Teenage Detective
Chapter 8: Forlorn Fact
Catherine did not expect visitors, early in the morning, especially the frequent person, who visited for the last three days. She invited him in. "Thank you for coming day after day," she said sincerely. "Elisa would be grateful."
The person merely nodded.
"The weather today is changing," she said starting a conversation while drinking tea. "The cherry blossoms falling and tomorrow will be the last of them."
"You are right, Ms. Catherine," the person said.
Then the older woman remembered something. "Yes, Harry came just now," she told the person, and he straight away froze. "He stood in front of Elisa's picture and rubbing it like he was reporting something."
The person's eyes turned wide. "Really…?"
"Yes… I'll wait here," Harry spoke to the phone, and put it down. He returned to Alin's place. Waiting for tomorrow.
"Thanks Aunty," Harry said, finishing his breakfast.
"Your welcome, Harry dear, it's good cooking for appreciating guests," said and compliment Alin's mother.
"When are you going back to London?" Alin asked out of the blue.
Harry took a sip from his tea. "Maybe after tomorrow," he told Alin.
Alin was surprised. "Really, what about…"
Harry cut her out. "Don't worry, that matter is no longer a problem." He stood up from his seat and thanked Alin and her mother. Alin tried to stop him, but he was already out of the house, leaving her confused.
At the same time, Hermione came down. "Oh Morning, Alin, where's Harry?"
Alin just look glumly at her and Hermione knew something was definitely wrong.
Nine years ago…
"You're late Harry Potter!" yelled Farah. "It's way past the desired time."
"Yeah!" cried Amy cheerfully.
Harry came running in to the snowy field. He apologized to everyone. Farah stated the whole cherry blossom process and the end of it.
"I already woken you up and still…" said Alin. Elisa giggled behind her.
"Did you bring the thing you wanted to place in the time capsule?" Amy asked, breaking the tension. Harry nodded, and brought out something wrapped in a package.
"What are you going to bury, Corbin?" Kevin asked curiously.
Corbin winked at him and shoved a cassette wrapped in pink paper and tape. "This but the inside is a secret, how about you?"
Kevin brought a big round shaped package.
"I going to guess that's a ball," Harry spoke slyly.
Kevin froze. "How did you know?"
"It's obvious!" everyone told him.
Then Harry turned to Elisa. "Hey Elisa, what about yours?"
She blushed. "Em… I," she said stutteringly, hiding her wrapped up thin package.
"I going to guess that's a photo album," Harry said, and winked at her.
She blushed and smiled mischievously. "Not telling you."
Then Harry turned to Alin. "And Alin's must be a diary," he spoke and Alin panicked, flushing red. "How did you know? Ah, you read it!" she cried.
The two children fought verbally, and to make matters complicated, Darren spied Amy's skirt until Corbin stopped the fight when he told everyone to take a group photo.
'CLICK!'
Back to the present…
Harry reached his proposed destination, and waiting there alone was the killer.
"Hey Harry, the others looked like they will be coming late," said the killer, without knowing what Harry's intention was.
"No one will come," Harry said curtly.
"What?" the killer was puzzled.
"I called you out to the school field so that I could speak to you in private," Harry told the killer, who continued to be puzzled. "Please I do not wish to report your dirty act to the police so please give yourself up!"
The killer turned shock and immediately spoke up. "What's gotten into you, Harry? If you want to talk nonsense, I want to go back now," the killer said crossly.
"I know you did it… you killed Farah and Amy," said Harry.
The killer laughed sarcastically. "What proof do you have?"
"The proof is from the bracelets," Harry replied. "The bracelets you bought as souvenirs for each of you."
The killer was stunned.
During Amy's funeral, everyone's bracelets were missing. At that time, someone said 'Rubbish, why would someone steal them?' If we thought something like that, we were already fooled by the murderer's trick.
The lost of the bracelets was something to do with the murders. The one who stole them would be the one who killed Farah and Amy.
But if that is true, why would the murderer steal the bracelets?
If the killer wanted to snatch the bracelets, he could only do it when everyone was putting their bags, wallets, purses and personal belongings at the guest's room. But under everyone's watchful eye, the killer took the risk; there must be something that forced him to do this sort of act.
The answer came from Amy's murder scene.
Harry brought out a small brown bead. "This small bead fell in the narrow spaces of the club room's floor," Harry explained.
"Did you drop it? At Elisa's funeral, you held it tightly but when Amy's was killed, she put up a fight and broke your bracelets and the beads dropped all over the floor."
"Based on what you are saying, the broken bracelet was mine," the killer spoke in defence.
"Correct… and based on your excuse, therefore you stole everyone's bracelet," Harry replied and the killer was silent.
"When the beads dropped everywhere in the dark you must be panicking if you couldn't find all of them, the consequence would be terrible."
"Another thing is you missed one bead and if it was found the police, you would be in trouble, the bracelets were bought in a trip, so only seven people have them. And if only yours was gone, you would be suspected."
"Therefore you thought of a plan, not only your bracelets, the others' bracelets were gone, and the suspected would be four people, far better then being the only suspected, so you stole them during Amy's funeral."
Then the killer defended again. "What are you saying?... you can't prove a bead from a bracelet was mine. Like you said four people were suspected, Isn't it right, Harry?"
But Harry did have an answer. "Is not that your bracelet was proven it was yours… this has an own answer!"
"What!" the killer was horrified.
"On the day she was murdered, fortunately Hermione and I were at the Tennis Club Room helping Amy out. At that time, I was already sure that the light bulb of the room was out!"
At that night, Amy was alone in the club room. She brought torchlight and she also bought a light bulb from the hardware store.
Obviously, she forgot something and went back to the club room. She turned on the torchlight and changed the light bulb. At that time, she was attacked by the killer.
But when the police investigated the place, it was found that the bag containing the light bulb was not opened. The light was not fixed.
"After I changed the light bulb, the light was fixed. This proof that Amy did not have time to change the light bulb and was killed in the dark," Harry told the killer, who was pale and sweating by now.
"But here's the weird part, because the beads from the murderer's bracelet fell all over the floor, have to pick it up one by one. Possibly, the murderer used the torchlight that Amy brought to find the beads."
"But why the killer didn't change the light bulb, wouldn't it be easier? So I changed it myself and the answer came out!"
"The killer could not change the light bulb at all!"
The lid was heavy and has to be taken out and carried using both hands. The murderer's right hand could not used at that time. One hand would not be enough to change the light bulb.
"Isn't that right, Kevin! You couldn't use your hands because the injuries you got. In other words, the killer has to be one the people who lost their bracelets and his hand cannot be raised above the shoulder. It fits you, Kevin. You killed Amy and Farah, didn't you?" Harry spat every word in disgust.
Kevin was sweating and unable to answer Harry.
"I say it again, give yourself up, please."
