The Body Keeps Its Vow | Prologue
✧*̥˚ promises written in blood *̥˚✧
The Investigation
Read Prologue | The Investigation from the story the body keeps its vow | joe burrow au by corpsevfx (journ) with 0 rea...
User · Journie Marie
"Nothing," I whispered to myself, refreshing Journ's Instagram again and again. She'd deleted it. I felt tears well up behind my eyes. Every photo, every post, every trace of her life that I used to scroll through late at night—gone. It was like she was erasing herself from my world, one digital footprint at a time. I tossed my phone onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to convince myself this was what protecting her looked like.
The dorm room felt suffocating. Dre'mont had gone to grab food from the dining hall, leaving me alone with thoughts I couldn't escape. I picked up my phone one more time, thumb hovering over her name in my contacts, knowing I'd never press it.
A knock at the door made my heart stop. For a split second, I thought—hoped—it might be her. But when I opened it, two men in plainclothes stood there, badges clipped to their belts.
"Joseph Burrow?" the older one asked, his expression unreadable. "I'm Lieutenant Claar, Athens PD. We need to ask you some questions about a missing persons case."
My stomach dropped. I forced myself to stay calm, to keep my face neutral even as my pulse hammered in my ears. "Sure," I said, stepping aside to let them in. "What's this about?"
The two detectives exchanged a glance before Lieutenant Claar pulled out a small notepad. "A teacher from Athens High School has been reported missing—we understand you were one of his former students." My mind raced, replaying every moment with Jay at the scene, every surface we'd wiped down, every detail we'd erased.
"We've also been made aware," Captain Harvey added, his eyes fixed on me, "that this teacher posted inappropriate photos of your girlfriend—Journie West—on a revenge website shortly before his disappearance. That gives you motive, son."
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to meet his gaze without flinching. "Ex-girlfriend," I corrected quietly, the word tasting like ash in my mouth. "We broke up before I came to Columbus."
Lieutenant Claar leaned forward slightly, his pen poised over his notepad. "Can you walk us through your relationship with the teacher? When was the last time you saw or spoke with him?"
I swallowed hard, every word I'd rehearsed with Jay running through my mind like a script I couldn't afford to forget. "He was just my teacher junior year," I said carefully. "I haven't seen him since I graduated last spring."
The captain's eyes narrowed. "And what about the photos? When did you find out about them?"
I felt my hands curl into fists at my sides, remembering the rage that had consumed me that night. "After we broke up," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Someone sent me a link. I was pissed, but I never contacted him about it."
Lieutenant Claar scribbled something down. "Where were you on the evening of August 23rd?"
I'd been here at Ohio State, settling into the dorm, getting ready for fall camp. My roommate Dre'mont was with me most of that week—we were still getting to know each other, unpacking, that kind of thing."
"Can anyone verify that?" Captain Harvey pressed, pulling out his own notepad.
"Yeah, Dre'mont can. Coach West too—we had a meeting with the coaching staff that evening to go over the playbook." I kept my breathing even, my answers short and factual, just like Jay had coached me.
The lieutenant nodded slowly, making another note. "And you're aware that Coach West is also a person of interest in this case, given his connection to both you and Journie?"
My chest tightened at the mention of Coach's name being dragged into this mess I'd created. "He doesn't have anything to do with this," I said firmly, meeting the captain's eyes. "He's been nothing but good to me and my family."
Captain Harvey tucked his notepad away and exchanged one last glance with Lieutenant Claar before heading toward the door. "We'll be in touch if we have any follow-up questions," he said over his shoulder. "Don't leave town without letting us know."
"I'm not going anywhere," I replied, watching as they stepped into the hallway.
The door clicked shut behind them, and I stood frozen in the middle of my dorm room. I could hear their footsteps echoing down the hallway, growing fainter with each second.
Just as I was about to collapse onto my bed, the door swung open again. Dre'mont walked in carrying a Styrofoam container from the dining hall, stopping short when he saw my face.
"Yo," he said carefully, closing the door behind him. "Who was that?"
"Cops," I managed, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. "From Athens."
Dre'mont set his food down on his desk and turned to face me fully, his expression serious. "Man, sit down. You look like you're about to pass out."
I sank onto my bed, and he pulled his desk chair around to sit across from me, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The weight of everything I couldn't tell him pressed down on my chest.
"They asking about that teacher?" Dre'mont finally said, his voice low. "The one who went missing?"
I nodded, unable to meet his eyes. "They think I had something to do with it. Because of what he did to Journ—" I stopped myself, the pain of saying her name out loud still too fresh. "Because of the photos he posted."
Dre'mont was quiet for a moment, studying me with an intensity that made me nervous. "Did you?" he asked, and there was no judgment in his voice, just honest curiosity.
"No," I said, forcing myself to look at him. The lie came easier this time, rehearsed and polished from the detectives' questioning. "I was here with you when it happened. Remember that night we stayed up late organizing the room?"
He nodded slowly. "August 23rd. Yeah, I remember. We watched that stupid movie on your laptop after." He stood up, running a hand over his face. "They're gonna want to talk to me, aren't they?"
"Probably," I admitted. "And Coach West too."
Dre'mont grabbed his container of food but didn't open it, just stood there holding it like he was trying to figure out what to say next. "Look, man," he finally said, "I don't know what happened back in Athens, and I'm not gonna ask. But whatever you need from me—whatever you need me to say—I got you. That's what teammates do."
The words hit me harder than I expected. I'd been carrying this weight alone for so long, terrified of dragging anyone else into the darkness I'd created. "Thanks, Dre," I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.
