Chapter 77 Ch. 47
"And an angle the officers would also like to work with is that you're her friends... but more or less like she is better off... You two were always jealous," Ethan smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two thought about getting rid of her."
"That's ridiculous!" Screeched Alexa.
"All of you, shut up!" It was the other policeman who spoke. He was a wiry man in his 50s who looked like a stern father with old smile grooves, cutting from beneath his nostrils to the corners of his mouth.
Ethan got in, making sure to sit beside Zara and sighed as the officer spoke to another one. "You shouldn't be here," he whispered, taking her hand and placing it on his lap. His hands wrapped around her fingers.
"She was scared and clearly shaken up. I couldn't leave her to be devoured by them."
"Shaken up huh?" Ethan said quietly, leaning over to Prunella. His brows lifted in a questioning manner.
She shrugged.
“Phones off,” Marcus said turning back to face them. He pulled the sliding door shut behind him as the driver started the engine. “Hand them over for now, all of you.”
Alexa groaned under her breath but took hers out of her pocket and dropped it into the canvas bag the older officer held out. Miranda followed without a word. Ethan glanced at Zara, then passed his over. Prunella fumbled with the zipper of her bag before she managed to pull her phone free. Zara held on to hers a second longer.
“Now,” Marcus said, looking at her.
“Fine,” she said, giving it to him and leaning back.
The older officer zipped the bag and came into the van, then set it on the floor by his feet. He sat near the door with his arms crossed. Officer Marcus got in beside him.
The engine hummed as the van eased out of the school’s side lot.
“No whispering,” Marcus said, resting one hand on the seat. “I know you all want to talk this through but keep it to yourself until you’re interviewed. Anything you say to each other now can cause trouble later. You’ll each have a chance to talk to me one on one. Until then, silence is best.”
Nobody answered. The only sound was the low rumble of the road under the tires.
Marcus watched them for a moment then looked at Prunella.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded but did not lift her head.
He shifted his gaze to Zara. “You don’t have to stay. We can drop you back at the school.”
“I’m staying,” Zara said, resting her chin on her palm.
Marcus studied her a second longer and then faced forward. He spoke to the driver, quiet enough that only the older officer beside him could hear.
The ride stretched on with nothing but the sound of the engine and the occasional squeak when the van rolled over a bump.
Ethan’s hand brushed against Zara’s and stayed there. Prunella sat stiff with her eyes on the floor. Miranda stared out the small window. Alexa kept shifting her legs like she could not keep still.
When they reached the station, Marcus stepped out first. The older officer opened the door from the outside and motioned for them to follow. They filed out, one after the other, looking at themselves but not saying a word. Marcus led them through the side entrance and down a plain hall that smelled faintly of coffee and cleaning solution.
“Inside,” he said, stopping at a door with a glass panel. “Wait here.”
The room was bright with a long table and metal chairs. Marcus pointed. “Sit. No talking. There's cameras everywhere as you can see, and there are officers.”
”What you're doing is considered unethical,” Zara commented quietly, giving him a hard stare. ”You and your superiors should know better."
”You can go back to school," Marcus replied her sternly, staring straight into her eyes.
Eventually, he left with the older officer, the door clicking shut behind him. The sound of it made Alexa flinch.
Minutes passed, and finally a young woman in a navy blazer came in with a clipboard. She called Miranda’s name and led her out. The door closed again. Alexa drummed her fingers against her thigh until Zara shot her a look of annoyance, then se stopped.
After what seemed like forever, the same woman returned and nodded to Alexa.
“Your turn.”
Alexa got up, pushing her chair back with a low scrape. She followed the woman down a narrow hallway. Marcus was waiting near another door, his sleeves rolled to his elbows. He gave her a small nod and opened the door for her.
“Have a seat,” he said as she walked in.
The room was small with a table and two chairs. A large window filled one wall, reflecting her look, but she could faintly see officers on the other end. She sat, folding her arms on the table even though her heart was thumping in her chest got reasons she didn't know.. Marcus settled across from her with a notepad and a bottle of water.
“Alexa, right?” he said.
“Yes.”
“I’m Officer Marcus. This is just a conversation so relax. You’re not under arrest. I need to ask some questions about Yvette. You understand?”
“Yeah,” she said, pulling her hair over one shoulder.
“When was the last time you saw her alive?”
“The day she died,” Alexa said. “She wanted to meet some guy from a dating site. She drove us there.”
“Where exactly did you go, and at what time?”
“An abandoned street near the public library. Out past the old gas station—empty spot with a warehouse, I think.”
"Time?"
"It was shortly after school. Maybe like three thirty I'll say?"
Marcus wrote something down. “And when you got there?”
“She was supposed to meet him. We stayed in the car. A man came over but… I don’t know, I can’t remember his face. Everything went blank. We woke up and she was on the ground, dead. There was no blood. We left to get help.”
"You said she was dead... How did you know if there was no blood?"
Alexa shrugged, her brows furrowing. "I just... Knew? I can't remember. But she was dead."
"Did you check her pulse? Touch her?"
"No... I don't know. Why? She was dead, I'm telling you."
Marcus sighed in frustration.
“You and Miranda both blacked out?”
“Yes.”
“Same time?”
“I guess so.”
“Did you drink anything before you got there? Anything she gave you?”
“No?”
Marcus tapped his pen, then said, “We checked Yvette’s phone records. Her last activity on any dating site was two months ago. She wasn’t meeting anyone at all that we can trace. The guys she talked to back then are all older— of course we will be pressing charges because she's seventeen and a minor, but every one of them has a solid alibi. Yet you’re very sure she was meeting someone that afternoon?”
Alexa nodded quickly. “Yes. She told us.”
“All the people Yvette has ever met through a dating site... They met at night... In fancy restaurants, hotels...”
"Okay?"
"And you want me to believe she was to meet this man, at an abandoned street off the Public library, in the middle of the day?"
"I mean, duh? She literally told us this."
"Yvette was... She targeted rich men who made promises and... Could afford things... They met at places that were—"
"Are you calling her a slut?" Alexa's brows were raised.
Marcus was silent.
“Did Yvette ever talk about the man before tonight?” Marcus asked after a while.
“No, never. She was pretty secretive about people she dated outside school.”
Marcus tilted his head. “So until she was already driving there, she told you she was meeting this man?”
“Yes.”
“If she’s that secretive and doesn’t care about danger, why tell you? And why ask you to follow her? Especially considering her previous dating patterns?”
Alexa blinked. “I don’t know. She just… wanted us there, I guess.”
Marcus made a note. “You ever feel jealous of her?”
Alexa frowned. “No.”
“She ever make you angry?”
“She annoyed me sometimes but that’s normal. We were friends.”
“She ever hurt you?”
“No.”
Marcus leaned back slightly. “Did you know about the first two murders? The woman in the motel and the journalist?”
“Yeah, my dad's uh... he's editor in chief and neon 24.”
"Oh?" That was news to Marcus. "Ivanna's boss? He ever talk about her?"
"Yeah. A lot. My mom thought he was screwing her. Turns out, he's just fond."
"Is it possible that Yvette might have been targeted... As a way to send a message to your dad... Not to publish anything dating about the case?"
"Maybe? But I mean... He could have killed me instead."
"You're not blonde. Seems like the killer is obsessed with blondes."
"Or it might be a coincidence to distract you?"
He sighed. "Did you guys talk about it? The serial killer?"
"Yeah. And like half of the school knew anyway."
"Do you think Yvette would risk meeting a stranger with a serial killer on the loose?”
“She said she didn’t care. That the guy was different.”
“Did she tell you his name?”
“No.”
Marcus looked at her for a long moment. “Miranda gave me almost the same story. But she said Yvette called the man by a name when he came up to the car. She couldn’t remember it after she blacked out but she swears she heard something. You sure you don’t remember that?”
Alexa shifted in her chair. “I… no. I don’t.”
“So you didn’t ask her to go. You didn’t push her.”
“No.”
Marcus studied her. “Did you talk to Prunella today before you came here?”
“I mean we were all outside but we didn’t talk about this.”
“Not about the story you just told me? Not even a quick reminder?”
“No.”
He jotted another note then set his pen down. “Okay. I might have more questions later.”
Alexa let out a breath. “That’s it?”
“For now.”
He stood and opened the door. The woman in the blazer waited outside. Alexa followed her out. Marcus stayed seated for a few seconds, staring at the one-way glass.
When he stepped into the hall, the older officer was waiting by the wall. He tilted his head toward the observation room. “Boss wants you.”
Marcus went inside. The room was dim with screens on the far wall showing live feeds from the other rooms. A man in a dark suit stood near the window, arms crossed.
“What do you think?” the man asked.
“They rehearsed something,” Marcus said, rubbing his jaw. “Stories match almost word for word. Too clean.”
“Or they’re telling the truth and the blackout is real.”
“Maybe, but they differ on details. Miranda says Yvette called a name. Alexa swears she didn’t. Either they planned the main story and lost track of the extras or something else is messing with them.”
”And Alexa's Dad being Editor in Chief of NEON 24?”
"Well now, we've made a connection to the cases," Marcus shrugged. "And I think we should inform him... Not to let the public know we've made a connection. Go keep him safe."
"Too late. People are creating theories already. It's online." The man looked back at the glass. “Arrange for a psych eval. Both of them. And keep pressure on the school. A parent’s lawyer is already sniffing around for negligence. We don’t need the district screaming cover-up if one of these kids turns out guilty.”
Marcus nodded. “I’ll finish with the others first.”
“Do that,” the man said, his voice low. “And keep them apart until we know what we’re dealing with.”