Hello, just a simple chapter to get myself back in the swing of things...
Sorry about the wait...(if you care as to why the update took so long explanation is after the chapter) please enjoy.
Ghostly Clues
File 4:
"Well… she was quiet."
"Merry was really sweet."
"I guess she was alright."
"Who?"
"No, I didn't really know her."
"She seemed kind of stuck up."
"We had, like, one class together."
"She never talks!"
"Well, I guess she was kind of cute…?"
McGee sighed leaning back in his chair. "This is painful." To McGee it was disheartening to him how little he learned. "It's amazing what kids do and don't remember." He murmured. Half the class only knew her because they shared the same classes. The other half told them little innocuous things. Like the fact that she seemed to really like kitty sweaters. Or the time that she apparently tripped and bumped into a sophomore football player who was just moments from introducing her to the hierarchy of the school in response when Sam Manson stepped in to calm the boy. As far as anyone could tell the incident hardly shook Merry and some of the student's started to think of her as cold and distant after instances like that. There were few people she gave more than a receptive "hi" to and even fewer she gave her own "hellos" to.
Merry, as far as McGee was concerned, seemed to be an extremely lonely girl. He sighed, picking up his folders and tapping them against the table.
"I agree, it is disheartening. I feel it would be more lucrative to talk to specific student's rather than the whole student body." Ziva said in response to his half-hearted complaints.
"True…" McGee looked at his list." Look there are only 10 more students in her class… how about we finish them up then move on to some of the older students that were mentioned.
"What like Fenton? Gibbs already talked to him."
"No, after our little stop at the Nasty Burger last night I'm thinking someone more like…"
"Ms. Paulina Sanchez, please have a seat." Ziva motioned for the girl as she walked in. The Hispanic girl slid into the plastic school chair gracefully as if she'd made it an art to moving into said chair smoothly. McGee looked over his folders not giving the girl much of a glance. Ziva's brow cocked just slightly but nothing else betrayed her thoughts. Silently she was happy she was with McGee and not Danozo.
It was interesting the amount of character they'd seen in students of the school already. According to their investigation, this girl was top of the school's inner food chain. If there was any gossip surrounding Merry this would be the place to start. Ziva doubted the legitimacy of gaining info from the rumor mill but any small lead could help them. Still, they really hoped to find something with the queen bee, since the Freshmen (who should have been closest to the victim considering they were in the same class. "Should have" being the point) knew very little of her. Honestly, it felt like the investigation hadn't even really started yet. They didn't have a clue as to where the girl died or who may have killed her. She was positive the girl had been killed but that was almost entirely circumstantial based on the information she currently had.
Shaking her head the woman refocused on the present moment as McGee started. "It says here you're a Sophomore, head cheerleader and treasure of your class. Pretty impressive."
"Well, Papa says that I am capable of anything I put my mind to." The girl said brushing her hair over her shoulder. "Um… officers?"
"Special Agent Timothy McGee."
"Officer Ziva David."
"Officer David, Agent McGee…" Paulina nodded respectively, nibbling on her bottom lip nervously. "Am I in trouble?"
"No." Ziva said bluntly.
"Our team is just trying to find out what happened to one of the student's here. Did you know Merry McColan?" McGee asked.
Paulina let out a breath then let her eyes roll to the side as she thought. Her face visually shifted as she connected events in her mind. " Oh…Right, the missing girl. Well, I mean no one really knew her. She was very standoffish. Kind of snobbish in a way… but not intentionally so. It was like she didn't want people to get close to her. She tried very hard to be invisible." Paulina's eyes met Ziva's and she looked the other way a slight blush dusting her cheeks as some kind of realization crossed her features. Her voice suddenly got slightly higher pitched. "Who would want that? I try really hard to always be the center of attention. And-I mean- It's not like I notice losers or anything… You know there was a rumor that she smokes…" Here Paulina's voice dropped conspiratorially. "Pot."
Ziva blinked. Trying to wrap her head around what just happened with the girl's response. It started out as observant and intelligent and then switched to a more traditional gossip style. She looked to McGee who looked almost lost as to how to deal with the girl talk.
Deciding it was her turn to push forward Ziva was very blunt. "Well, status does not matter at this point. She is dead. We are trying to figure out why."
Paulina bit her lip looking down before she took a deep breath through her nose. "Well…" She sighed. "Okay, I mean she was more of a lone wolf than a loser anyway. She would be okay if she'd walk with her head up and stop scrunching her shoulders. She was always trailing Fenton though and not to figure out his connection to Phantom. I could tell she had it bad. Social suicide in this school. Can't blame her though, she was way outside the loop… most of the rules in place she was completely ignorant too, and we agreed to let her be since she wasn't making waves. Who cared if a lowly wolf was pining after dog chow?"
Agent David's brow did raze this time. "I am sorry. I do not understand. Sometimes colloquialisms go over my head."
"Oh, I didn't realize-"
"I think she's saying that Merry wasn't very popular-
Paulina waved a hand dismissively interrupting McGee trying to explain. "It doesn't matter. All I'm saying is I'm pretty sure she liked Fenton… but I don't see how that'd help you, Danny… is weird… But he could never hurt anyone… I doubt he would if he could. He's too… old-fashioned. Plus, he is totally clueless. He didn't even know she existed till she disappeared. He was still one of the most upset- but- You know he still hasn't figured out that Sam Manson totally has the hot's for him and they've been friends since, like, 6th grade."
"Well, I don't see how that has anything to do with our case."
"That's what I'm saying." Paulina said. "No one knew her. Not even the people she liked. For the first month, she was here half of the school was convinced she was mute."
"She rarely talked?"
Paulina chewed her bottom lip again. A nervous habit she tried to brake often. "Very rarely…" Then her eyes snapped forward. "I do remember her raising her voice once though. She was having an argument. It was, like, a few weeks before she disappeared. I didn't recognize the guy she was talking too… he looked like a freshman... I mean he could go here? I don't know. If he does then he was a total loser."
Ziva and McGee both sat up straighter. "Do you remember what he looked like?"
The girls face scrunched up. "Maybe. He was wearing this ugly green hat and was dressed kinda like he wanted to be gangster in the '90s but wasn't even pulling that off."
Ziva hesitated in her note taking but shrugged off her inhibitions. Paulina was clearly the type of girl who preferred to play dress up. Acting like a helpless and stuck up girl. Maybe she was, but Ziva could see intelligence and strength in the girl. It was clear that Paulina Sanchez saw more than she normally let on. "I'm going to record this. Is that okay with you?" McGee asked the teen.
"Yes. Where do you want me to start?"
"How about with what you saw?"
It was about 40 minutes later. McGee and Ziva were taking a break considering calling it a day since the school would be closing soon when there was a slight knock on the door to the room. Ziva tried to hold back a slight laugh as McGee jumped looking up to see the vice principal Edward Lancer walk into the room. "Hello, sorry, I did not mean to startle you. I was just hoping to get a chance to talk with you."
"Oh." McGee nodded. "Of course. We plan on talking to faculty and staff sometime tomorrow but if you have information pertinent to the case we can always make time."
"Well, I don't know if it's pertinent exactly…" The older man hesitated wringing his hands slightly. "I take a high pride in helping students when I can. Merry was bright. She had too many fears for her own good. I do think talking to the faculty will help you more than the student's."
"Why is that?" Ziva asked all her attention on the portly man.
"Well… Merry wasn't good at talking to the other students but she was a very nice girl. She has- excuse me- had a kind heart. I know that she got along with the librarian more than she did any of the other students…"
"Good to know." McGee said with a nod he doubted he'd forget such a thing.
"What I wanted to discuss though was the last day Merry made it to school… It is something I've been thinking about a lot since she went missing…"
McGee set the folders down and pulled out a blank sheet and his tape recorder. "Do you mind?"
Lancer shook his head. "Not at all…"
"Okay…" McGee started the recording. "When was the last time you saw Merry McColan?"
Author's Notes:
WHY THE HELL DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO UPDATE? #1 I was finishing college and I also was in the middle of moving over the mountains. Life was/is kind of crazy. #2 I have two new jobs now to help pay off loans for the school I just finished #3 The worst case of writer's block I've had in a while… but I think it was more a result of not getting a chance to write so I got a bit rusty… (Sorry if it shows) #4 Research. I was trying to do some research for this story so it won't sound like an idiot wrote it… because well I may have a degree or two now but that doesn't make me smart… anyway, I have come to the conclusion that there are too many things to research at the moment and I can do that later. (Researching relevant movies for Danoz has been fun but frustrating and time-consuming.) If there's anything in the story that comes across as wrong or weird let me know and I will edit the story. If you have any suggestions or ideas on how to handle certain pieces of evidence or problems in the story better feel free to share. I'll let the readers know where the ideas/changes came from. If you like the story as it is awesome! Let me know! Or don't I understand writing reviews can be intimidating… but trust me even an "Update!" or a "good story" or a "do you even know English" will let me know that you guys are at least reading my story and I know the view numbers exist… but I don't trust them… Lol.
Kinda kidding, but reviews do let me know if I'm still taking the story in a likable direction or not… It's harder to respond to guest reviews but if you really want an answer to a question say so in the review and I'll try to post a response in the following chapter. I won't respond to every guest review like this because it makes Author's notes too long…#5 and the final reason is I've been much more inspired to write original stories… but I feel bad (like always) for not finishing these… so here I am! Sorry again for the wait…