Now There's Drama

15

The police officers walked Christie up to the station doors. They lead her and Marc over to two chairs before giving them a document on their rights.

A strip search was conducted after they gave their consent they were taken into separate rooms. Her handcuffs were taken off. Christie was forced to strip down to her underwear.

She shook like a leaf as all of her body was exposed, the dry parts from where she had attacked her body washing it over and over until it became raw and broken. There was still a little blood on her arms and the coppery smell filled her nostrils making her gag. There was scarring when she dropped a knife in Year 9 in Food tech after Kip had squeezed her backside. Each part of her body held a memory of Kip Pulman as much as Christie wished she could remove them they would stay there for days, weeks or even a lifetime.

"Thank you Miss Claythorne you can get dressed again," the officer said.

Christie got dressed and again and the officer held out the handcuffs again. Christie held her wrists out.

When she got back out she noticed Marc on the phone. Due to his heightened language she assumed he was speaking to a lawyer. Christie had to wait for him to finish so she could get someone to call her grandparents.

It just so happened that police work ran in her blood.

Twenty minutes later...

Marja and Will Claythorne walked into the police station. As they walked past every officer nodded towards them and stood up to greet them.

The two of them spotted Christie, Will ran over to her to check that she was alright.

"I want to speak to whoever is in charge here!" Marja yelled. Christie hid her head in her hands as her grandmother yelled. "What is going on here? Why is my granddaughter in handcuffs?"

"There was a murder and Christina has been called in for questioning and she refused to come," a superior officer said.

Marc's mother ran into the station. Once she saw Marc she hugged him. "What happened?" she whispered. Unlike Marja who was still yelling at Officer Lawson.

"Kip was murdered. Christie and I found the body," Marc said.

Mrs Cavner turned her head and saw Christie. Her mouth pulled into a thin line.

"How are you Julie?" Will asked.

"How do you two know each other?" Christie asked. The best way to get an answer is to ask a direct question.

"We go to church with each other and Julie here used to date your uncle," Will said.

"We've been living in this deadbeat suburb for this long," Christie said, barely raising her eyes from her hands.

"Christina, we understand that this has been a traumatic experience but to get justice to Kip and all those who have been impacted. Do you understand your rights?" the officer said.

She nodded. The woman was sincere. Christie had been monitoring her face, tone and pitch. "Marja can you come in with me?" Christie said.

The old woman took her granddaughter's hand and they walked into the interview room. They sat down in the room in the plastic chairs. The officer closed the door and sat down. They turned the recorder on.

"Can you tell me the time please Christie?"

"One-thirty p.m," she said.

"Can you tell us about Kip, Christina? Was he well liked? Did anyone have anything against him?" the officer asked.

"Everyone hated Kip. He was sexist and homophobic. If there was something you didn't like he'd find out and exploit it," Christie said.

The officer didn't look phased but her blinking quickened. "What was your relationship with Kip?"

"I hated him. Before you ask no I did not plot the murder of Kip Pulman." The room went silent. Christie scuffed her bloody boot on the linoleum floor. Marja put a hand on her knee. "Kip was never pleasant, he harassed me for years."

Christie and Marja were in the room for the better part of two hours. It was in the last half an hour when Christie had a horrible thought. She'd only locked the kitchen door fourteen times. Bad things always happened when the ritual wasn't completed.

Christie scratched at her arms, snapped at the police officer and refused to let her grandmother touch her. No wonder Kip had died. It was her fault.

Christie and Marc's interviews finished around the same time. Marc gave Christie a quick wave before getting into his mother's car. Christie raised a shaky hand and waved back.

Christie ducked her head and climbed into her grandparent's car.

"Have they checked for thallium?" Marja asked Will.

"Thallium isn't the only poison that exist sweetheart," Will said. "There's arsenic, mercury, cyanide-"

"Can we talk about something else please?" Christie begged.

Will reversed out of the car park and drove off.

"He was covered in blood. If he was poisoned it would have sedated him. He was feeling out of it. It would have been a blow from the back. If the poison had killed him there wouldn't be that much blood. He fell forward. The person would have had to be in the change room with him so they must have known he would be there. It wasn't a random attack," Christie whispered.

"Christie please let the police do their job," Marja said, turning around to send a piercing gaze in her granddaughter's direction. "I was like you once."

"No you weren't. You were never like the sweet girl in the backseat. The only reason we worked together is because they wanted to kick you out of the typing pool," Will said.

"I was too smart to be a secretary. I would have made a great detective and I was. I'm smarter than you too," Marja said to Will.

Even her grandparents bickering couldn't distract Christie from her racing mind. Kip was never meant to have the last word.

A/N: We have met the grandparents. Will and Marja have been characters that have been bouncing around in my head for years. So if I end up writing a book about them don't be surprised. Not my best chapter but hopefully things will get better. Thanks for reading tell me what you think :)