Inspection: A rather personal issue

William froze. Mike Kevinson! Surely he would help him out of this sticky situation?

"H-h-hello, sir," stuttered William. He was very nervous, and yet certain that he would be saved.

Mike was joined by two other policemen. One was short, bulky, and kept grunting under his breath. The other was tall and lanky.

"We need to check out your involvement in Albert's death," said Mike Kevinson, leading them all down the corridor. They took several flights of stairs in silence; Mike did not trust lifts. Finally - two of them out of breath - they reached William's dormitory.

Mike Kevinson already had a key for the room, a fact William already handled with great suspicion. "Right, we won't be long," he told William. The fat policeman gave a pig-like snigger, and the lanky one elbowed him in the gut.

They all entered the room. Mike Kevinson glanced around, from time to time puffing from his perpetual cigarette. His facial expression turned from amusement (William's anime posters) to disgust, as his eyes met the ground. William looked down too.

Next to a pile of science textbooks, lay a tousled heap of black feathers.

"Oh no... now I'm really in it..." thought William.

"Explain these, please, William," demanded Mike.

"I don't know, honestly, I'm sorry, I -"

"TELL THE TRUTH! DO AS I SAY!" Mike had suddenly discarded his cigarette, and in the midst of his fury, stomped it on the carpet.

William cowered in terror. "I really don't know, seriously, sir." By this point, he was covered in beads of sweat, wondering if he would be expelled for this unfair accusation, and then his life would get even worse. If that was indeed possible.

"Fine, forget it." Mike seemed resigned to the fact that William was not going to give him a satisfactory answer.

William breathed a sigh of relief. But just when he thought he could relax...

"Can we have a look at your diary?" Mike Kevinson asked. He kept his gaze fixed on William, and as he did so, he took a drag on his cigarette. It was not three seconds later, when he comically - and totally unconsciously - opened a small corner of his mouth to exhale.

Appalled, William cried, "No! that's personal!"

Mike gave a sneer. "Got something to hide, eh?"

"Nothing but the hormonal confessions of a teenage boy!"

"Confessions, eh?" Mike raised an eyebrow, and took another long drag.

"Aaaargh! I can't take this!" shrieked William. "Blame me if you so wish, but I guarantee that those stupid... feathers... will get you nowhere!" With that, he slammed the door and left, to the peaceful school gardens, where he could clear his mind.

"That went well," Mike Kevinson pondered aloud. "The boy's right. No evidence against him here."

"Yeah," agreed the lanky policeman.

"Uhhhhh," nodded the fat one, and his stomach gave a tremendous grumble.