Chapter 54 "Plan in Motion"
Kelly
The drive back to campus was quiet. Maya sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the falling snow. Adrian was in the back, his face troubled.
Kelly focused on driving, his mind already racing through possibilities.
And he knew that what had just happened in that courtroom was wrong. All of it.
Ember shouldn't have pleaded guilty. Her lawyer should have fought harder. The judge should have questioned whether she was making the plea under duress or psychological stress.
But none of that had happened. Instead, Ember had been sentenced and remanded to custody in less than twenty minutes.
Something was very, very wrong with this whole situation.
Kelly pulled into the campus parking lot and found a spot near Sterling Hall.
"Come on," Kelly said, killing the engine. "Let's get inside before we freeze."
They hurried across campus, the snow falling harder now. By the time they reached Maya's dorm, they were all shivering.
"Okay," Kelly said, shaking snow off his jacket. "Let's start with what we know for sure.
She dialed the number. It rang twice before someone answered.
"Officer Johnson."
"Hi, this is Kelly Martinez. I got a text asking me to call?"
"Yes, Martinez. Thank you for calling back. We'd like to speak with you about Ember Winters. Would you be available to come to the station?"
"Can I ask what this is about?"
"We're conducting follow-up interviews with Miss Winters' friends and associates. Given that she's pleaded guilty, we're trying to establish a more complete picture of her state of mind in the weeks leading up to the incidents."
State of mind. That didn't sound good.
"Am I required to come in?" Kelly asked carefully.
There was a pause. "Not at this time. But your cooperation would be appreciated."
Translation: Come voluntarily or we'll make it mandatory.
"Okay," Kelly said slowly. "When do you want to meet?"
"Would Monday work? Say, 10 AM?"
Monday. That was when they were planning to go to the library.
"Can we do Monday afternoon? I have class in the morning."
Another pause. "That should be fine. Let's say 2 PM. Ask for me when you arrive."
"Okay. I'll be there."
"Thank you, Martinez."
The call ended. Kelly stood in the hallway for a moment, trying to calm his racing heart.
He was going to be questioned by the police. About his friend who'd just pleaded guilty to three murders.
This was really happening.
When she went back into Maya's room, both Adrian and Maya looked up expectantly.
"Well?" Maya asked.
"They want to interview me. Monday at 2 PM." Kelly sank onto Maya's bed. "This is so messed up."
"What are you going to tell them?" Adrian asked.
I'll tell them she's my friend, that she's been stressed about school, but I'm not going to speculate about... about anything else."
"Good," Maya said firmly. "Don't give them anything they can use against her."
They sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Outside, the snow was falling harder, covering the campus in white.
Kelly's phone buzzed again. This time it was a notification from the campus news site:
BREAKING: HCU Student Pleads Guilty to Triple Murder, Sentenced to 10 Years
"It's already on the news," Kelly said quietly.
Maya grabbed her own phone and scrolled through her social media feeds. "Oh god. It's everywhere. Twitter, Instagram, TikTok everyone's talking about it."
Kelly looked over her shoulder. The comments were brutal:
I always knew that girl was weird
She sat behind me in English class. So creepy
How did nobody notice she was a psycho?
Ten years? Should have been life
"Don't read those," Kelly said, taking Maya's phone away. "People are idiots. They don't know Ember. They don't know anything."
But Maya's eyes were already filled with tears again. "Everyone thinks she's a monster."
"Let them think what they want," Adrian said quietly. "We know the truth. That's what matters."
Kelly wished she felt as confident as Adrian sounded. But the truth was, she was terrified. Terrified that they wouldn't be able to prove Ember's innocence. Terrified that her friend would spend the next ten years in prison. Terrified that whatever had really happened would remain buried forever.
"We should get some rest," Kelly said finally. "We can't help Ember if we're completely exhausted. Let's meet up tomorrow and go over everything again. Make a real plan for Monday."
Maya nodded reluctantly. "Okay. But I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep."
"Try anyway." Kelly stood, pulling on his coat. "Adrian, do you need a ride?"
"No, I'm good. My dorm's close." He stood as well, wincing slightly as he moved his injured arm. "Maya, are you going to be okay alone?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine."
But Kelly could see she wouldn't be. None of them would be.
As Kelly and Adrian left Maya's room and headed down the hallway, Kelly couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something crucial. Something that would make all of this make sense.
"Kelly?" Adrian's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"Do you really think we can figure this out? Prove Ember didn't do it?"
Kelly looked at him
"I don't know," he admitted. "But we have to try."