The Silent Deceivers

Chapter 26

Connecting the Past to the Present

My sixteenth birthday had been a complete disaster. I photo copied the birthday card twice. One for the evidence that my boyfriend, is connected to the death of my friends and the other one for the pure please of ripping it to shreds. Then shoved it at the back of my wardrobe with the hoddie. He'd lied to me, betrayed me, and led me on. I sat on my bed and screamed into my pillow which eventually turned into crying until I had nothing left in me. At some point into the early hours of the morning sleep finally drugged me and I didn't awaken until it was half past four in the evening. I remained there in my bed, packaged by my duvet for the rest of that day

I thought back to the days after David's death; how I stayed cooped up in my bedroom, stranded in my own little world with tunnel vision of grief and confusion for days on end. Not really aware of anyone else, not really paying attention to the police activity happening down in the courtyard where David's body had been or up on the roof where he had supposedly jumped from. I never really knew any specific details about his death apart from that it was ruled a suicide due to the contents of his letter but now I wasn't sure that was the truth. I needed to find out. I needed to discover the truth. I needed the police records. My quest for information and justice began there.

At first it was hard to start the ball rolling on my plan and it definitely surprised Lisa and Andy when I burst into their office on Monday morning saying I wanted a part time job and furthermore when I chose an internship at the local police station. After a routine interview I was successfully awarded the job and started almost immediately. I completed my 'training' in record time, six days. In between home schooling, therapy sessions and meetings with Martha I went a to be trained on how to use the office equipment like the photo copier: place the document on the glass, shut the top, press copy, wait, collect copy, done and learn their super complicated filing system: 'A goes first'. It was great being signed off public school. Home schooling was the best, I didn't have to deal with the looks and the comments and I also received no homework, for now anyway. It was part of the policy that the course of school was implemented in stages to help my mental health and stress levels. It also meant I had more time to play detective. I downloaded the pictures I had of the hoodie and the letters and the voice recording of the hushed conversation between Aden and Connor recorded by Roxy and filed them away on my hard drive and the copied them to two memory pens. One that was hidden in the hollow bottom of my bed side table and the other underneath my mattress. I had so many copies of the evidence I had collected; the original, pictures, copies of those pictures/recordings. I probably had too many copies of the evidence but I was determined to get justice and it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Roxy and I managed to make time to compile a timeline of events and analysed people's aftermath reaction by the twenty seventh of September after days of intense brain power and thinking. Where we had a gap we investigated. We also searched for a motive for murder. We knew that Gash hated David and openly bullied him but it wasn't until late one night that I remembered why.

I shouldn't unlock the door back to my life before the car crash according to Sue as it was too painful and could result in a setback but foolishly I picked up the key and turned it anyway. When have I ever followed the rules? I went back to that day; stomping back into my room, searching social media for his name, finding the result and then tossing and turning about the idea to call Abby and tell her. The words flashed through my mind 'I am willing to try and get along with anyone except gays. Just stay away.' The motive.