chapter two

At the police station, Paige was in some room with grimy, dirty walls with no windows except for the one in the door--and even that was cut glass. She was sitting at an old wooden table with two fold-open chairs, one of them she was sitting in. Paige wasn't going to pretend that she wasn't scared, she was definately scared. She just found out that her best friend is dead at the same time she was being accused for doing such a heinous crime.

A young, nice looking cop walked in the room, shaking Paige out of her trans. He didn't look like the officer that arrested her--that guy had a pudgy gut with thinning hair. This guy looked like he just joined th forced. He had shiny black hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin. If Paige wasn't afraid of being thrown in the slammer, she would've found the cop attractive, she does like older men after all.

"You're Paige Michaelchuck?" asked the nice-looking cop.

She nodded then gulped, "Yes."

"I'm Officer Jake, Paige. I'm suppose to question you about yesterday."

"Yesterday?"

"Yeah. Its," he checked his watch, "one thirty-seven in the morning. It's technically the twenty-fourth of May, dig it?"

Paige almost laughed. She'd never heard anyone of authority say "dig it" but yet, she never been arrested either. "Yeah. Okay," she said.

"Is it okay if I interrogate you without a lawyer present?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to record you during this interrogation," said Officer jake, turning on his tape recorder. He said the time, the date, who he was, and who he was interrogating. "Ch-check one, two. Ch-ch-check it out, yeahh." he said in the recorder, as though he were rapping.

Officer Jake was about to play it back when Paige said, "are you trying to butter me up or something?" She sounded slightly annoted, though she didn't want to lose her temper in front of an officer, "because it's not working, Officer Jake," she added politely.

Officer Jake cleared his throat. "Alright, so were you the last person to see Hazel Aden?"

"I think so," answered Paige.

"What do you mean 'think?'"

"I'm not going say yes when I don't know who came in after me," she answered.

"So, you're saying tha Hazel was planning to have more people comeover?" he asked. "Was she plnning a party or a get together?"

"No, I'm saying that I am not going to take the title of 'Last Person to See Hazel Alive' when anyone could've been the last person to see her.

"Her parents said you were the last persin to see. . . " dragged out Officer Jake.

"How? They're out of town."

"We took certain precautions to get in touch with Mr and Mrs. Aden and they confirmed that you were the last person there. Is it true they called while you were there?"

"Yes. They were checking up on her and her brother."

"Why were you at the Aden's residence, anyway?"

"Hazel wanted me to comeover to talk about Jimmy. They were arguing--no wait, they were in a disagreement. Jimmy and Haze never argued according to her--about this guy, Rick, in her Chemistry class. They're just lab partners but Jimmy thinks theres more going on between them or something. He's jealous, I guess. But Haze wanted me to give her advice," explained Paige.

"Who's Rick?" Officer Jake asked, curiously. You could tell by thelook on his face that this was the first time that Rick was brought up.

"I don't know, he's new."

"Do you think that this Rick dude was in-love with Hazel?"

Paige snorted. "I don't know about love. But everyone likes Hazel, so I don't see why not him."

Officer Jake stared at Paige sideways. He felt as though he were on to something. "Were you ever jealous of Hazel?"

"No," said Paige immediately. "You're obviously mistaken me for someone name Jimmy Brooks."

"I'm sensing some hostility."

"Damn right you are1 Why are you asking me if Rick was in-love with Haze? Why don't you ask Rick? Why aren't you questioning her brother either?" Paige asked, her anger rising. Obviously Officer Jake hit a spot when he asked her if she was ever jealous of Hazel.

"What amkes you thnk we haven't already?"

"The fact that you're blaming me for a crime that I didn't even do!" she screamed. "I was Hazel's best friend. I would have never dreamed of killing her, let alone follow through with it!"

"For you, Hazel's brother, I'm sure you know him, Gabriel Aden, found your so-called best friend and his older sister in her bed with a huge, smashed in hole in her head. Not a trace of blood, no shoe prints, no hair, Nothing. Not any noticable evidence." Officer Jake pressed his finger against the space between the eyebrows. "Just a dead body, with a huge hole between her eyes."

Paige stared at Officer Jake with tears in her eyes. Bad enough she had to find out her bets friend was murdered at the same time she was being accused for it. Now she had to know how she was murdered in detail? She didn't really appreciate that.

Before Paige could say anything, Officer Jake spoke up. "Look, Paige, I now this is hard for you. But you have to understand that I'm trying to get my job done here, dig it?"

She nodded. He turned off the tape recorder.

"So," said Officer Jake. "Here's what I'm going to do. It's nearly three int he mrning, so I'm going to release you and call you back in something this weekend for further interrogation."

Again, Paige nodded. Officer Jake lef her out the room, then called a taxi for her and sent her home.