When To Put Trust On The Line

Part 6

On Monday, I didn't get to talk to Kenny, but we had a surprise visit at school from the police during first period. People in class saw them roaming the halls. I saw three of them while I was in English period. I already knew it had to do with Bobby. By second period, people were being called out of their classes for questioning. I didn't get called. But during recess, people were gossiping and I kept getting looks from other students. Not nasty ones. Curious ones. I didn't see Kenny anywhere. Nor his homies. I wondered if they had skipped.

I finally got called down to the office before lunch. I left my cooking class and went downstairs. The office door was closed, but three of Kenny's homies were sitting in the waiting room. Jackson, Zavier and Armon. I nodded at them. They nodded back or mumbled, "Hey." There were normally six chairs in the waiting room: three lined up on one wall, and three on the opposite wall. I noticed that two were missing as I sat on the only available one that was leaning against the opposite wall. About two minutes later, the door to the principal's office opened and a tall boy walked out. As he walked past us in the waiting room, his head down, I caught the confused frown on his face.

Jackson was called into the room next. After about ten to fifteen minutes, all the boys had gone and it was my turn. One male officer stood by the door. A woman was sitting on a chair while my principal sat in a corner talking to a female cop and flipping through papers. At Principal Forest's desk sat a bald, light-skinned man. He looked a little like Dwayne Johnson aka "The Rock." The male cop told me to have a seat. I did, facing the Rock look-a-like. I felt squeezed in even though the office was big.

"Susan Harmock?" the bald man asked. I nodded. He extended his hand. "I'm Agent Harley Webb, an investigator." I shook his hand. "I'm just gonna ask you some questions and this won't take long, okay?" I nodded again, not sure if I could speak. Agent Webb looked down at some papers. "So..." he looked up at me. "To jump right to the point, you attended a party recently?"

I nodded and found my voice. "Yes. On Friday night."

"Let me guess, Rosalinda Demacio's party?" I nodded, not surprised that he knew this information. A bunch of kids had been interviewed before me, probably answering the same exact questions. "At around what time did you attend this party?"

"Um..." I racked my brain. "I was picked up at 7:45, and we probably arrived at the party fifteen minutes later. I'm not sure about the exact time."

"So briefly at around eight?"

"Yeah."

Agent Webb looked at the woman sitting near me. She was writing furiously in a notepad. I knew she was probably there to take note of everything I said. I felt my back stiffen even more. Agent Webb. "Now, students are saying there was conflict between two people at that party." He stared at me. "What happened?"

I explained to him what I saw. "I would hardly call it a fight," I added.

"But it could've been?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. Almost." The woman next to me was writing quickly.

Agent Webb. "So, this fight was about Bobby Harmick? The missing boy?"

"Yeah. Shain was accusing Kenny of having to do with the disappearance."

Agent Webb leaned forward curiously. "Why would he say that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know," I lied. I didn't want to get into the whole Kenny and Bobby thing.

Agent Webb raised an eyebrow. "I think you do know."

I was confused. "How come?"

"Cause I know your Kenny's girlfriend."

"Then why don't you tell me what you know."