Forever Changed

chapter 28



I sat there a minute, staring at him, my food forgotten. What was I going to say? I didn’t kill Lucas, but I didn’t help him either. My heart was beating so fast that I thought I was going to have a heart attack, right there in front of the officer.

“Nice to meet you Officer Benton,” I said while holding my hand out to him. He walked over to the dining room table and shook my hand. “What can I help you with?”

“Well Elizabeth, Lucas has been missing for a couple of weeks, now and I needed to ask you questions about his disappearance.”

I had to stay calm and serious about all this. One mistake about how I play this off will send me straight to jail. I thought back, to the day I went back to school, after he fell over the falls. Remembering what I had said to his friends that were worried about him.



“Well of course, you may Officer. I will tell you everything that you want to know and what I can help you with. Please have a seat and we can talk comfortably.” I smiled at him warmly.

“Elizabeth, you were the last to be seen with Lucas, what can you tell me about after you left school with him?” Officer Benton was looking at me very seriously. I knew he was watching my emotions on my face.

“Oh, I took Lucas home as soon as we left school. I had to get home and talk to my mother.” I said looking over at her with a smile.

“Yes, this is true Officer. I had told Elizabeth to come straight home from school because we needed to make arrangements, for when her father arrived back home.” She said looking at him sweetly. The woman couldn’t lie; she never has been able to. Now, she was protecting me by, only telling half the truth.

“Where were you at Mr. Marcus?” Officer Benton asked while looking over at my father.

“I was away on business. I was on my way home. My wife was going to surprise me with a homecoming party. This is Landon,” my father said with a smile motioning at Landon. “He traveled back with me; I am making him a partner at my gym. So, I wanted him to stay and try it out for a little while before he decided to take the job. Since we have plenty of room here, I just had him stay here in our home, in the guest room, instead of forking over the money for a hotel. I want him to be as comfortable as possible while he makes his decision.” He looked over at Landon. Landon nodded in agreement.

“I love it here, but I have yet made a decision on staying,” Landon said while crushing me into a million pieces.

“Well you knocked out most of my questions for me,” Officer Benton chuckled. “But I still have a few more questions for Elizabeth and then I will get out of your hair.”

This police officer was easy going and laid back. He made himself comfortable while sitting in the chair. He was slouched back a little bit and had his left foot resting on his right knee. He looked to be in his late twenties and was built as an athlete. He wore, not the usual officer uniform, but relaxed jeans and a button up polio shirt. He of course, had a holster attached to his right hip on his belt, which carried his gun. His badge was attached to his left hip. He wore his blond hair messy and he had beautiful green eyes. He also was wearing a wedding ring on his finger, which told me he was married. His tone, told me, that he was a pretty easy guy to get along with.

“Elizabeth, how long had you been dating Lucas?” Officer Benton eyed me suspiciously.

“We were not really dating. He had made it look like we were because he was trying to help me.” I replied showing a little fake sadness on my face.

“Why was he trying to help you?”

“Because I was not the most popular girl in school. Lucas was a very popular kid and we had known each other for a while. I didn’t have any friends and he thought that making it out as if we had been dating, would help me out in the friend department.” It was so easy to lie to this officer that it was scary.



“Did he owe you a favor?” Officer Benton asked quietly.





“I guess you can say that, well in his mind he was probably thinking that. I few days before we put on the ‘play’ he had knocked me down playing with his guy friends, in the hallway, causing me to drop my books and papers. He didn’t help me pick them up and I guess he felt like he owed me. I miss him though. He was a really nice guy.” I didn’t want Lucas to look like a total douche, even though that was exactly what he was. He was an awful person. He only knew how to torture and humiliate people, all while only thinking about himself.

“Did he say what he was going to do, when you dropped him off at home?” Officer Benton asked me this, with a look of pity in his eyes. That was what I was waiting for and I breathed a little better. I baited him, hooked, and now had him. He felt sorry for me which means he really thought I was telling the truth.



“The only thing he told me was that since no one was home, at his house that he would go for a run or take a hike in the woods. I haven’t heard from him since and I have been worried. I went hiking through the woods a couple of days ago, to maybe see if I couldn’t find him. I never did.” I said pain dripping with each word. “I even had sent him messages and called his phone hoping, maybe he would reply, but still haven’t received anything back.” I finished smoothly and I was not lying on that last part.





I made it a point, every day to send Lucas at least a few messages and phone calls, that away if his phone was safe when they found it, they could see that I was worried. Even pulling the phone records, they would see who called, even if they couldn’t recover his phone. I had made sure that I would be just as innocent, even though I was guilty as hell!

“Why were you not at school today, Elizabeth?” Officer Benton asked while raising an eyebrow. “The school said you have been absent for a week.”

“I have come down with the flu. I haven’t felt like going to school. I graduate this year, but my grades are so high that I could have graduated last year. I didn’t though because I wanted to graduate with everyone I went through each grade with. I could be sick, miss school, and it not hurt me.” I said with a weak smile.

From healing my father I looked like shit. I was pale, with dark circles under my eyes. So I know that he believed me.

“My father was actually going to call the school and just tell them I would be there for graduation and just keep me at home. I mean graduation is only a month away, but my father is going to put me to work at the gym.” I said with a smile. Officer Benton looked at my father waiting for a confirmation. My father shook his head, with a huge smile on his face. He looked like a proud father for sure.

“Well, Miss Elizabeth,” he said while standing. “I hope you feel better. Thank you for the information. We will start searching the woods and see if maybe he has had an accident. I will be in touch if something else arises.” He said sweetly. “I suggest you go to college, you are still young. Congratulations on graduation. It’s fine I will see myself out the door.” He said as my father had stood to follow him out. He shook our hands, said goodbyes, and he walked to the door. We listened, until we heard the door shut.

My father went to make sure he actually did leave. When returned and nodded his head yes, telling us he was gone. We all relaxed and breathed out slowly. That was a close call. I know they would rule his death as an accident and I would be in the clear. I had committed the perfect murder.

“Well, now that is out of the way, at least until he returns,” my father said a little more relaxed. Then, while his body tensed up and his eyes became more serious, he said, “Now, we have to prepare for the arrival of the Dark Lord.”

I tensed up a little, but I was ready to get it over with and I planned on just that.

I would defeat the Dark Lord!