Chapter 79: Chapter 79

"Don't lie! Your wife is the lead on Jade's case. She's covering up your tracks and tampering with evidence. We have proof"

"Marissa is the one leading Jade's case?" He asks. I stare at him. He has a genuine look of surprised on his face.

"Don't act like you didn't know!"

"I didn't. I swear"

Chandler stares at him a few minutes before he gets up. I get up too.

"If you didn't do it, you wouldn't mind giving me a swab of DNA."

"No of course not go ahead!"

Chandler reaches in his pocket and takes out a bottle with a Q-tip inside of it. It takes it out of the bottle and swabs the dean's mouth. When he's done, he puts it back into the bottle and in his pocket.

"You should probably call your lawyer," he says before he storms out. I walk behind him. When I glance back, Daniel is sitting at his desk, head down with his hands over his head. Something's not right here.

We walk out the office and head towards Chandler's car. Thoughts are roaming around in my head. I don't know if Daniel is a great actor or if there might be a chance that he really didn't kill Jade. His wife being on the case is no coincidence, though. I know that much for sure. But if Dean Daniel really didn't kill Jade, who did? The thought of this makes my head spin. I thought the questions were answered. I thought I found Jade's killer and could finally put this mess behind me. It's like I take two steps forward and three steps back. Hopefully, Connor finds something from hacking the police database.

**

When we arrive at my house, Greg and Connor are hard at work.

"How'd the interrogation go ?" Greg asks. Detective Chandler shakes his head. "I'll tell you later. How's the hacking going?" He looks at Connor.

"Well, we found out some things," Connor starts " Marissa is declaring that there is a lack of evidence for the case. She's trying hard to dismiss it. Michel Rodriguez, the guy who tried to take Mia decided he would confess and give up his friends but later recanted earlier today. It doesn't say why, but now the case is pretty much back to the beginning."

"I'll bet Marissa had something to do with it," Chandler says. Chandler's phone starts to ring. He picks it up and leaves the room.

"So how did the interrogation go?" Connor asks me.

"I don't think he's the one who ordered those guys to kill Jade," I say. "He didn't even know Marissa was on the case."

"Are you sure?" Greg asks me "maybe he's lying."

"He could be, but I doubt it. He was genuinely surprised when I told him and he was sad about Jade's death."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," Connor says.

"It better work." Chandler walks back in the room. "I just got off the phone with officer Rinson, Michel Rodriguez is dead."

We all look at him, speechless. " Apparently he 'committed suicide' this morning in his cell. He hung himself with his shoelaces."

The thought of this makes me nauseous. He did deserve to be punished for what he did to Jade and me, but I'd ever wish this on someone, no matter how much I thought they deserved it.

"He died when he decided to testify, my guess is he was killed." Chandler puts his hands on his hips. "Well, that eliminates one of our biggest leads on the case."

"What better work?" I ask, referring back to what Connor and Chandler were talking about earlier.

"Oh, we bugged the dean's office. His conversations will be recorded and ready to listen to on my computer."

"But when did you...?" I think back to when Chandler put his hands on the dean's desk. "OH," I answer my own question. Chandler winks at me. "Very sly" I admit. He played it really cool. The way he grabbed onto his desk at the right moment. It just looked like he was angry.

"Did he make any calls?" I ask Connor?

"Yeah, he made a few." He looks at his watch. "I have class in one hour. I should probably get going."

I forgot about school today. I had two classes in the morning that I missed. I think considering the circumstances, my teachers will understand. I then remember that my dad is being released today. I should probably go visit him. We agree to meet back here in three hours.

*

Greg drops me at my dad's hotel. This time, when I go inside the hotel suite, he accompanies me.

We knock on the door and enter in the suite. My mom is cooking, like always, and my dad is fixed on the couch watching tv.

"Hi Mia, how are you, honey?" My mom asks me.

"Good, how is dad?"

"He's alright, still complains of pain." She looks over at him. "Maybe you should talk to him."

She puts the chicken in the oven and tells us she's going in the shower.

I walk towards my dad, feeling more nervous every step I take. I haven't seen him since the hospital and I haven't talked to him since... I don't even remember. Whenever I think of him now, the thought of him laying lifeless with alcohol bottles surrounding him pops up in my head. Memories of him have changed dramatically since I was a kid. I used to think of him has my hero. I was to be daddy's little angel. I kept my virginity because of him. Because he told me to keep it till the right man came along. Preferably, my husband.

"Dad?" I barely whisper.

"Mia" he hugs me "I'm so sorry," he says. He starts to cry. Finally, he's looking at me in my eyes.

"Dad it's not your fault," my eyes water, my voice is wavy.

"It is angel, It's my job to protect you. You're my only daughter and I couldn't protect you. I stop calling as much, I got so caught up in my job. I didn't make enough time for you. I thought of you every night. I should've flown out more. I should've been here more. I'm sorry."

The sound of his voice and his tears break my heart. I know he didn't call as much, but he did check up on me once every three weeks. That's more calls than Jade's parents combined. What I'm saying is, at least, he called me at all.

After a long heart to heart and some chicken for dinner, I told them I had to go. My dad insisted that I sleep over, but I told him I had important things to take over. On my way out the door, my dad grabs a hold of Greg and says:"you better take care of her. If she gets hurt, you get hurt."

Greg nods in fear.

We walk out the suite and make our way to Greg's car.

As soon as Greg and I arrive at my house, Chandler and Connor are waiting outside my door.

"You guys weren't kidding about three hours," I joke. It's no surprise that no one laughs. I was never really a funny person.

We get installed and the recordings of the dean's conversations begin.

"Hello?"

"Marissa, what the hell is going on? I have detectives coming in my office accusing me of murder and saying that they have proof of you tampering with evidence. What the hell did you do?"

"Which detectives?"

"Are you not listening to me? We're being accused of murder and all you can ask me is which detective came to my office."

It goes quiet for a few seconds. "Marissa, tell me you didn't do it. Tell me this has to be some kind of mistake. Tell me that it's a coincidence that you're on jade's case."

"I'll talk to you when you get home, I gotta go." The phone hangs up.