The remaining two days passed for questioning, or as the cops called it, Ilem's statements regarding Grace's disappearance.
Of course, Ilem hadn't been able to sleep or eat, in those two fatal days, he hadn't even been able to talk to Gabe about the fight the other night and well Ian still hasn't appeared at his house since Monday. Ilem was confined to the loneliness of not being able to recall a glimpse of what had happened on Friday.
Sitting on the bench in front of the institute, she kept looking in the direction of the library and re-cataloging everything she remembered from Friday, these days she had only wanted to cry, but it had been strong for herself, if she began to think that She was guilty, everything would turn into a spiral and not even she could defend herself but well, maybe she was guilty, she thought ...
- Ilem I'm calling you Gabe claim. from behind her, Ilem didn't look at him said anything about her just kept looking at the library in front of her and swallowing the lump in her throat.
Gabe walked around the bench and sat next to his sister who seemed catatonic, he took her hand and squeezed it, he had avoided talking to her these last two days not only because of the fight on Monday but because she was right, he was the first that he should know about Grace's whereabouts, but he didn't even know where she hung out with her friends. Gabe had gone to Hannah's house that morning but she refused to talk to hers and yelled at him that he was a stupid asshole.
- I'm sorry Gabe I'm sorry but I can't blame myself for something I didn't do. Maybe if I do, I don't know where she or her body is ...
- To. Gabe interrupted her, she's not dead Ilem, she's just hiding or something, she can't be dead you understand. He told her brother with his jaw clenched and clenched full of anger, but still, he did not let go of her hand
Gabe blew out a breath and looked back at her sister, eyes sad and hateful for the whole situation, maybe even for Grace as well.
- I understand you, I don't blame you, I just want to know where I need her Ilem I love her so much that right now I just want to break the world to find her, I looked for her everywhere, these two days I have hardly slept looking everywhere, Ian and I just stopped looking for her, I went to the house of every person I ever saw her talk to, I went to Hannah and she didn't want to talk to me
Ilem saw the tears shine in Gabe's eyes and hugged him as tightly as his arms left her, he sobbed in her arms, she didn't know what to say to him, she had nothing good to say about Grace, she now simply wanted Grace to never become into their lives.
— Gabe why are you here, Ilem asked after a while of holding her brother.
— I just came to take you to give your statements at the police station, Dad had to do something in the office and could not come to accompany you, little sister.
Ilem stood up still holding her brother's hand, she didn't understand why she was holding him so tightly but in a way, she knew it was because she was terrified. Ilem had never been involved in anything, not even sneaky shenanigans like Ellen or crazy nights like Gabe. She was the sensible one in that family besides her mother but now she was the only one who had ever been summoned to a police station.
— Ilem are just silly statements, you are not going to jail, Gabe scolds him.
- I know but it is ... Gabe I remembered something very strange or at least that I think everything is blurry now but with the fact that I did not remember Friday I forgot it completely. Gabe frowned and his blue eyes filled with anticipation but still I wait for his sister to continue.
— On Monday of the week before Grace was packing and the door to her room was open, I saw her so I asked, and she told me that she was going camping in a few weeks.
All of Gabe's senses were paralyzed maybe she had just gone camping and nothing else, she would come back, maybe everyone was alarmed for no reason and Grace was just doing her usual thing, getting everyone's attention.
— But ... I saw the suitcase today under the stairs before coming to school Gabe, that was not a strange thing. I couldn't leave it like that I needed to see if that was part of all this if she had gone camping and nothing happened ...
— Gabe. She spoke her brother's name as a plea.
Tears filled Ilem's eyes. She did not know how her brother would react to what she was about to say, she did not know what to think, she just wanted to run now.
— There was a gun and the papers and everything was there, the gun seems to be in the name of a certain Raulí Márquez, and there were some sleeping pills and pills to treat mental problems. Very strong things Gabe.
Gabe felt his whole world falling apart, he knew that Grace was no role model, he knew that the girl had problems with an alcoholic mother and a father who abandoned her, he knew that she is broken in so many different ways. Hannah was quite a fan of prescription drugs, but from there to a gun it was far worse than he imagined.
— You can't tell them that Ilem. They will no longer look for it, in the same way, they will suspect a lot of things that may not be important now, just leave it to me. I'm going to get to the bottom of all this and nothing is going to happen to you.
— Gabe for God's sake. Are you listening to yourself? —there is nothing in her to see as good to acceptable she is a troublesome girl, we cannot do this, it is dangerous. She could be into something really bad.
— I know but please Ilem I need my sister now, don't do it for her if not for me.
Gabe's voice broke into so many parts in that sentence that Ilem's heart was shattered, by her brother madly in love with someone, mean and rotten like Grace. But she nodded raising Gabe's face to look at her.
— I don't care about her, Gabe, but if at some point, you are involved, I'm going to sink her to the bottom, and I'm not going to allow her to take you with her.
Gabe looked at his little sister with eyes full of sadness and pride at the same time the little brunette who cried with the thunder and went into her room so that she was not alone was no longer the same, her sister's blue eyes looked at him seriously and expectant for an answer.
— It's okay Ilem.
He hugged her and kissed her forehead, the brothers do not abandon themselves.
The police station was empty, Gabe saw Ilem go with the policeman who was handling the case, he just waited on the benches in the hall, when he looked up he could glimpse his friend walking away from him in the direction of he. Ian looked particularly angry with his messy blonde hair and clenched jaw.
— You are an idiot Gabe Ian told him when he arrived in front of him, what the hell were you thinking when I left my car at Jefferson school, he has been there since Friday and they fined me a hundred pounds for being a secondary school and I did not attend her. Ian lectured him still angry
— Ian I never took your car, Gabe told him, Anderson went to my house because you never left the car with me.
Ian's face was filled with panic that he had received a message from Gabe that he would loan him the car when he drove it to the Fullers' house Thursday night. He knew that he had to leave the car. But when his mother didn't come for him, Ian decided to take his car home. And later take him to the Fullers' house again because he had to do some things and get everything ready for his competition on Saturday, since the party was on Friday at about ten o'clock he did not worry, he took the car and left it in The Fullers' garage at 9:00 pm and his mother picked him up because Gabe hadn't come.
— Gabe, I left my car at your house, you can ask Allin, she opened the garage for me.
— Ian I never took the car, I got home and Allin was making dinner, I called Anderson because your car was not where it always was with the old men in front. I blame Gabe now angry too
— Your father was not at home when I arrived so I put my car in his parking space and left the space of your mother's.
Gabe thought, but he clearly remembered that when he arrived there was neither his father's car nor Ian's, his mother was there, but as far as he understood in his father's office that day something happened with some files and He arrived after midnight his mother had made a big problem out of that matter.
— Ian either you went crazy or someone else took the car. Gabe said very discreetly so that no one from the station would hear him.
— It could be, the keys were in the glove compartment and the windows were open, but I never thought that someone could do that for your neighborhood. Gabe, there everyone sleeps with the keys under the rugs and the cars without a lock on the doors.
— Whatever it is we will solve it later, now we need not complicate anything with Grace's case. Ian's green eyes sparkled with an idea.
— She could have taken it to go to the library. She let go of Gabe
— Can. But for now, let's see where the police are and if something comes to announce that there was a car involved in the cameras we will say that she may have taken your car until then that this remains between us. Have you already gone to look for the car where they took it? Gabe asked Ian to change the subject
— No, I don't have the money now, I'll see if my mother wants to pay it tomorrow if I don't have to wait a month until I get paid at work.
Well thought Gabe so we'll have enough time to find Grace and then focus all my attention on Ian's car and whoever took it.
🍁🍁🍁
Ilem, sitting in the interrogation room, felt very anxious, wanted to cry and in turn, run away. When the police came in she was a pretty redhead who didn't look much older than Ilem, the girl's perfect smile calmed Ilem a bit.
— Hello Miss Fuller, I am Amanda Cramer I am in charge of the case of the disappearance of Grace Miller since Friday of last week, according to recordings of the Jefferson high school library, you were the last to see her.
The officer ended the entire monologue looking directly at Ilem, Ilem felt that now the brown eyes that she had been so jovial when entering were cold and full of suspicion.
— Well I saw her there because I was going to get a book for my homework, I had felt bad early and had not been able to go to the library, I don't know what she was doing there, but I didn't talk to her much, I just greeted her and asked if she would come back home with me.
Amanda's face twisted, and her brow furrowed enough to make her look intimidating.
— You will see Ilem I know that you are scared and you want to get out of guilt regarding this girl, but you should not lie in your statements, that does not speak well of you.
Her colors left Ilem's face, her stomach turned and she wanted to cry and scream at the same time, her hands began to tremble and the lump in her throat barely let any air in.
— We will remind you of the facts, said a dark and stocky officer, he did not bother to introduce himself. He put a laptop in front of Ilem and the recording started to play, she could see herself arriving at the doors of the library and then Grace entered the plane; The video had no sound but everything was clear. Ilem said something to her and Grace seemed to be angry, then Grace walked out of range of the camera. Ilem waited a moment and then went after her.
— Miss Fuller, you never entered the library, if you were going to look for a book and not find Miss Miller, why didn't you go into the library?
— She… Ilem breathed. She was telling me that my brother was cheating on her and that she was going to break up with him I know that my brother loves her and he would never have eyes for anyone else and since she was angry I tried to calm her I told her to come home with me but she refused and he went away.
The policemen seemed to believe the story, they looked at each other and Amanda let out a heavy breath, shd to want to speak but the man interrupted her.
— Thank you for cooperating Miss Fuller, we will call you if something changes in the case so that she can give her statements again. And please advise her brother that we will take her statement at this time tomorrow. The man took the laptop back and left the room.
Ilem looked desperately at Amanda, she wanted her to tell her because suddenly her brother also had to declare, she seemed to understand without words and began to speak
— Look Ilem studied with your brother in one of my classes last year just before graduating we shared a debate class and I know that he is a good boy he would never hurt that girl he loves her too much. To her misfortune.