With these leads, they’ve made their arrests and are now working on getting more information from the suspects. They’re hoping that by pressing them hard and using the evidence they’ve collected, they’ll be able to uncover more about who else was involved.
They seem confident about the leads they’re pursuing, but they’ve kept some details under wraps. Because of the ongoing investigation and my personal connection to the victim, they can’t disclose much more. They’ve stressed the need to keep certain information confidential to avoid compromising the investigation and to ensure that the case is handled with the necessary discretion.
I’ve been reassured multiple times that they are determined to do everything they can to close this and are working hard to ensure that campus remains a safe place for the rest of us.
It’s all very strange to me. When I think of my peers rebelling, I think of things like graffiti or like, smoking weed for the first time. What college kids casually commit a murder for funsies? Maybe they didn’t think it would result in his death.
Regardless, I am unconvinced.
As for my own safety, I do have a slight sense of unease that comes and goes. Even though the police think the suspects might just be students, I know that there’s more to this, but that’s not information I am willing to share with them; that there was a deeper, more calculated motive behind their actions—one that likely involved them being paid a significant amount of money to carry out the hit on my father.
I would be stupid not to be suspicious that they also aren’t in any hurry because they know where this trail they are following will eventually lead, and I have no doubt that some of the police department’s pocket’s are thoroughly lined with Assembly money.
The idea that these students might have been hired and promised something they’ll never actually benefit from adds a whole new layer of anxiety for me, because there’s someone else out there—ora group of someones—who could still be a threat and probably won’t ever even be tied to the case.
Not knowing whether or not this is something they will drag me into is driving me insane.
I don’t hear Jack enter the house. He isn’t supposed to be home until later, which is why his sudden appearance in the living room scares the shit out of me. I let out a loud screech that wakes Sienna, and I feel so freaking guilty about it.
She, on the other hand, is an absolute angel and just looks confused for a moment before flashing me her two-toothed grin.
She sits up in a sleepy daze and reaches for me. Scooping her into my lap, I wrap her up in a bear hug. ”I’m so sorry baby. Daddy scared me to death.”
Realizing now that her dad is home, her small body suddenly jolts. I jerk my head back to keep from being butted in the chin as she scrambles off my lap. Her eyes are wide with excitement when she spots him.
He prowls across the room like he’s on a secret spy mission. This must be a game they play because she kicks her feet like she knows exactly what’s coming.
When he reaches us, he falls to his knees and picks her up with a hand under each of her arms. He raises her above his head and then back down again when he smothers her fat baby cheeks with all the kisses.
She giggles maniacally and I kind of feel like doing the same. “You’re home early.”
He continues his assault but pauses to respond. “Yeah. Canceled the rest of my classes for the day.”
I bite back a comment about how nice that must be. I’m only a little salty about the fact that the rest of us still have to do the work assigned. For someone who is such a beast of a professor, he’s awfully casual about just not having class. I give him the benefit of the doubt. “Are you sick?”
“Nah.” He sits Sienna on the rug and slides one of her toys to her. “Just missed my girls.”
I guess seeing Sienna so giddy to have him home makes it alittlemore acceptable. The fact that he has been caring for her full time alone for so long also explains his curtness with his students. I can imagine that I might type out a super short response to something too if I was in the middle of feeding her or changing her while trying to stay caught up on emails and grading.
But…
“Girls?” I raise an eyebrow and the plural-ness of the word.
“Ah.” He hesitates. “Yeah. Sienna and Milo.”
“Milo is a girl?” I thought the cat was a boy, but I’ve only seen the dark grey fur ball in passing. He—sheis easily spooked. Kind of like Kruz. I suppress a laugh at the thought. Kruzisas jumpy as a fucking cat.
“Mmm, yeah.” He rubs at the back of his neck and stands. “Anyway. We need to go costume shopping. You’re free to go for the day,” he hesitates. “Unless you’d like to join us.”
My stomach dips and I can’t name the exact cause. I wish he’d have just asked me to join them instead of throwing the option out there like that. The rejection sensitive dysphoria is real. “I dunno. Shopping with this girl seems like a blast, but I have this professor who is kind of a hard ass, and the paper he assigned this week is eating me alive.”
No point in sugarcoating it. He already knows I think his class sucks, even if I originally divulged that tidbit of information unwittingly.
“What’s it on? Maybe I can—” It registers mid-sentence that I’m talking about him and his jaw clenches. “I amnota hard ass.”
I look at him innocently.
“You seriously think I’m a hard ass?”
