October 5th – 9 AM
The school was overwhelmed by the news of one of their students senselessly murdered. More than half the student body was in tears, as well as many of the teachers. An assembly was held when school started to explain the tragedy, and eventually everyone had returned to their classrooms.
Doug Roberts sat at his desk in the back of the history classroom. The teacher had assigned the class period as a study hall in light of the news. A few students sat with their head on the desks, buried in their arms. Some hazily stared into their textbooks, and some didn’t even show up to class.
Doug had his eye on an empty desk in the front of the room where Charlotte usually sat. Of course she wouldn’t be here. Her best friend was just murdered, Doug thought.
He then looked down at a sheet of paper in front of him with the printed schedule for the play rehearsals. October 5th – 4-7 PM. Obviously that wasn’t going to happen now.
The classroom door opened up and Mr. Murdock came in and went straight for the history teacher. Doug watched as they exchanged whispers for a moment before Mr. Murdock waved for Doug to follow him.
Doug quickly gathered his things and jogged his way out into the hall with the drama teacher.
“What is it?” Doug asked.
“Well, Deputy Jamie Dart from the Sheriff’s Department is here, and he wants to talk to you.” Mr. Murdock said.
“For what?”
“He wouldn’t tell me.”
Doug mildly nodded.
“Also,” Mr. Murdock began, “the school has officially pulled the funding.”
“What? Are you kidding me?” Doug shouted, disturbingly more upset over that news than the police asking about him.
“Don’t worry though. I really think the town needs this play. I am going to personally fund it. We’ll cancel the rehearsal tonight, and I can focus on getting a loan.”
“Cancel the rehearsal?” Doug pouted.
“We’ll, it would only make sense given the events. Plus, the only other person who showed up today that’s even involved in the play is Kevin.”
Doug nodded again. “Where’s the Deputy?”
Doug sat in Principal Bain’s office. She eloquently stood in the back of the room and watched as Deputy Dart sat down in front of Doug. Another officer stood at the door.
“Doug Roberts?” Dart presumed, shaking the students hand. “I’m Deputy Jamie Dart. The Sheriff would have been here himself, but is currently tied up following a lead.”
“What’s this all about?”
“Well, the thing is, we’re five days into October, and we already have two people dead as a result of brutal homicides that echo the murders from last year. Our investigation lead us here, where we find out that your school is putting on a play to pay tribute to the victims from last year – a play that you wrote.”
“Okay…” Doug said slowly.
“Your play is about the dead coming back to terrorize the person who killed them, correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you heard the poem that’s been going around? The one about Kelly Rodgers?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard it. So?”
“Then you’d be able to see the similarities between that and your play.”
Doug thought for a moment. Dart looked him dead in the eyes, trying to read them and trying to figure out what Doug might be thinking.
“Well, it’s not similar.” Doug said. “My play is about the innocent people coming back to get revenge, not the guilty coming back to kill again.”
Dart sat back and looked at his notes.
“What size shoe do you wear?” Dart asked.
“Huh?” Doug was broadsided by such a random question. He gathered his thoughts quickly though. “A ten.”
“Where were you on the night of September 30th and the early hours of October 1st?”
“Um, probably sleeping. I had school the next day. You can ask my mom, she was home too.”
“That late at night, she’d assume you were asleep. She’ll probably tell us that, but there is nothing to say you didn’t sneak out of the house.”
Doug was growing red in the face and started the blink and breath heavily. “Are you serious…”
Dart sat back and watched the kids’ reaction. Doug held his eyes shut for a moment.
“Are you accusing me of killing them?” Doug said, starting to fade out of consciousness. Dart jumped up and rushed to his side as Doug fainted and fell out of the seat. Principal Bain jumped to his aide as well.
“Is your school nurse in?” Dart asked.
“Yes, she’s just down the hall.” Molly Bain said, helping Dart try to pick Doug up.
“He fainted?” Carter asked again, making sure he heard it right over the phone.
“Yup. Either the kid is guilty or was just completely overwhelmed by the questioning,” Dart said on the other line. “Any word on the signature?”
“Well, sort of. We were going though the pictures from Noah Swan’s home and found another one. It was on the wall, underneath the poem. It was scribbled in blood, so it just blended in the with the rest of the mess.”
“Any idea what it says yet?”
“Not yet. I have some guys trying to decipher it now. It appears to start with a ‘B’, but it’s kind of hard to read after that.”
“Alright,” Dart said, “I’m going to question a couple more people here. I’ll catch you later.”
Dart hung up and Carter closed his phone. He stood up from the desk in his office and left the station.