Missing

Chapter 5

Josh
I swallowed nervously.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't act stupid. You said that your lunch with Olivia was canceled."
"That doesn't matter."
"To the police, it does. They'll wonder where you actually were during that time. I won't be able to answer that because I wasn't with you. So, why did you lie?"
"Because I wasn't about to admit to a cop that I was actually smoking with Jarrod and Mark."
"Are you fucking kidding me? You could still get charged even if you are innocent. And now, you put me in a position where I have to cover for you."
"I'm sorry. It wasn't meant to go anywhere."
"What does that even mean?"
"Like it was just us hanging out after my plans got canceled. I wasn't trying to get anyone else involved."
"It doesn't matter now. I'll cover for you. But if Olivia tells Gomez that you never met up for lunch, you're on your own."
"Do you want me to get arrested?"
"Obviously not, but you were the one who smoked weed without a second thought. You reap what you sow, Josh."
"Wow. Thanks," I said sarcastically.
"I'm sorry."
"Whatever."
Tony
I probably should've expected for a cop to show up for questioning, but it wasn't any less scary when it actually happened. An officer that introduced himself as Brian Gomez arrived and wanted to ask some questions about my perspective of Friday night.
"What time did Andrea arrive?" He asked.
"I don't know. I wasn't really looking at the time except when everyone was leaving."
"Do you know what time she left?"
"Yes. She left around 11:45 PM after I ordered her an Uber to go home."
"Why did you feel the need to order an Uber for her?"
I planned out my next words carefully. If I told him the real reason, I was done for.
"She didn't have a ride home. Her mom was at work and she didn't have anyone else that could offer one. Plus, I was the host, so I felt responsible for making sure she got home safely."
He nodded.
"What did the vehicle look like?"
"It was a black Volkswagen Jetta. I don't know the exact year that it was released or anything."
"That's fine. Did you check the license plate to confirm that it was the right car?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you still have the information from your order history?"
"Yes."
I pulled out my phone. I opened the Uber app and showed him the information about the order. He jotted down everything and was especially careful when he wrote the license plate number.
"Did you see Andrea leave?"
"Yes."
"What did you do after she left?"
"I went back inside and joined the party until it ended a little after midnight."
"What else did you do that day?"
"I went to bed. I woke up at around nine and had a normal day at home- I had breakfast and got ready for the day. That kind of thing. I didn't go anywhere. Then I got a visit from Beatrice asking if I saw Andrea and I told her what I told you about the Uber."
"What time did she visit you?"
"Around 2:15. I had to go somewhere at three so I was watching the time."
He gave me a funny look.
"Where did you have to go?"
"I had a haircut appointment at 3:30. I wanted to leave at three to get there in time."
"So, you wanted to prioritize a haircut appointment when Beatrice told you that Andrea was gone?"
"I didn't think that she was actually gone. Like Beatrice, I thought that she was with one of her friends or something."
"It still seems strange to purposely cut the conversation short with Beatrice, especially with such a serious matter," he accused.
"I didn't cut it short. She left pretty soon after I told her that."
"Okay. What did you do after your haircut?"
"I came home. That was the only real plan that I had for the day. It was cold so I didn't want to stay out too long anyway."
"That's understandable. Do you mind if I take a look around?"
"No, go ahead."
He searched the living room since that's where I said that Andrea mainly hung out on Friday. He even looked inside the couch. My heart nearly stopped when he lifted the middle cushion and found a small tube of red lipstick underneath it.