*: ･ﾟ∙ * SUNNYSIDE’S FIRST TASK : ‘ the interrogation ‘
Tinsley smiled politely at the police officer as she sat down in the chair - crisscross apple sauce, out of habit. She could feel there was little room left for snickers and pranks. There rarely was when the adults were talking. And now they stood around her, asking her to do the one thing no one ( including herself ) believed she was capable of: have a grown up talk. Gulp.
is this the first time you’ve been called to the precinct ? do you have a criminal record?
“Well, I think we both know I’ve been here before. I’ve sat in that chair outside at the desk, wrapped in a blanket and sipping hot coco after you guys rescued me from… you know, that immensely tall treehouse. But that visit’s probably not even on record.” Tinsley brushed a hair behind her ear, hoping positive news would ease the officer’s minds. The way she would excite her parents about having made a beautiful drawing before admitting it had been done with marker on their drywall. “I suppose it is on record that I… was also involved in the damaged property of said treehouse a few days after. So yeah, I’ve sat behind the locked cell door over there too. I doubt you’d want me to recall each and every incident on there from breaking a window to spraypainting a wall.”
where were you during the evening of ms. winnipeg sanders’ disappearance ? specifically between the hours of 8 and 11 pm ?
“Last Saturday?” Tinsley coughed, shifting in her seat uneasily. “Uh, let me think for a second…” Luckily they didn’t know the girl well enough to know she would never hesitate to tell about every single one of her memories as if they were all worth the story. This granted her an excuse to ‘think’ and ponder whether how much of the truth she should unveil. “I’m pretty sure I was at home, working on my art assignment, officer.” She nodded as if she’d just decided on that. Anything better than admitting she was a minor at the Clowder, right?
can you describe what you were doing immediately before that ?
“Sure, I was getting ready-” Her breath hitched. Another cough. “For dinner.” She finished curtly.
can anyone confirm your whereabouts at this time ?
“Well, I share an apartment with my older sister. She probably recalls I was home, mhm!” Tins felt bad for throwing her sister on the bus like this. What if the other Bell would accidentally ring the alarm on her? “Though sometimes we get so caught up in our work that we sort of forget about the world. I’m telling you, sometimes we sit with our backs to each other and simply forget the other’s there too until hours later.” At least she could muster up a giggle. The most innocent sound of all.
how well did you know ms. winnipeg sanders ?
“Oh right,” For a second it had slipped Tinsley’s mind that she wasn’t on trial here. She was merely asked to help in an ongoing investigation for the town’s favourite baker. “Honestly, I know I stopped by her store a lot and she always remembered my order somehow. But other than the usual politeness of ‘there you go’s’ and ‘thank you’s’, we didn’t discuss a lot. I asked her to follow me on Instagram once, that’s as far as our personal lives intertwined.”
did you and ms. winnipeg sanders ever have beef, or a quarrel ? have there been moments where you wished – even if it were just in the heat of the moment – to inflict harm on her ?
Did she really sound that nervous? She thought of the lucky socks she was wearing and hugged her legs closer to her body as she softly rocked back and forth on the chair. “No, no, oh my gosh!” Such overreaction may seem suspicious, she realized too late. “I… don’t always agree on her choice of friends, let’s say but that just made me stay away from her. I would never call her out on being wrapped around Wendy Darling’s finger.” Out of force of habit, Tins rolled her eyes at the mere mention of the name.
what was your reaction when you heard about the news ?
“Um, I think it was my mum who told me? But I usually don’t pay that much attention to what she says. I remember that soon everyone was talking about it though. It felt quite unusual that a negative story like this got so much attention around Sunnyside. The papers usually leave out those headlines, want to give people a reason to smile and all that.” She shrugged, almost as indifferent as when she found out some old baking lady stole the spotlight that easily. The only reaction it had brought forth? A long afternoon spent on imagining what it would be like if she, herself would go off the grid for a while. Who would miss her? Who would look for her?
when was the last time you saw ms. winnipeg sanders ? did you notice anything different about her ?
“Well, I can tell you if you promise to keep it between us…” Tinsley leaned forward on the desk with a sugary sweet smile. “I bought some doughnut holes the day before she disappeared. So don’t tell my mum because she believes I only treat myself once a week, tops!” Her eyes actually widened, as if this was the biggest secret pushing on her conscious and she felt horrible for lying to her mother – as every kind, innocent child should. “Ms Sanders seemed alright to me though. Mixed up my order but then again, I usually go for the doughnut, not the holes…” The mere thought that Tinsley’s sullen expression and tiny tantrum outside of the bakery had somehow pushed the lady beyond her boundaries was rather unsettling. For once, she didn’t want to have anything to do with it, to be honest.
do you know anyone who may have had any problems with her ? do you know anyone who may have had it out for her ?
“I’m not really one to point fingers, sorry! Though they do say that it’s usually the people closest to you, don’t they? So then I can only refer back to Wendy if I really must.”
have you noticed anything peculiar since the disappearance ? anything special you think is worth mentioning ?
“A lot of the same people have been hanging around her shop… looking inside or calling out for Miss Sanders. I don’t know, it may just be nothing but it’s a bit icky if you ask me. They seem so convinced Miss Sanders might hear them that it almost looks like they know which way to yell at.” Her name? Cleared. Darling’s name? A little subconsciously sullen. That’s just the way she liked it. One day it would all add up and she’ll have a front row seat to watch it all crumble down.
Tinsley put on a smile once they told her she was ready to go. “Thank you so much for hearing me out!” She beamed ( as if this had been her idea all along. ) “I’ll be on my way now but if there’s a phone number I can call if I think something…” She glanced at officer Nick on her way out, the tiniest of smiles toying on her lips. “I’ll be sure to keep you up to date one way or another, inspector.” Her legs felt wobbly after sitting cross-legged for so long. ( Not to mention the anxiety that had dragged her body down in there. ) So despite wanting to seem helpful and on top of things, Tinsley made sure to skip the hell out of that place before they could call her in for something other than pleasantries.
