Cast Away

Chapter Four

    The brightness of the sunshine peeking into the windows of the room and the pain from yesterday hit me like a punch in the face. Mom was making coffee with the coffee maker on the T.V stand. The smell reminded me of Saturday mornings when our family was a family, and dad and mom would be sitting at the kitchen table, slurping coffee and reading the Newspaper. I missed that so much. "Oh good morning, sweetie." Mom said when she saw me sitting up in bed. "Morning." I said while I got out of bed and walked  to the window. I stared out at the view. Cars were bustling everywhere and people were walking along the square, doing there daily jobs, having a great time. I stepped back and told mom I was going downstairs for breakfast.
I ate eggs and bacon with orange juice, and I returned upstairs. Mom was slurping coffee and reading the newspaper. "The police called." Mom said. "Oh. What do they want?" I said. "They want us to come back down to the station. They said they have some new information." She replied. "I don't want to go back." I said. Mom looked at me and said, "You know you have to." I sat on the bed and watched some cartoons for a while, until mom said, "Let's call officer Hash and have him come pick us up." "Ok." I said, as I got up and went to the bathroom to wash my face. We both went downstairs and saw the police car waiting outside. "Good morning. How are you both feeling?" Officer Hash asked us as we got in the car. I could've said a million things, but I only replied with, "Fine".
The blonde lady was sitting at the front desk again when we walked into the Police Station. Officer Hash lead us to room five and shut the door, where we sat down in the brown chairs and sat behind the steel table. "As you may have heard, we found some key evidence. A pink baseball bat that was lying underneath the body, and a blue scarf was clumped in Rebecca's hand." Hash explained. "That was my old baseball bat from when I played softball as a kid, and that scarf was mine as well." I said. Hash wrote down what I said. "I see. And you said you wasn't there the time of the murder?" "No, I was heading home a friends house and when I got there, I saw the cops and the ambulance here, so I panicked." I replied. "And how did you find out about the murder since you have supposedly been gone?" Hash asked Mom. She moved positions in her chair and replied, "The police contacted me, of course. By the time I arrived, the police had already found the body and everything." Hash was still writing down notes as she spoke. "Ok. And you had nothing to do with the murder at all?" He asked. "Of course not! Why would you ever say that? She's my own daughter!" Mom replied, shocked. "Yes, I know, but it's a question that has to be asked." Hash said and continued. "We searched up Rebecca's boyfriend and found that he has a clean record, and he was in questioning after you both. He was in North Carolina, and drove up here. He is cleared from any part of being in the murder of Rebecca." Mom and me looked at each other, disappointed.
"Well we can't think of anyone else. I just can think of who would..." I said, trying to hold back tears as well as I could. Officer Hash took this chance to offer some snacks. We bother rejected the offer and he continued. "The police will keep searching at the house, and if we get any calls we will tell you. I hope we can find the killer so we can have justice." Hash closed out the session. We all stood up, and he escorted us out the building and asked us if needed a ride anywhere. "No thanks, it's about noon, and there's a cafe around the corner." Mom said to Hash. Another officer, Officer Brute, a woman, came through the front doors and whispered something to Officer Hash. He motioned for me to come to him. When I was beside he said, " Police have found fresh evidence, I'm sorry but we want you to come back into questioning." I looked at him and then mom. "What about my Mom?" I asked. "We don't need her, we must need you." Hash replied. "It's ok, Lea. I'll wait for you at the cafe." Mom reassured me. I looked at her and then at Hash again. I started walking towards the doors and the officers followed.
I walked back into room five and sat down at the steel table once more, Hash and Brute walked in as well. "We found a new object. It was found on the bed, and we think it may have belonged to you. It was a plain purple shirt, stained with blood." Brute explained.
I knew what they were thinking right before they said it. "Now, I know you're still young, but if you have any secrets, anything leading to the murder, please tell us." Hash said. "Nothing! I had nothing to do with the murder! I would never do anything like that! She was my sister and I loved her!" I said at a high tone. Hash and Brute exchanged looks and both wrote down notes on their pads. "Ok. We believe you, but we will still continue to search the premises. Hopefully we can find some condemning evidence. Again, I'm sorry for your loss." Hash said. I nodded and walked out of room five and out the door. I left with a burden on my back. Why would officers even ask that? Why would they even go there?
I walked onto Soft Shore Road, and turned the corner at General Lane, where Cafe Green was sitting. I saw mom when I walked in, and found her sitting at the further most table. She had already ordered drinks. I noticed that there wasn't a lot of people in the cafe. The cashier was wiping off the spots on the countertops and employees were sitting on chairs and talking about who knows what. I sat down at the small two seated table and took a sip of Root Beer. "So what was that all about?" Mom asked me. "Nothing of your concern. You know you could've defended me in there. You could tell what they were thinking, couldn't you? I mean couldn't you have at least said I wasn't there?" I confronted her. Then before mom could say something, my cell phone rang. It was my best friend Lisa. "Hello? Hello!? Lea?" Lisa said franticly. "I'm right here." I said bitterly. "Oh. I've heard the news. I'm so sorry. I can't believe someone would do that to your family, or to Rebecca. She was so sweet. Whoever did it is a complete-" Lisa said, but was interrupted by Lea who said, "Don't say it! I know what they are, and I know what I'll do if I ever find him." I said. Mom looked at me with a strange look and sipped another sip of her drink.
    A little while after I finished the call with Lisa, the waitress carried two cheeseburgers and one large curly fry to our table. I gobbled it down fast and told mom I was going to take a walk.
    The fresh fall air was soothing, and the sunshine was bright on my face. I walked along General Lane for a while, letting my thoughts cleanse. I knew of the things coming my way, and I dreaded it. I knew that life was about to change, but I didn't know how drastic it was going to turn out; not even close.