***
“I uh- I have something that I need to tell you.” I sigh, trying to look into the eyes of the two detectives sitting opposite me, the light hanging over be practically blinding me.
“Is this about the dead girl?” The detective asks; leaning in closer to me over the table.
“I know who hurt her.” My hands start to shake, if this doesn’t go the right way I am in heaps of trouble. I know that this is the right thing to do, but at the same time is it worth telling them the story.
“Start at the beginning, what happened that night?” a male voice asks from the back of the room, startling me as I can’t see him.
***
I walk into the kitchen, teen bodies from all the local schools grinding against each other, the party still in the early hours, makeup still clean on peoples faces and everyone still standing on their own feet. I head over the fridge, opening the door and reaching for my beers, I pull one out and opened it, cringing a little at the taste.
***
“I won’t get in trouble for anything that I tell you I did that night, will I?” I ask the two officers in front of me.
“You won’t get in trouble for any alcohol or drug use, we can’t guarantee that any other behavior will go unpunished” The same detective says, leaning back comfortably in his chair.
***
After I took, the sip of the beer, I went outside for some fresh air, I walked through the sliding glass doors from the kitchen onto the patio. I remember sitting down next to a group if the kids that I am in band with. Chatting with them for some time, I remember mocking the maths teacher. She has ridiculous clothes and is so high strung, she is asking for it.
As we were all sitting there, chatting away, some people smoking a little. I could see Emma sitting with her feet in the pool, at the far end of the yard. I couldn’t see their faces but I knew it was her, no one else would wear a bright yellow dress in the middle of winter. I didn’t recognise the person sitting next to her though. I think it was a guy, going by the chino shorts and his black hoodie, the hood up and obscuring his face.
I staid with the group outside for another 30 or so minuets, bantering and flirting with some of the girls, I decided to go inside again when the breeze picked up a little, my smart self didn’t think to bring a jacket. I remember as I closed the door on the way in, I could still see the two of them sitting there at the edge of the pool.
Like every other party, I got a little more drunk and headed onto the dance floor, in the middle of the living room, around 20 drunk teens like myself dancing around. I headed over to one of the girls that I was flirting with earlier on the patio and we started to dance together. Her friend also dancing with me, there was nothing sexual happening- instead we were moving around like long lost friends. Laughing and singing along to all the songs, I think I spent about an hour with them on the floor, I waved to them and lifted my hand to mu mouth making a drinking motion.
On my way to the kitchen I decided to go to the toilet, knowing that the one I had passed earlier would have a line for it I decided to try my luck upstairs, assuming that there would be a bathroom on an en suite. I tried the first door on my way up, instead of a bath room like I hoped I saw Emma on the edge of the bed, still in the yellow dress but now wrapped in a towel and dripping wet.
Sitting next to Emma was Rick, one of the star basket ball player in our school and in the state. He was also dripping wet, I interrupted them in the middle of something, Emma was yelling her lungs out at him, not even hesitating when I open the door.
“How could you do this to me? I thought that you loved me?” She was ranting at him, clearly drunk. “You have ruined the night for us, we were having such a nice time, sitting and drinking. I hate you; I hate you so much!” She was screaming at the top of her lungs, as I stood in the doorway frozen, Rick started to shake her, hard. He was muttering to himself; I couldn’t really tell what her was saying but I kept hearing the words “Shut up” repeated over and over again. I closed the door and left them there, shaking as I went to the bathroom.
I headed back down stairs, I saw some of my mates leaning and chatting in the hallway by the front door, I went over to them and started talking with them, talking about the party and the fact that we were all having a good time. I didn’t mention what I saw going on with Emma and Rick, it just isn’t right to t bring up other people’s arguments you know.
The others left to grab new drinks and I decided to just stay against the wall for a little longer, knowing that I am at the point that if I stopped drinking, I wouldn’t have a hangover at all the next day. I took out my phone and scrolled through my feed on a couple of apps. I am hardly paying attention when I hear my name being called, it is Rick. He has Emma slung over his shoulders, walking towards me and the front door, he is yelling for me to open it for him. I look down at my watch for a second, it was around 1 am, they were going to be the first of many leaving around this time.
I run to the front door and swing it open wide for them, I make sure to turn on the light for them so he can see the stairs on his was down. As he passed me I swear that she had a black eye, the whole left side of her face looked like she had been beaten with a bat or something. I wish that I was brave enough to say something but at the same time, my small 5’5 self is nothing against a 6’1 athlete. I was not going to step in there, even though I knew that I should.
I watched through the open doorway as he tossed her unconscious body into the back seats of the car.
***
“I am sorry that I didn’t say something earlier, it’s just I know a guy like that would make my life living hell if I came forwards saying he beat his girlfriend. Knowing that he killed her changes everything though.” I say, looking at the two officers who were hanging onto my every word, scribbling down the notes as fast as they could, attempting to keep up.
I was free to go, they had taken my statement and I had left them with my number, as I walked out the front of the police station, I knew that I would be feeling the sun on my face for years to come and that Rick would not.
As I walked down the street towards the train station, I pulled her heart locket out of my pocket, admiring my little trophy. It had been Rick flirting with Emma by the pool but it was me who carried her lifeless body out of the house and into the car. She would never betray me again.
***
It is hard to format in the text box to show the switch between the locations.
You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.
0 comments