What the hell...

What is he thinking?

Why was he there?

It was just after the last period of the school day and I was rushing to pack my bag and leave my classroom. I wanted to catch Liam before he left to ask him something I had seen on the news yesterday. I left the ghost at home instead of bringing him today.

He seemed upset about it, but seemed like he understood.

I guess Liam must've freaked him out enough that he was fine with staying back today.

I can kind of understand that.

There's just something about Liam that feels .... off...

I swung my backpack onto my shoulder and hurried out of my classroom, hurrying down the crowded hallway until I came to the main school gate. A frown etched itself onto my face as I looked around for the guy.

There were two many students around.

It was hard to find him.

Was he purposely avoiding me?

I can see him doing that...

After what he said yesterday, but wouldn't it be more me avoiding him not the other way around?

Finally I noticed a tall boy with fluffy, strawberry-blond hair walking down the pathway beside the school fence. I had a feeling that was him; rushing down the path and making sure to avoid other students. I grabbed a hold of his uniform shirt causing him to turn around to face me.

"Naomi? Hi?" He questioned me, sounding rather confused. 

I let go of his uniform, huffing out small puffs of air. "Why were you on the news last night?"

He didn't seem all that surprised by my question. "I..." His eyes glanced at his feet; away from me and at the shadow below him. "...I needed to confirm something, is all..."

"Confirm what?" I was getting irritated at why he continued to keep information to himself. I'm trying to help him and he's keeping vital information to himself.

It was unfair...

"That's..." He cut himself off, raising his head and frowned as his eyes lay on something across the street. 

I blinked, following his gaze and froze.

Police officers?

Why are they here?

I looked over to Liam. He was at the crime scene that was shown on the news yesterday. Are they here to question him? But how'd they learn where Liam went to school? 

Oh wait, they probably have some kind of database to look into.

That's scary....

The two crossed the road and soon were standing before the two of us. The younger of the two took out a notepad, seeming wanting to get ready for any information that was given to them.

This is putting a lot of attention on us...

I could already feel the other students from our school stop leaving and gawk. 

Making up their own assumptions about why the two officers are planning to interrogate us.

I hate when people do that...

It may be just Liam they're after, but I'm still standing beside him and I've never had this much attention drawn to me before.

It's unsettling...

"I'm Andrew Softmore and this is my colleague; Christopher Ward. We would like to ask you a few questions about the 'One-Hit Striker' case, Mr Shriver," Mr Softmore already got the ball rolling. He turned to me and tried to shoo me away. "This is police business. You may leave, Miss."

"I don't know anything about the 'One-Hit Striker'," Liam replied almost instantly, frowning at both officers before him.

I tried hard not to snort because I knew that wasn't true.

I had suspicions that he knew more than he led on.

The younger officer shook his head. "We found that you're Mother; Annie Shriver was on the suspect list for the 1994 attempted murder of a young man called William Manva."

His Mother was what?

Liam seemed to take this information in before snorting. "I would have been one at the time that happened. How am I supposed to know anything on that?"

His response seemed to irritate the older officer. "You listen here, kid. If you have any information your Mother told you then we need to know," He growled out at Liam.

Liam seemed to regard both of them for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't. It's as I said yesterday. I just came across the commotion on the way home."

That has to be a lie...

There's no way that's true...

My eyes went down to his shadow that seemed to glare at the officers.

I wonder if it has something to do with that...?

"What about you?" I turned my attention back to face the younger officer; who was looking at me with an expectant look on his face. "Did you notice anything suspicious?"

"Oh, I wasn't with him at the time," I told him, pointing at Liam. "I had already headed home which is in a different direction than where the body was found."

The officer nodded his head at my statement. "I'll need your name to finish this statement."

I nodded, unsure about it, but if it was for helping stop this serial killer then I guess I should. 

Who knows who'll be next...

"It's Naomi Bailey."

His pen paused and his blue eyes looked up at me in surprise along with the older officer. "Bailey?" He asked me and I nodded. "Do you know anyone by the name of Kara Bailey?"

I nodded my head, slowly. "Yea, but she died before I was born. She was my Mum's younger sister. She would've been my Aunt."

The two seemed to look at each other, a frown on both their faces. 

Did I say something weird?

It's not like I have any attachment to her.

She died before I was born, but I understand why my Mum never really talks about her.

It still hurts her...

"Umm ... why is your surname the same as your Mother's maiden name?" The younger officer questioned me.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "That's a little personal, isn't it?" He winced and seemed to want to take back the question, but I rolled my eyes. "My Mum kept her maiden name due to never getting married."

He must not be used to interrogating people yet because he's still very meek.

The older man doesn't seem to be saying much, but just watching what his colleague is doing.

He must be like a mentor of sorts.

The younger officer wrote what I said down before turning back to Liam. "Is there any way we can get in contact with your Mother to question her?"

I had a feeling he'd change the subject after the awkward exchange I gave him for the questions.

I should give him slack since he's most likely new, but still...

"You can't..." He said, voice devoid of any emotion and eyes unseeing as he stared at the ground at where his shadow was.

"Why?" The younger of the two asked, but the older one seemed to have caught on fairly quickly.

"Because she passed away four years ago..."

The younger was caught off-guard while the older closed his eyes as if mourning the woman they had wanted to question. 

"I...I think we have everything we need. Thank you for your time," Detective Ward said with a bit of a stutter. 

He must be very new at the job if he still does stuff like that on the job.

"Call us if you have anymore information for us," Detective Softmore told us as he handed us a card with a number on it. I took it, turned it over and found it was a personal number not the emergency services number. I guess they give the personal numbers out only if they need information from certain people.

I looked up to see the two get back into their car and drive off.

I turned my head to look over at Liam; who was staring down at the number with blank eyes.

He seemed to clench the card, tightly, leaving a dent in the cardboard.

"Hey Liam..." He blinked, turning towards me. "....I'm gonna head home now."

He nodded his head at me. "Yea, same here. See you tomorrow." I watched as he turned his back to me.

As he rounded the corner of the street the school was on he scrunched up the card and threw it away. I blinked, watching him do this.

Why did he do that?

Does he not like the police?

Or is it something entirely different?