Caia's POV
Dillon hardly registers me. He sits still, his eyes glued to the table in front of him, his hands clenched into fists and his hair, a nest of unruly brown curls.
I begin to shiver. Memories flash into my mind; laughing with Cecilia while planning to prank Dillon; Entire evenings spent acting out dramatic scenes about an imaginary figure of Dillon; Cc's sudden behavior shift; her tearful confession of all the horrors he put her through.
'WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?' My voice booms across the small room. Dillon continues his motionless staring, not even hinting at all that he heard me.
'Miss Brinkmann, please remain calm and have a seat.' The detective walks in behind me and shuts the door.
'Remain calm?' I say, my voice still an octave higher than normal. 'My closest friend is dead and you want me to stay in the same room with a wreck who tortured her?'
At that, I catch Dillon flinching and suddenly am sorry that I just said that. Mainly because Detective Mason's eyes seem to glow as a predator's might if it runs into an already hunted carcass lying about, as he looks from me to Dillon.
'Torture, eh? Would you mind elaborating your point further, ma'am?'
'Ummm...' I glance at Dillon but he's turned his face away from me. I feel a bad gut feeling about where this is going. I try out an indirect truth. 'He faked a relationship with her and broke her heart.'
At that, the detective steals a glance a Dillon himself.
'More information on that would be quite of service.' He says, turning back to me.
I bite my lip. Considering his earlier reaction, I doubt a whole report would leave Dillon with a happy ending. Emily's words replay in my head; Cecilia would have wanted that. If Cc had wanted to turn Dillon in, she would have. Since she didn't, I don't think she'd want me to either. No, she wouldn't.
I decide to offer a watered-down version. 'They met a couple of months ago. Cecilia believed they were in an actual relationship and it shattered her into pieces when she found out it wasn't. So she ended it about two weeks ago. Told me she hasn't spoken to him since.'
As Detective Mason stares at me, I try to swallow the lump forming in my throat again more; not just with the hope of this will convince Mason but also by the reminder that all this happened in the last two months and through it all, Cc has talked to me every day. And now, she's gone... Just like that.
'Interesting.' Mason mutters, breaking my train of thoughts. He opens the file he has been holding and goes through the context before he continues. 'Quite interesting story indeed, Miss Brinkmann. Especially when Miss Cecilia Swan happens to address her suicide note to a person she claimed to have avoided for two weeks.'
I stare at him as it takes a moment for what he said to sink in, but when it does, it feels like a smack between my eyes. 'Suicide note? To him? Wha... What do you mean?'
'If you would please take a seat,' He motions towards the chair beside Dillon. 'I will provide you with the information I possess.'
I pause, taking a deep breath, as my train of thought shoots forward once again. A suicide note? For Dillon? Why?
I exhale; walk over to the chair and sit down, convincing myself that I would have to tolerate Dillon's presence if I wanted the details about my friend.
'Very well.' Detective Mason takes his seat too. 'It is to say, the two of you are being interrogated together because, so it happens, you prove to be the last persons she's contacted to last night.'
I sit up straight and turn to Dillon.
'You kept on troubling her?!' And when he doesn't respond, I scream, 'How could you?! Couldn't you just leave her alone after what you did to her?!'
Dillon turns so suddenly, I nearly jump out of my chair.
'I would never say anything bad enough to make her hang herself!' He says in a rather frightening voice. 'If you don't know the details, help us out by keeping your mouth shut until you do.'
I'm about to snap back with a reply but Mason holds up his hand. 'Ma'am, I must agree with Mr. Archers at that. Please do not jump to any conclusions yet. As for you, young man, it is clear you were involved in the cause of Miss Swan's decision. You wouldn't be here if you didn't know that yourself.'
Dillon glares at me for a moment then slumps back into his chair, muttering something under his breath. I hold my stare, and now I notice that his clothes are all wrinkled up and he seems to be unshaven. His eyes look red and watery as my mother's did, but what on earth would he have been crying about?
The detective clears his throat and I focus back on him.
'Help me get this straight. At a certain time last night, Cecilia creased to reply back to your messages. It makes perfect sense that this certain time can be well associated with the moment the... tragedy took place. Of course, we have most of the information to conclude this fact but I would appreciate it if you could possibly remember the exact time she stopped replying.'
Did Dillon bother you today?
I close my eyes. It's pretty clear what the answer is now. Was she already gone when I sent that? Did she see it and choose to ignore it? Or worse, did my question make things worse for her?
'Around seven, I guess.' Dillon mutters and yet again, I'm shocked. So she's been replying and talking to him too... While I'm talking to her on the other side. I shake my head, trying to clear it up from the confusion, anger, and betrayal starting to crowd up in there.
'Well, Caia?'
'Around the same time.' I reply.
'Alright, was she behaving strangely or depressed?' Mason leans over the table. 'Did she give you any hint about what she was about to do?'
'It... It was the usual conversation.' I think back. 'She sounded really cheerful... more like excited, about something happening last night. She muted for about half-hour, and when she came back, she was pretty much the same.'
'Then she was gone?'
I nod, slightly frustrated since this is kinda obvious.
'Your turn, Dillon.' Mason's voice takes a slight shade of coldness.
'I think you know the answer to that already.' Dillon snaps. Mason purses his lips, but nods. Clearly, there's been a discussion before my arrival.
'Alright, I can't claim to know any more about what happened except for a few points for which I am expected to share with you. Young Miss Swan was completely ordinary the whole of yesterday, left the house late evening and was found to have hung herself this morning.'
Dillon sinks lower into his chair and I feel that suffocating feeling washes over me again, but I manage to push it down and meet Mason's gaze.
'We found her phone and the suicide note to Mr. Archers with her. According to the letter, she claims to be tired of lying, pretending, and hurting. She couldn't bear anymore and chose the easy way out.'
I am shaking my head before I even know it.
'Cc is much smarter and stronger than that.' I say. 'She's been through a lot and always come out of them stronger than before.'
'I don't mean to insult your friend's memory.' The detective's voice softens up a bit. 'But if she's been through a lot as you claim, isn't it evident that she would eventually snap under the pressure?'
'But...'
'Oh, for God's sake, Caia!' Dillon swings around to face me. 'Cecilia's dead and she's dead because she killed herself. You better learn to live with it.'
I glare at him, then slap him hard enough to nearly knocking him off his chair. Getting on my feet, I shake my hand to dim its sting, and head to the door.
'Miss Brinkmann...' Detective Alan Mason stands up as well. But before he could say anything, I'm out of the room and the door closes behind me.
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