THE CAT MURDERER

Chapter Four - Red Herring

MABLETON HIGH SCHOOL - MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2014; 9:47 AM.

The tardy bell for 2nd period rang as we stood around in the gym waiting for class to start. We were all changed into our gym uniforms; blue shorts, a grey shirt with a snarling canine head and "MABLETON TIMBERWOLVES" across the front, and our various trainers and sneakers that we owned. The gym was large and dim-lit since outside the large windows near the scaffolded ceiling, it was raining hard outside. Lynne was telling me something, but I don't remember what it was because I became preoccupied with Damien, David, and Will on the other side of the gym.

All three of them were large, with Damien being the tallest and David being the bulkiest. Will was built slim like a fox, and kind of looked like one, too, with his short-cropped hair and his angular face. David was big, blonde, and dumb-looking. He stood slouched and his facial expression was usually blank with his mouth agape. Damien was lanky with dark skin, and he was pretty popular with our female classmates.

The three of them were standing around the pull-up bar bolted high onto the painted brick wall, each of them taking turns jumping up and grabbing it with ease with their long arms and legs, and seeing how many pull-ups they can do. We found our first suspects.

We all heard a blast from a whistle and Lynne stopped talking. Coach Donner was walking out of his office and across the gym. "Alright everyone, listen up!" he shouted. "We're gonna be playin' volleyball today! You know the drill; boys on this side, girls on that side. No questions and absolutely no complaints!"

Lynne and I separated to opposite sides of the gym. I was visibly anxious as I walked away, not just because I knew I was going to get hit in the face with the ball, and Lynne watched after me in concern. I tried to stand off to the side, looking for my friend, but unfortunately, I was spotted. Damien, David, and Will walked over to me from their post at the pull-up bar. I refused to make eye contact and tried to act like I didn't notice them, but that strategy didn't work for long.

Will towered over me and took a long pause to look me up and down. "The hell you doin' over here, Fletcher?"

I didn't respond, and Damien and David laughed. I didn't know what they were laughing about. It was like Will was holding up cue cards. Will stepped closer to me, and I could feel him breathing down my neck. I held my breath and probably looked constipated.

Will spoke quietly in a low, velvety voice, which was terrifying. "What were you and your bitch doin' around Gresky's?" He spat the word "bitch" in my face. I felt the thrill of adrenaline as my heart leaped into my throat and I could hear the blood pounding through my ears. At that moment, I knew I was in trouble, and I was pretty sure he did it. I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my fists, which were stuffed into my pockets.

He turned around and spoke to his friends. "Hey guys, I heard cat pelts go for a lot of cash these days!"

Damien and David laughed, each giving him a fist bump. "You better watch out for your pretty kitty, Fletcher." Will breathed, leaning down close to my ear as I tightly gripped the lining of my pockets. "I heard Devon Rex fur is very expensive."

It suddenly clicked in my mind. I took the risk, even though it felt like he was bluffing. I looked up at him slowly. "You did it, didn't you?"

The three of them burst out into laughter. Sarcastically, Will exclaimed, "Ha! Wow! What a great detective! Hey, Fletcher, how's your grandpa? Is he dead yet--?"

In a sudden outburst, I stepped to him and roared, "SHUT UP!"

Everything was silent, and my shout echoed through the gym. It seemed to echo through the whole school. Everyone turned and looked at me. The three looked shocked and then started jeering at me.