Sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter!
I hope this update makes up for it.
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Dante's emerald eyes held hers for a moment.
"Chief Samuels, how are you?" He asked, rising from his seat to shake the other man's hand.
The two stepped out into the hallway and Enid strained to hear what was being said.
Leaning back in her seat, she could see Dante's hand was curled into a fist.
"What does he need you for?" Emilia asked from beside her, her head also tilted to try to hear the conversation outside the door.
"Maybe it's about the article we're writing?" She responded uneasily.
"But wouldn't he talk to both of us?" Emilia's voice was as confused as Enid felt.
Nerves tangled in her throat.
"What do you need to speak with her about?" She was finally able to hear Dante's voice.
"Nothing serious, I just have a few questions I'd like to ask her." The chief said firmly.
"She shouldn't answer anything without a lawyer present." Her professor fired back, and Enid's eyes grew.
A lawyer?
"Oh, it's nothing requiring that. It'll only take a few minutes." Chief Samuels pushed and she heard Dante sigh.
The two reentered the world and Chief Samuels gave her a small smile.
Emotions danced across Dante's eyes before he pulled up his emotional wall.
His shoulders were tense, his arms crossed against his chest.
He looked eminently like Theodore for a moment.
"Go on ahead, Enid. Disciples, you can all go as well. Be ready to share your poem selection and papers on Wednesday." Dante nodded at her and she stood shakily from her desk.
Her eyes searched his for a moment and he gave her a small comforting smile.
"Text me and let me know what happened once you're done." Emilia patted her friend on the back as she exited the room.
Sliding her bag onto her shoulder, Enid followed Chief Samuels down the hall to a private study space that students could use.
Dante's jaw clenched tightly as he watched the two disappear from sight.
He whipped his phone from his pocket and irately slammed shut the door to his office.
Anger flashed hot in his chest and he gripped the sides of his desk to steady himself.
Cooling down slightly, he began the list of numbers he needed to call.
Orders were barked and messages were delivered.
For the next few minutes, his eyes darting anxiously between his watch and the door.
He was right on the verge of interrupting the meeting when a soft knock sounded.
Enid barely met his eyes as they walked to his car and only murmured a soft thank you as he opened her door.
She was quiet and reserved throughout the ride home and Dante did not broach the topic of what had transpired.
Better to wait until the other two were there as well.
As soon as they entered the estate, she darted upstairs to her room.
Claiming she wanted to get a head start on her homework before dinner.
He had watched her climb the stairs with lead in the pit of his stomach.
Sighing, he turned to walk toward his study.
A few restless hours passed; his mind too worried to focus.
He paced, stared out the window.
Finally, he sat to check on the email he had been promised.
Dante looked up from his laptop as Alexander and Theodore entered his study, closing the door behind them.
"Why the hell did you let her go with him?" Was the first thing out of Theodore's mouth.
Dante's lips flattened into an annoyed line.
"Don't you dare. I did my best, but he was very adamant. It would have been suspicious if I had fought the matter harder." He defended.
He had hated watching her walk away like that.
Alone and afraid.
He knew the moment would live behind his eyelids for a while.
"Dante's right, it would have been suspicious. But still, the idea of letting her go by herself like that..." Alexander shook his head, his honey eyes angry.
"We cannot change the past, so let's move on. Do you have the video footage?" Theodore sat down in one of the dark leather seats before Dante's desk.
"Yes, the technology guy at the school was easy enough to bribe. I waited until you two were home to play it." The Italian man responded, opening the link from the email before he turned the screen so that they could all see it.
For a moment the screen was black.
Then the small study space appeared, Chief Samuels entering through the door with Enid trailing behind him.
The police chief engaged her in pleasant small talk for a while, asking her about her classes and Wales.
All the while he pulled a few folders from his briefcase and sat them on the table between them.
Theodore leaned in as Enid shuffled slightly in her seat, noticing the way she was nervously fiddling with one of her curls.
"So, Enid, I wanted to speak with you about something to do with the Patrick Thomas case." The dark-skinned man pulled out a paper from his folder.
The angle of the surveillance camera kept them from being able to see it.
"When I was interviewing Dean Thomas, he mentioned that you came to him about a month or so ago to file a report against his son." He continued.
Enid's posture was stiffly wound, her hands laced in her lap were trembling lightly.
"Yes, sir." Her response was shaky.
"Dean Thomas said that you were lying. Trying to get back at his son for not taking you out on a date. Is that true?" His question sent Dante flying to his feet.
"Figlio di puttana!" He practically growled, but was hushed by the other two as the video continued.
"N-no. I was telling the truth. I had never met Patrick before that night. I didn't even know his name until I picked him out of one of the Fraternity photos." The syllables ran together as the words rushed from her lips.
"It's okay, Miss McCarthy. Will you tell me the full story?" He asked, pulling a notepad and pen from his suitcase.
The three men watched in agony as their sweet girl retold the story, having to relive that horrendous night all over again.
"Thank you for telling me. I believe you." The Chief said, giving her a sympathetic fatherly smile.
"You do?" Enid asked, her fingers wiping away a tear that had fallen.
"I've had a hunch for a while now that this school has been sweeping sexual assault reports under the rug. The issue is that the jurisdiction for those matters lies with the campus police, who are independent of my police force." The man sighed, rubbing his temples.
Enid was quiet, her trembling hand coming up to pull her curls back from her face.
"Listen, I'll see what I can do about getting your case moved from the school into the city court. I'm not sure if I'll be able to, but I promise to do my best. Thank you for your time, Enid." His promise seemed heartfelt.
"Thank you, Chief Samuels. But I don't wish to press charges. I've made peace with what happened." She tugged slightly at her sleeves.
"You are a strong girl. Please let me know if you ever decide you'd like to change your mind." The chief began gathering the papers he had spread across the table.
"How is the case going?" Her question quiet, but searching.
"Not so well. We thought we had a lead with his car, but we couldn't find any DNA except for Patrick's. Whoever took him... this wasn't their first rodeo. The suspects were methodical and precise." The man shook his head.
The three men glanced at each other, small smirks on their statuesque faces.
Chief Samuels stood from the table and began to walk toward the door, thanking Enid for her time.
He paused with his hand on the handle before turning back to her.
"How did you know that there was more than one suspect the first time we met?" His question causing Enid to tense.
The men watching mirrored her as the question washed over them.
She had known there was more than one suspect?
Their bodies were rigid as they peered at the screen.
"It was a lucky guess. I just read a lot of crime novels and they seem to always have more than one villain." Her answer seemed appease the man and he smiled at her.
"Have a good day, Enid. And stay safe." His warning was the last thing they heard before the footage cut off.
For a moment, the three sat in silence.
Each lost in their own thoughts.
A few floors above them, Enid was curled into a ball on her cloud-like bed.
Her stuffed panda clutched tightly to her chest.
Tears streaming down her cheeks as she choked on the phantom bonfire smoke in her lungs.
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Figlio di puttana - Son of a b*.
Comments fill my heart with joy.
All my love, Sappho 》