6. Keep Talking.
Finley and Gordon stepped back into Lane's office and settled themselves in their previous seats.
"Jade," Finley finally said. She looked at him blankly. "You have colored streaks in your hair."
Jade didn't really think that deserved a response. She simply blinked in feigned apathy.
"A colored synthetic hair was found at the crime scene."
Apathy suddenly became a little harder to feign.
"What color were the streaks in your hair last Wednesday?"
Jade looked at the coffee table in front of her, thinking back. She shook her head. She didn't remember.
"You don't remember?" Finley verified.
"No." She smirked suddenly. "Ask Sinjin. He'll probably know."
"Sinjin Van Cleef?" Gordon asked. "We've already spoken to him. He was not in school on Wednesday."
"Maybe he did it then."
Gordon chuckled, opening his mouth to say something but Finley cut him off.
"Do you think Sinjin is capable of killing your father?" It was a serious question.
"Not without landing himself in the hospital," Jade admitted. Finley smiled ever so slightly.
"We came to a similar conclusion."
"Awesome. So can I leave now?"
"Just another minute, please. Would any of your friends reliably remember what color your hair was on Wednesday?"
"I have no friends," Jade declared bluntly.
This seemed to strike Finley and Gordon as being quite surprising.
"So," Gordon began, flipping open a little notebook, "Beck Oliver, Cat Valentine, Andre Harris, Robbie Shapiro, and Tori Vega are not your friends?"
"Nope."
"Cat described you as her best friend," Finley said.
"I may be her best friend, but she's not mine. She's more of a pet, if anything."
"And your ex-boyfriend, Beck? You don't consider him a friend?"
"Ex is the operative word there," Jade said with a roll of her eyes. "And before you continue going down the list there, I hate Vega, Shapiro is an absolute moron, and Andre is okay."
"Andre is okay," Finley repeated.
"Yeah," Jade said with a shrug. "But he's Beck's best friend, so that makes him an idiot."
"I see," Finley and Gordon shared a glance.
"Can I go now?" Jade asked abruptly.
"Yes," Finley said. "Have a nice day."
Jade's eyes widened in a sudden inexplicable rage at that sentence, and she stormed out of the room. There was still a few minutes before the final bell rang, so Jade managed to sneak out and head home while the halls were still empty. She had a few hours to herself before her mother came home, so she popped The Scissoring into her laptop and lounged on her bed as the movie played. Jade spun the special scissors Cat had gotten her as a Secret Santa gift around her fingers while she watched, and suddenly felt weighed down with guilt. She hoped her declaration of having no friends wouldn't get back to the bouncy redhead, but she figured it probably would.
Linda didn't get home until late, having stopped by the hospital to visit her comatose ex. Jade was already in bed, scribbling in a notebook, when her mom poked her head past the door.
"Hi sweetie, how was your day?"
"Fine," Jade capped her pen. "Actually, it really wasn't. We need a lawyer. Like, now."
"Okay," Linda nodded. "I'll call—" she stopped. "I'll look up someone to call…"
"It's so stupid," Jade huffed angrily. "The one time we actually need a lawyer, the only defense attorney who would work for free is in a freaking coma!"
Jade's father had told her (when the West family was still happy) that she would never have to worry about a court defense while he was around. She saw him once a month, so that counted as 'around,' right?
"I'll ask around tomorrow, see if anyone at work knows someone."
"No," Jade countermanded forcefully. "We don't need anyone knowing that we might be in legal trouble. Look online and try to find someone who isn't a complete moron."
"Alright. Goodnight, honey." Linda kissed her daughter on the head, then left the room with a sigh.
Jade slept late into Tuesday morning, which didn't really matter since she had a study hall first period anyway. She rolled out of bed, feeling fully rested for the first time in a while, dressed, and was just finishing her makeup when someone knocked on the front door. Figuring it was a delivery, and that she'd just toss it on the couch on her way out, Jade grabbed her bag and thundered down the stairs. She stopped in her tracks, taken aback when she whipped open the front door to find the Suits.
"What are you doing here?" she asked irritatedly.
"Jade West," Gordon said. "You're under arrest for the attempted murder of Richard West. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?"
DUN DUN DUNNNNNN! Oooh hurray we're getting into police-y stuff now! Yay! And the defense attorney will be introduced in the next chapter too. Anyway, I want to give a big thank you to all of my reviewers, particularly the guest Treacle. Thank you so so much for your reviews, they mean the world to me! You alone can keep this story going. See you next week!