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Chapter Five ~ The Interrogation Room

"Where were you at 12:27?" asked the policeman. I looked at his name badge which said Steve.
"Walking home," I said.

Steve eyed me suspiciously. He continued to question me.
"How long did you know Piper Redwood for?" he asked.
"She had been my roommate since I joined the university, so about 2 years."
"Did you have a good relationship?"

I hesitated, wondering if I should tell the officer about the fight or the book.
"Yes," I said quietly.

Steve leaned back, resting his arm against the side of the chair.
"Did Piper have any enemies, anybody who would want to do this to her?"
"No, not that I know of," I said in an emotionless voice.

Steve seemed to consider that for a minute. Eventually, he sighed and said "That's all for now. You can go."

I slowly rose from my seat and made my way towards the door.

***

I trudged home, unable to comprehend what had just happened. A book had just predicted the death of my friend. It was the fact that the murder was described in the book exactly how it had happened in real life. But then why would someone leave the book lying around? In Carol's shop of all places? This was evidence. But I couldn't turn it in. People would see my name on the cover and assume I was confessing to the murder myself, even though I didn't do it. No, this book had to stay hidden.

I went into Barry's Butchers to buy some bacon for my dinner tonight. As usual, Barry was watching a conspiracy theory video on youtube.

"Hi Barry," I said.
Barry turned around and smiled. "Hey Skye, sorry to hear about your friend. How are you doing?"
My face fell. "Still a bit shocked. Piper was my best friend."
"Anyways, what can I get you?" he asked.
"Could I have 300 grams of bacon please?" I asked.
He tried to wink but like me he can't wink, so it was more of an awkward blink. "Carol's teaching me how to wink," he said enthusiastically. "I'll get your bacon."

I thanked Barry for the bacon and left the store as he went back to his television.

The next stop I made was at Betty's Bakery to get some rolls for the bacon. I love the smell of this shop; it always smells like fresh bread. Betty walked out of the kitchen with a large tray full of freshly baked sourdough rolls and put them in a basket on display.

"Can I have one of those please?" I asked Betty.
"Sure thing," Betty replied and handed me one in a bag.

Carrying my bacon and roll, I made one last stop at Cafe Well Bean. Geoff waved to me as I walked through the door.

Carrying my bacon and roll, I made one last stop at Cafe Well Bean. Geoff waved to me as I walked through the door.

"Hello there," he said, ever enthusiastic.
"Hi Geoff," I replied.
"What will it be?" he asked.
"Could I get a large hot chocolate please?" I asked. I felt like eating my feelings tonight.
"Absolutely," Geoff said happily. I figured he hadn't heard about the murder yet.

"Have a happy evening," Geoff babbled as I left the cafe.

***

When I got home, I was in for an unexpected surprise. Savannah and Arya were sitting on Piper's bed. They stayed in the room next door to us, and were Piper's friends. I hadn't really spoken to them that much; only when Piper was around. They were wearing irate expressions on their faces.

"Well, well. If it isn't Piper's little friend," Savannah said quietly.
"All alone now," Arya added.

I clenched my teeth. "What grief have you come to give me now?"
Savannah stood up. "What was the last thing you said to Piper?"
Arya stood up as well. "She was really upset last night when she came to see us. Because you yelled at her. She needed your help and you just screamed at her."
"You're a bad friend," Savannah said. "Think about that. The last thing Piper had on her mind before she died was the thought that someone hated her."

I just rolled my eyes. The lot of them were just drama queens.
"How was it my fault?" I asked. "She stole my money and I gave her a piece of my mind."

They didn't have anything to counter that, so they merely stood glaring at me.
"Get out," I said. I didn't have time to argue with them; I had a bacon roll to eat.
They sighed and left my room, slamming the door behind them.

I went to the kitchen and made my bacon roll. It smelled amazing and I couldn't wait to eat it. Cafe Well Bean does do amazing bacon rolls, but there's just something about fresh bacon from the butchers that makes it even better.

I threw myself onto the couch and put friends on. I needed something happy to watch, to distract myself from everything that had happened today.