Chapter 78 Ch. 48
Chapter 48
Marcus stayed with the observation team listening while the other officers rotated through interviews with Miranda, Ethan and Prunella. He watched each feed on the monitors, noting how their answers lined up almost perfectly. Ethan hadn't been in proximity of Yvette since school when he stopped her from bullying Prunella.
Zara had been an alibi to the cause as well as Alexa and Miranda when questioned again.
Their stories matched so closely that even the pauses felt rehearsed, yet they never stumbled when asked to repeat details. He rubbed the back of his neck and kept his eyes on the screens while an older detective checked notes beside him.
“They’re clean on the basics,” the detective said quietly. “Times, directions, the drive out by the library. The whole bullying stuff... there's literally no gaps or foul play.”
"Except they planned this shit out and what to say before hand," another detective commented.
"It's only been a day, they don't have time to actively plan a story or do a mockup of what we might ask," the older detective called Henshaw sighed.
Marcus nodded. “Start confirming alibis. I want calls out to every parent, every teacher they saw after school and anyone they texted before the pickup. If any of them left campus earlier than thirty minutes after the bell, I need to know.”
The detective spoke into his radio and left.
Marcus sat back and watched Miranda who he had to question again after the bullying was brought up, through the monitor. She sat with her hands folded, staring at the table while a different officer asked again about the man she thought she saw. They were trying to grill for answered but her answers were still consistent and sounded very rehearsed. He felt the first real flicker of doubt. Kids their age did not stay that calm when a friend was dead.
The door opened and then Henshaw who had driven the van stepped in. “Psych eval is set for tonight if we want it. Doctor’s on call.”
Marcus pushed off the table and stood. “Good. Schedule them one at a time. I’ll clear it with the parents when they get here. We've called them already.”
“They’re asking if you want a polygraph,” the officer added. “Chief says we can run a lie detector. It's not necessarily against protocol.”
“I suppose it's not. Do it,” he said, his hand still resting on the table. “Don’t wait for me to schedule anything. Also get the parents to sign when they arrive. We need a psych eval. Maybe they're not responsible, but maybe our killer has manipulated them or has done some sort of hypnosis that caused those two girls to blackout.”
"I don't think there was enough time for that. The estimated time of death and the time they called the station... Yeah, hypnotherapy on tow people can't work that quick and especially not under those circumstances.”
"It's crazy. But what if?" Marcus sighed.
The officer nodded and stepped out. The door closed with a soft click and Marcus exhaled through his nose, rubbing the bridge of it for a moment before he walked into the hall. He moved past the desks giving short answers as officers passed questions his way.
Down the corridor, another door opened and a technician waved him in. A row of small machines waited on a side table, wires coiled and ready. “We can start the first student now,” she said.
“Bring Miranda,” Marcus said. “One at a time, no breaks. Keep them separate after each test.”
She went to fetch the girl while Marcus leaned against the wall, checking his notes again.
Miranda entered a few minutes later, lookijg slightly uneasy. She sat where they pointed and let them fasten the sensors across her chest and fingers. The machine hummed and the needles moved in thin lines on the paper roll.
“Name,” the technician said.
“Miranda Cole,” she answered.
The questions went on and on, from where she had been after school, who she had spoken to, what she had seen near the library. The lines on the paper barely shifted. Marcus kept his eyes on the readout, waiting for a spike. None came.
When it ended, the technician shook her head once. “No sign of deception.”
Marcus pushed off the wall. “Send her back. Next one.”
They worked through each student but all the stories and questions concerning what happened during the drive, after the drive, the bullying on that day stayed the same.
By the time the last student stepped out, Marcus stood beside the technician, arms crossed. “All of them?” he asked.
“Every single one,” she said. “Readings are clean.”
He stared at the thin stacks of paper, each marked with even, unbroken lines. “That shouldn’t be possible,” he said under his breath. “They all have to have rehearsed this.”
The technician gave a small shrug. “They are telling the truth," she said as two other officers and the Chief walked it.
“They’re high school kids,” the officer said. “How would they beat it?”
“That’s what bothers me,” Marcus said. “If they’re hiding something, they shouldn’t be able to pass. But if something else is happening, something they don’t understand it could still read as truth. We need a psych eval."
"We don't have consent," chief sighed. "And don't forget,the journalist from neon 24 is still missing.”
A uniformed officer appeared in the doorway and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Father of one of the girls. He’s heated.”
Marcus followed him out. Alexa’s father stood near the front counter looking red-faced, his hands planted on the desk. “Hiw incompetent can you lot be?” he yelled. “You pulled my daughter out of school without calling me,” he said. “Do you have any idea what that looks like?”
“Mr. Hale,” Marcus said, stepping forward. “I’m Officer Marcus. Let’s talk in private.”
“I don’t want private,” Hale said. “You can’t drag minors off campus like that. You people here at the station are so goddamn incompetent. My journalist was investigating this case, was killed and then you lose her body. Then you take my daughter—”
“Sir,” Marcus said, lowering his voice but keeping it steady. “Please. Just a few minutes. Your daughter might be in danger.”
That calmed him down just a little bit. Hale looked around at the officers behind the desk, then gave a stiff nod. “Fine. Make it quick.”
Marcus guided him down the hall to a small office. He closed the door and motioned to a chair. Hale stayed standing.
“I’m sorry for not following protocol go the latter,” Marcus said, keeping his hands in front of him. “Ivanna was investigating the first murder, and she was killed in the same way. You are Ivanna's boss. Neon 24 gave the best story of it all, and your daughter's blonde friend turns up dead in the same way. I think it's a message to you sir."
"What?"
"And yes, this case is personal to me as much as it is to you. Ivanna, your prized journalist who died, was my sister. We grew up in the same orphanage. When I heard about Yvette I moved fast and I didn’t call ahead. That’s on me.”
Hale blinked, his anger cooling a little. “Your sister?”
“Yes,” Marcus sai
Hale let out a breath and rubbed the side of his neck. “I was ready to call a lawyer. Due the police and the school for allowing her leave. For giving the permission.”
“I understand,” Marcus said. “You have every right to be upset.”
Hale finally sat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “She said anything I should know?”
“Not yet,” Marcus said. “We’re verifying everyone’s story and making sure they’re okay. We’ll need her consent for a psych evaluation tomorrow maybe. It’s routine because of how strange the day was. We’ll explain everything to her before we ask but it's like she's under some sort of hypnosis.”
"I'm sorry, what are you saying?"
"Yes, the theory is wild but going blank after meeting the man? And forgetting? Trained professionals can allow a person forget important memories. And a trained person can bring back—"
"I'm not allowing you do that to my daughter."
“We’re bringing in a licensed doctor—”
A knock sounded on the door. Another officer stepped in with a clipboard. “Updates,” he said. “All students accounted for after school. Teachers confirm they stayed on campus until the last bell and hung around before leaving. No early exits. We’ve got phone pings for each of them up until the deaths.” Matches the timeline.”
Marcus took the sheet and skimmed it. “Good. Keep calling the last people they texted. Double check.”
"Look sir," Marcus continued, turning to face Alexa's father back. If the psych eval tells us anything we can solve—”
Hale stood again. “I'm taking my daughter home.”
++++++
Ethan leaned against the rail outside the station, his phone in his pocket and his eyes on the door. The lot was almost empty now, only a few cars under the streetlights. He moved and checked the time again. Alexa had been taken home by her father, and Miranda's mom had come to pick her up. For some reason, Prunella hadn't been cleared to go, and Zara insisted on waiting inside with her.
The door opened and he turned back, watching as Prunella stepped out. She held her jacket close, her hair a little messy from the long evening.
“Hey,” Ethan said, pushing off the rail and walking towards her. “Where’s Zara? Thought she was waiting for you?”
Prunella pulled her jacket tighter. “She’s with an officer. I think the Marcus guy. She asked me to wait for her out here, but I think my parents are already in their way. In case I'm gone before she's out, let me know.
"She wasn't supposed to be roped in on this,"Prunella sighed. "But hey, at least she was an alibi to the bullying."
Ethan shrugged and moved closer until they stood near the edge of the lot where no one else was near. He lowered his voice and caught her arm lightly. “You did it,” he said.
She blinked at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Yvette,” he said, keeping his voice low. “You did it.”