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"You don't know what it was like," he said, his voice trembling with anger and pain.
"Maybe not.But I'd like to understand.Can you tell me about it?"
The man hesitated, as if torn between a desire to share his torment and the need to keep it hidden.Finally, he began to speak, his voice low and halting."It was hell," he whispered, staring into the distance as if reliving the memories."Every day, they'd find new ways to make me feel worthless.They laughed at me, called me names...it never stopped."
Sheila listened intently, her heart aching for this broken man standing on the edge of despair.She wanted to reach out and comfort him but knew that doing so might push him away.
"Was Roy Hubbard one of the students who bullied you?"she asked gently, gauging his reaction.
His eyes widened, and he stared at her in shock."How did you know that?"
"What about Macy Dobson?Did she bully you too?"
He looked even more surprised, if possible, and nodded slowly."Yeah, she did," he said, his voice cracking."How do you know all this?"
Sheila's heart pounded as she prepared to deliver the news."Roy and Macy are both dead," she said."They've been murdered."
The man's face paled, his eyes widening in shock."What?"he stammered, disbelief etched across his face."Is that why you're here?"
Sheila studied him, saying nothing.The silence stretched, and Waiters began to fidget, looking uncomfortable beneath their stares.Was it because he didn't like being accused of something he hadn't done, or because he had a guilty conscience?
"I didn't touch them," he said, swallowing hard."I...I was angry with them, but I wouldn't kill anyone.That's not me."He hesitated."Is this about those messages left in the boys' and girls' bathrooms?"
Sheila exchanged a puzzled glance with Finn."What messages?"she asked.
Waiters waved a dismissive hand."I don't remember what they said—someone erased them right away.But one was about Roy Hubbard, I remember hearing that, and I think the one in the girls' bathroom was about Macy.
Sheila studied him, intrigued by this new information.But was he telling the truth or merely trying to throw them off the scent?
"What were you doing in the girls' bathroom?"Finn asked.
Waiters let out a little stutter of a laugh."Me?Oh, I didn't go in there—that's not what I'm saying.I heard about it, okay?The whole school was buzzing with it.This was…hell, quite a few years ago.Again, I don't remember the exact words of the messages, but the parents were pretty upset about them."
"And you had nothing to do with these messages?"Finn asked."You didn't think it would be fun to, say, play a little prank?Have a little fun at someone else's expense?"
Waiters shook his head firmly."Not a chance.I wasn't even at school that day—I had pink eye.I heard about it a few days later when I got back.I could probably even prove it to you if you wanted—the pink eye, I mean.Had a doctor's note and everything."
Finn's face remained stoic, but he didn't ask a follow-up question, which suggested to Sheila that he was thinking the same thing she was thinking: Waiters was looking less and less like their guy.
She took a deep breath and asked her next question."Where have you been for the past few hours?"
He furrowed his brow, seemingly puzzled by the question."Why?"
"Please, just answer the question," she repeated, her patience wearing thin.
"Fine," he replied, taking a deep breath."I was at work until about two hours ago.I'm a short-order cook at a restaurant downtown.After that, I went to a bar, drank alone for a while, then came here."
His story seemed genuine.Sheila knew that verifying his alibi would be crucial, but for now, there was something about his words, the raw honesty in his voice, that made her believe him.
"Can anyone vouch for your whereabouts?"she asked.
"Yeah," he said, nodding."My boss, Mr.Thompson, can confirm I was at the restaurant.And at the bar, the bartender should remember me.I talked to him a bit before leaving."
Sheila studied Waiters' face, searching for cracks in his story."Clive," she said softly, "if you didn't come here to dispose of evidence, then why are you on this bridge tonight?"
He hesitated, dropping his gaze to the cold, steel railing."Something terrible happened to me recently.I...I lost someone I cared about."
"Who?Who did you lose?"
