Tobias and I are quiet, leaving each other to our thoughts, as he pushes my wheelchair down the hall toward Drew's room. I don't know what's on his mind but mine is occupied with thoughts of Molly and her minions. I am nervous yet excited to hear Drew's answers under truth serum. I will never understand anyone who blindly follows another and doesn't think for themselves but, hopefully, this will give us some insight into who he is and why he's done the awful things he's done. When we round a corner not too long into our journey, it's easy to tell which room is his. About halfway down the hallway on the right stands two very large, armed Dauntless guards flanking a set of double doors and scattered throughout the rest of the corridor is Jack Kang and several other Candor leaders. When he sees us, he separates himself from the crowd and approaches.
"Hello, Four, Tris," he says as he offers his hand to Tobias who shakes it firmly. "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."
"You and me both," Tobias says. "Do you have an update on the laptop situation?" Anger momentarily flashes across Jack's face but it soon fades away. If I wouldn't have been directly looking at him in that very moment, I would have missed it.
"Do you mind if we talk about that after the interrogation is over?" he asks. He looks over his shoulder at his fellow leaders who aren't paying us any attention then back at us. "As of right now, the three of us are the only ones who know about that, and I'd like to keep it that way for the time being."
"I take it you have a suspect then," Tobias says, his tone suspicious as my eyes land on Kent Nelson. Did he help his daughter? It's the only scenario that makes any sense to me. I study his features trying to see the bitch but it's hopeless. They look absolutely nothing alike, apart from their red hair. Her mother must have model good looks because she definitely got none from him.
"I do," he says. "I'm hoping his identity will be revealed during the boy's interrogation."
"In that case, we'll keep the information to ourselves and not mention it until you do," I say. "But I for one am looking forward to our conversation later."
"How are you feeling, Tris?" Jack asks as he turns his attention to me. "You look pale."
"I don't think I would be out of bed under any other circumstances but I need to hear what Drew has to say. He nearly killed me Sunday night, and I deserve to know why."
"Of course you do," he says. I tuck my bangs behind my ear with my left hand, and he grimaces as he takes in the wound on my wrist and arm. "He really did a number on you, didn't he?"
"Yeah, he did but he didn't do this. The redheaded bitch did," I snarl. "He injected me with the Frankenstein Serum, which made me live through my worse fear. The physical pain of being stabbed was nothing compared to the emotional torture of have to live through the death of Four." Jack's face contorts with confusion because obviously Tobias is standing right here with us. "My worse fear is the death of my husband." I clear my throat when emotions well up. I didn't realize I was reliving those agonizing moments as I spoke but I was. Tobias puts his hands on my shoulders and squeezes. I reach up and take ahold of his right hand and say, "I want him punished to the fullest extent of the law for what he's done."
"If he answers our questions the way I think he will, his crimes will warrant the death penalty," Tobias says.
"I agree," Jack says. "Anyone who murders a leader of this city will receive swift justice."
"We're all in agreement then," I say.
"We better get this show on the road then," he says. He turns and Tobias and I follow closely behind him.
"Make sure neither of you leave your posts during the proceedings," Tobias says, addressing the guards who are the only ones left in the hallway. "Everyone who is attending should already be present so no one else is allowed inside."
"Yes, Four," they say in unison. Jack is standing in the threshold, holding the door open so Tobias can push me into the room. When my eyes meet Drew's he pales drastically. For a split second I think his wounds are bothering him but then I realize I've seen that look before. It's the exact same look Cameron wore when he walked into the interrogation room after he gave me death serum on New Year's Eve and saw me. Drew thought he killed me just like Cameron thought he had but I'm tougher than they give me credit for.
Tobias parks me along the wall by a double row of folding black chairs brought in especially for the interrogation then sits down beside me. Under normal circumstances I think this room would be a very large one, which is probably why we're using it but with all these people in here, it feels claustrophobic. Besides Jack, Tobias, and me, there is Niles, four other leaders of Candor … or at least I assume they are leaders – they have an air of authority about them – Will, Caleb, Dad, and two more armed Dauntless guards standing on either side of Drew's bed. I guess Will and Tobias are taking no chances on him trying to escape. Dad and Caleb have their backs to me, talking to Will but the moment he sees me he points me out to them. When they turn I'm met with tired, worried eyes.
"Hi," Caleb says as he leans over and lightly hugs me. "You had us all very worried. I'm glad you're going to be okay."
"Thanks," I say then I look up into my father's face. "Hi, Dad. I didn't expect to see either of you here."
"Our presence was requested as representatives not only of Erudite and Abnegation but of the council," Dad says. "If he did what he's accused of, an execution time needs to be set immediately. You don't murder a leader of a faction and get away with it."
"Who decides his punishment?" I ask. I've never thought about this before. "I guess I thought Candor handed down the sentencing."
"They always have input from the other four factions," he says, "but the decision is usually predetermined."
"So what you're saying is the punishment is already chosen before it's determined if a crime has been committed or not?" I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that.
"That's exactly right," Dad says. "That's how the city has managed to always hand down swift justice."
"You mentioned all five factions but Amity isn't here," I say.
"Actually Summer Miller is here," Caleb says. I haven't seen her since the last council meeting I attended, which seems like forever ago. "She's sitting in that corner over there." I crane my neck to where he's pointing and see a flash of red and yellow between the sea of black and white worn by the Candor leaders.
"I think I see her now," I say. Jack clears his throat, and the room goes quiet except for the sound of Drew's slightly raised heartbeat through the EKG monitor.
"I'm sure we all know one another so I will skip the formalities," he says. "We're here today for the interrogation of Drew Boyd, factionless. Niles, you may proceed." Everyone who was milling around seconds ago takes a seat including Jack as Niles prepares Drew for the interrogation. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tobias pull out a small notebook and pen, and I furrow my brows at him.
"In case I have any questions I want asked," he whispers after he presses his mouth up against my ear. I nod in understanding. I'm sure we'll have plenty of questions. I then look back at Drew, wondering what information he's going to confirm and what secrets he's going to reveal. We've been waiting months for this day, and I realize I'm waiting for his answers on pins and needles.
Niles tries to hand Drew an alcohol swab but he can barely lift his arm so he cleans off the left side of Drew's neck himself. He then takes a syringe out of the rectangular black box sitting on the hospital table next to the bed. I tense as a memory of a shiny metal injector with a red serum attached to it flashes through my mind causing my heart to race. I reach out and Tobias, sensing my anxiety, takes my hand and laces our fingers together. I take several deep, cleansing breaths to try and calm the anxiety while Niles injects the serum into Drew's neck. Once the syringe is out of sight, my heart rate begins to slow. What the hell was that all about? I watch Drew's face as his eyes gloss over, and I know the interrogation is ready to begin.
"Will you please state your name for the record," Niles says.
"Drew." We all wait for him to finish but he doesn't say another word. I can't help but roll my eyes at his stupidity.
"Your full name," he says with an exasperated sigh.
"Oh," Drew says like he doesn't have a worry in the world. "Andrew Mitchell Boyd."
"How old are you, Drew?"
"I just had my 18th birthday last month," he says.
"What are your parents' names?" Niles asks.
"Dustin and Sally Boyd." I expect a touch of melancholy in his voice when he speaks of his parents like most people under truth serum but all I hear is indifference.
"Do you have any siblings?" he asks.
"Yes," Drew says. Again he doesn't answer the question fully, and he doesn't look like he's in pain. As a matter of fact, his heart rate has decreased, which I find strange.
"What's her name?"
"Jenny, uh, Jennifer Lynn Boyd," he says. Wait a minute. How did Niles know his sibling was a sister and not a brother? Do they know each other?
"What faction were you born into?" Niles asks.
"Candor."
"What faction did you choose?" he asks.
"Dauntless, although I'm factionless now," Drew says.
"And why are you factionless?"
"Dauntless changed its rules last year and not everyone was allowed to stay," he says. That's a surprisingly accurate accounting and nothing at all like I thought he would say. Something's not right here. I look at Tobias, and his Four mask is firmly in place but I see tension in his jawline and mistrust in his eyes. He knows something is off also.
"I'm going to switch gears now," Niles says. I find myself leaning forward in my wheelchair, anticipating what information he's going to give us. "What is your relationship with Molly Atwood?" He pauses but doesn't seem to be experiencing any pain.
"She's my cousin."
"And the late Peter Hayes?" he asks.
"He was my cousin, too," Drew says.
"What about Olivia Nelson and Lauren Jones?"
"I don't recognize those names," he says. What the hell does he mean he doesn't recognize those names?
"Where were you in the morning hours of July 19 of this year?" Niles asks.
"I don't know." I've been studying Drew's face since he was injected and I knew something was different from other interrogations but I couldn't place it … until now. I don't see the telltale sign of truth serum … confusion. How is that possible? I've known the bewilderment of truth serum firsthand. It isn't something you can escape whether you're Divergent or not, and I know for a fact that he's not Divergent.
"Please think about the question," he says. "There was a death in Dauntless." Niles looks at a sheet of paper I didn't notice he has in his hand. "Samantha Jean Lawrence." Drew narrows his eyes slightly and slowly shakes his head.
"I'm sorry but I don't know that name," Drew says. Alarm bells go off in my head. Ruth told me that Lauren babysat Peter, Molly, and Drew. He has to know that name. She also told me that Molly was friends with Olivia and someone named Sami. I may not be acquainted with all my friends' friends but I know their names. He has to be lying right now … but how? My eyes scan the room and land on Kent Nelson, his suspected coconspirator, and he has a look of concern on his face then my eyes slide to Jack and his is contorted with anger.
"This needs stopped," I say and everyone in the room looks my way. "He's lying. I don't know how but I know for a fact that he's lying."
"I will have order, Tris Prior," Niles sternly spits.
"Tris," Jack says but I interrupt him.
"Jack, please hear me out," I say. "It's almost as if Drew wasn't given truth serum at all. Most everyone in this room has been subjected to a truth serum interrogation at one point or another so we all know how confusing it feels. Drew doesn't look or act confused. His heart rate went down when he was injected. That should be impossible. He's acting like he normally does." Jack very slowly gets to his feet, and I expect him to be angry with me for my outburst but his irate stare isn't on me.
"I had my suspicions that this is how this interrogation would go, although I thought Drew would do a better job of convincing us he was in fact under the effects of the serum," he says. He thought this was going to happen? Maybe I intervened too soon. I've only seen Jack Kang this angry once before and that's when he found out that his good friend and trusted colleague Miles Randolph was helping Asher and Dru target suspected Divergents. "There is something that everyone needs to know. Last night it was brought to my attention that Dauntless fugitive Lauren Jones was hiding in our headquarters." It's obvious to me that the other Candor members knew nothing of this finding because they all look astonished. "Four called and told me that her laptop was in room 534. A thorough sweep of the room was performed but no evidence of a foreign laptop or an intrusion was detected. At first I thought she had just gotten away so I was preparing to arrest the office's occupant but upon learning her identity, I thought it might be part of an elaborate setup. I immediately called the Dauntless technician who detected the laptop's position in the first place. I asked if he could still detect it in office 534, and he told me he could. After a little back and forth he realized that the signal was piggybacking the office computer. Once he figured that out, he led us to the laptop and to Lauren Jones. She was immediately taken into custody and is being held in Dauntless' holding cell at Candor." Lauren's in custody? Hallelujah! "Would you like to explain why I found a fugitive hiding in your office, Niles?"
"I don't have any idea what you are talking about," he says with typical indignation.
"I suppose you don't know that the serum you just gave Drew … the serum that was prepared by you … is actually a 50/50 mix of peace serum and truth serum, which essentially renders the truth serum useless." Niles look changes from innocent and unassuming to smug and superior. Why would he be helping Molly and her minions? I've always had an idea that he didn't like Tobias and me but what would his motive be? Is it possible he was in Peter's orbit, too? "Four, do you have a holding cell we can put Niles in?"
"Yes, we do," he says as he gets to his feet. "Todd, Joe, please escort the prisoner to our holding cell then guard the door. I'll let Simon and Tony know of your reassignment. Don't let him out of your sight."
"Yes, Four," they say. They each grab Niles by the upper arm and escort him out the door. He doesn't say a word to defend himself.
"Can he be given more truth serum or is that too dangerous since he got a partial dose?" I ask not caring if it hurts him, only wanting to make sure we get the information that we need. That is what's important.
"I anticipated this would happen when I learned he was a traitor so I happen to have another syringe with truth serum right here," Jack says. He reaches inside his jacket pocket and pulls out a syringe. Once again I go lightheaded at the sight. For a split second I think the thunderous heart rate echoing around the room is mine but I quickly realize that it's Drew's. He obviously was in on the rouse because he wasn't nervous until now.
"Jack, whose office is 534?" I ask.
"Stephanie Misner." Will gasps and my mouth falls open. "She's your best friend's mother and the mother-in-law of a Dauntless leader, correct?" I nod, still unable to speak. "I also know that she has helped you with some legal matters in the past so I ascertained she had no motive to hurt you. That's why I looked for an alternative explanation. I personally talked to her this morning, and she insisted on a truth serum interrogation, which I performed. She has zero knowledge of why you and Dauntless are being targeted." I exhale loudly. They tried to hurt my best friend by hurting her mother. They've sunk to a new low.
"Thank you for your thorough investigation into this matter," I say.
"Yes, thank you," Will says. "From myself and my wife. Tris, we've got to find Molly and Olivia before anyone else gets hurt."
"Do you know where your daughter is?" Tobias asks, addressing Kent Nelson.
"I don't," he says. "I'm not sure I would help you if I did. You're a parent. Would you turn your child over to an angry mob?"
"Mob?" Tobias says, voiced raised but I rest my hand on his Amity tattoo. If he wasn't so angry in this moment he would see where this man is coming from. He's a grieving father.
"I wouldn't want to see anything bad happen to my child, which is why I would do anything within my power to make sure he or she got the help they needed," I say. "Sir, your daughter is sick. She needs to be in a hospital. I know it's not something you want to hear but she is the one who put me in this chair, and she's the one who did this," I hold up my left arm so he can plainly see it, "and worse. She's fixated on my husband and thinks that if I'm out of the way he'll turn to her in his grief, which would never happen. So if you have a clue as to where we can find her, please tell us. We'll do everything in our power to make sure she gets help instead of a dose of death serum."
"I'll think about it but I can't make any promises," he says.
"That's all I ask," I say. "I'm starting to not feel very well. Can we finally get the real interrogation underway?"
"Of course," Jack says. "Four, would you please assist me? You know better what is happening than I do." He turns to his fellow leaders. "Does anyone object to this?" I watch as they one by one okay the plan. Tobias kisses my temple then joins Jack as he readies Drew for the truth serum. After wiping off the left side of his neck, he jabs the needle into the vein and pushes the plunger. Almost immediately his eyes glass over and he slumps down in his bed. After a minute, his heart monitor picks up speed. "I think we can begin. Please state your full name for the record."
"Andrew Mitchell Boyd." There is zero hesitation in his answer and confusion settles on his face. We already know he's a terrible actor so it's obvious the serum is working this time.
"How old are you?" he asks.
"I just had my 18th birthday last month," Drew says.
"What are your parents' names?"
"Dustin and Sally Boyd," he says. Hhm. He still doesn't sound like he misses them.
"Do you have any siblings?" Jack asks.
"Yes, I have one sister, Jennifer Lyn Boyd but everyone calls her Jenny."
"What faction were you born into?" he asks.
"Candor," Drew proudly says.
"What faction did you choose?" he asks.
"Dauntless," Drew says.
"Did you want to join Dauntless," Tobias asks, taking over the questioning.
"No," he says flinching after a short pause.
"So why did you join a faction you didn't want to join?" he asks. Drew pauses so long that he cries out in pain before the flood gates open.
"Peter always wanted to join Dauntless," Drew breathlessly says. "He insisted that we join along with Molly, our cousin."
"Did you ever think about doing what you wanted to do? You chose after Peter. He couldn't have done anything to you."
"I thought you knew him better than that, Four," he scoffs. "His reach is from beyond the grave, don't you see that? If I would have joined Candor like I wanted, like I should have … he would have killed me." Maybe Peter Hayes was more dangerous than we thought.
"Why do you think you're factionless now?" Tobias asks.
"I wasn't good enough for Dauntless with their old rules," he says but it looks like it pains him to do so.
"Is that the only reason why you think you're now factionless?"
"If you're asking me if I think you and Tris cheated during my initiation the answer is I don't know," Drew says, surprising me. "Molly does, that's for sure."
"Besides being Molly's cousin, what is your relationship?"
"She's my best friend," he says.
"So, am I right when I say you're close?" Tobias asks.
"Yes."
"How close?" he asks. I see him visibly flinch as he fights the serum.
"I'd do anything she asked," Drew spits.
"So if she asked you to kill someone, you would?"
"Yes," he says, hanging his head defeated.
"Tell me, Drew, who have you killed?" Tobias asks.
"The first person I killed was Sam."
"Did Molly order her murder?" he asks.
"Not exactly," Drew says. "She saw Molly and Lauren talking near the Pit and was going to turn Molly in for being in Dauntless. I had no choice but to silence her." Poor Sam. It sounds like she wanted to do the right thing and paid for it with her life.
"When you say Lauren who do you mean?" he asks, steering the conversation to yet another pivotal player.
"Lauren Jones," he says.
"How do you know her?" Tobias asks.
"She babysat Peter, Molly, and me when we were little in Candor."
"Who was your next victim?" he asks. Once again he tries to fight the serum. "If you answer quickly, you won't feel the effects of the serum."
"I think his name was Harrison," Drew says. My God! He didn't even know who he was injecting that awful serum into.
"That's right. Harrison Cosgrove, a leader of Dauntless." Unbelievably, Drew pales even more upon hearing that news. He must not have any blood left in his face. "Why did you kill him?"
"Molly told me to," he flatly says.
"Did she give you a reason as to why she wanted him dead?" Tobias asks.
"No. She just told me where to go and who to look for." Someone in the room gasps at that statement. How does he know he killed the right person?
"How do you know you got the person Molly wanted?" he asks, basically reading my mind.
"She said I did a good job," Drew says. He shrugs his shoulders then grimaces with pain. He must have forgot about the two bullet wounds in his chest.
"Who were you next ordered to kill?"
"Tori Wu but I got her boyfriend instead," he says. "Molly and Lauren were upset with me so I knocked her out and took her with me."
"Why did you do that?" Tobias asks.
"I only had one syringe with me but Molly wanted her dead so I thought it was best to take her to the serum. I didn't want Molly mad at me." I can't believe what I'm hearing. Was he so desperate for friends that he would do anything Peter commanded and then Molly? If he wasn't a killer and so pathetic, I might actually feel sorry for him. Tobias is standing across the room rubbing his temple. He's finding his answers just as absurd as I am.
"Why did you hold onto Tori?" he asks.
"Molly asked her about the investigation but she didn't know much," Drew says. "When she was absolutely certain she got all the information she could get out of her, she had me inject her and take her to the Navy Pier for Will to find."
"Why did you attack Will if he was part of the plan to find her?"
"I didn't," he says. "We don't know who did that." I look over at Will, and he looks pissed. I'm sure he thought he would find out the name of his assailant today. I guess I always figured it was Drew.
"Are you the one who told him to go to the Pier?" Tobias asks.
"Yes."
"I'm going to back up for a minute," he says. "What is Molly's plan?"
"Tris' total destruction?" Drew says.
"Why?" Drew pauses but doesn't really look like he's in pain.
"Tris embarrassed her," he says. I expect a barrage of comments but he stops.
"What do you mean Tris embarrassed her?" Tobias asks. Our eyes meet and I see fury and pain in them. I fully understand the fury but am at a loss for the pain.
"Tris knocked her unconscious during the practice fights. If you hadn't pulled her off she might have even killed her." I feel eyes boring into me but I keep mine on Drew who is looking straight ahead. "She didn't like being made a laughing stock of by a Stiff." So it's okay for her to show my ass to a dorm room full of people but not for me to beat hers in front of our classmates. She doesn't make a bit of sense.
"So you're telling me that she concocted an elaborate payback of my wife because she beat her during one lousy fight over a year ago?" he asks.
"Oh, no," Drew says. "She didn't come up with the plan."