"Let me out! I said let me out!" Heather shrieked from the backseat of Mona's police car, her heels slamming against the thick plexiglass cage separating them with a hollow, frustrating thud.
Mona rolled her eyes, a sigh escaping her lips. She wondered when the girl would finally give up. "And I said shut it, you psycho!" she snapped, rubbing her temple as a dull ache started to form.
She glanced down at her touchscreen dash, the bright display a sharp contrast to the dark road ahead. The tracking directions Harry had sent her were still active, showing the kidnappers were driving far out of town. But why go so far? If they just wanted Emma dead, they could have done it closer to home.
A chilling thought surfaced: maybe Chris's theory was right about them heading to that campsite. Suddenly, the red dot on the screen stopped dead in the middle of the road. Confused, Mona leaned forward, tapping the cold glass. She swore under her breath; this meant Blake must have lost them.
Heather’s hysterical laugh echoed from the backseat, a grating, unhinged sound. "I hope he kills her before you get to her! At least then I'll be happy on the way to jail." Mona chose not to respond as her phone buzzed in her pocket, and the dot on her screen started moving again. It was a text from Harry. Of course, nothing could be easy.
Harry - Ms. O'Connor Blake lost the car he didn't get a look at the plates what's our next move?
"Sith," she muttered under her breath, a grimace on her face. With the tracker now useless for finding the kidnappers, the only option was to pray that Chris's hunch was right. They must be with Blake now, which was why the tracking dot started moving again.
Mona - His friend Chris mentioned a campsite kinda far away. They may be taking her there. Ask Blake about it. I'll be following you guys.
Harry replied with a quick thumbs up emoji. Mona imagined him showing his phone to Blake.
"Blake, your friend mentioned you guys going to a campsite that was kinda far away. Do you think they would be going there?"
Blake thought it over for a moment. It was possible; Jason had been stalking Emma when they were dating. His eyes widened as the realization hit him like a physical blow. That bastard Jason was behind all this. "That fucking bastard. Emma told me he knew we went out there. They could be taking her there."
Blake told Harry the directions, and Harry quickly put them into a group chat with Ms. O'Connor, Ms. Kit, and Mr. Hatter.
Mona pressed her lips together, her jaw tight, as she read the address. She slid her phone back into her pocket, her resolve solidifying.
Heather’s soft thumping against the window continued. "Just give up already and take me to jail. I'm sick of being in here." Heather leaned her head against the cold windowpane, her body slumping in defeat.
Mona let out a controlled breath and whipped the car into a hard turn, the tires squealing. The sudden jerk threw Heather against the door with a loud grunt. Mona smirked, feeling a small amount of satisfaction. "Well, I'm sorry, but you'll have to endure it longer. I don't know how a girl like you got wrapped into all this."
Heather's laugh was soft this time, brittle and devoid of any humor. Mona decided to try a new tactic. She might as well get her to confess now.
"I guess you're just an attention seeker, huh? Must have been hard around Reina and Emma. Reina was always the queen bee of the school, probably got all the male attention." Heather fell silent, her breathing picking up as she processed the words. Mona pressed a button on the dash, the tiny red light on the recorder blinking to life, capturing the audio and video feed from the back seat.
"Then there's Emma, who's so naturally pure, talented, and kind, people can't help but be drawn to her... and Blake was, wasn't he?" Heather’s body went rigid at the mention of Blake. "Shut up..." she whispered, kicking the cage again with more force.
Mona's lips curled into a cold smile. She knew she had finally gotten to her. "I mean, it's not surprising. When I look at you and look at them... well, you're just a background character, huh?"
Heather's hands balled into tight fists, her knuckles white, her nails digging into her palms. She stared out the window, the passing streetlights flickering across her face. "I feel like the people you're working with only used you to follow Emma because you're so plain... no one would notice someone like you."
Heather met Mona's eyes through the mirror. She swallowed hard, her throat bobbing as she shifted on the seat. "I used to visit The Underground. My brother is a racer there... I saw them talking in front of the building about how to kidnap Emma. He said he would pay Thomas a lot of money for it. I was already angry at her for taking Blake's attention off me at the dance, so I went up to them, saying I could help. He thought it was a good idea because I go to school with her and agreed to pay me. With Emma out of the way, Blake would finally fall for me. I just knew it. I just wanted her out of the way at first."
Heather's voice dropped into a strained whisper, as if she were a spectator recounting a fantasy.
Mona simply nodded her head, listening intently. Heather took a long, shaky breath before continuing. "But the more time I spent following her, the more I saw them together. I wanted to kill her for taking him from me! He's mine! And she was always hugging him and kissing him... fucking him! That should have been me!" she shrieked, closing her eyes tightly. Images of Emma and Blake flashed through her mind like a horrific movie. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she banged her head against the glass.
"And then her and Reina started to become friends! I just couldn't take it... It's all his fault! If I wouldn't have helped him, I wouldn't have dragged her and thrown her into that pool, or sent that letter, or took those pictures for him!"
Mona's expression remained impassive, but her eyes narrowed slightly.
The fact that she was blaming everything on others was a classic form of deflection and manipulation. But she needed to get the names of the other culprits out of her.
"I was always able to hold back my murderous thoughts. I started over-taking my medicine when Blake turned me down. I just wanted to feel something... I... I snapped. He pushed me to this point." She laughed loudly, a choked, wet sound, pulling her slightly bloody head off the window. Over-taking her medication had likely driven her to want to kill Emma even more.
"Who did it, Heather? Who made you into a killer... a murderer?" Mona whispered, her voice low and firm.
Heather looked down, grinding her teeth. "Jason Prim..."
Mona smiled, a grim, satisfied look on her face. She finally had the answer. She reached up, turning the camera off. All of these criminals were going down tonight.
Mia note- Mona you smart cookie!
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
