Betrayed in Blood

Chapter Ten

DISCLAIMER: this chapter contains mentions of SUICIDE

"I'm not pleased to have you here again, Miss Green."

"I'm not pleased to be back."

Camilla sat in the same interrogation room as last time, across from the same three adults. Unlike last time, however, her parents were outside of the room and Amy was waiting in another room.

"Do you know why you're here?" the detective continued, pressing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger with exasperation.

"I assumed you were going to ask more questions from last time," Camilla lied, offering him a confused look.

The detective paused for a moment, staring at the desk and tapping his pen against the wood. Of course, Camilla knew exactly why she was there; Tiffany was dead the day after Amy claimed that she was a witness to Camilla's crime. All Camilla didn't know was what the police were thinking.

"Well...in a way, we're checking up on you. We just need you to answer some questions before we explain the new developments in the case."

Camilla nodded, aiming to appear clueless on the situation.

"Right," the detective proceeded, "so where were you today? Walk me through your morning first."

"Well, this morning I was reluctant to even attend school because I figured there were rumors started by Amy. I got ready regardless and drove to school."

"At approximately what time did you leave?"

"I usually leave around 7:40 on mornings that I don't have student government meetings because I live around 10 minutes away from the school and first period starts at 8."

"And you parked in the same spot as usual and went inside like normal?"

"Yes sir," Camilla responded, hinting in her voice that she was confused why he was asking. In a way, it seemed fruitless to ask her to describe the events of her day in such great detail, but she knew that he was digging for any discrepancies.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn't going to find any. Unlike the previous night, this kill wasn't by her hands.

"Did you speak with anyone throughout your day, and if so, whom?"

"Yes, I talked to Christina Benedict, the class vice president under me as soon as I walked in."

"Anybody else?"

"Michelle Smythe, Allie Bunker, and Macy Thorton, some of my cheerleading teammates and close friends. That was a bit after my conversation with Christina."

"And after that?"

"I went to my first class, which is physics."

"Did you talk to anyone else throughout the day?"

"Yes, some of my other friends in my class and other cheerleading friends. Most of them were wondering if the rumors were true."

"Did you interact with people after every class today?"

"Um...I think so, yeah."

The detective let out a frustrated sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "Any other names you can think of that can verify that you were present during the entire school day?"

After a moment of thought, Camilla answered slowly, "Savanna Jeans, Jared Acker, Meagan Walters, Kendall Parish, Colleen Howard, Shane Hyland, and Justin Townsend. There may have been more, but those are all I can remember, sorry for the trouble."

Nobody responded as the woman recording me jotted down the names and the police officer between them appeared to be searching for the students I referenced.

Eventually, the detective continued, asking, "Where did you eat lunch?"

"I always bring my lunch, and I ate in the courtyard with some of the people I mentioned. Those were Savanna, Kendall, Justin, Shane, Michelle, Allie, and Macy."

"Have you ever left campus to buy food from a restaurant?"

"We aren't allowed to, so definitely not. I have to be a good example to the rest of my class since I'm their representative."

"When did you leave the school today?"

"I wasn't planning on leaving until 6 because I had cheerleading practice until then and we have a game tomorrow, but I got summoned here."

"At about what time were you called to come here?"

"Around 5, maybe?"

Then, he went quiet. As he continued to click his pen on the wood of his desk, the officer and woman were trained on their work. Every so often during the moment of silence, the officer turned his computer screen to face the detective or woman, and they would point and mumble in reply.

All the while, Camilla sat patiently, thoughts running rampant through her mind. All she could wonder as she waited with no distractions was what they could be thinking.

Finally, the detective stated, "That's all we need from you, Miss Green. You're free to leave."

Camilla thanked them as she wandered to the door, but before she left, the officer called out to her, "Let your parents explain why you were called here. It's about Tiffany."

Acting puzzled, Camilla nodded and exited, feeling a rush of relief flow over her. Her parents embraced her in the hallway, seeming at a loss for words, a stark contrast to the night before.

As they sauntered in the direction of the parking lot, the family passed another interrogation room. The sound of heavy sobbing leaked through the opening under the door, and Camilla knew all too well that Amy was the source.

And Camilla felt elated by that knowledge.

During the entire drive back to her house as her parents drove in front of her, she laughed triumphantly. Tiffany's death meant that Camilla would be cleared. As long as no evidence was found, and Camilla was certain that she'd eradicated all of it, she would get away with her crimes. Amy could continue to accuse her, but without evidence, her accusations would be futile.

When Camilla arrived home, her parents explained that Tiffany committed suicide. With all the acting skills she possessed, successfully faking her shock was attainable. After their chat, she was allowed to her room.

The moment her door shut and locked, she pulled out her phone and unlocked it. She texted Zach as soon as she plopped onto her bed, and he became active moments later. They raved on and on about the plan and its success thus far.

While their texting carried on, Camilla felt hopeful for her future again. With Tiffany out of the way, all she had to do was let Amanda's disappearance remain a mystery, and Amy's indictments drive her into insanity. Camilla had faith that, in the end, her troubles were going to fade away.

But little did she know how determined Amy was to convict her.