< Trapped In The Closet, Chapter 2 | HighSchoolOfShadows | A Grave Conversation >
<Mese> <Mese> After Ophelia leaves, the cop returns, with a bruised, concussed, slightly bleeding Ashley in tow.
<Mese> <Mese> Officer Mahoney finishes radioing in: "..so we'll need an ambulance car at the cafe on 5th. I'm just going to take some statements."
<Mese> A barista sweeps the floor of the remnants of the evening. But some remnants stubbornly remain.
<Mese> Laetitia and Cole are seated at their table.
<Mese> Officer Mahoney shows the injured Ashley into a seat. She's covered in a blanket, and seems dazed, but nonetheless glares sullenly at Cole. There's blood on her forehead.
Cole looks back at Ashley, stone-faced.
<Mese> "EM Ts? should be here soon." says Officer Mahoney. He pulls up his pants by the belt loops. "So. One of you birds has flown the coop already, I see."
Tish looks at the cop helpfully. "I can tell you her full name if it helps, sir."
<Cole> Tish's phone beeps. She has a text.
Tish checks the phone.
<Cole> **What do you want?**
Tish texts back, **???**
<Mese> Officer Mahoney smirks. "Why, is she guilty of something? No, I'll get all of that from you, assuming you're willing to help me out here, of course."
<Cole> **Leave Oph out of it**
<Cole> "She was just helping me with my posters. What, exactly, DO you want, Officer?"
<Mese> "Right now I want to know if either of you two heard this young lady screaming out fifteen minutes ago. Looks to me like someone pushed her into a wall there."
<Tish> **I thought he was talking about Helena - I got nothing against O**
<Cole> **k**
<Cole> "No, I didn't hear anything. I mean, it's pretty loud in here. They usually play music when they're, you know, still open."
Tish shrugs and makes a vague gesture as if to indicate, "What she said."
<Mese> Officer Mahoney writes this down. "Ookay. Now, this girl here:" he indicates Ashley, "She a friend of all yours?"
<Mese> "I haven't been able to get a lot out of her." He looks over, with a frown. "Concussion I guess."
Tish thinks about this for a bit. "Classmate."
<Cole> "She was here helping me with my posters also."
<Cole> "We were having a big meeting."
<Cole> "Usually she hangs out with Julie."
<Cole> "She was pretty mad that Ashley was coming to help, actually."
<Mese> HE scribbles away. "Quite the campaign you're running. So, did you see her leave the cafe? Did she leave with anyone?"
Cole breathes evenly. "I don't remember."
<Mese> Officer Mahoney looks levelly at Cole.
<Mese> "I see."
<Mese> He turns to Laetitia. "How about you?"
Tish takes a deep sip of her coffee while composing herself. It's been a while since she was face to face with the law. "No, I didn't see her leave."
<Cole> "Isn't that coffee cold by now?"
<Cole> "Are we done, then? That's my whole statement." Cole stands up and starts packing her stuff.
Tish nods. "It's sort of vile. I have a paper to write tonight, though."
<Cole> "Bio?"
<Mese> "Hey, hey, a clasmsate of yours is hurt here. You aren't taking this seriously?"
<Mese> "And I'll need names and addresses from both of you, in case I have to follow up."
<Cole> "I don't think you have any call to harass us at our homes, Officer. What's your badge number, again?"
<Mese> Officer Mahoney eyes Cole frostily, but does snap a comeback. Instead he pauses, makes a tutting noise, and says, "Look, I am trying to be friendly here. I'm just concerned for your friend here, and if there's some attacker out there I want to know. Now, you guys don;t have to help me if you don't want to. But I;d have thought you;d want to help your freind, right? We don;t want any more girls getting pushed into walls, right?"
<Mese> "SO maybe answer me this. You see anyone in here acting suspicious tonight? Toward Ashley here?"
<Cole> "Not off the top of my head. Oh, there was this one guy who was giving her kind of a weird look. And he went out the back way before she did. But he was with Laetitia, right? Did he stay out there in the alley or something, Laetitia?"
Cole gives Laetitia a meaningful look.
<Tish> "You know, he might well have done that...he certainly didn't come back in afterward."
Cole thoughtfully scribbles something down on a piece of paper. "Here, Officer, if you need me to say that again or something, you can reach me here."
<Cole> "Thanks for your help."
<Mese> Mahoney nods slowly. "All right. If you can give me a brief description of this guy, I'll ask around."
<Mese> Sirens indicate an ambulance car arriving.
<Cole> "Uh, medium height, thin, scruffy, glasses."
<Mese> "That'll be the EM Ts?. I'll get your friend here taken care of." He looks back at the pair. "Okay, you two should go. Stay out of trouble, okay?"
<Cole> "Sure. Let me know if you need help with your paper or anything, Laetitia."
Tish stands up and takes her cup to the bus bin. "Thanks, Cole. Thank you, officer."
< Trapped In The Closet, Chapter 2 | HighSchoolOfShadows | A Grave Conversation >
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