The Devil In Disguise

The Questioning

It had been a long, heavy week since their conversation about who might be next. The school halls were abuzz with whispers, rumors swirling about Jamie's and Destiny's murders. Gianina felt the weight of eyes on her every time she walked through the halls, students looking at her like she was a ticking time bomb, or worse—like she knew something she wasn't telling.

The week before Halloween should have been filled with excitement, with decorations hanging in every classroom and chatter about the school's annual dance, but instead, there was a darkness hanging over everything. The detectives had arrived that morning, pulling students out one by one for questioning. Their presence cast a shadow even colder than the October wind that had started to whip through the streets of Ashford.

Gianina knew it was only a matter of time before they called her in.

"They're going through all of us," Marcus said quietly as he stood beside her in the hallway. "Rufus just got called. I think we'll be next."

Gianina nodded, her stomach a twisted knot of nerves. She had tried to prepare herself for this moment, but now that it was here, all she could feel was fear. She didn't know what to expect. What would they ask her? What did they already know?

"Gianina Holloway?"

The sound of her name snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a detective standing in the doorway of the principal's office, clipboard in hand, his eyes scanning the crowd of students. He was older, his face lined with age and stress, his demeanor serious but calm.

Gianina's heart pounded as she slowly stepped forward, her feet feeling heavy as she walked toward the office. Marcus gave her a reassuring nod, but it did little to calm the storm of anxiety that had taken hold of her.

Inside the office, the detective led her to a smaller room, separated from the noise of the school. It felt sterile, cold, and removed from the normal chaos of high school life. Another detective, a woman with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense expression, sat at the table, gesturing for Gianina to take a seat.

"Gianina Holloway," the woman said, her voice steady. "Thank you for coming in. I am Detective Williams and this is Detective Marcum. We just want to ask you a few questions about your friends, Destiny Howard and Jamie Powers." She says as she gestured to the male detective.

Gianina nodded, her throat dry. "Okay."

The male detective took a seat across from her, flipping open a file. "We understand this is difficult. You've lost two close friends in a very short amount of time. But we need to ask you some questions about their last days, anything you might know that could help us understand what happened."

Gianina shifted in her seat, the tension growing unbearable. She could feel the weight of their eyes on her, analyzing every movement, every breath she took. She knew she had nothing to hide, but that didn't stop the fear from gnawing at her.

"What was your relationship with Destiny Howard?" the woman asked, her pen poised above a notepad.

"We were close," Gianina said softly, her voice trembling. "She was one of my best friends."

"And Jamie?" the man asked.

"Same. He was dating my other good friend Mary Barnett. We were all friends," Gianina replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "We've known each other for years."

The detectives exchanged a quick glance before the woman continued. "You mentioned that you were friends with both of them. Did either of them say anything unusual to you in the days leading up to their deaths? Anything that seemed out of the ordinary?"

Gianina's heart skipped a beat. She thought of Jamie's message, the one he'd sent her just before his murder. I know who did it.

Her throat tightened as she tried to decide what to say. Should she tell them? Would it make a difference now, after everything that had happened?

"Jamie messaged me the night he died," Gianina admitted, her voice barely a whisper.

The detectives both sat up a little straighter, their attention laser-focused on her now. "He did?" the male detective asked. "What did he say?"

Gianina hesitated, glancing down at her hands. "He told me he knew who the killer was. He wanted me to meet him at the old warehouse by the lake, but I didn't go. Marcus convinced me not to. It didn't feel safe."

The room fell silent for a moment as the detectives processed what she had just said. Gianina could feel the air grow heavier, the tension thickening as they exchanged another glance.

"Why didn't you meet him?" the woman asked, her tone still professional but with a hint of something more—curiosity, maybe even suspicion.

"I... I was scared," Gianina admitted. "It didn't feel right, meeting him out there alone. Marcus thought it was too dangerous."

The male detective leaned forward slightly. "Did Jamie say who he thought the killer was?"

Gianina shook her head. "No. He didn't get a chance to. He just said he knew, but then he..."

She trailed off, her words catching in her throat. The thought of Jamie's brutal murder, of the red devil mask, flashed in her mind, sending a shiver down her spine. The picture Destiny took of her killer was all over social media and the news outlets with "Have you seen this person?" above it.

The woman scribbled something in her notebook. "And what about Destiny? Did she mention anything strange to you before she died? Anyone who might have been bothering her or her parents?"

Gianina thought back to the days before Destiny's death, trying to remember anything that might have stood out. But there was nothing. Destiny had seemed normal, her usual loud and energetic self. If anything had been wrong, she hadn't said a word about it.

"No," Gianina said, shaking her head. "She didn't mention anything. She seemed fine."

The detectives were silent again, the sound of the woman's pen scratching across paper the only noise in the room. Gianina felt like the walls were closing in on her, the pressure of the interrogation weighing down on her chest.

Finally, the male detective spoke again. "Gianina, we know this is hard. But we need you to be completely honest with us. Is there anything else you think we should know? Anything at all, even if it seems small?"

Gianina's mind raced. Was there anything else? She had already told them about Jamie's message, about her fear of meeting him that night. But beyond that, what could she say? She knew they were all in danger, that the killer was still out there, but did she really know anything else?

"I don't know," Gianina said quietly. "I've told you everything I know."

The detectives studied her for a long moment, their expressions unreadable. Finally, the woman nodded, closing her notebook. "Thank you, Gianina. That'll be all for now."

Gianina stood up slowly, her legs shaky as she made her way out of the room. Her heart pounded in her chest, and as she stepped back into the hallway, she felt the eyes of her classmates on her once again. Everyone knew the detectives were there, and everyone was waiting for answers.

But Gianina didn't have any.

As she walked back toward Marcus and the rest of her friends, she couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was still ahead of them. The detectives were asking questions, but they weren't any closer to finding out who had killed Jamie and Destiny. And as long as the killer was still out there, none of them were safe.

The real question lingered in her mind, as it had since that terrible night: Who's next?