Page 108 of The Invite
Mr. Crane is observing me with sympathy. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Nessa. I can’t imagine.”
“She was an amazing kid, Mr. Crane,” I whisper, brushing the wetness from my cheeks. “How could she be hurt here? It means no one’s safe in school.”
“We’re going to do everything in our power to catch the person responsible. We take thesecurity of our students as well as staff very seriously. This news is shocking for us too,” he promises. His phone suddenly rings, and he says, “One sec.”
Answering the call, he talks and finishes, “Yes, of course.”
Hanging up, he gently says, “The detectives need to talk to you, Miss Davenport, since you were the one who found the body.”
“Okay.”
When I walk out, Ace is instantly by my side and passes me a bottled water. “Here, have some. I’ll wait here while you talk to them.”
“Thank you.”
Neither of us jokes about me saying that and I’m sad we’re in this situation. I manage to take a small sip before I’m taken to the conference room where two men are waiting.
They’re dressed in sharp suits. Both wearing intimidating expressions. One is holding a notepad and a pen in his hand.They stop conversing upon noticing me and motion toward the chair closest to them. I take a seat.
“I’m Detective Samuel,” introduces the one next to me. “And this is my partner, Detective Arjun. We have a couple of questions to ask.”
Arjun’s Indian roots show in his rich brown skin, black eyes, and even darker hair while his partner is the opposite of him with blond hair and grey eyes. They look to be in their mid-thirties.
I’m nervous as hell at their presence. A side effect of my turbulent past. “Sure.”
“Can you state your full name for us?” questions Samuel.
“Nessa Davenport.”
“How long have you worked here?”
“I started my position two weeks ago.”
He pauses for a beat before continuing, “And it was you who found the body?”
“Yes.”
“Please tell us everything you noticed. Even the smallest things.”
Crossing my ankles, I take a deep breath before relaying the scene from start to finish. They listen, glance at each other, and write notes. I cry all over again, unable to keep my emotions in check. After last night and this morning, I’m exhausted and have never felt so low.
“What about the message on the wall? Can you tell us about it?”
“I’m sorry but I didn’t read it.”
“Why?” Arjun, who was quiet this whole time, asks.
I glance briefly at his tapping fingers before replying, “It’s hard to focus on a message while my student is hanging dead a few feet from me. My priority was getting help.”
“Yet it wasn’t you who called 911.”
“I ran into Ace. So, he did. I was with him.”
A look passes between them before he leans back.
His partner switches to interrogating. “The message said that the victim was impersonating her older sister to attend this school,” he reveals the shocking truth. “Ever heard it as a rumor?”
I’m gobsmacked as I digest this, and croak out, “No.”
