The Interrogation

I kept thinking of what Caroline said as I lay in bed that night. 'Is what she said true? Gah I have so many questions running through my head!' I sat up and looked at the wall clock. 'Yet again, she did say my questions would be answered if I come to the school at night. Should I go?'

I lay back and after giving it much thought, I decided not to go to the school at night. It is not worth it if I risk my life right?

Morning rolled in and I was woken up by my Aunt screaming at someone. Rushing out of my room, I see two police men leading her out of the house in handcuffs.

"Let go of me! Do you know who I am?" she screeched. "Let me go you ********"

"Well that is a nice way to greet an officer." A gruff but familiar voice said. The owner of said voice was an old but well-built man with grey hair and a well-trimmed mustache. He wore a suit with a cowboy hat and he had a stone cold expression indicating that he has seen a lot of things no one wants to see.

"Good morning Ms. Cross-wood." He said tipping his hat. "I am Detective Walsh. Do you mind coming with us to the station to answer a few questions?"

I nodded and asked for permission to change my clothes. He agreed and a few minutes later, I was riding in the back of the police car on my way to the station.

I tensed as we approached the station because this was the last place I wanted to be. I did not want to confess to something I did three years ago.

'They ruled it out as an accidental death so why am I here?' I thought.

The car parked in front of the building and the Detective led us inside the building to the interrogation room. People stared at me but ignore them. This ain't the first time I get looks when I am walking with someone older than me. I hope that this would not spike up rumors that would ruin his career.

We enter in the interrogation room which was eerily quiet. Sitting down on the chair across the table the Detective took a seat on the other chair across from mine.

"I know you don't know the reason why you are here Ms. Cross wood." he says with an air of authority. "So I don't stress yourself. I just want you to answer my questions truthfully do you understand?"

I nod.

"Now, let's start with the basics. I already know your name so can you tell me who your parents are?"

I look down. "My parent's names were Ana and Daniel Cross wood."

"Were? What happened to them?" he asks

"They died when I was seven years old sir."

"How did they die?"

"The... they were shot by a masked burglar." With lips trembling I add. "I... hid in the closet when they were killed so they did not see me but I saw them and..."

The traumatic events flashed before my eyes and each moment weighed heavily on me; my dad yelling, the gunshots, my mom screaming everything! I burst into tears in front of the Detective who quickly left and came back with a box of tissues and a bottle of orange juice. I thank him and dab my eyes dry but the tears still came. He kept apologizing to me as I continued to cry but his apologies and after forty-five minutes of crying, I finally calmed down taking in deep breaths to hold it in.

"I am sorry about that," he said for the fifteenth time.

"It is okay." I say still taking in deep breaths.

"Okay," there was a pause that lasted for several minutes before he spoke again. "Where did you live when they died?"

"I lived in Jackson City."

"So you are staying with a relative now?"

I nod in response, "Yeah I with my aunt."

"So she is taking care of you?"

"Yeah," then another awkward silence for another few minutes when he sighed and adjusted himself on his seat.

"Okay. Let's cut to the chase." he said. "How long have you known Brian?"

I shrug. "I never knew him."

"Did you know him through various means online?"

"No, no I haven't."

He looks at me straight in the eye as his mustache twitched. "Are you on Facebook?"

"No sir."

"So it was not you chatting with him on Facebook the day he died? Asking him to come to the school for something 'special'?"

The stunned look on my face said it all. He sighed before leaning back on the chair. "Not this again." he muttered out loud. Then a knock was heard followed by another man who entered the room holding some papers in his hands. He handed them over to the Detective and he looked at it and growled.

"Tell me you are joking," he said out loud. The man shook his head and left the room leaving me confused and him angry.

"Is something wrong?" I ask with concern.

"I am sorry Ms. Cross wood," he said Standing up. "It turns out that you are free from interrogation and suspicion but please if you have any information regarding the murder please call the police oaky?"

He said that statement in a mechanical way that really showed that he was angry with something.

"Sir," I probe "Is there something I need to know?"

"Nothing," he said turning away from me. I sigh and head for the door of the room when he said. "Apart from the fact that you were nearly framed for the murder."

I pause midway on opening the door and look at him. "What?"

"Someone is trying to set you up kid." He said finally facing me. "The records show that someone set up a fake Facebook profile to frame you from an IT center downtown. This means you are free to go but if you have any information, let me know okay?"

What he said was enough to get me shivering like a leaf. "Someone was trying to set me up?"

"I advise Ms. Cross wood, that you watch your back out there." he said this time looking directly at me. "Even your closest friends can be your worst enemies so be careful." then he turned away from me, "As far as I know, that school is a Murder House."

I walk out of the police station in shock. 'Someone was trying to set me up? But why?'

Then I remember the incident with Valarie walking away in anger. 'Maybe who ever killed him was trying to set me up for the murder but made a terrible mistake by going to the IT center downtown.'

I think for a moment. 'There is only one IT center downtown. Maybe it is the same place where I do my computer assignments. I should go check it out. Maybe the profile picture is still there with the messages the killer used to lure Brian to the school.'

With that in mind, I go to the IT center and discover it was closed. Looking around, I ask a passerby why it was closed.

"Oh someone sent a virus to all the computers in there." She said. "And that made the systems to crash."

"I see," I bow my head in thought. 'This means sent a computer virus to destroy the evidence but what kind of virus is it?'

I thank her and go home to sleep over the ordeal but with the old wounds now open, it was impossible to sleep without thinking of the death of my parents. I do not know how long I slept but what I do know is that I was woken up by my phone ringing.

"Hello?" I ask half awake.

"Hello Emma? It is Brianna."

I sigh. "Hi Brianna how are you?"

"I am fine. Hey you don't sound good. Is something wrong?'

"No nothing is wrong. I just woke up."

"You were sleeping?"

"Uh huh."

"Oh, sorry to wake you. I want to ask if you want to hang out with us at the café."

My mind quickly flashed back to that incident where I suspected them to have killed Brian and it made my stomach churn. "Umm, I don't know."

"C'mon, we are worried about you! Please?" she whined.

I rub my head to ease the throbbing. "Okay I will be there."

She hung up and I laid back debating if this was a good idea. 'Maybe they killed him, maybe they didn't but what good will it do if I to avoid them? I mean I have not found proof of that they committed the crime so why am I running from them? Maybe I am just paranoid about the whole thing or I am I creeped out by the whole murder?'

I get up and get ready. My Aunt was not home so I lock the door and go to the café. 

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