Sitting in the interview room, Carrie looked warily at Kat until Scotty walked in. He calmly set a mug of coffee down in front of her, before placing his papers on the table and taking a seat.
“Someone in my family was... taken advantage of by this coach when he was a kid,” Scotty started, giving her a solemn look. “I didn’t really understand what was happening to him at the time. I was just a kid myself. Didn’t really understand until years later. I tried to get him to talk about it at first but...”
As he trailed off, Scotty could see her eyes glisten, and noticed her biting her lip slightly.
“I think he thought that burying it was the only way he could go on. So that’s what he did for years. Then when I showed up, trying to bring all this stuff out into the open, it rattled him. Didn’t know how to handle it. He even lashed out a bit.”
“Is there a point to this?” Carrie asked, uneasily.
“Carrie, we know what Mr. Mueller was doing to you.” Kat said gently.
“And we know Matt found out about it.” Scotty added. “He was lookin’ for you; to let you know he was gonna tell someone.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Carrie said impatiently, unable to look at either of them.
“It’s okay, Carrie, you can tell us what happened.”
“Nothing happened, all right?” Carrie continued, trying to hold herself together.
“Look, we can understand if you were angry at Matt.” Kat said. “Him coming around, sticking his nose in something that wasn’t his business.”
Scotty nodded. “Actin’ all high and mighty. Thinks he’s got all the answers, when maybe he’s just makin’ things worse.”
Kat shrugged. “If you ask me, sounds like he didn’t care about anyone but himself.”
“Don’t say that!” Carrie suddenly snapped, tears welling up in her eyes. “Don’t say he didn’t care! You didn’t know him!”
Scotty and Kat leaned back in their chairs. Carrie looked back at both of them, a tear finally falling.
“Matt found you, didn’t he?” Kat asked, softly.
Carrie nodded.
“Wanted to talk to you.” Scotty said. “Get to know you.”
“He did want that.” Carrie said sadly. “But there was something else that was more important to him...”
***
Matt walked down the empty hallways, not sure if there were any other students left in the building. He’d almost decided she’d left already, when he turned a corner and saw her. She was leaning against a locker, staring at the door to the classroom, the blind on the window drawn. Matt didn’t want to imagine what she was going through her head that moment. He just walked up to her, ignoring the unwelcome stare she gave him as she noticed him.
“Is he in there?” Matt asked, giving the classroom door a glare.
“No,” she said. “He already left.”
He turned back to her, looking concerned. “Are you okay?”
Carrie finally faced him, a pained look on her face. “What do you want from me, Matt?”
“I don’t want anything. I just...” He trailed off and sighed, before looking back at her with a resigned look in his eyes. “Look, I’ll leave you alone, if that’s what you want, but I’m not gonna pretend I don’t know what he’s doing.” He shook his head. “I can’t do that.”
“I didn’t ask you to get involved.” Carrie said, her voice breaking.
“I know.” He nodded. “But I have to.”
Matt looked down at his dog tag. “My dad always says that sometimes life throws you a curve, and all you can do is try to do the right thing. I never really understood what he meant by that, until I met you.”
Carrie just looked at him, blinking back tears
“I’m gonna tell my dad what he’s doing. It’s gonna be over.”
Matt started down the hallway, before turning back to her with a slight smile.
“Whatever happens,” he paused for a moment to keep from choking up. “I’m glad I got to know you.”
Carrie just watched him as he walked away.
The hallway was silent again for a few minutes until Carrie heard a door handle turning behind her. She turned to see the classroom door open and Justine stumble out, trying to keep her torn blouse closed as sobs racked her shaking body. Her hair was disheveled, and her make-up ruined from tears.
Justine’s red eyes locked with Carrie’s just for a moment, and Carrie gave her a solemn, knowing look. Carrie didn’t say a word. She just watched as Justine gripped her blouse tighter and hurried off, still sobbing...***
“
Justine was in there?” Kat asked.
Carrie tilted her head. “You didn’t think I was the only one, did you?”
Kat didn’t answer. Her mind was already elsewhere. Giving Scotty a quick look, she stood up and walked out of the room.
Scotty was silent for a moment before he too got up. A look from Carrie stopped him before he reached the door.
“That guy you were talking about,” she asked anxiously. “What ended up happening to him?”
Scotty paused, thinking back to the conversation he’d had with his brother a year and a half earlier in a room only a few feet away, then smiled slightly. “He came forward, helped put the guy away. I know it wasn’t easy, but I think he’s glad he did.”
Carrie nodded and let herself catch her breath before she spoke. “There were a few other girls you might want to talk to.”
Scotty nodded solemnly, then sat back down and started writing while Carrie started to speak.
***
Out in the squad room, Stillman frowned in thought. “So Justine finds out Matt’s going to expose Mueller, and Justine shuts him up?”
Kat shrugged. “Might’ve been desperate not to let anyone find out her secret.”
“Might be more to it than that.” Vera said, hurrying over, carrying a small stack of papers. “It was just a hunch, but I contacted the records office at Harvard. Guy over there owes me a big favor.”
Kat eyed him suspiciously. “How’s a guy working at Harvard end up owing you a favor?”
Vera rolled his eyes and held up a hand. “Long story. Anyway, I was able to convince him to fax me a copy of Justine’s application. Includes a glowing recommendation from one of her high school teachers. Three guesses which one.”
Jeffries shook his head. “Mueller.”
Vera nodded. “If I had to guess, I’d say he helped her get into Harvard, and what Carrie saw was the payment.”
“If Matt exposed Mueller, he goes to jail, and she doesn’t go to Harvard.” Scotty added.
Stillman nodded. “Well that’s motive, but how’d she get him to the river? She didn’t have a car.”
Kat thought for a moment. “Chris did.”
“Yeah, but those two were crazy about each other.” Scotty said. “Would he really let her sell herself out to Mueller, then help her cover it up?”
“Assuming he even knew.” Jeffries said.
Kat looked at the others. “Maybe it’s time we found out how much Chris knew about what his girl was up to.”
***
Chris practically bolted out of his chair as Jeffries and Vera walked into the interview room. “I didn’t kill Matt! I swear to God!” He exclaimed, the panic clear in his voice.
“Sit down.” Vera said, his words putting Chris back in his seat. “Lotta stuff’s not adding up, Chris.”
“What do you mean?” Chris eyed them nervously.
Jeffries looked at him intently. “For starters, you don’t think it’s a little strange that the teacher you caught assaulting Matt’s sister goes on to help your girl get into the same school you’re going to?”
Chris leaned back. “His sister? That was her?”
“So you and Justine knew Matt had a sister?” Jeffries asked, skeptically.
“He told us about her. We never met her.”
“Funny how you never told anyone about any of this when your friend first went missing.” Jeffries said.
“Course not. If Mueller gets busted, he can’t help your girl go the same school as you.” Vera added.
“Well maybe Mueller did it!”
Vera shook his head. “No, that perv’s got an alibi.”
“Well so do I! I was with my parents that night. Ask them!”
“They gonna say Justine was there too?”
Chris opened his mouth but no sounds came out.
“You two made it to Harvard but you split up not long after.” Vera leaned closer. “Was that cause you two couldn’t talk about the elephant in the room?”
“Cause you knew what happened, and you looked the other way?” Jeffries added.
A pained look formed over Chris’ face.
“He was your best friend.” Vera said.
“And she was the girl I loved.” Chris said, looking at him. “You have no idea how much she sacrificed for us. She didn’t even want to go to Harvard. She picked it because that’s where I wanted to go.” Chris looked far off, back to being a teenager again. “We had a future planned together.”
“It’s been twenty-two years.” Vera shook his head. “That future ain’t gonna happen, and hidin’ your head in the sand won’t change that.”
Chris, seemingly on the verge of tears, lowered his head and sighed. “We were supposed to go to the movies that night but she cancelled. She called me, asked if she could borrow my car. She wouldn’t say why. The next day my dad was giving me a hard time, asking me where I was that I got so much mud over the wheels.” He put a hand over his head and closed his eyes.
***
Lilly was still trying to get caught up on her paperwork when saw Scotty bringing Justine in. Justine turned to look at her and Lilly was certain she saw a flicker of recognition in Justine’s eyes.
She was already hurrying over to Stillman by the time Justine was in the other room, out of earshot.
“Let me try and talk to her, boss.” Stillman shifted, but Lilly continued before he could say anything. “Look, you were right. I got history with this case, but I got history with her too. She remembers me. She’ll talk to me.”
Stillman looked pensive for a moment, before sighing and giving her a curt nod.
Scotty opened the door for her, giving a supportive nod and smile as she walked in.
***
Justine stared at Lilly with confusion as she walked in and sat down, the yearbook in her hand.
“Hi, Justine.” Lilly said with a friendly smile.
“Lilly? Lilly Rush?” Justine asked, still looking at her.
“Yeah.” Lilly nodded. “Haven’t seen you since, what, graduation?”
“What are you doing here?”
Lilly shrugged. “I’m a detective now.”
Lilly opened the yearbook to the page with the picture of Matt, Justine, and Chris. “I’ve been finding out a lot more about Matt. I never knew he had a sister.”
Justine listened silently.
Lilly looked down at the pciture. “I guess you probably knew him better than I ever did. Friends your whole lives, the three of you. I'm just sorry I never got the chance to really know him.”
Justine was quiet for a moment, as if thinking of something. “He was smart. He was really, really smart.” She gave a slight smile as she looked at Lilly. “He had such a crush on you. He said he wanted to know what you were like.” Lilly and Justine both smiled. "Still took him a whole year to work up the guts to talk to you though."
Lilly chucked at this, before her looked turned a bit more solemn. “I hear he could be kind of persistent too. If he found out something was wrong, or if someone was in trouble, he wouldn't give up. He wouldn't let it go.”
Justine's smile faded as she looked somewhere far away. "No, he wouldn't."
“Not everyone appreciates that. Some people might've wanted him to mind his own business.”
A bitter look passed over Justine's face. "Some people might've."
“You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Justine turned away but Lilly leaned closer. “Justine, we know was Mr. Mueller was doing to those girls, to you.” Justine breathed heavily at this. “Matt was going to expose him. You were at the school the night Matt was killed, and you borrowed Chris’ car after.”
Justine said nothing.
“You caught up with him that night, didn’t you, Justine?”
Still nothing.
Lilly stared at her. “You and Chris were in love. You had to be together, didn’t you? No matter the cost.”
Justine closed her eyes. “There were so many other kids at school, just wandering aimlessly, not knowing what they were going to do with their lives. Not me. I knew exactly what I wanted, exactly how my life was gonna be. I was so sure.”
“We all were.” Lilly said gently. “You and Chris thought you were going to have a life together. Matt thought he was an only child.” She smiled wistfully. “I thought he was going to take me to the movies. Things didn’t work out the way we thought.”
“No.” Justine shook her head and looked at the yearbook picture, as a pained look formed on her face. “They didn’t...”
***
Staring into the washroom mirror, Justine looked herself over one last time. She’d fixed her hair, make-up, and clothes as best she could. There was only so much she could do until she got home.
She stepped out of the bathroom and glared at the bulletin board on the wall. At the center was a smiling picture of Mueller, next to a brightly-colored notice announcing him as Teacher of the Year. Justine stared at it until she heard a heavy door opening at the other end of the hall. She was just able to make out Matt, before he stepped out the door.
Immediately, she broke into a run, hurrying out the door and down the steps. It was already dark out, with no one else around. She called his name until he turned around.
“Justine, what are you still doing here?” Matt said, smiling as he walked towards her, maneuvering around the stacks of bricks and sheets of plastic the contractors had left. “You still up for the drive-in tonight?” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “I could use a break after this crazy week.”
She just stared at him. “You can’t tell anyone.”
Matt winced. “Oh, what? You too now? No, I’m not gonna just forget it, all right? That girl’s my sister. She’s family.”
Justine shook her head defiantly. “No, family is someone who’s been there for you your whole life, who you know better than anyone. Is some girl you just met more important you than Chris and I?”
“This isn’t about you! It’s about her and what Mr. Mueller’s doing to her. You have any idea what this could do to her?”
“She’ll be fine.” Justine said, starting to shake. “It’s not that bad.”
“How the hell would you--” The realization set in and Matt took a step back, a mix of horror and heartbreak on his face. “No. No, not you too.”
“It’s not what you think, all right? I told him I had to get into Harvard. He said he knew people there, and he... he asked me how bad I wanted to get in, and he...” She shook her head, trying to keep tears from coming. “It’s not that bad, honest.”
Matt just looked at her. “You let him touch you just so he could get you into a school?”
“It’ll be worth it when me and Chris can stay together.”
“Nothing’s worth this! This is crazy!”
“We had a plan. We were gonna go to Harvard together. We’re gonna have a life together.”
“Look, my dad always says sometimes life throws you a curve and--”
“I don’t care what your dad says!” Justine shrieked, causing Matt to recoil nervously. “We had a plan!” Tears started flowing “I can’t give it up now, not after everything I’ve done.”
Matt looked at her for a moment sympathetically. “I’m gonna tell my dad. I’m gonna make this right.”
“We had a plan.” Justine whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Matt simply shook his head and started walking away.
“We had a plan!” She repeated louder, starting to follow him.
Matt kept walking.
Justine looked down at the stack of bricks next to her. She looked closely at one, then picked it up, stepping closer to Matt.
She glared through tears, gritted her teeth, and swung the brick. Matt grunted when it made contact with the back of his head. He fell to the ground head first, leaving a bloody patch on the edge of the pavement, before rolling onto the grassy part of the yard.
Justine dropped the blood-covered brick, covered her mouth, and stared at Matt. His eyes were closed. He didn’t move. After a few moments, she looked around until her eyes came to rest on one of the plastic sheets and the wheelbarrow next to it. She walked over to Matt, kicking dirt over the patch of blood on the pavement along the way, then grabbed his arms.
Wincing under the weight, she started to slowly drag him towards the plastic...***
(“Heaven” - Bryan Adams)
Lilly sat patiently, watching Justine write her statement as tears rolled down Justine’s face.
Out in the squad room Chris stood up as he saw Lilly and Scotty escort Justine, now in handcuffs, out of the interview room. Their eyes fell immediately on each other. Chris walked over and pulled her into an embrace. They stayed there for a moment until Lilly and Scotty were forced to separate them. Chris could only stand there and watch as they walked her away, and lowered his head sadly after she was out of sight...
Swiveling his stool slightly in the bar, Steve continued flirting with the young woman, no more than half his age, sitting next to him. After a minute the young woman, looking very uncomfortable, stood up and left. Steve just waved her off dismissively as she walked away. He turned to the bartender to order another drink, and threw it back as soon as the bartender handed it to him...
Carrie and the three other women stood up as they saw Scotty and Jeffries escort Mueller through the police station. Scotty kept a hard grip on Mueller’s handcuffed wrist. Mueller didn’t notice any of the women. They just watched in awe as the detectives walked him away...
Stillman carried the case box, with the name ‘TAMLYN, M.’ marked on the side and the word ‘CLOSED’ marked on the lid, through the storage room and set it away with the other boxes on the shelves...
Carrie crouched down to place the flowers on the pavement outside the school, taking a moment to hold the dog tag around her neck. She looked up to see Richard standing over her, having already set his flowers down, holding a dog tag in his hand, just like hers.
They stared at each other for a moment, tears welling up, before Carrie reached tentatively for his arm, and they finally pulled each other into a hug.
Lilly watched them from a few feet away. She turned to the right and saw Matt standing next to her, watching his father and sister proudly. He looked back at Lilly, giving her a grateful smile. She smiled back, feeling seventeen again just for a moment. Matt gave her one last look, then turned away. Lilly watched as he walked off and faded away.
THE END
. I love me some Bryan Adams. I can't wait to see your next story. This was really great!!! I don't even read a lot of fanfics since I find myself not liking most of the authors and their stories, but your stories are so believable. I probably only read your fanfics and one other person fanfics("Veronica Mars"). 
I think of it for every ending. 
