Finding Ford

chapter eight

"If you knew what the blue birds sang, you would never sing along." -Fall Out Boy, Novocaine 

THE POLICE SEARCH STARTS UP AGAIN almost instantaneously. Within days, the police are going through security tapes, interrogations and background checks, and just as before, they come up with nothing. Luke, however, is pulled in for another round of questioning, and when he's not back in forty-two hours, people begin to assume the worst.

Rumors spread like wildfire, and I only begin to actually believe them when Jas, who doesn't talk made up bullshit from anyone, sits down beside me at lunch and says, "They've arrested Luke."

I choke on my orange juice. "What?"

Jas nods quickly. Her face looks oddly pale. "The security tapes for the school were erased; someone tampered with them. They found some of Luke's stuff up there, I don't know exactly what, and made the connection."

I take a moment to absorb the information. "How do they know it's Luke's?"

"Fingerprints," Jas says. "Victoria is a mess. I guess it sort of makes sense, in a way. Luke hated Ford."

"So what exactly do they think he did?" I ask. "Killed him? Or just wrote the message?"

"I don't know," Jas admits, finally beginning to eat her food. She sips on her milk slowly. "I really don't know." We fall silent for a bit before James joins us, sliding in beside Jas. 

"Hey," he says, kissing her cheek and stealing her banana. "What's up?"

"Did you hear about Luke?" Jas asks.

James sighs, his mood deflating. "Yeah, yeah, I did. It seriously sucks; I know that Luke's always been angry, but I never thought he was that angry."

"Sucks is a nice way of putting it," I say.

James smiles crookedly. "That's why I said it seriously sucks." 

I roll my eyes at him, and go back to eating my food. Well, more like pushing my food around. It'sbeen three days, but the image of those gruesome words won't get out of my head. I don't know how I'll ever forget them; home is where Ford's dead heart lies. I think it irks me so much because of my message, where by the end, I had talked about home being better than anywhere Ford is right now. Had that person read my message? I shake my head; not 'that person', I have to remind myself. Luke. He was the one.

Anger builds up in the pit of my stomach at the thought of him doing something like that. Is this all he had done? Or maybe he has something to do with the bloody jewellery box? James must notice how deep in thought I am because he reaches over and shakes me out of it.

"Ava, don't worry about it so much, okay? The police are taking care of it, right? It isn't your job to try and figure this out."

I furrow my eyebrows. I never said anything about trying to figure it out. "I don't know. I just feel like... everyone's missing something. I mean, think about it; how did Ford even get the jewellery box?"

Jas cocks an eyebrow. "He made it?"

"Yeah, but Mr. Stevens had it the day Ford went missing. He needed to mark it. Either Ford went back and got it, or someone stole it."

James and Jas are quiet for a moment. Then, Jas says, "You think someone put it there?"

James scoffs. "That's ridiculous."

"Or maybe Ford took it," I offer. "Either way, I think it's important to find out. Maybe we can check the security tapes?"

"I doubt they would have security tapes from a month ago," James says. "But you can try, I suppose. What're you going to tell the school?"