Ghost Time

Then, in this voice, like he was trying to stay calm, he goes, FBI, and I looked him in the eye. He has a few questionsfor you, Thea. You can have a lawyer present or I can go in there with you, whichever you prefer, he said. And if I didn’t know any better, deep down, I knew Cheesy was scared. I recommend an attorney, but that will be a few hours, and you’ll have to wait here, in the office, he said. And I shook my head no. I said, If you can come in with me, that’s fine, and he nodded gravely. So we walked down the hall, and when he opened the conference room door for me, there was a man, standing at the end of the room, in front of the blackboard, with his hands clasped.
    And the way he looked at me, it’s like he knew me or he’d seen me before, but I didn’t know him. And I felt like I should remember him, but I didn’t—I’d never seen this guy in my life—really strange. So we walked in, and Cheesy goes, Thea, this is Special Agent Foley, and the man looked at me and said the same thing: Hello, Theadora, I’m Special Agent Foley, FBI. He took out his badge, showed it to me, and then he said, I’d like to ask you a few questions, if that’s all right? Where’s Detective Knox? I said, looking around, and he goes, Detective Knox, yes, I’m told you spoke. But the FBI will be taking over the case from here, he said, and I swear his voice, it—it slithered . The guy had this snake voice, I’m not kidding.
    Not only that, he did this thing, it was like— ugh … he claps his hands, then he presses his thumbs together, and then he slowly gyrates thumb against thumb, ’round and ’round—so disgusting! Like he’s jerking his thumbs off—I’m sorry, but it’s true. Seriously, I don’t know if he’s into little boys or girls or animals or what, but there was something so wrong about this guy. Twisted. And he looked at me like he could read my mind or something,so I couldn’t even look at him. Then he goes, Please, pointing one hand at the chair. Sit, Theadora.
    Just as we stepped into the conference room and sat down, one of the secretaries knocked on the door, and Cheesy got up to answer. He leaned out, and said, Would you two excuse me for a few minutes? Behind me, I could hear a woman’s voice whisper. Then Cheesy said, It’s Superintendent Phelps. I need to take this call, and then I’ll be right back. The FBI guy smiled, folding his hands, and said, Of course. Take your time, principal, and the door closed. And then the guy just stared at me, smiling. Twenty seconds of that was about all I could take, because there was something really creepy about him, before I said, Go ahead and ask me whatever you want. He said, Wouldn’t you like a lawyer or some advocate present? No, I said, no lawyers, and he smiled like he understood what I was saying. Well, the problem is—one of many problems is, I should say, that you’re a minor, Theadora. I said, You bring in a lawyer, and I will never ever talk to you. The guy looked at me for a moment, didn’t blink, and then, suddenly, he relaxed and said, Of course.
    All right, Theadora, he said, and he removed a computer and pointed the camera toward me while he pressed an audio program, recording our conversation while the video’s lens stayed focused on me. Again, he moved so quickly, it almost felt like he knew everything I was going to say, before I said a word. This is Special Agent Foley; it’s 8:37 a.m. on Thursday, April 7, 2011, and I am interviewing Theadora Denny, who has stated in no uncertain terms that she will not speak on record if a lawyer is present. Is that correct, Theadora? he asked, and it’s so weird,feeling yourself being recorded that way, knowing other people are going to watch this tape, hold you to it. Yes, I said, that’s correct. If you a bring a lawyer in here, I won’t say one word. Good, Foley said, and please, sit down, Theadora. And I didn’t look at him, but I could feel his eyes, watching me pull out a chair and take a seat. In that case, I will record our conversation for the purposes of our investigation, as it will not be admissible in any court of law, and I said, Fine. So, he said, given the circumstances, we will proceed with the interview and expect Principal Cheswick to return to the room at any time. The way he looked at me, though, I’m telling you, there was something not right about this guy, and not just his hands. His suit, too.
    It was hard to look at him, but physically, he’s got a