STATIC; JR [2]

5.5

The tension was clear as we all stood in the concreted area, Roland having gotten his team to recreate the scene of Andy's disappearance so as to discover what really happened to him and get information out of us. He even organised for somebody to hold a camera to record the whole encounter; that certainly didn't help my nerves. 

Felix was stone as Roland questioned us, eyes narrowed into threatening slits and lips pressed into a thin line. I stood beside him and felt the heat radiate from his lanky body. 

Sam stood on the other side of me and I wondered if the two boys had taken a protective approach to me while Jake lingered in the corner, fighting his illness. I worried about him but I couldn't let it show in fear of the detective concluding I was hiding something about Andy, which of course I was and which of course I pretended I wasn't. 

I neglected to look him in the eye. 

Roland spun around, the heels of his boots scraping terribly across the chipped floor. Gravel cracked beneath my own shoes as I wriggled in my spot, my stomach squirming with a mix of guilt and anxiety. "I need details, kids." He spoke, really only addressing Felix. 

The boy merely shrugged, but there was definitely a present sadness to the action. "We just kept following Andy." He said, hands plastered to his sides in a desperate attempt to make him seem inconspicuous, which in turn actually had the opposite affect. 

"Did he walk? Did he run? You're being awfully vague here, Felix." Roland interjected, annoyance clouding his wrinkled features. Clearly he was getting sick of our suspicious answers and I honestly couldn't blame him. We just needed more time to get Andy back on our own and this would all be over, nobody would have to worry about it again and we'd be okay. 

I felt like I was in denial when Sam caught my gaze. It was like he was reading my mind and from the expression of pity he was sending me I was almost sure he had been. 

I had to bring myself to understand that even if Andy comes back that doesn't mean we won't still be questioned, there were literally no other suspects to this case. 

Before I even knew it was happening, Roland was interrogating me. He had stepped closer and was peering down at me. "What do you know?" He asked me, waving his notepad at me expectantly. 

I didn't know what to say; I was at a loss for words. 

Luckily for me, Sam blubbered out the response I couldn't seem to find. His face was pale as he mumbled to the man and took the attention away from me. "Felix said that Andy stole his bag and ran, so we followed him." He stopped when Roland interrupted him, waving his hands in the air vehemently. 

"Why did he take it?" He said, almost as if he was wondering aloud and not actually asking a question. His eyes landed on Felix once more and the boy shrugged, not sure which excuse to go with. 

"I don't know. He just ran straight into the bush." He informed, halting to turn around and point to the trail. "I'll show you, if you want." 

I nearly threw up at his words. Why would he say that? Sam also grew panicky as Roland nodded his head and prompted for Felix to lead the way. The policeman with the camera walked closely behind the pair as Sam and I made a move to follow them, leaving Jake behind with Bates. 

I wanted to check on him, to make sure we wasn't doing any worse than earlier, but when Sam grabbed my arm I had no choice but to abandon him there and let the two come at their own pace. 

I was still angry but I had more to worry about than silly relationship problems. I figured I was so invested in the situation because I didn't want to think about what was really going on and how dangerous it was.