Chapter Four
"Morning Ingrid." Fillmore greeted Ingrid as she walked into headquarters early the next morning with a latte in her hand and a file in the other. Her black dress had spots of yellow, blue and green paint on her dress, cheeks and arms.
"Whatever. Do you know how many gnomes I painted last night?" Ingrid asked in her usual monotone voice. Fillmore shook his head, and then gestured to the file Ingrid had in her hands.
"That was in your mailbox. I asked Anza to put it there last night. It's all on that cheerleader Cassie." He said.
"Okay, thanks…wow, she's totally clean. She's on the honor roll, been captain since the team voted Lindsay Rae off and she's in the science club!" Ingrid held her hand to her heart, and then let her shoulders hang.
"Should we go talk to her, she doesn't really seem the type-," Ingrid began, but was interrupted.
"Yes, Ingrid. She's considered a suspect." He said. Ingrid downed her latte and reached over her desk to grab her thermos full of coffee. She poured a quarter of the contents into her mug.
"You're hitting the caffeine a little strong there," Fillmore said. Ingrid finished the mug and looked over at Fillmore.
"What I drink is none of your business." She said.
"It is when it may effect your work on the force, Ingrid." Fillmore said a little bit harshly. Ingrid rolled her eyes.
"Fillmore, I'm fine. Just, let me go and see Cassie. Bye." Ingrid slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her mug and thermos and walked down the school hall. Cassie was supposedly in the gym with the squad.
I don't have a problem, do I? Ingrid asked herself. She looked down at the mug and thermos and remembered all the caffeine she had downed in the past week. She had been staying up later and later every night and knew she would get in trouble if she was tired on the job, so the caffeine came to her rescue a lot.
She pushed open the gymnasium doors and watched Cassie Load back spring onto the top of a pyramid. She was beaming. The team was struggling underneath her weight, and a few had their knees buckling.
"Good gracious, Cassie, how much do you weigh?"
"Oh, shut up Tiffany. Okay everyone, ten minute break." Cassie called, jumping off the pyramid and walking over to Ingrid.
"What did I do?" She asked. She had a strong Southern accent, and held her body in an awkward position.
"What made you think I came here to talk to you?" Ingrid asked the snotty girl, who was rolling her eyes and snapping her gum.
"Well, what would you want with these girls?" Cassie asked. The girl named Tiffany stuck her tongue out at Cassie and made devil horns with her fingers behind the captain's back.
"Actually, I do want to talk to you. Come over here." Ingrid sat on the bleachers and Cassie sat beside her.
"What do you know about Lindsay Rae?" Ingrid asked.
"She was stupid, ignorant and overfilled with power. She deserved to be kicked off the squad."
"Well, what can you tell me about Robbie O' Polly?"
"That hunk? Whoa, it was like a heat wave when he walked into the room. He is so fine!"
"You like Robbie O' Polly?" Ingrid asked in disbelief. Cassie nodded.
"But you can't tell anybody. Only my best friend Nikki knows that I want to be with Robbie."
"Your secret is safe with me. Do you know anything about those bracelets that Robbie found under his front door mat?"
"What? No way! I was fuming when Robbie gave one to Lindsay Rae. It was an ugly bracelet, anyways." Cassie half yelled.
"Thanks. That's all I need."
"You swear?" Cassie asked.
"Don't worry." Ingrid stood up and walked out the gym doors when she heard a crash come from the Jewelry Club room. A person, the same one, all dressed in black burst out the door and bolted down the hall.
