Chapter Seven: Smells like a Wandering Spirit
Yumi all but dragged Ulrich down the deserted hallway towards the double doors that gave the promise of
sunshine. "This is so messed up." Yumi asssesed the situation. "There is just no way she killed him."
"How can you be so sure of that," Ulrich asked from behind her as he tried to keep up with her pace. The
crutches didn't seem to slow Yumi down much. They were already halfway down the hall.
Yumi wheeled around to face him as fast as the crutches would allow. Ulrich stopped just short of
plowing straight into her, and both of them blushed when they realized how close they were standing. Drawing
herself back a step, Yumi spoke. "I'm sure because any fool could see she was head over heels for him. And I
saw the look on her face when she ran by me on the first day. She wasn't running like she'd killed someone,
she was running like she was terrified of something. No, Aelita didn't kill Jeremy, but I'm willing to bet
that she saw who did."
"Yeah, but how's that old saying go? 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?'" Yumi glared at Ulrich as
though she would like to be offended by that comment, so he continued hastily. "Maybe he dumped her or
something so she went after him for revenge."
Yumi considered this for a moment, obviously unconvinced. Then suddenly she face lit up. Dropping the
crutches, she threw her arms around Ulrich. "Oh, Ulrich, you're brilliant!"
Ulrich invented several new shades of red as he responded. "I am? Why?"
Releasing Ulrich to retrieve her crutches, she said "You just gave us our motive, and I think I know who
killed Jeremy! I want to check the library again." She hobble doff down the hall, leaving Ulrich slack-jawed
and dazed behind her, forced to sprint to catch up.
-----
"Look at this!" Yumi pushed the book across the oak table towards Ulrich, her finger indicating where
he should look. It was a book of the school's history, and she was pointing at a picture with a small
biography under it.
Ulrich took the book, reading the caption. "It's a former principle that was here twenty years ago. It
says he had a daughter, CeeCee, who went to school here," he summarized.
"Check the picture," Yumi prodded eagerly.
Ulrich let his gaze shift up to the picture in the center of the page. It showed an elderly gentleman
standing next to a young girl who was sitting in a chair. "She looks like..."
Yumi nodded gravely. "Sissy."
"But why...." Ulrich looked questioningly at Yumi. "How..?"
"I'm not totally sure yet. But I'm willing to bet that 'guy' in the dream we had wasn't a guy."
Ulrich caught on. "And the 'she' they were talking about at the lunch table was probably CeeCee too!"
Yumi rested her elbows on the table, propping up her head. "But what does that have to do with us? And
why isn't the incident mentioned in any of the records? It's like it never happened."
"The school probably doesn't want anyone to know. Can you imagine all the bad publicity a murder would
bring?" Ulrich mimicked Yumi's pose, sighing heavily. "As for what it has to do with us, I have no clue." He
closed his mouth suddenly as Millie and Tamiya walked by, talking and giggling happily.
"I want to be reincarnated as a cat," Millie said. "Cats are so awesome!"
"Not me," Tamiya responded. "I want to be a bird!" The pair walked off, oblivious to Yumi and Ulrich.
Yumi sat up quickly. "That's it! I got it! Sissy must be CeeCee reincarnated!"
"How do you figure that?"
"They look so much alike, and from what evidence we have they have similar personality flaws." Yumi
nodded to confirm herself. "That has to be it!"
"You're probably right, but that still doesn't explain their connection to us." Ulrich sulked. "Of
course, there is one way....."
-----
i think i'll just cut it off there..... :)
Yumi all but dragged Ulrich down the deserted hallway towards the double doors that gave the promise of
sunshine. "This is so messed up." Yumi asssesed the situation. "There is just no way she killed him."
"How can you be so sure of that," Ulrich asked from behind her as he tried to keep up with her pace. The
crutches didn't seem to slow Yumi down much. They were already halfway down the hall.
Yumi wheeled around to face him as fast as the crutches would allow. Ulrich stopped just short of
plowing straight into her, and both of them blushed when they realized how close they were standing. Drawing
herself back a step, Yumi spoke. "I'm sure because any fool could see she was head over heels for him. And I
saw the look on her face when she ran by me on the first day. She wasn't running like she'd killed someone,
she was running like she was terrified of something. No, Aelita didn't kill Jeremy, but I'm willing to bet
that she saw who did."
"Yeah, but how's that old saying go? 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?'" Yumi glared at Ulrich as
though she would like to be offended by that comment, so he continued hastily. "Maybe he dumped her or
something so she went after him for revenge."
Yumi considered this for a moment, obviously unconvinced. Then suddenly she face lit up. Dropping the
crutches, she threw her arms around Ulrich. "Oh, Ulrich, you're brilliant!"
Ulrich invented several new shades of red as he responded. "I am? Why?"
Releasing Ulrich to retrieve her crutches, she said "You just gave us our motive, and I think I know who
killed Jeremy! I want to check the library again." She hobble doff down the hall, leaving Ulrich slack-jawed
and dazed behind her, forced to sprint to catch up.
-----
"Look at this!" Yumi pushed the book across the oak table towards Ulrich, her finger indicating where
he should look. It was a book of the school's history, and she was pointing at a picture with a small
biography under it.
Ulrich took the book, reading the caption. "It's a former principle that was here twenty years ago. It
says he had a daughter, CeeCee, who went to school here," he summarized.
"Check the picture," Yumi prodded eagerly.
Ulrich let his gaze shift up to the picture in the center of the page. It showed an elderly gentleman
standing next to a young girl who was sitting in a chair. "She looks like..."
Yumi nodded gravely. "Sissy."
"But why...." Ulrich looked questioningly at Yumi. "How..?"
"I'm not totally sure yet. But I'm willing to bet that 'guy' in the dream we had wasn't a guy."
Ulrich caught on. "And the 'she' they were talking about at the lunch table was probably CeeCee too!"
Yumi rested her elbows on the table, propping up her head. "But what does that have to do with us? And
why isn't the incident mentioned in any of the records? It's like it never happened."
"The school probably doesn't want anyone to know. Can you imagine all the bad publicity a murder would
bring?" Ulrich mimicked Yumi's pose, sighing heavily. "As for what it has to do with us, I have no clue." He
closed his mouth suddenly as Millie and Tamiya walked by, talking and giggling happily.
"I want to be reincarnated as a cat," Millie said. "Cats are so awesome!"
"Not me," Tamiya responded. "I want to be a bird!" The pair walked off, oblivious to Yumi and Ulrich.
Yumi sat up quickly. "That's it! I got it! Sissy must be CeeCee reincarnated!"
"How do you figure that?"
"They look so much alike, and from what evidence we have they have similar personality flaws." Yumi
nodded to confirm herself. "That has to be it!"
"You're probably right, but that still doesn't explain their connection to us." Ulrich sulked. "Of
course, there is one way....."
-----
i think i'll just cut it off there..... :)