It seems like a short trip to the interrogation room from the cafeteria even though they're on opposite ends of the building. When we walk into the interrogation room, I see it's been opened to the public again, and this time there are more in attendance. Rumors must be spreading about what we've learned so far today and people are curious. There are even a few Dauntless members sitting in the crowd now. The double entrance doors once again slam open, echoing throughout the chamber as Dru, wearing a pair of handcuffs and a scowl, is brought in flanked by Purple-Hair and Snake-Tattoo. They're followed closely by Nathan and Callen. My mom pales drastically when she sees them. This is the first time she's laid eyes on her brother since her Choosing Ceremony. I look toward Nathan and see he has a cold, confused look on his face.
"Why don't you take a seat, Mom," I say. "I promise we'll talk more about the engagement later. I need to go talk to Nathan and Callen now." She gives me a quick hug then goes to sit on the wooden bench where she's sat all morning long. I take a deep breath and walk over to Nathan and Callen followed by Tobias, Caleb, Dad, and Dr. Parrish. Callen and Caleb stare at each other in awe. It's like seeing identical twins in front of me, except one has light green eyes and the other has dark brown.
"Why was my wife arrested, Tris? Zander? Four?" Nathan asks. "No one's telling me anything."
"She's been conspiring with Asher Parrish to kill suspected Divergents," I say quietly. "So has Cameron." At the mention of his son, his knees buckle, and he starts to fall. Tobias and Caleb each grab an arm to stop his descent. They drag him back to the tiered benches and sit him down not far from my mom. He glances at her but doesn't say anything. Callen sits on the far side of his father looking dazed. I see him stealing glances at Caleb once in a while.
"Nathan," I say. I don't know how to ask this question. It's going to hurt him. "Is there a reason why Dru would tell Cameron he's Asher's son and not yours?"
"What?" Nathan says, obviously blindsided by my question. "Why do you think that?"
"Asher thinks he's Cameron's father. He couldn't have said it under truth serum if he didn't think it was true," I say. "It's not true. I have DNA confirmation he and I are directly related. Dr. Parrish is going to take your DNA and Callen's to confirm our results."
"I don't want Callen involved in this," he says.
"I'm afraid he already is involved, Nathan," Dr. Parrish says to his old friend. "I'm sorry I have to do this." He quickly collects a sample from Nathan and Callen.
"I don't get it," he says. "Why is this happening?"
"Asher and two other prisoners have implicated Dru in an unusual plot. We already knew about Cameron's involvement."
"Why didn't you come and talk to me, Tris?" Nathan says to me, almost pleading.
"We're supposed to have supper Saturday night," I say. "Four and I were going to talk to you about it then. Although, at the time we invited you, we had no idea of Dru's involvement. We only found out about it within the past 24 hours. I'm so sorry."
"Andrew," my mom says from just over my left shoulder. I didn't even know she'd gotten up. "This is my brother, Nathan Wright. Nathan, my husband, Andrew Prior." She makes the polite introductions. My dad and uncle shake hands politely.
"It's nice to finally meet you," Nathan says. He gets to his feet and approaches my mother. "God, I've missed you, Natty." He pulls her into his arms, and she clings to him, a happy smile on her face.
"I've missed you too, Nate," she says.
"Callen," I say. "This is my brother Caleb. I told you that you two looked alike." He shakes my brother's hand.
"It's nice to meet you," he shyly says. This is the first time I've heard Callen speak. Caleb returns the sentiment. Jack and Niles approach us.
"We would like to get the interrogation underway if you would take your seats," Jack says, more polite than I thought possible with what we've learned so far today. "Dr. Parrish, if you could please take a sample from Dru, I would appreciate it." My dad sits with Mom, Nathan, and Callen and Tobias, Caleb, and I return to our seats with the other council members. I see Dr. Parrish collect a sample from Dru. The look on her face is hard to read. It wavers between annoyance, anger, and remorse.
After Dr. Parrish collects Dru's sample he's taken to where his old friend Miles Randolf is being held for his DNA sample, and then he'll go back to Dauntless to run all the tests. I doubt Miles DNA will tell us anything but it's useful to have nonetheless. Tobias tells him to return immediately with the results, and if they aren't done within a couple hours, texting the test results will have to do.
Jack and Niles stay close to Dru while they ready her for her interrogation. Niles tells her the same thing he told Jason, Ben, and Asher today after he informs her she's been implicated in several crimes against humanity. I wonder if he said similar things to me and I just don't remember them. Niles offers Dru an alcohol swab, which she uses and steadies herself for the injection. I remember the feeling of the serum traveling through my veins, making me sluggish, and I remember slumping in my chair just like Dru is doing now. I also remember my brain shutting off and having a hard time concentrating. I wonder if my eyes glazed over like that too. I can tell Niles is about ready to start the interrogation after Jack nods his way.
"What is your full name?"
"Drusilla May Wright," she says. Just like everyone else today, confusion dominates her face.
"What are the names of your parents?" Niles asks.
"William and Sara Smith," she says.
"What is your born faction, and what faction did you choose?" he asks.
"Dauntless born and Dauntless chosen," Dru says.
"Is your loyalty with your chosen faction?"
"Yes." She says this with pride in her voice but how much pride can she really have if she's targeted some of its members, not that it's okay to target any of the other factions.
"What is the full name of your husband and children?" Niles asks. Dru actually looks confused by this question. I wonder why.
"Nathaniel James Wright, Asher Zekiel Parrish, Cameron Nathaniel Wright, and Callen Asher Wright," she says. Huh?
"Who are you married to, Dru? You just gave us two names," he repeats.
"Nathan Wright and Asher Parrish," she says quietly. Is she telling us she's married to both men? That's against the law, although it seems like she doesn't have any respect for the law.
"How are you married to two men?" Niles asks, dumbfounded.
"I married Nathan a week after my initiation was over," she says. "I married Asher before he left Dauntless for Erudite." That shouldn't be possible, she was a dependent then. Dependents can't marry.
"Is your marriage to Asher a legal marriage," Niles asks.
"No," she immediately says, sadness crossing her face. Niles looks at Dru's face then looks across the room where my uncle is sitting looking like someone just took his entire world and shattered it. Hopefully Niles will have enough compassion not to ask Dru if she loves my uncle. I don't think he can handle the truth that he was just a stand-in for her true love for all these years.
"Who is Callen's father?" Niles asks.
"Nathan," she says.
"Who is Cameron's father?"
"Nathan," she once again says.
"Did you tell Asher Parrish he's Cameron's father?" Niles asks. She looks down before answering.
"Yes," she says, barely audible.
"You must speak up," Jack bellows causing Dru to jump. She looks up at him and glares.
"Did you tell Cameron that Asher is his father?" Niles repeats. Instead of looking at Dru I look toward Nathan.
"Yes," she says loudly. Nathan loses it upon hearing his wife say she gave claim to their son to another man, and my mother puts her arm around him, comforting him. He falls into her, silently sobbing and shaking his head.
"Why would you do such a terrible thing?" Niles asks.
"Because Asher and I needed help with our plan," she says matter-of-factly. "I thought it was the only way to get him to go along with our requests. It worked."
Niles asks her about the lists, and she spends half-an-hour explaining in detail how the lists worked. I'm not surprised to hear her answer is nearly identical to Asher's. It seems they spend a lot of time together. She must use her position as a Faction Ambassador to meet with Asher. I remember her face the day of the ambassador assignments when she learned she was assigned to Candor. She was livid. Now I know why.
"Did you ask Asher to recruit his son, Alec, to help with these attacks?"
"No," she says. "He will do anything to please me. He did that on his own." Mom told me Dru was not to be trusted. I wonder if this is what she meant. Now I wish Niles would've asked her if she loves either of the men she claims to be her husband.
"Dru, please look at me," Niles says. She opens her eyes and looks toward his voice. "Do you have a list of all the people you have killed or attacked?"
"Yes, I do," she says.
"Tell me who they are?" Jack says.
"I can't," she says with no visible pain. "They're written down though. I can't possibly remember all those names." Anger surges through me. I wonder how many people have died because she was attacked and left for dead as a teenager.
"Where is the list located?" Niles asks.
"It's on my work computer," she says after pausing for a moment. I can tell the increasing pain drove her to answer. I remember that fire.
"How can we recognize the file?" Jack asks.
"It's marked Dawson," she says. Tobias gets his phone out and stares at it for a moment. He then dials someone I've never heard him talk to with the exception of my first day in Dauntless, Lauren Jones, who I learn is a computer programmer when she wasn't training Dauntless born initiates. He quietly tells her she needs to get Dru Wright's work computer and look for a hidden file named Dawson. He tells her it's imperative she not tell anyone what she's doing. She's to put the file on a removable disc drive and immediately deliver it to Tori or Will. He then sends texts to Tori and Will telling them what we've learned so far and to expect a visit from Lauren.
"Asher told us how you add names to the lists. Can you tell me how you target the names on the lists?" Niles asks.
"We go by the information we gather from informants and casual contact with these people. For example, before Amar Atwood was targeted an informant heard a conversation he was having with an initiate. This made us extremely suspicious of him. We targeted him, and he didn't pass our test." I hear Tobias growl. I've never heard him make a sound like that.
He leans close to me and whispers, "He was talking to me about my simulation. Eric overheard us and reported it to Jeanine Matthews. Amar was killed that night." He's never told me this before. Knowing him the way I do, he holds himself partially responsible for Amar's death, and that's why he's kept it to himself.
"What test didn't he pass?" Niles asks.
"The truth serum," she says. I look at Tobias confused. How would they get truth serum? And it doesn't work on Divergents anyway, I just proved that. I see color spreading in Jack's face, and he looks like he's about to blow his stack.
"How did you get truth serum?" Jack asks, sounding deceptively calm. "We don't let truth serum off the premises."
"Asher tried to get it from the Erudite serum lab but he couldn't find anyone to cooperate, so he got it from his old friend Miles Randolf," she says. Not only did Miles help Dru and Asher kill Dawson Andresen but it seems he's been helping them with their vendetta right under Jack Kang's nose even though he denied it earlier. Jack turns his back and walks out of the room. He might only need time to calm down but I imagine he's going to pay Miles a visit.
"You mentioned a test," Niles says to Dru. "What test is that?"
"During the assault the suspect is injected with truth serum," she says. "The only question we ask is if they are Divergent. It works quickly so if they answer yes, the target is eliminated. If they say no, they're only beaten into unconsciousness, and the effects of the truth serum wears off before they wake up. We take the ones who pass the test off the lists and don't bother them again. Why don't you try it yourself? You have a filthy Divergent here in your midst. My husband's niece, Tris, is Divergent. I wish he'd let her fall that night instead of saving her worthless life." Every muscle in Tobias' body clenches, and I put my hand on his back trying to calm him. It won't do us any good if he attacks her, which I imagine is exactly what's going through his head right now.
"Actually, before you were brought in, Tris was put under truth serum and three times denied being Divergent," Niles says.
"That's impossible," she says, glaring at me. "All the information we've gathered indicates she's Divergent." I roll my eyes, playing it up for the audience. I need to make sure they don't try to put Tobias under truth serum. Even though I assumed all Divergents are aware during truth serum that seems like it isn't the case. What if he couldn't lie? They might kill him, and I can't lose him.
"Back to you, Dru. Why are you doing this?" Niles asks. "Why are you targeting people you deem Divergent?"
"Divergents are evil. They don't deserve to live with the rest of us," she says. "I'm doing the city a favor by eliminating them."
"What made you hate Divergents in the first place?" he asks. The room is gravely quiet. We already know what happened to Dru because of Asher's confession. It doesn't seem fair to have her relieve the worse time in her life when we already have the answer.
"A Divergent hurt me," she says through gritted teeth. I can tell she not only doesn't want to answer the question but she doesn't want to think about it either. I was devastated the night Peter put his hands on me, I can't imagine the horror he put her through.
"I need details." I can't stand anymore of this and I jump to my feet.
"No," I say. "You don't need any details. Dru, you don't have to answer that. What's your favorite color?"
"Black," she says with a slight smile on her lips. Hopefully the pain is gone since she answered that question. I then turn to Niles. "You don't need to ask her to relive the assault. The details aren't relevant."
"I will decide what is relevant, Tris," Niles says. "You are out of order."
"You think I'm out of order? Yes, she's done despicable things in her life but she doesn't deserve to relive the details of that night. No woman should have to go through what she did."
"I agree," my dad says walking up to Niles and me. "If you don't move on from this line of questioning, Candor will be reprimanded and you will be removed from your post."
"You can't do that," Niles says.
"Actually, since I've been named the head of the council I've learned just how far reaching my duties are," he says. "And yes, I do have the authority to remove anyone from any post as I see fit. Asking a rape victim about the details of her assault when it isn't in the act of finding or prosecuting her assailant is unnecessary. Move on." He glares at my dad and me for a while before he turns his attention back to Dru.
"How did the Divergent hurt you," Niles says. Dru sits trembling before him, and I catch a glimpse of the frightened 15 year old behind the cold woman she's become.
"He raped me and tried to kill me," she quickly says, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I thought I was going to die. I wanted to die."
"Why did he do that to you?" he asks.
"I don't know," she spits out. "He kept asking me out on a date, and I kept telling him I was engaged to be married. He didn't like my answer so he took what he wanted and threw me away. He tossed me right in the chasm. For a lot of people in here that doesn't mean anything but to every member of Dauntless you know what I mean."
"Did you kill Dawson Andresen?"
"Yes," she says, holding her head up high. She's definitely not ashamed of exacting revenge upon her attacker. I can hardly blame her for that. After reading his file, I wanted to kill him, and he was already dead.
"Who helped you plan and execute his death?" I can tell she doesn't want to answer this question.
"Asher and Miles helped," she finally says. "They talked about asking Nathan and Zander to help but at the last minute they changed their minds. I don't know why."
"Four, do you have any other questions for this prisoner?" Niles asks.
"Yes," he says. He walks to Niles and hands him a piece of paper with a question on it.
"Did you leave the Christmas present on the table the night of the Christmas party?" Niles reads. Dru furrows her eyebrows at that question.
"No," she says. "I don't know anything about a Christmas present." That's odd. After eliminating Nathan as a suspect, I would have bet everything that Dru put that package on the table that night. I wonder who did that.
"Do you have any other questions, Four?" Tobias shakes his head at Niles. "One last question, Dru. What is your greatest regret?" Tears are sliding down her face as she stares straight ahead.
"My biggest regret is pushing Asher away after the attack. He would have stayed by my side but I wasn't strong enough to see that at the time. I thought he only felt sorry for me like every other person who looked at me from that day forward. I pushed him away so hard he choose another faction at his Choosing Ceremony, and I married and had children with a man I never really loved. I missed out on the life I was supposed to live because of that. I will always regret that." At her admission, my uncle can't take anymore. He gets up and storms out of the double doors with Callen and my mom on his heels.