A silent Luan sat on a cold plastic chair, legs folded to her chest, arms wrapped around her knees. Lynn Sr. sat on a different type of plastic chair right next to her. He was leaning slightly forward, his hands on an old wooden table, his fingers intertwined.

They had been escorted to a small conference room, not a stereotypical interrogation room one would see on TV crime dramas, and told to wait. Large windows lined one wall and there were two more mismatched chairs across the bare table from them, one plastic and the other wood. The wood chair was probably the only remaining chair to go with the table.

"The cops probably have to make do with hand me downs when they need new equipment," Lynn thought.

Olivia Munson was standing just outside the door, making a phone call on her cell. Lynn strained to hear, but he could only make out that it was a heated exchange about a child. He turned to Luan, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. The teen still had the same shell shocked expression on her face she had on their way to the station and had not uttered a word the entire time.

"Hey, we will get this all sorted out," he assured her. "Just tell them what happened."

Luan didn't respond. She didn't even nod.

The sounds of footsteps came from the hallway and Munson put her phone in her purse. She and two men, one middle-aged and the other fairly young, entered the room. The two men were wearing semiformal clothing, long-sleeve button up shirts and slacks, no ties. The younger of the two carried an armful of bottles and cans. He put a bottle of water each in front of Luan and Lynn. He handed a bottle of water to Munson as she sat in a chair off to the side. He put two cans of coke in front of the two empty chairs across from the Louds. The two men took a seat in the empty chairs. The middle-aged man pulled a small tape recorder from a pants pocket and set it on the table. He turned it on.

"It is 2 p.m., Wednesday June 15th," the middle-aged man said, clearly. "I'm Detective James Paulson, I'm here with Detective Wesley Mason, Olivia Munson from Juvenile Probation, and the Louds, Luan Loud, age fourteen, and her father, Lynn Loud Sr.," he paused, "Did I pronounce your names correctly, Luan and Mr. Loud?"

"Yes," Lynn said.

"Hopefully, this won't take too long," Det. Paulson said. "I know you were read your rights at your home, Miss Loud, but I'm going to do it again so that it is recorded."

The detective recited the Miranda warning again and opened his Coke. Luan muttered a 'yes' that she understood. The detectives asked again if the Louds would like an attorney present.

Lynn shook his head.

"Luan hasn't done anything. She'll tell you what happened."

"If either of you want something other than water, juice, coffee, pop, just let us know," Paulson said. "If you need to use the restroom at any time, also just let us know."

"Thank you," Lynn said. Luan just nodded once.

"Now, Miss Loud," Det. Mason said, pulling out a small notebook. "The Cranes have accused you of stealing a diamond bracelet valued at $4,500. It was purchased by Mr. Crane as a one year wedding anniversary gift for Mrs. Crane twelve years ago. Mr. Crane told us that it was an 18k white gold tennis bracelet, set with fifty-two round cut diamonds."

He looked up at Luan, closing the notebook. She looked back at him without comment.

"Anyone thinking Luan would ever steal anything is insane," Lynn said. "Luan is one of the most honest of all our children. The Cranes seem to have it out for Luan. They weren't satisfied with her performance and didn't pay her full fee."

"How much did they short you, Luan?" Det. Paulson asked.

"$10," Luan said. "My fee was $30. They only gave me $20."

"So you were angry with them?" Det. Mason suggested.

"Yah, but I wouldn't steal from them. I didn't even know they had any bracelets or where they keep them."

"OK, OK," Det. Paulson said. "How about you tell us what happened the day of the party?"

"Before or after?"

"How about you start at the beginning of your day, when you got up," Det. Paulson said.

"My alarm woke me up at 7 a.m. so I had a lot of time to get ready. The party was at 11 a.m. at the Crane's house. I was planning on being there by 10 a.m. I took a shower and ate breakfast. I had all my equipment ready to go the night before so I just loaded it into my red wagon. I put my rabbit, Gary, in his carrier and put it on the wagon too. Then at a little before ten I walked to the Crane's house."

"Did anyone see you walk to their house?" Det. Mason asked.

"I saw her leave the house," Lynn said.

"So did my mom and all my siblings, except Lori. She was out with her boyfriend already."

"How about while you were on the way to the house?" Det. Mason pressed.

"Not that I know of. When I got there, I was let into the house by a housekeeper. They have two or three of them."

"Did you get the housekeeper's name?" Det. Mason asked.

"Cecilia or Celia, I think. It started with an 'S' sound."

Det. Mason looked in his notebook.

"They have a housekeeper named Celia Maldonado. Go on, what happened next?"

"Mrs. Crane came to the door. She said I could use a spare bedroom upstairs in the house. Celia showed me to the room."

"Was it near the master bedroom?" Det. Paulson asked.

"I-I don't know. They didn't point out any other rooms. The room I went to was at the very end of the hall from the stairs, on the left hand side."

"Was it facing the front or back of the house?" Det. Paulson asked.

"I don't remember. I don't remember looking out the window. It had an attached bathroom. I remember that."

"Your story is so far falling in line with what of Celia's," Det. Mason said. "Go on."

"I changed into my tuxedo and set up my equipment on the stage outside in the backyard."

"How long did it take you to set up?" Det. Paulson asked.

"Like a half hour, maybe. I don't know for sure. It usually takes me that long."

"Continue," Paulson said, nodding.

"I had to go back to the room because I had left Gary there to wait. When I got there, the carrier door was open and he wasn't inside it. I checked the entire room, under the bed and other furniture, and in the bathroom. He was gone."

"Did you leave the carrier door loose or ajar?" Det. Mason asked.

"Oh no, I keep it secure."

"How about the bedroom door, was it open?" Det. Mason asked.

"It was open when I came back for Gary, but I closed it when I left to set up."

"Did you latch it?" Det. Paulson asked.

"I don't remember."

"Did anyone see you go back to the room?" Det. Mason asked.

"I think so. There were party guests already there, kids and adults. I don't know any names."

"Go on," Paulson said.

"I saw a housekeeper and I asked her to help me look for Gary. It was a different one than Celia, but she had Celia help look for Gary. We couldn't find him in the house or yard, so I retraced my steps to my house and searched there. My brother, Lincoln found him by our garbage cans by the garage. Gary was shaking. He was scared. I have no idea what scared him enough for him to run all the way home. He didn't want to go back to the Cranes' house."

"Could the rabbit get out of the carrier on his own?" Det. Mason asked.

"Oh no, it's even hard for me to open. You have to squeeze the bars together. The spring is strong."

Luan made a pinching gesture to demonstrate how to open the carrier door latch.

"Was anyone in that hall when you went back to get your rabbit?" Det. Mason asked.

"Yes, like I said. Some guests at the stairs. I didn't know them. I don't remember saying anything to them."

"Would you recognize them if you saw them again?" Det. Mason asked.

"I don't know. I didn't pay much attention to them."

"Going back to your search with the housekeepers," Det. Paulson said. "Where all did you search specifically?"

"In the bedrooms upstairs, in the rooms down stairs, in the front yard and backyard. In all the bushes and under tables and stage in the backyard."

"In any closets?"

"Yes, but the housekeepers looked in the closets and bushes too, ones I didn't look in."

"Do you remember what closets you specifically looked in?" Paulson asked.

"No, maybe if I went back to the Cranes' house, but not right now."

The detectives looked at each other.

"Maybe we could try that later," Paulson said.

"Did you know the Cranes from outside of the party?" Det. Mason asked.

"Not me, but my sister Lucy is in the same class as their son Ben. She told me when she heard I was performing at his house. I had never met any of them before two days before the party. I was a last minute replacement for the performer they had scheduled. He cancelled. Someone they knew referred me to them."

"Do you know who that was?" Mason asked.

"No, they never said. I've performed for lots of people. Could be anyone."

"Did your sister go to the party? The one that knows their son?" Det. Mason asked.

"No, they aren't friends, just classmates."

"How did the Cranes treat you while you were there?" Det. Paulson asked.

"Well…not very well."

"How so?" Paulson asked.

"They don't like my family. Mrs. Crane said that they take my money because there are so many of us. They don't take any of my money. The money I make is for me. She was making fun of us just 'cuz we aren't like them…not rich."

"So you found Gary, I mean, your brother found Gary and you returned to the Cranes' house," Det. Paulson said. "Tell me what happened next."

"Mr. and Mrs. Crane were upset with me."

"Why's that?" Det. Mason asked.

"Since I had to get Gary I only showed back up a minute or two before I had to do the show. Mr. Crane had to check the sound equipment himself. I didn't ask for any sound equipment. I didn't need it. They were the ones who wanted it. But, I did my show. All the guests and Ben Crane loved it. Even Mr. Crane said he liked it."

"So, it was just Mrs. Crane who didn't like the performance?"

"Yah, I think so. She said it was subpar."

"Did you go home right after the party?" Det. Mason asked.

"Yah, she had me escorted off her yard with my things."

"Did you ever go back to the spare bedroom after the performance?" Det. Mason asked.

"Yah, to change and get all the stuff I had left there."

"After Mrs. Crane paid you?" Det. Paulson asked.

"No, before."

"Did anyone see you go up there that time?" Det. Paulson asked.

"I don't know."

"OK, Miss Loud," Det. Mason said. "You've been very cooperative with us and we appreciate it. But, now I…"

"Detectives," Lynn cut in. "Like you said, she has been cooperative with you, now it's time for you to be cooperative with us. I want to know exactly what the Cranes are saying about my daughter! I tried to call them for two days to discuss the pay short, but no has returned my calls. They could have talked to me or my wife or something besides just accusing my daughter of something she didn't even do! Now, tell me what they were saying to you!"

The detectives shared another glance and Det. Paulson took a deep breath.

"The evening of their son's birthday party, Mrs. Crane discovered that her bracelet, the one that we have already described, was missing from the safe in the closet of their master bedroom. They searched the house, their staff searched the house. It wasn't found. Mrs. Crane had worn the bracelet the evening before the party to a charity event, so she knew that it had to have gone missing sometime during the party."

"OK, there had to be dozens of people at their house," Lynn said. "Anyone of them could have taken it."

"True and we have taken down all the names of guests and catering staff there that day," Det. Paulson said. "We've done some investigating of them as well. But, there are a few things that stand out to the Cranes and to us about your daughter. First, she was alone on the second floor for a long time. Two, she claims her rabbit ran away and while the housekeepers admit they helped her search the house and grounds, they don't actually know if the rabbit was actually missing. Three, she has a motive to want to get back at the Cranes, they shorted her on her pay for what she felt is a bogus reason. Finally, she knows how to pick a lock, she demonstrated her ability on stage in front of dozens of people."

"Yah, I know how to pick a lock," Luan said. "But what has that got to do with the bracelet?"

"The Cranes admit that their bedroom and closet were not locked, but their safe is locked with a key," Det. Mason said. "It can be picked open. Our forensics officer examined the lock and there are fresh scratches around the key hole and when he took it apart, there was slight damage to the lock's innards that were new and wouldn't be caused by a key made to fit that lock."

Silence fell over the room. Luan sat stone faced in her chair. Lynn was starting to feel overheated. It all felt so wrong. Wrongness surrounded them. The room was wrong. The table and its mismatched chairs were wrong. Lynn felt like nothing could be right again.

"I didn't do it," Luan cried, tears flowing down her face. "A-all this is just cirdum…cirum…"

"Circumstantial, honey," Lynn said. "And your right all this is just circumstantial."

"Circumstantial evidence often points to the truth," Det. Paulson said. "Luan had the means, motive and opportunity to steal the bracelet."

"I'm sure the Cranes have made actual enemies throughout the years," Lynn said. "Any of them could have snuck in and stolen the bracelet while everyone was outside watching Luan. You should be investigating the Cranes' connections, not Luan. I think I want my attorney now."