All of those combined have lessened the dark cloud above my head. And I know where I’ll be headed tomorrow.
Twenty minutes later, the officer comes back in, his face now sporting a scarlet blush as he’s accompanied by a man. When he sits at the table, I notice he has a badge that says Chief.
What the fuck is going on?
Jenna walks beside me, one hand placed on the back of my seat.
“Miss…Kent, is it?” he asks, flipping through the papers and eyeing me at the same time.
“That’s right.”
He leans back, the officer who was taking my statement now leaning on the wall behind him.
“I’m Craig Patterson, Chief of Police. It’s my understanding that you and Miss Regina Riley have both reported the same crime, is that correct?” His gaze darts from me to Jenna.
“Yes, we were both at the same party.”
He leans back in his chair, eyes narrowing on me. “And this happened…six months ago?”
I nod in response, anxiety starting to prickle over my scalp.
Why do I suddenly feel like I’m the one brought in for questioning?
“Is there something worthwhile you’d like to ask?” Jenna snaps, and the officer glares at her, like he’s just noticed she’s not supposed to be in here with me.
“You see, the problem we have here is that the alleged event took place some time ago; we’d be unable to use a kit to verify your statement. No drug test was done”—he flips through the papers again, but something tells me he’s doing it for show—“and that building has been closed for quite some time, well before the date you stated. Years in fact. There’s CCTV that runs around the perimeter. It has a twenty-four-hour patrol for health and safety reasons to the public, and we haven’t had any reports that anyone’s been inside the grounds.”
My heart stops beating.
“I-I don’t understand?” I stutter.
Is he saying I’m lying?
If there’s surveillance, then surely they’ll be able to access and see that I’m telling the truth.
Craig leans forward, interlinking his fingers, and I give in to the size he’s making me shrink into.
“I saw what they did!” Jenna snaps, waving her hands in the air.
My eyes flutter shut to keep the tears from breaking free, a tingling spreading across my neck.
“Look, I know how university parties go. Everyone gets too drunk, takes some drugs, and things get out of hand. Are you positive this is what happened? Could there be a possibility that you may have cheated on your boyfriend, the guilt eating away at you?” He mockingly shuffles the paper again. “Maybe envisioned the wrong outcome? The mind can play tricks if you’ve taken any psychedelics; we see it all the time.”
I stare at him in utter devastation.
Tears threaten to spill over my eyes, and the pit in my stomach begins to turn.
He thinks I’m lying.
“Are you fucking serious? Why don’t you get one of your clowns to check the cameras! There were plenty of people there that would be able to back up their stories that they were there, everything that took place after. I could name you two right now—”
Craig holds up his hands, and I can feel the red mist seeping from Jenna. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Mr Montgomery’s father is the federal judge of this state. A very rich and powerful family. Now, I’m not sure if there’s any monetary gain you’re looking for here, seeing the time lapse in this being reported is questionable. But it wouldn’t go down well for any of you if you were found to be lying. It’d be catastrophic, actually.”
The first tear runs down my cheek.
“I’m not,” I whisper, but my plea goes unanswered.
Craig stands up, buttoning his jacket as he glares at me. “Why don’t you go home and sleep on it. And if you’rereallysure about this, come back tomorrow, and you and I can go through this all again in detail.”
