapon was found lying beside the deceased. Camille picked up a knife nearby and then proceeded to the dining room where she found her sister seated at the table.”
    â€œMisa?” Frankie couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
    Sergeant Denton referred to his notes again. “Yes, sir. Misa Atkinson. Your wife found her seated in the dining room with blood spattered on her hands and on her clothes. There were also some bloody handprints found on the wall in the dining room. When we arrived, Ms. Atkinson was still seated in the dining room, in somewhat of a…” The sergeant seemed to search for the right words. “… a state of shock. We’ve since moved her to another room where detectives are talking to her. She has so far refused to answer our questions but she has acknowledged that she is the person who committed this crime. We’re attempting now to establish a motive for what happened here tonight. And we’re hoping that you or your wife may be able to shed some light on anything that may have transpired recently between your siblings.”
    Frankie leaned against the wall, feeling like he might pass out at any moment. “You’re telling me that Misa killed my brother?” A million thoughts raced through his head. What possible reason could she have to hurt his brother? The two rarely even spoke to each other as far as Frankie knew.
    Sergeant Denton nodded. “That’s what we believe based on what we’ve been told and also based on the fact that there were no signs of forced entry into the home. Nothing has been stolen, according to your wife, and your sister-in-law admits that she shot the victim until the gun was empty.”
    â€œShit!” Tremaine muttered under his breath.
    â€œWe’d like to have you come with us into the kitchen where we’ve collected your brother’s remains for transport to the medical examiner’s office. If you can confirm his identity, we can process the case much faster since he’s now listed in our report as John Doe. We’ll need to perform an autopsy and will need your permission to do that.”
    Frankie stood there in silence for a moment or two.
    â€œâ€¦ your brother’s remains…”
    He felt his heart pounding in his chest, and felt his palms sweating despite the freezing January cold. On shaky legs, Frankie followed the officer into the kitchen and Tremaine trailed behind, taking in the whole scene. With each step through his home, Frankie felt as if he were walking through a nightmare. He looked around for signs of a struggle, but saw no clues as to what could have made Misa kill Steven. It felt surreal, and as they entered the kitchen it became downright horrific. A large pool of blood was in the middle of the floor. Broken glass crunched under Frankie’s feet as he entered. A few