Jackson Humes is Not a Superhero

CHAPTER FIVE

Officer Richards took a seat directly across from me at the kitchen table while my aunt poured him a glass of iced tea. Although his prying eyes were sharp, they were buried under an excess of skin. His weathered face gave me the impression that he wasn't one for using sunblock or moisturizers. Without breaking eye contact, he picked up the glass and took a sip.

I'd seen enough cop dramas to know that looking away first was tantamount to an admission of guilt, but I did it anyway. I glanced over to the spot where Marv had been napping less than an hour ago and felt a sudden jolt of anxiety. Images of forensic teams brandishing zip lock bags filled with mountain lion hair flashed in my head. It was beyond silly, but Officer Richards was making me feel like a serial killer.

Aunt Margie sat down next to him and did her unsuccessful best not to glare at me. She was sucking her cheeks in, which was not a good sign. It was going to be a double interrogation, but no one would be playing the role of good cop.

"So," Officer Richards cleared his throat, "you left the house after being told not to."

"That was my fault," Tanner said. He had chosen to lurk at the kitchen entrance and appeared ready to bolt at any second. "Jackson forgot some books at school he needed for homework and asked me to drive him back."

"And why did you both have to go? Couldn't you have picked them up for him?" Even though the questions were directed to Tanner, the officer was still looking at me.

Tanner shrugged. "I guess that would have been the smarter thing to do."

Officer Richards sucked on his front teeth. It was a gross wet inhaling sound that made me squirm in my chair.

"So," Tanner said, backing out of the room slowly. "I have to head back to practice, can I go?"

The officer nodded his head once. Tanner bolted out of the house so fast it felt like I blinked once before I heard his truck starting.

"So," the officer said, speaking slowly. You decided to take a stroll in the woods even though there were notices all over your school and a morning announcement restricting access." As opening salvos go, it was pretty damning evidence.

That a violent bully had chased me into the woods was both the truth and my best defense, but Alex had already given the police a completely different account. Contradicting him didn't seem like a smart move. In terms of credibility, the officer was sure to side with the wrestler who had heroically faced down a mountain lion over me.

There was also the small matter of Alex having witnessed me breaking the laws of gravity. I wasn't sure if he had noticed or not, but I knew he hadn't mentioned it to the police. Had that been the case, I would already be strapped to a table in a lab somewhere with a dozen needles sticking out of my arms. My only viable option was to play dumb.

"I usually take the path through the woods because it's faster." This was an outright lie since I usually rode my bike, but he would have no way of knowing that. My aunt squinted at me suspiciously but remained silent.

Officer Richards scribbled something on his pad. The sound of the pen scratching against paper didn't help my anxiety level. "And the fact that a mountain lion was spotted in the area and someone is missing never even crossed your mind?"

"I just forgot, I guess. I was thinking about all the homework I have to do and stuff." It sounded so lame I wanted to punch myself.

Although his expression was blank, I sensed he was boring a hole through my head with his fleshy eyes. He was definitely not going to make this easy on me. "You must have a lot of school work to make you forget a dangerous wild animal is on the loose."