A really big secret can keep you warm on cold nights. It can stifle hunger, drive shadows back and make you feel safe. You could use this, but not using it is what keeps you strong. Or so you think.
Nina Kiriki Hoffman,
Past The Size Of Dreaming
~~~~~
"Start from the beginning."
I look up. "The beginning?"
The woman gazes over her bifocals at me and crosses her arms. I wish I could see what her eyes look like behind those glasses; I always imagine that they are coal black and half-lidded, with the glasses worn just to hide her permanent look of boredom.
"Yes. The beginning," she says in that grating drawl of hers that implies don't waste my time.
It's in this same tone that she approached me this morning after my Biology class, introduced herself as Detective Odelola and said she needed to see me about the ongoing murder investigation. Five minutes later and here I was, in the Principal's office, sitting across from her, wondering what she meant by 'the beginning.' Did she mean when the first murder happened? Or when the third term began? Or when I found out who the killer was?
She sighs. "I'm talking about when he arrived at this school."
Oh. He. So we're not going to be saying his name, then. Is this what 'don't speak ill of the dead' means?
Haha, very funny, Tori, a voice says in my head. This is your best friend you're talking about. Use your sense.
"Tori," she glances at the wall clock above the portrait of the Commissioner of Education, "you're wasting my time. I told Mr Luke that you'll return before the third period."
I clear my throat, mainly for dramatic purposes. "Um, you—you think he's the killer?"
"Mr Luke?"
"No, no, him."
She immediately knows who I'm talking about. "I have some doubts," she admits, then leans forward on the desk so closely that I can see my reflection on her glasses. "I'm waiting for your side of the story to confirm them."
My side of the story? I stare at her for some seconds. She stares back, her feet tapping the linoleum floor impatiently. Finally, I give in. I could even prolong the story to avoid third period Further Maths.
I scoot my chair closer to the table. "Well, I should probably start by saying it took you Police people several months to find the killer but it only took me and my friends—"
"Tori."
I huff. No gloating. Okay. I start, "He joined us at the beginning of last term."
"Good. Continue."
YOU ARE READING
A FICKLE THING
Mystery / ThrillerIn the aftermath of Tori's friend's tragic drowning, his death becomes a haunting paradox. But it's not the first. The police dismiss it as an accidental drowning, but everyone knows something else is going on. Determined to uncover the truth, Tori...
