3
"This…impossible…," Robert stammered, his mind racing with thoughts, searching for a plausible explanation. "It can't be…"
Fred noticed his distraught look and walked nearer to Robert. "What's wrong? Does this remind you of something? Or perhaps it means something to you?" Fred asked, with a frown on his face, yet he spoke with uncontained excitement.
Lying there on the floor, around 1 metre away from the small stage, were the two bodies of the victims. However, they were positioned so strangely and deliberately, it did not seem like they were killed here and had fallen down naturally.
Wolf was lying perpendicular to the security guard, with his head at the security's stomach. With Wolf's trench coat opened up, the pair seemed to form a "T" shape with an enlarged bottom. What was even more disturbing about the arrangement was the large amount of blood smeared around Wolf. The blood did not appear to have bled physically. On the contrary, Wolf seemed to have done it himself, given his bloody hands. The whole scene seemed like a letter "T" above a new moon - a bloody crescent.
"Does this mean anything to you?" Fred asked again, seeing no response from Robert.
"Together, no. Separately, yes," Robert answered sharply.
"So what does this mean-" Fred continued.
"I'll explain in a while. But before that," Robert interrupted. "Alan, I assume that this place wasn't where Wolf was attacked, am I right?"
"Good observation, Robert. Yes, this wasn't where Wolf was attacked. He was attacked at the administrative block, about 50 metres away from here," Alan answered. Nice choice of words. Green horns would have used the word murdered.
"What gave it away? I was sure I instructed my men to clean up the blood stains leading to this place."
"It won't ever be clean if you use soap. Try cola next time," Robert replied with a smile, but seeing that Alan was not amused, wiped the smile off his face.
"Er, so Wolf was attacked and crawled all the way here," Robert continued hurriedly. "Why? Was he trying to tell us something?"
"I believe he was," Fred said with a nod. "Why don't you tell us what this arrangement means and we'll all brainstorm together?"
Here goes nothing.
"I trust that this arrangement, if I'm not wrong, would be known as the Cross of Tau," Robert said, after taking a deep breath. "Also called the St. Anthony's Cross, the Old Testament Cross, the Anticipatory Cross, the Cross Commissee, the Egyptian Cross, the Advent Cross, the Saint Francis's Cross or the Crux Commissa."
"Okay, so it's a cross with multiple names," Fred said, overwhelmed. "What does this cross symbolizes then?"
"The Cross of Tau in Christianity dates back to very ancient times," Robert explained patiently. "Today, its most common use is in reference to Saint Francis, who proclaimed to his fellow friars in his hometown of Assisi, Italy, that the robes they were wearing resembled the Cross of Tau."
"Hey," Fred looked up so suddenly from his notes that Robert blinked. "Hey, you know what, there's a Church, Kindergarten rather, nearby, known as the Saint Francis Church of Assisi! Surely this can't merely be a coincidence?"
Robert bit his lips and frowned for a second. Coincidence?
"Maybe. But maybe not," Robert continued. "This cross was also used in ancient societies as a symbol of blood sacrifice, or a symbolic death."
"Blood sacrifice? What's the significance of that?" Fred asked curiously. This case was taking a sharper turn every second.
"Well, it could probably mean he was a very special, significant, or powerful member-"
"He was none of those," a young female voice interrupted. "In fact, Wolf was a mole for the police. That's why he was killed. A warning to the rest."
Robert turned on the spot and found himself staring at a young teenage girl around 19 or 20, with a sporty built, tanned and sported a ponytail. The girl was wearing a white Polo tee, pink FBT shorts and a pair of striped Nikes. She held out a hand to Robert and smiled," Sarah. Nice to meet you, Mr Langdon."
Robert shook her hand and said," Robert. And who are you-"
"She's my niece, Robert," Alan said with a sigh. "And I've told you a hundred times, Sarah, do not disturb me at work!"
"But I do wanna help! If Mr Robert can, why can't I?" Sarah argued.
"Oh," Robert said. "It's really okay. I don't mind if she stays. The more brains, the better, isn't it?"
Alan threw a sharp look at Robert, and then looked at Sarah. "Fine. Stay if you want. But I tell you, this case is going to be dangerous. I'm not going to be responsible for you," Alan said darkly.
Sarah smiled and looked at Robert with a smug look. Robert shook his head and turned back at the bodies. Then he thought of something.
"Alan, is what she said about Wolf being a mole true?" Robert asked suspiciously.
"Yes."
Robert was infuriated. "And how do you expect me to help you with the case if you keep hiding things from me?" Robert cried out loud angrily.
"Don't worry! That's why I'm here to help you! I can tell you a lot about this case that uncle Alan doesn't want to tell you!" Sarah quipped.
"Sarah!" Alan shouted. "Seriously!"
"Oh shut up, uncle! Don't you want the case to be solved soon?" Sarah retorted. Alan stared at Sarah for a few seconds, then walked away, shaking his head. "Alright! Now that he's gone, I can tell you what I think I've discovered! I've been doing a bit of research myself! I aspire to be just like you, Robert!" Sarah said excitedly.
Right.
"But what would you know? Aren't you just a normal school girl?" Robert questioned with a smile.
"Well, for starters, I know that Wolf was an ex-student of Jurong Junior College," Sarah said. "So were Fred and I."
"So?" Robert asked. "That doesn't mean anything."
"I have reasons to believe that Wolf has left clues all over the college. If you would let me explain," Sarah said.
Robert nodded, interested.
"And for your information, Robert. I'm not just a normal school girl," Sarah said seriously. "I was the President of the 27th Students' Council, and I know things about the school that few people would dare to imagine in their wildest daydreams."