"Ben, I got here as quickly as I could," I said as soon as I reached him.
"I called you as soon as I was made aware of what happened. I only just got here myself. Oh, by the way, this is Captain Walter Smith. He's in charge of the whole Rocket investigation. Walter, this is Everett James, our new principal."
"Nice to meet you," I said as I shook Captain Smith’s hand.
"Likewise," Smith replied.
"So, what can you guys tell me? Firstly, who was it that got shot?" I asked.
Ben sighed. "His name is Kendrick Green. Good kid, real good kid. Fantastic basketball player; the kid's got some serious talent. He's a 10th-grader."
I nodded, digesting this information. "And he was mixed up with Rocket?"
"No, not at all, actually. He was totally clean. Straight and narrow, this kid is a real star, Everett, a real star."
"So how did he end up getting shot today if he's not involved in this Rocket business?" I questioned.
"He and some buddies were here on the school grounds shooting hoops. They come most weekends; like I said, he's got some serious talent on the basketball court. Anyway, he took a break, went to the bathrooms to take a leak or whatever, and that's when he stumbled across a dealer selling to some kids. Thinking he could be a hero, he got his phone out and started filming. The dealer saw him and demanded that he hand the phone over. Kendrick refused. There was a scuffle, and the dealer got a gun out and shot him."
"Damn. Damn it! These scumbags!" I barked.
"I know. I know," Ben agreed.
"Do we at least have the phone with the evidence on it?"
Ben sighed and shook his head. "No. The dealer got away with it. We've got nothing."
"What about the kids who were buying the drugs? Surely, they saw something? They must know who this dealer is, where to find him. Was it Mr. Mask himself, or just one of his lackeys?"
"The buyers fled the scene. Kendrick says he recognized them. They are students at our school, but older than him. He says he knows everyone in his grade. But he doesn't know their names, so we're going to have to get some yearbooks to him in the hospital so he can look through the photos and ID the kids who were involved. As for the dealer, it didn't sound like Mr. Mask. From the description, it could well be an accomplice of his."
I could sense that Ben didn't want to go too in-depth with this, at least not with this cop present. Maybe he thought we would get into trouble because of our little "independent" investigation we were conducting on the side, or maybe he just didn't trust this cop. Either way, I decided not to push the issue for the moment. Instead, I decided to see what I could find out about this cop.
"So, Captain Smith," I said to him. "What are your thoughts on this? You got any leads?"
He frowned. "Right now, until we have an official statement from the witness and positive ID on the kids who were buying the drug, there isn't much I can do."
"Official statement? But what about everything Ben just said?" I asked.
"Kendrick said that stuff to me," interjected Ben.
"So? Why does that matter?" I glanced back at Ben, noting the expression on his face before returning my attention to the cop before me.
"We need to get an official statement on paper from your witness. Until then, this is all hearsay, and we can't act on hearsay," Smith said.
I stared at him coolly for a few minutes, quietly assessing him.
"Alright, Captain Smith," I said coldly. "Well, don't worry, you'll have our full cooperation with everything in this investigation."
"Good," he replied. I detected a hint of latent aggression in his tone. "Because we expect nothing less from you."
"Don't worry, Smith. We want to catch these guys just as badly as you do," I assured him.
"Excellent. Well then, gentlemen, I'll be on my way. If you have any leads, and when your witness is ready to make an official statement, get hold of me." He handed us each a business card.
"We will," I said. "We will. Goodbye Captain Smith."
"See you later, gentlemen."