8th October, 2015 (Three Days after the Murder).

9:25 AM.

Detective McNeil and five other officers were being escorted across the quad to an empty classroom by the principal of Barke High. The cops had been asking teachers and students routine questions about Bethany since she was found, but they had not gotten any new leads.

As he stepped into the school corridor, Ian was hit by a wave of nostalgia. The last time he had been there was about eight years ago at graduation. The lockers were previously painted blue, but they were now a horrible orange; The walls were the same color, but dirtier than he remembered; The floors were polished, but looked worn from overuse. The hallway was definitely smaller than he remembered.

Students milled about, trying to get to their classes. They tried to appear natural, but their movements were robotic, careful. Ian found a few of them giving him and the other officers nervous glances and quickly averting their eyes when they were caught.

He looked straight ahead, and found something that caught his eyes. Sherylyn was walking towards him, her hands entwined with Nathan’s. She had a C on her cheerleading uniform, and gave him an imperceptible nod as she passed him. Nathan did not look in his direction, as he seemed to be lost in thought. It was most unusual that Bethany’s boyfriend would be in a relationship with her best friend a mere three days after her death.

“Principal Hughes,” Ian called out to the portly, matronly woman who had been the principal for as long as he could remember.

“Yes?” she answered sweetly.

“I just saw Sherylyn Ross with Nathan Fields right now. What’s going on with the both of them?”

“Ian, they are both going through a traumatic experience. I believe they are seeking comfort in each other,” she said in her motherly voice. The principal had always been a naïve, unassuming woman who loved seeing the good in people. To her, there was nothing wrong in two people bonding after a mutual friend’s death. Ian saw it a different way entirely.

“I saw her with a C on her uniform. Has she always been captain?” he asked.

“No, she was voted as captain yesterday. It was unanimo-,” she trailed off as she saw him eyeing her with a look of skepticism.

“I know what you’re thinking. She’s expressing her grief the best way she knows how. The team would be in good hands with her in charge. That is what Bethany would have wanted,” she concluded.

She did not in fact know what he was thinking. Why the hell did one person benefit so much from Bethany’s death? From what he knew of Bethany the past two days, he was sure she’d be rolling in her grave at the thought of Sherylyn taking her place in any way.

“Here it is,” principal Hughes informed as she led them into an empty classroom. It had been prepared for questioning as most of the tables were piled on top of each other, leaving a small table right in the middle, with two chairs on opposite sides, facing each other.

“I’ll send the teachers and students yet to be interviewed in one after the other, so the academic activities won’t be disrupted,” she informed.

He nodded to show her he understood.

***

Same Day, 01:20 PM.

The interviews were going really well, as the teachers, unlike the students, had great things to say about Bethany.

“She was always at the top of my class,” one said.

“In all my years of teaching, I have never seen a student so bright,” said another.

From what he could deduce, she was multifaceted, and showed a different side to different people, depending on what they could do for her. Her being on the teachers’ good sides was good for her scholarship and her position on the team, so she behaved. The teachers knew she was popular but not well liked, though none of them had ever experienced her nastiness firsthand.

The students on the other hand, had another story to tell.

“She once called me a bastard,” one said.

“She said I was shaped like an egg,” said a round girl, and Ian hated to admit, but he could see it.

He was reviewing their statements in the classroom when a very attractive, well-dressed man walked in.

Ian appraised him critically – he was tall, about 6 feet, with broad shoulders and raven colored hair. He had grey eyes and was clean shaven. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt with blue jeans and brown Chelsea boots. It was clear he was a person students easily found attractive.

“I'm Detective McNeil. Have a seat,” Ian said without preamble.

“I am Eric Johnson, and I take History. Nice to meet you,” the man smiled as he extended a hand, which Ian ignored. He had an obvious British accent, which Ian surmised may have made him seem more appealing.

“I would have liked to say the same, but you know the condition we’re meeting is rather unpleasant. I want to ask you a few questions about one of your students, Bethany Cooper,” Ian replied as Eric withdrew his hand and took a seat.

“Quite unfortunate what happened to her,” Eric said, shaking his head sympathetically.

“Did you know her well?”

“About as well as a teacher knows his students,” Eric replied, maintaining his smile.

“What can you tell me about her?”

“Well from what I could tell, she was gifted. She aced her quizzes, turned in her homework on time, and never had any academic problems.”

“What of her relationship with other students?” Ian asked.

“She did not hang out much with a lot of people, but she was quite close to Sherylyn and hung out with the cheerleading team a lot.”

“How often did you see her with them?”

“When they practiced… which was only a few times when I was in the area,” he added hastily.

So he loved watching a bunch of teenage girls.

“When was the last time you saw her alive?”

“On Friday. She had history last period and I saw her then,” Eric replied.

“Did you ever see her outside of class?” Ian looked at him closely.

“Never,” Eric replied, maintaining eye contact.

“Okay let’s cut the crap. You’re a good looking guy. You certainly must have gotten attention from female students,” Ian stated matter-of-fact.

Eric’s smile widened, like he was embarrassed “There were the occasional letters, but nothing too serious. Any time I got physically approached by a student, I set them straight and made it clear it was inappropriate.”

“Was that often?” Ian asked with a tone that made it clear he did not believe him.

“Quite often honestly,” Eric admitted.

“One last question. Where were you on the night Bethany was murdered?”

“I was at home sleeping. I did have first period the next day.”

“Can anyone corroborate your story?” Ian asked.

“I live alone,” Eric said. From what Ian could see, Eric was a naturally charming man. He had charisma, and it showed with the way he communicated; like he wanted Ian on his side.

“Why don’t I believe you?” Ian asked bluntly. Eric’s smile flickered almost imperceptibly, but he smiled again, brighter than before. It was obvious he was acting.

“Well you could check my phone’s location for the night she was murdered,” Eric replied.

“Or you could have left your phone at home so you’ll say exactly what you just said,” Ian stated.

“Besides, we don’t know where she was killed, so it very well may have been at your place,” Ian said, and watched Eric’s eyes twitch in annoyance. He had gotten under the teacher’s skin, and he loved seeing his façade slowly crumble.

“I will contact you if there are updates. You can go,” Ian said, as he casually picked up the file he had been studying and continued to read. Eric had been hiding something behind that pretty little smile of his, he was sure of it. He just had to find out what.

Eric stood up and calmly walked to the door, a bit frazzled. So that was the famous detective everyone had been yapping about. What a sonofabitch.

*****

15th September, 2015 (Three weeks to the Murder).

12:55 PM.

Eric looked around his class.

“When was the 2nd Amendment added to the constitution?” he asked. Bethany’s hand shot up immediately.

“It was added in the Bill of Rights, the entirety of which was created on the 25th of September, 1789,” she answered, without being called upon.

“Good. What does the second amendment protect?” he asked the class again.

“The right to bear arms,” she answered, without bothering to raise her hand. A few girls scoffed in envy, because they would have wanted to answer the question. They deserved to be noticed by him as well. It was unfair that Bethany got all the attention, but they did not dare protest as she answered.

He glanced at the clock, “Well, time’s almost up, so I will just give one last question. Why do humans crave power?”

“Because it is necessary to be in control. If there is power, there is order. If there is order, there is development,” Bethany replied, leaning back on her chair, and opening her legs slightly underneath the desk. Eric tried to maintain a straight face, but the urge to look was overwhelming.

“But we can all agree excessive power is a bad thing,” he argued.

“Strongly disagree Mr. Johnson,” Bethany drawled, as she began twirling a lock of her hair slowly. Eric’s mouth went dry.

“So are you saying you’d rather a dictatorship over democracy?” he asked, trying to restrain his smile. Bethany was an interesting girl, and she obviously related the topic to herself, and how she wanted to rule over everybody else. Still, he had to admit, the argument was turning him on.

“A dictatorship is infinitely better. Humans are stupid, and whenever they are given a choice, they always make the wrong one. With a dictatorship, they wouldn’t have to make stupid choices, because they wouldn’t be given the opportunity to,” she stated.

“But with democracies come peace, right Gabby?” said Eric, smiling now, as he directed his question to a nerdy looking girl at the back of the class. She gasped in shock, as she did not even think he knew her name.

She looked at Bethany, who stared back at her sweetly, “I’m not sure sir,” she replied, blushing furiously.

“We can say peace by choice. With dictatorships, the peace will be enforced. Let us take an example of the world. If there is a health crisis, the countries with stricter rules like North Korea for instance would be generally protected, because there would be rules in place which when broken would lead to disastrous consequences for the defaulter – unlike here in the states, where the rules would be lax. We therefore would suffer the effects more,” Bethany replied instead.

“That is an interesting take, but we would have to disagree on that one,” Eric smiled at her.

The bell rang and everyone stood up, “Remember to submit your assignments at our next class,” Eric said to their retreating backs, as they hurried out the door.

Bethany was the last to leave, as she walked slowly to the door and locked it. She then turned around and walked quickly towards him.

“Seeing you so riled up was sexy,” she said. He grabbed her head and kissed her deeply.

“You’ll be late for class,” he said half-heartedly. It was a routine they were used to, as the possibility of getting caught drove them both crazy. They were similar in that way, as there were high stakes for the both of them.

“Next time, try to be less obvious in class,” he said as she loosened his belt hurriedly.

“Let’s make it really quick,” he said as he took his pants off, turned her around, and they submitted to five minutes of pure bliss.

“I gotta hurry to my next class,” she said as she straightened her clothing after, and hurried out the door.

Eric smiled contentedly as he watched her. He had always been good-looking. Even when he was a baby, he was always cuddled because he was cute. As he grew older, he had a natural wit and charisma which attracted people to him. Because of that, he had always gotten extra favors – extra food at his high school cafeteria, free rides to and from school, and girls asking him on dates.

When he was 14, his mother’s friend had invited him to babysit, but took him to her room because she wanted to 'show him something'.

When he got in, he saw her naked and she guided him to the bed. That was his first sexual encounter. It opened his eyes to the world of sex; he simply could not get enough. He loved it, and he was good at it. He fucked most of the girls in his high school, and as rumors began spreading about him, they practically begged for it.

Women were his weakness; He had made peace with that a long time ago. He could have had a really bright future if not for women. After high school graduation, he was offered a secretarial job at one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the United Kingdom. His boss loved him and he was in line for a significant promotion, but all that crumbled when his boss caught him sleeping with his wife right in the office.

He should have known better than to do it right in the office, but the danger drove him wild. His boss blacklisted him in most work places in the UK, and he came to the United States for greener pastures.

He got his next job on the set of a fashion industry, fitting models. He was kicked out when two high profile models fought over him, and the designer had to maintain the peace.

Good riddance, he thought. They were both boring anyway.

He found his calling at a high school but had to leave after almost being caught with an underage student. Kids were incredibly complicated but so naïve, he loved manipulating them. He was a sex addict, but could not, did not want to seek help, no matter the trouble it got him in.

He eventually came to Atwood for a teaching job and a fresh start. Here he met Bethany. She was beautiful, young and mysterious, exactly as he liked them, and it didn’t take long before they began a sexual relationship.

He occasionally fucked with other students, but none were like Bethany. She was… special. He liked her, but he was adamant about keeping their secret. Getting caught was not an option.

Thank you so much for your support guys.

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