Partners In Crime

6 Like Cat And Mouse

As Mrs KingsField spewed out her alibi, Derick elbowed Chelsea to write this down on the notepad. After jotting down the adjectives and, on the next page, drawing what the description attaches to it, it was clear they got their first suspect. And it's one that they know.

The blonde gasped which alerted Derick. The two looked at each other grimly. They concluded just before the clerk did, who had the time had no recollection. They waited until she was finished, just in case.

"Now that I think about it, I do remember his name: Rodney Barnes." Mrs Kingfiled said.

Rodney Barnes is the shady, manipulative and bitter best friend of Maddie Emma Ress, who's the complete total opposite. How the two became friends is a mystery in itself, and the relationship is anything but neutral. It's anything but healthy.
The two are seen as practically inseparable, despite it being obvious that Rodney is the one who calls all the shots, while Maddie blindly follows him, suggesting that there's stuff going on behind closed doors. But nothing too major to consider seriously, since together they're seen as mildly obnoxious.
Regardless, Rodney's Derick and Chelsea's first suspect. Despite his personal feelings for him, Derick decided to reserve judgment for later as he still needed to hear Rodeny's side.
It's what detectives do.

And that's exactly what they're going to do.

The next day, the two kept an eye out for the individual. It was break time and for some reason, everyone seemed to be crowded, especially the playground, which was filled to the brim with rebellious, malicious and vitriolic kids. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. It was something Derick anticipated, which was why he used a pair of binoculars, while Chelsea glanced around. So far, nothing.

"Do you see him yet?" She asked, sounding restless, despite doing it for less than seven minutes. It was probably that there were countless ways they could find him. But here they are as if they're on a silly stakeout.
"Not yet." Derick repiled.
"You probably have the stupid thing backwards. Won't surprise me."
"No, I did not," Derick responded sharply, double-checking discreetly.
He was right.
"We just need to be patient is all."
"I don't do patience," Chelsea remarked, eventually going on her phone.
"I can see that," Derick murmured.
That's when the binoculars caught something on its radar. A figure pushing past a bunch of kids and sprinting sporadically.
Yep. That's Rodney.

"I see him!" Derick cried. He presumed he saw them and decided to leg it.
"About time," Chelsea said, powdering her nose before Derick grabbed her hand and tugged her along, pursuing the scumbag.
"Hey be careful! These leggings are brand new!"
"Who wears a skirt with leggings?!"
"Lots of people do. Speaks volumes to your comprehension in terms of fashion sense."
Derick rolled his eyes. He honestly found it pathetic to see this girl's desperate attempt to come across as overly voluptuous as possible.

The scumbag was now a thousand miles away. Derick growled. He was not about to lose him.
So, instinctively, he rushed to the playground equipment, hoping to use them as leverage. Dust kicked up from the floor as he took flight, running as fast as a cheetah, not wanting anyone else to get to the monkey bars first.
Once he made it, he looked back to see Chelsea, sprinting in an unpleasantly elegant manner. By the time she caught up, she panted heavily.

"We need to cut him off. We should use the monkey bars before he makes a break for it."
Chelsea looked horrified, her pretty pupils dilated.
"No way! I don't know where the bars have been."
"It's fine."
"No, it's not. I'd prefer to run-"
"Just do it!" Derick demanded, not having it.
She caved.
It was clear that the blonde was amateur at this, stumbling and losing her grip whereas Derick was an athlete.
Together, when they reached the end, the two dropped at great height, but not before swinging very high. They have caught up.
Derick snarled.
"We got this in the bag."