Secrets In The Shadows

Chapter 10: Suspect Interrogation

After hearing all I can take, I fade back into the shadows and am soon back in the hospital bathroom with someone pounding on the door. "Huntress I know you're in there, come on out!" Hunter shouts.

I'm sitting on the bathroom floor, my head throbbing. Carefully I get up, walk towards the door, and open it just as Hunter is about to pound it again. He lightly grabs my wrist and starts dragging me behind me. " Hunter! I can walk just fine you know!" I yell at him.

He just glares at me. As we enter the lobby I look around for Maddox but he's gone. I see my Dad talking to Uncle Aiden. At the sight of my uncle my heartbeat quickens, he looks....regretful while my Dad looks downright furious. 

As we approach them, my uncle turns his head and catches the sight of me. He sighs and glances at Dad before speaking. " Huntress, some of my men and I have spoken with a few of your classmates about who would want to hurt Miss Richardson and the same common denominator in each of their stories is that on Friday morning, you attacked Miss Richardson and left school grounds. I need to bring you down to the station to fully interrogate you correctly'' at this he glances at my Dad. 

I look at my Dad too, he opens his mouth to answer but my brother beats him too it. "No. No way. Huntress was here the entire night. She fainted for goodness sake's! She's in no condition to go to the police station''. He glares at our uncle. 

Uncle Aiden stares at Hunter for a second before turning his gaze onto me. "Huntress this is your decision and your decision only. What do you want to do?''. I don't even need five minutes to decide. I nod, "I'm going with you''. He nods and turns to walk out the hospital with me right behind them. 

.............................................................................................................................................................

In the interrogation room, Uncle Aiden pulls out a tape recorder and a pad of paper. ''Huntress before we start, I have to tell you, the moment I press "play'' I stop being your Uncle and start being Detective Winters, which means you have to tell me everything and answer as truthfully as you can. Understand?'' he looks at me for confirmation.

Before I can speak however, the door to the interrogation room opens and in steps a female officer with short brown hair and a pale freckled complexion. She nods at my uncle before speaking to me, '' Hello Huntress I am Detective Gray. I believe my nephew goes to your school?''. I stare at her confused. She smiles at me, ''Maddox Gray''. I nod. 

My uncle-Detective Winters clears his throat. " If you're done chit-chatting with Ms. Winters, Detective Gray, then the interrogation can begin''. Detective Gray nods and goes to lean against the window behind my Uncle, the one that allows other officers to view what's going on in the room. 

My uncle presses "play'' on the tape recorder. ''This is Detective Winters and I am interrogating Miss Huntress Winters about Ashley Reynolds. Now Miss Winters, what was your relationship with the victim?'' Detective Winters stares at me, his eyes no longer the warm brown of a loving uncle but of the intelligent crime solving detective. 

I lick my lips. " We didn't like each other that much. Ashley was a total -I'm sorry- bitch to me and almost everyone who wasn't on her social ladder. She was just the typical Queen Bee you know? The ones who matter in high school but out in the real world after high school, they become nobodies. They peaked in high school and in the real life they work for the people who they mocked. She made fun of my family. Of my mom'' My voice cracks on the last word and I clear it.

''She tried to pay me to do her work for her a couple of times and when I refused she vowed to make my life a living hell." I stare at Detectives Winters and Gray.

Detective Gray nods and says, "and just how exactly did she do that?". I stare at her. " She tripped me in hallways, spread rumors, she almost got me suspended for saying I cheated on our monthly exams".

Detective Winters looks at me and then flips through his notepad. " A couple of students say that yesterday morning you punched Ashley. Is this true?"

I nod my head. "Yeah I punched her because she-" my voice breaks, filled with sadness before anger pours through. " She called me and my mom mistakes and I got angry and I punched her''. I look at Detective Winters and see that his jaw is clenched. He's upset by the comment too.

Detective Gray nods her head sympathetically. ''Okay Huntress I think we're done here. You can go wait in the lobby, your brother and father are there''. I nod and stand up, heading towards the lobby.

Other students from my school are here, some openly crying crocodile tears, some just in shock.  I look around but I don't see Maddox. I head over to Hunter and Dad. My dad hugs me and Hunter. ''Let's go home'' our dad says and we walk out of the station and into our blue four door sedan and drive away.