Class Killer

 

“Now who can tell me what descriptive writing is?” Asked Mr bills, facing the front of the classroom slowly. Eddie raised his hand. “Yes?” 

“It is describing something” replied Eddie knowingly. As Mr bills nodded in approval, Eddie highfived Teddy in triumph. 

“Today we will be writing our own descriptive passages“ Mr Bills continues, “you are to be required to write a page about the sunny fields.” Mr. Bills began listing all the information that would be needed for the task. 

After half an hour, school ended and all the high schoolers were packing their bags. 

“Remember”, called Mr. Bills, “The summer dance is tomorrow night and I expect you all to be there!” 

Sara and Kim grinned after each other from across the room. This was the first time the school had hosted a dance and all the students couldn’t wait. After their bags were packed and the classroom was tidy, Kim dragged Sara outside. She began making angry and sad expressions. 

“Calm down, Kim!” Exclaimed Sara. “What is it?” 

“Didn’t you hear?” Kim said furiously. “That detective school has rejected our entries we sent the other week!”

“What?!” Shrieked Sara, looking for something to kick. The group of boys talking beside them silently stepped away. “Why would they reject us?” 

“Apparently we are immature and too much devoted to the task that it seems like a joke to them”, sulked Kim. “At least nothing can ruin the summer dance for us. It’s going to be so much fun!” 

“Especially slapping the boys that ask us to dance”’ added Sara 

The next day was filled with last minute accessory shopping and helping set up the decorations for the dance. By 8 o’clock, the field had been transformed. Fairy lights hung from the several gazebos. A DJ was set up with loudspeakers and colourful LED headlights shining in the sky.

Students begin to arrive, the girls wearing dresses of various lengths and colours and all the boys, in exception of a few, were wearing collared shirts as requested. Sara and can join the crowd. Sara was wearing a blood red velvet dress with a matching joker. Kim on the other hand, was wearing a silk dress of various colours. I thought it was a deep blue, slowly melting into purple, red, orange and cold. She was wearing a silver necklace with an onyx stone and worse partly black heels. 

At 8:15, the music started. Teddy was running the DJ stand, messing around with various buttons. At one point, to Sally’s delight the speakers were making meowing noises like a cat. 

Up until 10 o’clock the music was playing and students were dancing and eating the buffet. 

The music slowly faded as Mr Samuels ascended the steps to the stage.

“Welcome high schoolers to the first Brooklyn High summer dance!” Exclaimed Mr Samuels. Several students applauded while some were busy despairing. “The dance, as you know will last until midnight but that doesn’t mean you leave a shoe like Cinderella, girls”, he laughed. “Anyway, to make you all feel welcome, Sally has prepared some jokes for her, um, future comedian career?” He said uncertainty. “Anyway, enjoy the rest of your night!” 

As Mr Samuels left the stage. She wore a knee length black gossamer dress with sequins, and black ballet shoes. Her glasses work glittering in the bright light, the frame covered in glitter.

“Welcome to the summer dance”, she squealed happily. “Now time for the jokes! So, what do fish use as money?” She asked the crowd, no one said anything. “Current-sea’ Do you get it?” Again, no one said anything or even laughed. One student slowly clapped. “Hmm, okay then.” She said, “We were studying under mass in geography today; it was gneiss!” Grinning, she looked around. “Gneiss like the rock under mass is made of?no?” Some students looked like they thought she was crazy. Some boys even started mocking her accent and her ‘comedic skills’. “My comedian career s ruined!” She wailed, running off the stage. 

Sarah winced and continued talking to Indigo. The music has started again and she could hear a sharp noise behind her.  As she walked towards them, she slapped someone.

“One down, one less than all the boys to go” said Kim smugly. Sara had been right, then. All three of them started laughing until an ear piercing shriek was heard. The crowd had gathered at the side of the building by the bike box. Sara and Kim run as fast as they could towards the crowd. Some of the students from omitting, others paralysed shock. The two girls shaft their way to the front, the teachers trying to get them all away. The site was awful.

Eddie was lying on the stones with a knife in his chest and a pool of blood around him. Someone had killed him in a very tempestuous way. 

Sara turned to Kim, “Ready to go detective mode, partner?” 

“You got it, Detective Sarah.” 

 

It took a while, but eventually the teachers assured the students into the classrooms and left Sarah to do the work. Only Mr Samuel stayed with them to watch tens of the case. When he wasn’t looking, he came back and danced on the spot almost grinning.

“Why the happy face?” Demanded Sara curiously.

Immediately, Kim stopped dancing. “Because we get to solve a real mystery” she replied, “and normal annoyance?”

“Is that even a word?” Asked Sarah. Kim just shrugged.

They began putting on latex clubs. Sara checked 80s rest for a pulse but felt nothing. While she was doing this, Kim examined the stab wound.

“This happened approximately an hour ago” Kim was saying. “From the angle of the wound, it was someone left-handed“

“How do you know they didn’t just use their left hand when they were actually right-handed?” asked Mr Samuels, who was peering over their shoulders.

“The wound would have been more” Kim Hesitated, searching for the right words. “More lobby. This was a clean wound.” 

As he was talking, Sara noted down notes in a small notebook. She frowned. “The security was upgraded last month, right?” She asked slowly. Mr Samuel didn’t say anything, still in shock. “Then how did the killer enter the school?“

“A faulty?”

“No, it was top quality“ replied Mr. Samuels. “I will send Mr Bills to go check the perimeter, nonetheless.” He walks to word room 209.

“Mr Samuels is right”, Sarah said in awe. “The killer couldn’t have walked in, someone in the school is the killer!”

“What?” Said Kim. “Who do you think it is?”

“I don’t know but I guess it’s time for questioning the suspects. We have surveillance cameras here and here” she said, pointing out the two cameras. “If the murder happened an hour ago, we will be able to rewind them and see who was here and limit our suspects to a few”

Kim nodded and continued to examine the victims. Sara went to the camera room, Mr Samuels had finished talking to Mr bills and went with her. The room had 20 screens, each showing a different place in the school. Mr Samuel then rewinded the cameras behind to 9:30.

She could see Kim and her talking, students dancing but couldn’t see any in any of the schemes there was no camera pointing to words a better body was found so they couldn’t say directly who it was. She flipped the cameras to half an hour back. There was Eddie talking with five students.

Sara flipped her notebook open to write five names down. Teddy, Penny, William, Sally and Sydney. The last students seen with him.

Without warning, the camera  shut down. After a few seconds it started again showing the present time. Upon trying to rewind them, the word ‘error’ appeared. All the past data had been erased. 

“Darn it!” exclaimed Sarah furiously. 

“At least you have those five names”, said Mr Samuels. 

She entered room 209, where all the students were and asked for Teddy, Penny, William, Sally and Sydney. They all hesitantly stood up and walked towords the two.

“Now” said Sara, “to do this properly, I will have to question you one by one.” She let them into room 208 and gestured for them to sit. “You five were the last students seen with Eddie approximately an hour and a half ago. When the Murder occurred. The camera erased the evidence, so you five are the only suspects so far.” In all five students groaned. “Teddy, come with me to room 211. The rest of you” while eyeing them all “stay here” 

She walked out of the room, teddy following. 

Sarah started questioning Teddy as Mr. Kieth stood back of the room, while Mr. Samuels had gone to check on Kim. 

“Teddy, what were you and the other four talking about with Eddie?”

“We were just talking, Do you have actual proof that it was us? The killer could’ve lured him later!!”

“One”, Sara said, “it was in a blind spot. Two, I ask the questions here.”

“What were you even talking about?”

“School” replied Teddy thoughtfully. “Sally was talking about her cat and I guess the rest of us were talking about study group.”

“So you all wanted to meet together? To study? OR were you all working together? This could all be a trick and you all committed the murder.”

Teddy looked outraged, “Sara, you think too much! Why would we kill him?” Sara gave him a suspicious look. “Oh, I get it” he said, laughing. This is all a joke. C’mon Eddie the joke is over” 

Sara didn’t laugh or smile, “I’ve heard enough”, leading him out of the room. 

Pretty much everyone answered the same leaving Sara and Kim scratching their heads. Everyone was set free to go back to the original room.

After this, Sara walked to the side of the school warily and began talking to Kim.

“Please tell me you found something.” said Sara hopefully.

“Congratulations Sara, I'm going to be positive”, replied Kim, gesturing for her to come and look. “Firstly, we now know the blade was approximately fifteen centimetres or at least that’s how deep the wound is. Also, look here.” Kim lifted Eddie’s right hand, hidden under what looked like words. It was written in blood.

“He wrote this?” asked Sara

“No”, said Kim slowly. “His hand would have blood on it then, which he doesn't this means the killer wrote it.”  

“What does it say?” Sara asked, trying to see what the words said.

“It’s a message”, Kim replied “Be careful what you wish for.”

Sara and Kim were trying their best to see if there were any dots they could connect.

“Either way, you two have to solve this.” said Mr. Samuels. 

“Oh, one last thing” added Kim, “Mr. Samuels told me about the camera’s error. I can fix that for a short time.” 

“A short time?” asked Sara 

“Yup, you might only get to download several frames, though. Choose wisely.”

After fidgeting for a few seconds Kim had found a way of restoring the footage. They restore only so much of the evidence. They found a few moments like the five suspects talking, the beginning of the dance, when the body was found. By the time they were scrolling through it, the computer’s life had come to an end. 

The three photos were all that were needed according to Sara.    

While they were going through them and they noticed something.

“Why isn’t Teddy at the DJ stand?”

After printing the frames, they all went to room 208. The five students were still sitting at the table. Everyone, except Sally, who was fast asleep, looked bored. Sara grabbed a heavy encyclopaedia and slammed in on the table, making her wake up with a jerk. 

“Whazza!” she exclaimed, making the others laugh. 

Sara cleared her throat, “So we have looked over what you all said. There is only one thing that is different in each account, Teddy wasn't at the DJ stand. Why?” 

Penny shrugged, “Adeline wanted a turn”

“Kim, bring Adeline in here let’s see if this is true.” 

A few seconds later, Kim had returned with a confused looking Adeline.

“Now, Teddy says you had a turn on DJ. Is this true?”

“Yeah, I wanted to see what songs I could play. I don't like his taste, you know.” she said simply. 

A scream. Kim and Sara were instantly there. 

Sally was standing at the doorway of the girls bathroom, her hand covering her mouth.

“What is going on here?” demanded Sara.

Kim was running forward to see what had caused Sally to scream. She glanced at Sara, an alarm on her face.

“Tell me”, she said to Sally quietly.

“Mr. Bills let me out to go to the bathroom and I found her like this.” she sobbed. 

Sure enough, Adeline was lying on the bathroom floor, her throat slit. Judging from the mess, she had put up a fight. 

“Get back to room 208”, said Kim faintly, putting on a fresh pair of gloves.

The two girls worked in silence, gathering what information they could from the victim. 

“Pity the camera system is fried. We could’ve seen who killed her.” 

“Hey Sara, go to the teachers and see who was let out for a bathroom break.”

Coming to know later, all five students and Adeline were let out. Useless. “Sara!” called Kim. Sara ran back to the bathroom. “Look, another message. A clue.”

There was a message written with a black nail polish, ‘They await their prey’

Coming up with the clues and linking them and knowing the killer was left handed and in the school, William was the only left handed but there is absolutely no evidence leading to him.”

After realising this they put their heads and groaned. This was an impossible case. 

An hour later, the two girls compared notes. They had been studying the suspect’s personal lives including social media, electronics and questioning siblings.“Okay, so I can’t find anything amiss with their profiles”, sighed Sara. “Just the normal teenager posts.”

“Same here”, said Kim, sorting through her notes. 

“I’ve just finished questioning their siblings.”

“Kim?” said Sara quietly,” I think we’re out of luck. We have to leave this to the professionals.” 

Kim sighed, “You’re right. This isn’t one of those cheesy murder mysteries where the investigator always solves the case.”

From behind them they could hear a door close. Turning their heads they saw a horrified looking Sally. 

“You two can’t give up!” she wailed.

“You’re our only hope. Besides, the fun is just beginning!”

“Sorry Salls, but-” started Sara

“Wait a second”, interrupted Kim. “Did you just say ‘The fun is just beginning?’

Giggling, Sally pointed to the classroom window. From within the classroom, someone put their hand against the glass before collapsing. A bloodied handprint was left, staining the glass crimson. Slowly rising, the girls could see that all the students were slumped at their desks, blood dripping from their necks. 

Sighing, Sally pouted. “And I thought you would have solved this case before you ran out of time. Well, tick tock, it’s midnight and the dance is over.”

She slowly, she walked towards the two girls, a knife in her hand. They backed away step by step, only postponing the inevitable. Without warning, Sally pounced and-

“Hold on a minute”, called Kim, “Why do I have to die? I mean, it’s okay that Sara dies, but me?”

The year nine students were crowded in the common room. It was a Friday afternoon, the day before the dance.

“Um, because the killer has to kill me though, Salls, would you?” said Eddie. 

“Yeah, Sally is too nice to kill anyone.” stated Kim confidently. “Me, on the other hand…”

“Can you guys just stop telling scary stories?” asked Indigo. “You're going to ruin the night of the dance.”

Sara grinned, “what i want to know is how me, of all people, was rejected from a detective school, i mean seriously, Look at me, I just scram detective!” 

That afternoon, when everyone was packing up, Mr Bills reminded them of the dance.

“Remember”, called Mr. Bills, “The summer dance is tomorrow night and I expect you all to be there!” 

“Why does this feel familiar?” asked Sara, leading Kim outside.

“Huh”, said Sara, “I just find it funny that Sally knew all the derails, like our dresses and what’s gonna happen.” She decided to shake her head and ignore it. 

At the dance the next night, they had completely forgotten about the story. Everyone enjoyed themselves and no murders had occurred. 

“Congrats, Kim you were right!” said Sara

“About what?”

“That Sally planned everything to match her story. That girl is a teddy bear- she wouldn’t touch a fly!”

From the edge of the crowd, they heard a scream. Groaning, they ran over to the side of the school. Just like in the story, Eddie was lying on the rocks in a pool of blood. Beside him, on the cream coloured wall was written, ‘OR WOULD I?“Why can’t we just have a break?” groaned Sara as she couldn’t bare this strange thing happening again.