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My heart pounded in my chest as I approached the desk. I didn’t want to lie for the Rosmerta Society this morning, but they’d find out if I didn’t carry out my task, and then I’d be in deep shit.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I need to make a statement about something.”
“All right.” The front desk officer looked me up and down. “What’s it in regard to?”
“A friend of mine ran away a few days ago. Someone from here interviewed me about it already, but I just remembered something that might be useful.”
“Okay.” He turned to look at his monitor. “What’s your name? And your friend’s name?”
“Jensen Lockhart. My friend is Amerie Warnock.”
The officer rapidly typed something. Then he nodded. “Yes, I can see it here. You spoke to Officer Kavanagh about it, but he’s not in today. Just give me a minute.”
I nodded and stepped back, glancing at my phone. I’d set my lock screen to a photo of Amerie taken at the Snowflake dance a few weeks ago. She was laughing in the picture, hands thrown up in the air as she did a silly move on the dancefloor. The sight of it used to make my heart soar, but now it only made it ache.
I couldn’t stop worrying about her. Couldn’t stop the horrible intrusive thoughts about what could be happening to her at this very moment. She’d told me that Zara claimed nothing sexual happened at the Playground, but I had no way of knowing if that was actually true. For all I knew, she could be handcuffed to a bed right now, crying and screaming while some asshole attacked her.
The thought made my stomach lurch. I had to find her. Get her the fuck out of that place and burn it to the ground.
The officer behind the desk beckoned to me. “You can give your statement to Sergeant Grayson. He’s free right now,” he said. “He’ll be up here in a minute.”
A tall, broad-shouldered man appeared in the lobby a moment later. “Jensen?” he said, tilting his head. “Come with me, please.”
He motioned for me to follow him down a hallway, which led into the bullpen. One of the walls was lined with bulletins, notices, and glass cases displaying awards and commendations that officers had received for their service. The others were lined with doors that led into small offices, each with a desk, filing cabinets, and a computer.
Sergeant Grayson gestured for me to step through the door at the end. “Take a seat,” he said, sinking into the chair behind the desk. “Officer Spellman said you had something to tell us about Amerie Warnock’s sudden departure from town.”
“I just remembered something she said to me about a week ago,” I said. “I was a bit drunk when she said it, because we were at a party. That’s why it took so long for me to remember.”
Grayson nodded and made a note on a lined pad. “What did she say?”
“I can’t remember the exact words, so I can only paraphrase. But basically, she said she was sick of this place and wanted to get out.”
“This place being Vanderwild Bay?”
“Yeah.” I nodded slowly, lips pressing into a thin line. “When she said it, I didn’t think she was actually going to run away. I thought it was just one of those things people say, you know? But now she’s gone, so… I guess she did mean it.”
“Did she say anything else?”
“Not about running away. That was pretty much it.”
“Okay. Thanks for letting me know,” Grayson said, making another note. “I’ll call her parents and fill them in.”
“Have you been looking for her?” I asked, cocking my head.
His lips thinned. “It’s still an open line of inquiry, but I’d say it’s pretty cut and dry. Amerie wanted to leave home, so she did,” he said. “There’s nothing illegal about that, given her age. So there’s not a lot we can do, despite her parents’ concerns.”
“Right,” I muttered.
He leaned back in his chair. “Anything else I can help you with today?”
I glanced at the framed photo on his desk. It featured a young boy, maybe six or seven, holding a basketball.
“Actually, yeah,” I said, sitting up straight. “If you have time, would you mind answering some questions for me? About working here.”
Grayson frowned. “Working for the police, you mean?”
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking it might be a potential career path for me.”
