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✧➴THREE

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THREE
the usual suspects
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TATIANA WEST WAS the brightest child in Chesterfield, Illinois.  That much was clear.  Her countless hours spent studying ended up being worth it after all.  It was rare she didn't bring homework to lunch and she didn't have much time to go out with friends.  And with the start of her junior year, the year colleges and universities would be zeroing in on, she had to be on top of things.

        This especially counted the AP Environmental Science test she had tomorrow during first period.

        She rung her fingers through one another, squirming in the uncomfortable metal chair below her.  A single bright light hung above her, nearly blinding her in the process.  She squinted her eyes and lowered her gaze, eyesight still recovering from being in the dark of night for so long.  This was Tatiana's first time in a police station and she had to admit, she wished the circumstances weren't as foul.

        "Miss West?" Tatiana snapped back to reality when the Detective spoke louder than he had before.

        "Yes?" She answered meekly.

        Detective Thomas spoke.  His tone made it sound like this wasn't the first time he'd asked this question. "What lead you to Clearwater River tonight? I want every detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem."

        Tatiana's swallow echoed throughout the empty room, reverberating clearly off the walls.  Her face turned a brighter red. " I was in my room.  I turned the podcast on to listen to while I studied for this huge APES exam I have tomorrow.  I usually put most electronics away to keep myself from being distracted but I enjoy— or used to enjoy, I suppose—listening to Renegade.  Gives me ideas to bring up at student council meetings, I am the secretary after all.

        "Then, the riddle came on." Tati's animated tone faltered to a more somber one. "As soon as I heard the first line, I knew the answer was river.  All words easily related to a river. 

        "Initially, I wanted to call the police or tell my parents.  Only thing is my parents are usually in bed by nine..." She gulped once more. "...and I know it typically takes emergency vehicles seven minutes after a 9-1-1 call to arrive to the scene.  My house is a three minute drive, and if there was any way I could prevent Adam's death, I wanted to do so."

        Detective Thomas nodded, scribbling down notes on his legal pad.  He looked up to meet her gaze. Tati recognized he possessed the same kind blue eyes his daughter had.  "And your relationship with Adam?"

        "Um, we were in the same friend group but we weren't really that close, which is surprising.  We were on student council together too," Tati said. "He was always very kind to me.  And he'd dated Catalina a couple years ago so he was always on good terms with the friend group."

        This seemed to have piqued Detective Thomas's interest because he leaned in a little.  "Dated?  What happened?"

        Tatiana pursed her lips, realizing she might have implicated her friend in her description of Adam. She chose her words carefully. "It was mutual.  Both lead very busy lives, Adam with student council and his running and Cati's very dedicated to her studies.  They just didn't have much time for each other."