Beloved

Chapter 15: The Outcome

"Woohoo!" a shirtless dude yelled. He charged like a deranged stallion and leaped into the raging water of the pool. The party took place in the Fraternity's backyard. Some of the partydoers wore bathing suits while others decided to wear casual tees and khakis as if they were in the beach.

As I watched the kids rejoicing the loud music, fizzy drinks, and wearing skin tight bathing suits, it made me feel stupid that I listened to Rebecca's fashion advice. I searched for Claire and her possible partner, but I couldn't find them over the noise and the swarm of people.

Curling my strands of my hair, I saw three Sorority girls in their bathing suits. Gathering my courage, I walked over to them and flashed my smile. "Hey," I greeted. The girls looked at me then smiled back.

"You look overdressed for a beach party," one of the girls said in confusion. She had long red hair, tied into a luscious ponytail and a white two piece bikini. I nodded very slowly. "My friend made me wear it," I explained blushing. "Anyways, how are you guys doing?"

"Pretty good," the second girl answered. Her brown hair was lying to the back of her neck. Unlike her friend, she wore a yellow one piece bathing suit. "Still bummed out about Marie, though." And speaking of Marie... "Ugh," I agreed. "Tell me about it." "There were some rumors about her," the third girl added.

Their friend had a pale complexion, hazel eyes, and reddish blonde hair. She wore a neon blue tank top and skimpy shorts. "What kind of rumors?" I asked. "A few months ago," the red haired girl whispered. "Marie couldn't pay her bills or something, so she turned to the coach for help."

This is starting to get interesting. "Why the coach?" I asked. "Why couldn't she just ask her wealthy parents for the money?" "She did," the brunette girl explained. "But her parents refused, talk about cruelty."

Rebecca's parents refused to give her money? For what reason? "So is the coach rich or something?" I asked. The girls just shrugged their shoulders then left.

Just then, I saw the coach in his sleeping robe. When he saw the party, his eyes were sharp and angry. The football players and the rest of the college kids stopped from what they were doing and looked down on the grass.

"Everyone," the coach announced. "Clean up this mess and go back to your dorms." Everyone nodded then cleaned up the broken fragments of party decorations and beverage cups.

Nervously, I walked up to the coach then gave him a small smile. "May I ask you a few questions?" I asked sheepishly. His grey eyes squinted at me, but nodded.

"Did you come from a wealthy family?" I asked. "No," he answered, shaking his head. I noticed that his hand was shaking then closed my notebook. As much as I wanted to find the truth about the football coach, I didn't want to lose my suspect. "On second thought," I began. "Can I interview you tomorrow?"

He wiped his eyes then smiled. "Sure, kiddo." he answered. "What's your name?" I asked. "Because I wanted-" "My name is Coach McCall," he introduced. I nodded slowly then briefly shook hands with him. As soon as he departed, all the trash from the lawn has been picked up and tossed in the garbage.

Without a word, the college kids left the backyard and headed to their dorms. I checked to see if Rebecca or Claire were here, but I couldn't find them. Maybe, they went back to their dorms, I thought hopefully. As I took two steps forward, I caught Ace and Coach McCall whispering to themselves near the doorway of the Fraternity House.

Ace wore a blue Hawaiian t-shirt, Capri short, and sandals. His hair was copper brown and mottled from the chlorine pool, Brown freckles appeared on his nose, and a long Tiki necklace pressed against his six pack abs. He wore black sunglasses.

Curious, I leaned against the wooden structure of the building then listened to their conversation. "Did you take care of it?" Coach McCall asked in a hushed voice. "Yeah," Ace sighed. "But trust me, getting rid of that counterfeit money is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"What do you mean?" he hissed. "I don't think April O' Neil bought the story, about going to the Dean-" Ace began. So Ace didn't go to the police, he went to the coach. I slipped into my knapsack, pulled out a tape recorder, and pushed the Play button. "You think that Cole is a detective or something?" Coach McCall asked.

"You should have seen her in Criminology class," Ace nodded. "She aced every single question that the professor throws at her. Should we change the plan?" Coach McCall let out a snort. "And what, make Cole suspicious?" he said. "The last thing we need is another cop to deal with."

"You know she'll find something suspicious," Ace reminded him. "Don't count on it," he answered. "Get to bed, I'll see you in the morning." Ace nodded then headed back into the house while Coach McCall took out his wallet and counted his wad of dollar bills.

Quickly, I pressed the Stop button and hurried back into my dorm or else he will catch me. Sliding the card into the slot, I opened the door and saw Rebecca and Claire sitting on the chairs, both facing towards me. They wore their comfortable sleeping pajamas.

"Where were you guys?" I asked, glaring at both of them. "Some teamwork." That's when Rebecca gave me a worried look. "Cole," she began. "Have you found something about my sister's death?" I glanced at Claire, who was picking her hangnail. "What is she doing here?" I demanded.

"Rebecca told me about these," Claire explained. She reached into her pocket then tossed the pile of papers onto the floor. As I went to pick them up, I saw the black photos of the football players etched on page.

"You don't want me to know about these photos, right?" Claire snorted. "I was right, I should have never trusted a suspect like you." I let out a bitter laugh. "What kind of person are you?" I retorted. "You came here all Willy-nilly, suspecting everyone that they're criminals. But the weirdest part is, I never saw you at the Frat party."

Claire swallowed a gulp then looked at me. "You said that you and your partner are going to crash the party," I snarled. "But I never saw you. So let me ask you something: are you an undercover cop or are you working for someone?"

She let out a sigh then held up her police badge. "Wait," Rebecca began, looking at Claire. "You're a cop? I thought you were an Icelandic exchange student!" Claire stared at Rebecca for a moment. "How stupid are you?" Claire asked in a Russian accent. "I only arrived to the campus so I can get what I deserve!"