The Clue

Rick was in his bedroom again, setting up the reels. He had the next one out, one called Easter '99. He slotted it in the projector, then set it up. He hoped what he found wasn't too horrific.

He began to see a number of people on a garden patio. Some children had baskets with Easter eggs. There was a man in his thirties, with a loose t-shirt, a woman who looked maybe Middle Eastern, and a man in his fifties. Children kept running up with baskets. One was around six or seven years old, same age as Floss, and had pretty long black wavy hair.

She was holding the basket up at the table, as a taller girl with jeans holding a basket helped her. Two boys, with brown hair, possibly twins, came up with a basket and dumped it, looking bored.

The camera went to a black girl sitting by the flowers with a toy rabbit. A girl about thirteen or fourteen went to her and sat down with her, the littlest girl toddling to the two. Then they were seated round the table, the older girl taking a drink as the others placed the eggs out.

Then darkness. The camera, which had focused on the table, showing empty and half-empty plates, the rabbit and a slice of cake, now turned, past a blue wall, to the ground. On carts, large ones with tiny wheels, were the people.

The first one had the older man, the oldest girl and a basket which had been filled with Easter eggs. The second had the twins and the Middle Eastern woman. The third had the younger man, the younger girl and the black girl. All, as the others were, were tied up, gaged and drugged. The eggs were littered round.

Then someone was pushing the cart. Why? Then Rick noticed. They were pushing them into the ground. Someone had dug pits about four, five foot deep. He was almost sick. They were doing something worse than the others. They were burying the victims – children! – alive.

Then as they were pushing the second cart, Rick saw that the person froze. A car headlight was going past the house at a side gate or somewhere. They highlighted something on the wall then drove off. The killer carried on.

Rick didn't even want to look. He just ran outside, ran to his bathroom and threw up in the sink.

When Mike saw Rick come out of the bathroom, he wondered what the boy had done. Rick had been a bit distant lately, what was he planning?

He just went back to the staff room when he heard something click. It was from Rick's room. What was he doing?
Mike got up and went to the door. Looking in, he saw Rick put a small box on the side, with an old-fashioned projector. Going in, Mike looked. He couldn't make out the reels, so he took the box to his room. Turning the light on, he saw them properly. "Valentine's Day '82, Halloween '11, what is this?" he asked. Then he said, "What has that boy been looking at?"

Then he guessed. They must be from one of the orphanages. But why? Oh well, if Rick had borrowed them, the box wasn't going back yet, he might as well leave him to it.

Going back in, he saw, the door open and light from another room, pictures on the wall.

A picture of a little boy in pyjamas, looking away from the camera towards something. A boy dressed as a ghost for Halloween. The pictures were a bit fuzzy because they were zoomed in, but Mike made out a few things.

Then underneath. Boy. Aged 9 -12 in 1964. About fifties now. And the next. Boy. About ten in 1973. About fifty now. And the last. Boy. Eight (nine?) in 2011, aged 10 or 11 now.

The last one really seemed to catch Mike.

He remembered something from the care homes about two years ago.

Mike had gone to a meeting in late October 2011 in Essex. He'd driven all the way there and had taken part to discuss moving children.

The social worker there, Mr Hadsham, a man in his twenties, had opened the door. "Oh hi Mr Milligan,. Urm, we're a bit messy at the moment so it's going to take a while."

Inside, the discussion had been about letting one of the children there in. "It's just that I heard BB was very displaced and he's been screaming at night, talking about his family." "Ah yes," the social worker lent back, "BB lost his parents when he was very young. Recently,. He's been talking about scary men, shadows in his room. And he says that he sees snakes on the floor."
It sounded as if the boy had problems. Mike asked, "So, when can he move into Elmtree?" "We'll tell him tonight and he can go on 2nd November."

Mike smiled as he left. Elmtree could help provide this boy with what he needed,.

Mike now wondered. He remembered when the news came. Actually, just a sec…

Mike was down at the laptop with the Internet up. Typing 8in the name of the place, he looked at the news report. He clicked play and then it began.

"tragedy today as eight victims are found in a gruesome murder site in Essex. At Harrison Orphanage, a home which had six orphans residing, the three members of staff and five of the orphans, aged between eleven and fifteen, were found dead. The victims are…" at that point, pictures came up. "Mr James Harrison, 46, Ms Bella Nigin, 49, Mr Nicholas Black, 27, Bernadette Barque, 11, Iain Wodstoc, 14, Mikayla Jones, 14, Nina De Wynter, 15, and Lulu Fot, 15, were all found brutally stabbed in the hallway. Benedict Benjamin Thomas, 8, is missing. No report on where he could be or who the killer is, but there is a suspicion he was kidnapped because of an adoption gone wrong."

Mike remembered all the rumours. That BB had been taken because some people wanted him and woke everyone else up, killing them. But that was disproven because the children were still in costume. He remembered hearing the news and had tried to hide newspapers from the children. But Tracy had still asked and he'd had to tell her not to tell anyone else, but one of the children was due to come to Elmtree.

Mike had always listened out for news of BB. But although there were a few sightings in southern England and Calais, no news. There was now a rumour he'd been kidnapped to sell in a foreign country, though how they'd got past the borders, Mike didn't know.

Mike never heard about BB again and assumed that the boy was dead. But now, he was beginning to wonder. Was there something about BB in those reels?

Rick was at the laptop, looking in the section with the Easter celebrations. He was doing it frame by frame, the part where the car passed and the sign was showing. Adjusting the brightness, he began to see a name. Juniper Tree.

He picked up the reel, looking at the date. Then typed orphanage murder buried alive juniper tree 1999. Almost immediately, he found a news report.

"The Juniper Tree orphanage in Torquay has had a tragic incident, where five children and three members of staff were found buried in their back yard." Rick looked through the pictures. Smiling children. Happy. Not knowing they were close to death. "juniper Tree, established 1985, has been the home for many children. At present, six children resided in the orphanage. Fifteen-year-old Nina Queen, fourteen-year-old Katy Miln, thirteen-year-olds Edward and Jacob Leaves, and ten-year-old Zoe Winches were found dead. Six-year-old Fall Jacobs is missing."

He then looked at the pictures. Apparently, police had come on Easter Sunday when the children hadn't turned up for a fete and there was no reply at the doors. After seeing goat head pictures the officers went in the garden where newly dug earth was.

The police were putting out a reward for where Fall could be.

Rick couldn't help but look at some more headlines. "Police Find no more Information regarding Missing Six-Year-Old. Hope Fading for Little Fall. Fall Jacobs: one Year On. Police Arrest Suspect in Orphanage Massacre."

Rick clicked on the last one.

28th April 2001

Just over two years after the murders at Juniper Tree Orphanage, a suspect has been found who police say is the murderer behind the horrible massacre. Mr Karl Robbins, 47, was staying in a homeless shelter a mile from the orphanage at the time. In April 1999, he was living out of his car. Police, after pulling him over in late March, found a shovel in his car.

Rick felt queasy. Was this the man?

He began searching more links. The man was searched and his new shelter searched. People remembered him being with a little girl in summer 1999, but he swore it was his niece.

Rick didn't read much more but began to think. This man seemed to have all the evidence pointing at him. But he may not be guilty because he had two more reels in the box after the man was arrested.

Rick knew what he had to do. Maybe the killer showed up in a reel. He needed time.

"So," Elektra walked round her room, "you're saying I'm going to a loony bin?" Faith looked at her, embarrassed. "Err…yeah."

Elektra threw her hands in the air and stood up. "Right! If they want me to go to some pyscho house then that's their problem." Faith mumbled, "It gets worse."!

As Elektra was at the door, she turned. "How?" Faith looked down, not wanting to tell. "How does it get…worse?" "Well, a few years ago some people were murdered there./" that did it. Elektra ran downstairs, slamming the office door open.

"HOW CAN YOU SEND ME TO A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WERE MURDERED!" she screamed at Mike, who just looked up at her like he'd been turned to statue. Faith slowly came after her.

"Well, Elektra," he looked down, "the place is a very good one. It was highly recommended by social workers, plus your sister and her husband live nearby…so…"
"You want me to go to a place where people were…" she turned to Faith. "what exactly?" "Mutilated." Elektra went pale. "That place could be a death-trap!" "Listen Elektra…" "Did they catch the guy?" "No." "Well how don't you know an axe murderer isn't there!"
Mike then tried, "Look Elektra, these murders are rare. You're more likely to be hit by an asteroid. Well, perhaps not, but it's a safe place now. They had the place bolted all night, security cameras, identification.. Elektra, it's good."
"So I'm going to prison?" He sighed. "NO Elektra." "Why?" "Because your sister wants you to be nearby. She doesn't want to lose you again."

Elektra seemed to calm down. "Are you sure it's safe?" "Positive." He tried smiling.

Elektra left and then he looked at Faith./ "You looked on the Internet?" "Yeah. I read about…the drawing of a goat head there and how the little boy…" "Faith, I'm telling you something I haven't told anyone." "What?" "I was one of the last people to see the social workers. I went there because there were some troubles with BB and he was going to Elmtree. But Faith, it's OK. I've tried."

Rick was operating Valentine's Day. The lights were off, the door shut, the new photographs of the young girl and the picture of the sign on the wall. He looked, wondering.

Silence. Just silence. Someone was coming into the red living room, with a cake in a heart shape. The person was a girl around fifteen years old, with long dark hair and skin, a girl a few years younger with hoop earrings nearly reaching her shoulders. Another girl came in, wearing a very short skirt that made Rick blush. And a tiny girl in a red frilled dress and hair just below her shoulders. The older girls began talking and then she walked out the room.

Then it was outside. The cake with a fork in was on the table. On the patio, there were some small syringes with red liquid in them. Three deckchairs were set up. The black girl was on the first, her head swaying. Then her shirt was pulled up and someone injected the red liquid in her. The girl shook slightly, her hands shaking. Rick noticed a small dog barking between the deckchairs.

They weren't hurting the dog. The second girl, the one with earrings, opened her eyes slowly as the killer injected the red liquid under her t-shirt. Rick wondered why it was the top.

As the final girl was being injected, her eyes wide and staying wide, he knew. The liquid was medicine. Someone was injecting a liquid that stopped the girls' hearts.

He didn't have much left. He just had numerous photos up, some names underneath and wondering what to do. There had to be a connection, besides the orphanage. Find out who he was.

A/N: Well, does anyone like it?