I face Officer Hugh in the interrogation room. At least the seats are comfier than the ones dad has. Maybe I should file a complaint.
I'm about to answer his question when Jake walks in.
"I'm Jake Green, Olivia's attorney." I'm about to open my mouth when he gives me a stare.
"The parents told me she has no attorney."
That obviously makes him dumbfounded. He slides a card on my lap.
Don't say a word about me. I know where you are at all times. One word and you're dead.
-JV
"Officer, this is-" Jake rubs his hand on the lock of his briefcase with a stare that I'm scared to know.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Wrong Olivia. Where is Olivia Thyme?"
"Cell 3. Ask the officer outside the door." Jake leaves and Hugh turns his full attention back to me. "If you're saying everyone in that building is innocent, why were you there?"
"I already explained!" I roll my eyes.
"Yes. The card on your window."
"You can test my pee! I've never taken drugs in my life! Where are my parents? It's against the law to interrogate someone under eighteen with a parent or legal guardian present."
"But what about the dance?" The officer ignores me.
"I never drank any. I was trying to stop the guys but they ran off and shoved the pack in my hand." He looks puzzled.
"I guess you're free to go. You are telling the truth." He takes a key out and takes the cuffs off. I quickly shove the card in my pocket.
"If you need anything, here's my card." I smile and take his card.
"Where are my friends?"
"They left a little bit ago."
He opens the door leading to the lobby. Isabelle and dad wait. Dad. He makes my stomach turn.
Dad shakes Hugh's hand and discusses what happened. Dads glare is not good. Hugh leaves and dad just looks at me. Isabelle has her arms crossed.
"Let's go." Dad says putting his arm around my shoulder. I get into his car and Isabelle says she going to the store.
I dread Isabelle's driveway as dad turns off the car. Her house has never been unwelcoming either. I sit at the counter.
"Olivia, why?"
"I don't know..." I play with the cap of the water bottle I left here. He sighs, closing the fridge door.
"I know you know."
"I was curious. How was I suppose to know someone had drugs in there?"
We sit in silence. He's not angry for some reason. If he was we'd have a farther conversation.
"Is there anything new?" I ask.
"No. But we're looking more into witnesses. It's a dead end right now."I nod.
"You know I wouldn't take drugs right?" Dad looks at me in the eyes.
"Yes, you're smarter than that. I just don't understand how this always happens to you?"
"I think I'm being framed."
"What do you mean?"
"The dance, framed. That traffic accident, framed. The robbery, framed. And now the drug bust, framed."
"I doubt the first two are related. But the last two are."
"So it's true, I am being framed."
"No. It's not. Olivia. I need to call Dame."
He pulls out his phone and dials a number.
"I'll stay for two days."
"Am I in trouble?"
"Not until I figure out what's going on."
He says hello to Detective Dame and I go to my room.
I close and lock my window. Then flop on my bed. I take out a journal that I always keep with me to clear my head. I write Framed Notes and start right at the robbery.
I never did get along with rules in my late middle school days because everyone saw me as the good-girl since my dad is a police officer. Then junior high, I got in a fight. But the kid did start it. Maybe if he didn't call me out after school because I'm a girl and he wasn't sexist he wouldn't have broke an arm. And dad was a school resource officer that year for my school. He was not happy to see me twist an arm in an odd direction. But the guy did deserve it.
Then freshman year was a good year. Last summer was when it got bad. The guys who I thought were my friends, were graffitiing a wall and all I did was one little spray, it probably wasn't even a spray. They ran off when the police officer patrolling saw us. Then the black light dance and everyone knows that story, or at least the seniors story. And the traffic accident? I wasn't even in a car! Someone just bulldozed into another car and almost hit me in the process!
Then it hits me. My brother, Casey, is a forensic scientist. Maybe he could do some research on this Jake Verdin. I dial Casey's number.
"What up sis?" He answers. I smile at his voice.
"Hey! I need you to do some research for me."
"Yep, what is it?"
"Can you..." I think of Jake's note. "Can you look up a Jake Green?"
"Sure. Just let me search for him in the system and then I'll get back to you when I get a result."
"Thanks, Casey!" Isn't Jake Green and Jake Verdin a different person? Verdin is the person who threatened to kill me, Green is the guy who tried to bail me out.
"I heard you got arrested last week." Casey's voice is casual.
"Yeah, but it wasn't my fault."
"It never is." I can picture him rolling his eyes.
"Casey, someone's framing me."
The other end is silent.
"Who?" I roll my eyes.
"I don't know! But if you think about it, dad has been on duty every time I've been arrested."
"Hm, that's right."
"And the only time he hasn't been near me or on duty was today and last week."
"Is that why you want me to look up this Jake dude?"
"Yes! But I can't tell you who he is. Mail the results without a return address and text me the day you send it."
"Okay." Someone talks in the back ground. "I have to go. Be safe sis."
"I will, thanks." He hangs up. I never realized how much I miss him until now.
A shower sounds amazing. But maybe Jake will visit. I unlock the window and take my towel to the bathroom.
I turn on the radio and heat the water. The radio is on a local pop station. The radio's too old and trying to find an oldies station is way too difficult for me at the moment.
•••
I put on fuzzy socks and walk to my window, still closed. Maybe he had enough of me today.
I look at Char's window. She waves at me and points to her phone. I look at mine. Three texts from her and Alex telling me to come to Char's. I text back telling her to wait a second.
I open the window and step on the trees thick branch. I crawl across to her yard and climb down. Char meets me by the back door.
Her house is exactly like Isabelle's. We sneak up to her room and Alex sits on the bed.
The bright green walls look amazing. I never thought bright green was a pretty color for a room until now.
"Alex is grounded. I am too. But I want to know what happened." I sit on a bean bag.
"I don't know what happened. I think Jake is framing me."
"Yeah, he came in during my interrogation and said his name is Anthony Reel and then gave me his card." Alex says. I take the card in his out stretched hand.
Back off. Olivia's the only person who is involved. Don't tell anyone about me or she's dead.
-JV
"I got the same thing!" Char says. "He came in pretending to be the family attorney and gave me his card. I threw it away though. It said that you'll be killed if I don't back off." I pace the room.
"Well obviously he or someone else wants me dead. He claims that he was at the robbery to stop it. But he sends me to an office with drugs and gets us in trouble. Then claims to be our attorney." They both nod. "He also ordered for me at the ice cream shop this afternoon. Then I asked him if he was stalking me and he admitted to it. He's way too open but he's also way too secretive. I don't trust him."
"I don't either. Total creep!" Char plays with the end of her hair. Alex looks like he's thinking, which is kind of cute.
"My brother is looking up Jake. But under the name he presented at the station. Not what we really know him as."
"I think we should still investigate." Alex says. We all agree. "But let's wait for your dad to leave."
"He's staying for two days. If nothing develops he'll definitely leave. We need him out of the way."
"Have you seen him anywhere before the robbery?"
"I don't know." I tell them my criminal history.
Char looks through pictures on my phone of the dance.
"Oh my gosh! Guys! He's at the dance!" She shows me a picture of me and my friend by the DJ table. She zooms in to the DJ talking to somebody. "He's talking to the DJ!"
"What! How did I not realize this?"
"What song was played after this?" Alex asks.
"I remember it clearly! Because my friend was saying how it fit her break up perfectly! It was about being carefully who you're around."
"Could have been a sign." Alex suggests.
"He was at my house the night of the robbery. He was in our back yard looking at the gas thing!" I remember instantly.
"Anywhere else?" I shake my head.
Alex gets a phone call from Caleb who tells him to get home because mom and dad will be back soon. We say bye and I head back to Isabelle's.