BROOKLYN HIGH

Writer's POV

It was difficult for Dolores to get a cab at such time of the day, from the point where she had alighted.

So, she had to trek all the way to the bus station closer to Brooklyn high before being able to board a bus.

Dolores couldn't help but wonder at the cases they had been handling.

She had been a detective for several years but she had never experienced such a case before.

There was no doubt that this was a case of revenge. So definitely, this killer must be someone that really knew The Blue Angels, especially Brittany.

Dolores felt like if there was anyone who would be a bigger suspect in this case, it would definitely be the family members of Brittany.

Once the bus stopped in front of the school, Dolores felt her heart begin to race.

In all her years of practice as a detective, she had never felt so nervous about a death case or any case at all as she was right now.

Clearing her throat and raising her shoulders, Dolores alighted from the bus, hoping she looked just as confident as she was trying to.

Since the school was on its Spring Break, there were no students around.

Dolores hoped that there would be someone who could help her with the information she needed to push this case forward.

"Hello?" She called to a figure she found in the hallway.

When the person turned around, it turned out to be an old lady with Spectacles professionally set on her nose bridge.

Dolores was confused and caught between waving or bowing..

"Good day ma'am." She ended up doing none.

"How may I help you dear? Are you here to enroll your ward in our great school? Is he perhaps coming as a transfer student?" Dolores felt like for an old lady, this person was quite inquisitive.

"I am here for none of what you have mentioned ma'am." Dolores managed a tight smile at the end.

Sensing that the old lady was about to say something else to her, Dolores quickly introduced herself, "I am detective Dolores from Hagni Police station."

Hearing that Dolores was a police officer managed to put the old lady on a leash and bridle her tongue.

This made Dolores feel satisfied.

"Oh….." She sighed nervously.

"How may I be of help detective?" The old lady asked.

"I'm here to get a few questions answered. Might you know if the School's Principal is in today?" Dolores asked her.

"I…. I…I'm the principal officer." She stuttered, smiling nervously at the end.

Dolores was shocked but she did not show it.

"Perfect. If you don't mind, can we talk in your office?" Dolores asked the lady who nodded sharply.

Dolores gesticulated for her to lead them which she did immediately.

"What would you like for me to do for you officer?" The lady asked impatiently once they were safely hidden in her office.

But before Dolores would respond, the principal quickly chipped in something else, "Oh, my bad! I should offer you something first before we duscuss. What would you like for me to offer you? You can state whatever it is that you want."

The level of niceness of the principal was suspicious to Dolores for some reason.

So, she rejected the lady's offers.

"There's really no need for you to do that ma'am. I might not have stated this earlier but I have a limited time to be in Brooklyn. So every single second mattered a lot to me. No offense intended but I think it was best we went down into business immediately." Dolores said, politely rejecting their offers.

"Well, if you must insist." The lady shrugged before walking overnight to her seat.

"So what is it that brings you to this great school of ours?" The lady asked with a big bright smile.

"I would like to know about a certain cheer group. You know what, I would like to see every cheer group this school has had since it's inception." Dolores said, observing the reaction of the old principal.

Surprisingly, she wasn't gittery nor did she look afraid.

Dolores wondered if she could be the killer.

It was too sudden for her to suspect the lady but Dolores couldn't help it.

As far as she knew, everyone in Brooklyn was a suspect.

"Is there a problem, if I might ask?" She adjusted the spectacles on her face.

"We're investigating a murder case that led us to Brooklyn, Brooklyn high specifically." Dolores answered truthfully.

Now, this made the lady terrified.

Hurriedly, she brought all the year books of the school since its inception.

The Principal could already guess what cheer group must have gotten entangled in a murder case so without wasting much time, she took out a picture of the blue Angels.

"This was the most prominent cheer group. Even other towns knew about them. Everyone could see that they were more than just a group, they were friends. The bond they shared as friends was like that of a family." The lady began explaining.

"From your explanation, I can already guess that you're headed to Brittany's death." Dolores didn't spare the lady a glance, she just kept going through the year books.

But she knew she had taken the principal by surprise.

"H…h…" She cleared her throat.

"Did you ever live in Brooklyn?" She asked Dolores frightfully.

" No but I've been here severally." The latter answered.

"Could you tell me more about the Blue angels?" Dolores out the pictures aside and focused on the principal.

She wanted to know more about their personalities before asking the old lady to point out Brittany's face.

"It's been several years since they graduated, I can barely remember their names. But their outstanding performances will always be in my heart." She answered.

"So in summary, the only thing you ever knew about them was that they were a group of brilliant cheer girls who were just like family?" Dolores wondered if they ever fought, publicly.

The Principal nodded.

"Did they ever exhibit violent behaviors in public, vandalisation to be more precised?" Dolores asked.

"None at all." She shook her head.

"Did any of the members exhibit a vengeful behavior, maybe once?" This question made the old lady even more uncomfortable.

"None of them ever did that officer. If I may ask, what murder case could possibly have anything to do with the blue Angels? Was Brittany's death case reopened?" She asked, concerned.

"No, I just needed answers to these questions. We're not exactly sure of the identity of the dead victim. The victim's face is unidentifiable and so, the only background record we got was Brooklyn. We're checking out facilities in Brooklyn, like your school. Is it a bother?" 

"Of course not officer." She waved her hand in the air.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"I would like the personal records of all the members. You still have that in the school, right?" Dolores raised one of her brows.

"Yes officer…." The lady answered.

"Although…" She drawled.

"We're undergoing a renovation in the school right now and all paper records would be stored digitally. It will take the whole of Spring break." 

Dolores did a quick flashback and remembered that she saw a part of the roof of the building had been taken off.

"And when would the records be ready? I would like a specific date." She tucked her hands in her pocket.

"By the end of Spring break but since an investigation is ongoing, I'll make an exception for the cheer girls. You can come back in two days." She smiled a little.

"Very well then." Dolores didn't bother to ask for the pictures since Rachael already had the photo book from Mr Steven.

"Thank you for your cooperation….."

"Principal Wemster." She chipped in quickly.

"Thank you for your cooperation Principal Wemster." Dolores smiled, shaking hands with the old lady.

On her way out of the school, Dolores didn't notice the hooded figure lingering around the school compound.