by Laura Greene
“Well, that’s where you come in. As you can imagine, with the historicity of our school dating back over one hundred years, it’s imperative that we preserve this matter from the public eye.”
“This matter? These are the lives of young girls.”
“I assure you, I understand that better than anyone.” Principal Roberts folds her hands then gestures to a wall on her left, “As much as I want to know the cause and prevent any more students dying, my hands are tied.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hartford is no ordinary school, Agent James. We may only board 11th and 12th graders, but this is where future government leaders and CEOs come to learn and establish their marks. We play a significant role in determining the future of America in these halls. This is why we must treat these unfortunate incidents delicately, because they will not only affect the prestige of our school, but also the reputations of well-known leaders who are currently holding office. And I will have you know that there are parents who will go to great lengths to see to the privacy of the matter.”
Tina has seen her fair share of cover-ups and they sicken her. It is her ethics that tell her to walk away now. But something about this case, though she can’t explain it, is pulling her in. It could be that she wants to prove to herself and Dale that she really can slow down, or it might be her insatiable love for seeing things through. The last thing she wants is to have her integrity called into question. Tina gave Director Tim Brooks her word and she’s not one to retract it – not after all that he’s done for her.
“Tim is a personal friend of mine, and he made it clear that you are the best and you will maintain the secrecy of our school’s name in this case.” The principal is now standing.
Tim Brooks was the one who gave Tina the break she needed in her career. Weeks after joining his force in Roxbury, she went from filing cases to the field. When she requested a change of assignment, he hated to see her leave but understood the toll federal work can have on personal life, as he himself paid the price with his own family. Now he enjoys a little more than a glorified studio apartment with TV dinners alone to offset the cost of child support. Still, he jokes about finally having an ounce of peace and quiet again.
Well, Tina’s not going to let him down. He’s given her a shot and she wants to prove herself. She hesitates to respond with a ‘yes’ and continues with a simple nod. “Why don’t you brief me on the last girl?”
Getting her notepad out, Tina can’t help but think there’s something not right about the principal’s demeanor. She can’t put her finger on it and it may be nothing, but Tina’s sure the principal knows more than she’s letting on.
Chapter 3
“Anna Grayson.” Principal Amy reaches for a file on her desk, pulls out a photo and hands it to Tina. “Her best friend reported her missing early this morning. She was found at the bottom of the water tower.” She starts pacing.
“Did she jump off?”
“That’s what we’re thinking. What’s unusual is that she only had a bed sheet around her.”
“That is strange. And the other girls before her?”
“Same story. This is the first year we’ve seen a trend in suicide cases. In the past it’s been related to issues at home, or bullying, but nothing like this.”
“And all of them girls. Do you have any leads on why that is?”
“No, we don’t. We’re hoping you can help us with that.” Principal Roberts sits down for a moment. “Look, I know I was a bit defensive earlier. It’s just that I have a lot of eyes on me and pressure to resolve this.”
“That’s it.” Tina gets up and puts her notepad away.
“What?”
“Principal Roberts,” she begins to say, leaning forward, her face bright with realization.
“Please, call me Amy.”
“I’m sure this can’t be easy on you and I want you to know that I’ll do everything I can to find out what’s going on,” Tina says, extending a reassuring hand and smile. “Right now I think we need to move fast. If this is what I think it is, then many more students could follow unless we stop them.” Tina grabs the file and starts walking out of the room, ushering Amy to follow. “Recent studies in leading journals show that social media influences students to act on a herd mentality.”
“You mean peer pressure?”
“Not exactly. You mentioned feeling pressure and that’s what you and I are used to. We can leave peer pressure at work when we go home or turn off our phones or TVs when we want to. But the current students have more than peer pressure. Social media basically glamorizes the act into a “challenge,” then places these ideas on every site, commercial, and video they watch to create sensory overload, finally overpowering them with pressure from their peers. Psychologically this is a much more powerful weapon, and it’s hard to contain because it’s on a national, sometimes global level, and one the FBI is currently studying trends in to see how we can combat it.”
“So how do you contain something like that?”
“The idea is to find the root source early. At the heart of these challenges, there’s always a key user who promulgates the propaganda to followers. Essentially, if we find the primary username spreading the challenge, we can use that account to communicate an end to the challenge. The followers will spread the new message to the rest and we will effectively have, as we say, nipped it in the bud.”
“Okay, so what do you need?”
Tina glances at the file in her hand once more, “The best place to begin is among the students. Since we’re keeping this case contained, I’ll need to use resources that you have at the school.”
“Anything you need,” Amy says with a nod, and gestures to her assistant, Judy, who is now listening intently.
“Okay. Judy, I need you to look up every student and get me a list of all their social media accounts and check if they have posts in the last week about any challenges. If they do, who are their common friends? Gather everything you can.”
Judy nods. Her hands speedily sway over her keyboard taking notes.
“Wouldn’t it be faster to look at just the girls’ social media accounts?” Amy suggests.
“It seems so, but until we can rule out other players, we have to look at both objectively,” Tina responds, now turning her attention from Judy to Amy. “Now Amy, you and I need to meet with the students stat. If there is something going on, I want to know before it spreads like wildfire.”
“Sure, I can set it up right away. I already notified my staff to be on standby for any interviews with students you may want to conduct.”
“Great, let’s do that first.” They walk out of the office into the silent hallway, ready to commence their plan.
Tina is confident that this is the best place to start if they’re to find a lead. She just hopes they can find out what’s going on before another student is gone.
*
The room is tense. Tina never did like being around teenagers in groups. She would rather be served to a pack of wolves. Memories of her high school years remind her how merciless teens can be. It was there in the savage halls of Milton High that she learned to be perceptive, have quick judgment and pay meticulous attention to detail while fending for herself.
Tina has chosen an empty classroom and decided to handle the students in smaller segments.
They are walking in and Tina is watching from the back of the room to see any distinguishing markers in posture, expression and behavior. Already, she can spot the E. F. Huttons leading the group. They carry an air of supremacy and Tina has been trained to spot them.
“Alright, let’s quieten down,” Amy says.
“Why are we here, Principal Roberts? Haven’t we already been through this? Besides, we’re missing valuable study time to prepare for our finals.” A tall student with gelled, spiky, black hair, leaning back on his chair, interrupts, clearly establishing his status, and seals it with a smirk to one side of his mouth.
“What’s your name?�
� Tina asks steadily, walking to the front of the classroom.
“Olsen,” the student turns around and says reluctantly.
“Do you know that 80% of class clowns statistically don’t land a job in their area of study after they complete their studies?” The other students snicker. “I highly recommend you sit up and listen.”
Tina doesn’t know if the statistic is true, but she needs to establish rapport quickly if she’s to get anything from the students. It works.
Amy steps aside and lets her continue. “My name is Agent Tina James. I’m with the FBI. You can call me Agent James. Your principal has asked me to come in and talk to you.” As she speaks she’s still assessing behavioral changes in the students. “By now I’m sure you’re all aware that one of your classmates was found dead this morning. I’m looking for anyone who has information about her.”
Silence.
“I want to make it very clear that knowing something and not revealing it to a federal agent is a crime.” Tina continues to watch the students closely.
More silence.
“Thank you; we have what we need. I’d like to speak to you. The rest of you may return to your class.” Tina points to Olsen who moments ago had a smirk on his face, now quickly wiped off.
Amy approaches Tina quietly, saying, “What are you up to?”
“Just watch.”
As soon as the classroom clears, Olsen sits in silence. Tina is now walking towards him and Olsen lets a gulp escape from his throat, his eyes wide open.
“Olsen,” Tina smiles; she now has him right where she wants. Time to squeeze the confession out. “Can you tell me why every single one of your classmates identified you as our person of interest?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, nobody said anything.” Olsen is nervous, it will be any moment now.
She intensifies her interrogation; now leaning over him. “Your friends were afraid to speak, but they said a lot. They didn’t have to use words, yet all their eyes were on you. Why would that be? Huh Olsen?”
“Look, I know nothing okay?” He leans back to give himself a little more breathing room. “I… I… all I know is that she was jittery for some time leading up to last night. M… maybe they think that I threatened her or something, but I didn’t. I swear I know nothing.” He puts his hands to his face, getting emotional.
“Agent James, he’s just a kid!” Amy plants a hand on Tina’s shoulder to intercept and Tina, who is ready to go to the next phase of interrogation, steps back. “You may use these tactics with criminals out there, but might I remind you that this is a private school?”
It’s true. Olsen might not be the most agreeable student, but she has to be careful. Her tactics in Roxbury will have to change. New case, new town, new tactics, she reminds herself.
“You’re free to go, Olsen,” Tina concedes.
When Olsen leaves, Tina excuses herself to go and make a phone call. When did it happen? She ponders for a moment, when did I become so callous? Has she become one of the many victims of the Fed – changed by her circumstances?
The phone rings in her ear and she is now in the courtyard. What raced in as a cold December chill from the seafront this morning has left behind in the aftermath of the Atlantic winds a still afternoon with a winter bite which is equally as forceful. There is nothing still about Tina’s day, though. The winds of strife are only beginning.
An answer.
“Hello?” It’s Dale.
“Hi honey,” Tina sighs.
“Long day?”
“You have no idea half of it. Listen, honey…” She’s not sure how to phrase the next words, and opts to sit on a bench beside a waterfall of cherubim to calm her nerves. “I know we made dinner plans for tonight.”
“You’re not going to make it are you?”
“No, I’m sorry babe.”
Tina can’t stand the silence on the other line. It would be better if he threw the phone to the ground.
Dale’s voice is much quieter now, “I guess I was dumb to think that you would actually have more time for us here. Don’t worry; I’ll just cancel our reservation. There are still some boxes I need to unpack anyway. I’ll see you when you get home.”
She’s not going to protest. They hang up.
Chapter 4
“Are you okay Miss?” It is the handsome man now standing in front of her who breaks her moment of silence. His face is strikingly chiseled. Brown hair, tanned skin and bold brown eyes mesmerize her so that she can’t look away. Noticing she’s staring at him, Tina looks away immediately, drawing out a deep chuckle in the tall man.
“Yes, sorry I didn’t mean to stare,” Tina says, with her cheeks warming up suddenly.
He smiles and even his smile is gentle and inviting. “I saw you sitting with your head down for some time now. Do you mind if I take a seat?” he says, gesturing with his hand.
“Um… sure.” It’s not like Tina to space out like that. The streams of the waterfall soothed her after her conversation with Dale, enough to apparently zone out.
“You look like you could use a friend.”
“That obvious?” She doesn’t usually talk to someone right away, but she feels especially comfortable talking to… “I’m Tina James,” she says, reaching her hand out.
“Nick Collins, I’m the chaplain here.” His face looks inquisitive, “Are you the FBI agent who was coming in today?”
“Yes, when I’m not spacing out.” They both giggle.
“Don’t worry; your secret is safe with me.” Nick places his hand on her shoulder and Tina feels comforted. She hasn’t felt this way for a long time, not even with Dale.
“Is it just me or is this whole town full of secrets?”
“Here a day and you already know this? Nothing gets past you, Agent James.” Nick is now looking directly into her eyes; his face is serious, then he says, “What’s happening in our school is a shame, but this school and this town as a whole has more secrets than you have time to uncover. One piece of advice, if I may.” Tina is looking directly at Nick, attentively, and wondering how someone can look so humble and handsome all at the same time. “You need to look deeper than what the eye is trained to see.”
“I have to go.” Tina gets up abruptly.
Nick chuckles, “Uh… did I say something wrong?”
“No,” Tina turns as she runs out of the courtyard towards a door, then pauses to say, “quite the opposite.”
*
“Room 203?” Tina is looking around the corridor of many doors.
Amy points to a brown door on her left, “It’s here.” She brings out a key and unlocks the door.
“Has anyone searched the room yet?”
“No, the janitor and I only entered this morning to see if she was here and she wasn’t,” Amy says. She follows behind Tina who is now inside the room.
“Good; it’s important that we see the room in its most natural state.”
Amy, who is standing watch at the door, is unsure how else to help. “What are you looking for?”
Tina’s detective eye is carefully scanning the room with gloves on, searching for what she can only explain to Amy as, “I’ll know when I find it.”
Deep-searching the room, Tina lifts up the mattress – not there. She moves aside a bedside lamp, still looking. Turning towards a built-in closet, she carefully separates the shoes and works her way up to the clothes. She’s getting close. She knows it. Reaching the top shelf she feels around for evidence. Minutes later she emerges with something in her hand and a smile of triumph.
“A journal? Why is that so significant?”
“Suicide victims are known to leave behind a memorandum.”
“A note?”
“Some form of communication to explain why they took their life. This little journal is Anna’s way of speaking from the grave. It could be the key to opening the door to Anna’s world.” Tina opens the diary and skips to the final entries. Perusing the details dotted on the page, sh
e stops, “That’s interesting.”
“What?” Placing her hand on her hip, Amy says, “I’d rather you didn’t keep me in the dark.”
“This final entry says that she was hearing voices. Right here, she was trying to quieten these voices.”
“How can that be? She was a straight-A student with an impeccable record. Besides, we have hall monitors walking the halls; if there was someone in the room, they would have heard it.”
“You have a point. Maybe it’s not someone. There are other possibilities, like mental health issues or hallucinations. Didn’t you say Anna had a best friend?”
