Memories of Murder:
Chapter 13:
May 2010:
Ciel cast an annoyed look at the leader of the mystery club on his way out. Currently the idiot believed that the mysteries were completely real despite the evidence the other members had unearthed so far which proved the opposite. He himself was of the opinion that they were fake and there was something behind them. Not that the leader of the club could be persuaded that was the case.
"He is an idiot," he muttered.
His friend overheard him and nodded. "Exactly. How are we supposed to the investigate the mysteries when one of the key locations- the well, is out of bounds?"
Ciel snorted. "Just do it at night and no one will know."
"He's too much of a wimp to do that. Ciel, you should solve the mystery and usurp him."
The almost future earl smirked at that. "I should."
They were almost at the exit to the building and Ciel realised he had left the revision guide he needed to take home in the clubroom.
"I forgot something. Don't bother to wait for me- we don't even walk the same way home," he said and turned to leave.
He rushed back to the clubroom that was now illuminated by the fading sun. The book was lying on top of the cupboard near to the oversized and fading Sherlock Holmes poster. It was lopsided and was incorrectly positioned in relation to the window and was fading rapidly as a result. Sherlock Holmes did not deserve that.
So he reached up on tiptoes and pulled the poster away from the wall to readjust its position. It was a decision that proved to be fatal.
Where the poster had been was a very large hole in the plaster. Ciel knew it was significant because a hole in the wall should go through to the clubroom next door which it did not. It looked like it was a secret passageway.
A feeling of excitement spurred him on. He texted his mother to tell her he was staying behind to investigate something for the club and that he might be late for dinner as a result. He had no idea it would be the last time he would ever have contact with her.
For once he was glad that he was so small because it made it easier to climb into the recess. All he had for light was his phone and the small torch on his keyring so he walked slowly through the small space. He managed to see a set of steps and he realised that there was a secret attic to above the clubhouse.
As he walked up the stairs he theorised what could be there. Nothing was a possibility as the entrance had been closed off. He had a feeling that the hole in the wall was a result of structural weakening from an earthquake. The secrecy of it all hinted that whatever it was, was illegal.
Ciel smiled. He could be fine with that. The Phantomhive family of the past did have some dubious morals. However there had been certain lines that were never crossed.
When he found there were no more steps he tried his best to get an idea of where he was. All he could see were flashes of white. He scowled, he had made it this fair only to get scuppered by a lack of light. He thought about it logically. If he was in an attic with no natural source of light, there had to be an artificial source.
He felt along the wall nearest to the steps for a light switch and managed to find one which he pressed. The room was flooded with light and Ciel knew what it was then. It was a secret laboratory. He remembered that this building had originally been used by Tatra Chemicals. Obviously they had been up to something illegal.
Eager to find evidence, he had a snoop around. There was a only a relatively light layer of dust on everything so the room had to have been used since the school had been opened. In the sink was a pack of tablets. Ciel noticed there weren't labelled and correctly guessed that they were a new medication that was probably illegal. He took the remaining tablets and pocketed them. He could get his father to find someone to analyse them.
He found a stack of paperwork in a drawer and read through it. The first few pages were about the structure and makeup of the drug and what it was supposed to do which was enhance brain power. Things took a darker turn when he moved page and saw what had happened to the six human test volunteers. It hadn't been compatible and they had died painfully.
That explained why the company had hastily closed down and sold off the building to become a school He wondered what had happened to the bodies when he spotted a large vat in the corner. He had a feeling what it was before he read the label. 18 molar Sulphuric Acid.
They had used sulphuric acid to disintegrate the dead bodies. He began to feel dread in the pit of his stomach. He turned to the next page of the paperwork to see if he was right.
'Placing the bodies in the well and submerging them in acid slowly disintegrated them. More submersion should take care of the remains, although it may take some time. Further tests needed.'
The well was part of the mysteries of the school and was the only location in the mystery that was completely out of bounds with an expulsion threat attached.
Ciel realised the truth then. The school mysteries just existed to keep people away from the well. He began to get an inkling that he was in over his head. The slightly unsavoury activities of the Phantomhive family were not anything on this scale.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw the name on the bottom of the report.
A. Barnett
A family member was involved after all.
He had to tell his father about it. He would have to know what to do. He just had to get home first. He took a pixellated photo of the report before noticing that his power guzzling phone had a low battery. Hopefully it would hold out until he saw somewhere with signal. There was also a payphone in the entrance of the building that he could use.
He turned off the light and made his way back down the stairs carefully. He couldn't fall down and get trapped now. Ciel found that his phone died that moment he tried to call home. He would have to do down to the payphone.
A fearful thought went through his head. What if he never made it that far? He would have to leave a message that wouldn't be understood by the average person. A member of the mystery club would be able to interpret it correctly. Ciel took out a permanent market from his bag and with a shaking hand wrote two lines underneath the desk where the club leader sat.
Shelling Ford was supposed to indicate the poster and room 23 was the number of his aunt's classroom.
With that done he put on his school bag and prepared to get to the ground floor. The building was now completely silent as all of the clubs had ended and the only sounds were his breathing and footsteps. He kept a very keen eye out for signs that someone else was around. He relaxed when he reached the final set of stairs and could see the phone.
Then he heard the rustling of clothing and someone's footsteps. He spun around just in time to see the Biology teacher, Miss Blanc push him down the stairs.
He awoke to a cracking pain on his head and a very sore body. It took him longer than it would have normally done to work out where he was. He was at school in the doctor's office. The view outside the window was completely black and the sun had been out the last time he had been awake.
"Are you awake?" asked a voice that was certainly not the school doctor's as he was male and this voice was feminine and familiar.
"Aunt Ann?" he murmured.
His aunt's red hair came into view and that was when his mind caught up with everything. He had been pushed down the stairs just as he had nearly escaped. He needed to get out right now.
"It is me," she confirmed. "I've stitched up your head the best I can and there's a splint on one of your wrists."
"You're not the school doctor," Ciel said, attempting to sound as normal as possible and not like he was desperate to escape.
"I have a medical degree," she pouted.
Ciel decided to lightly test the waters. "I suppose you are right. Now that you have done a wonderful job of treating me, may I go home? Mum and Dad must be very worried."
She smiled widely. "Of course. I just need to get something and then I will get you home."
She turned away and Ciel took advantage of the opportunity to check his pockets. His phone and the tablets were gone. He must have been searched whilst he was unconscious. He was going to have to proceed very carefully now.
"Your head really hurts doesn't it?" she asked suddenly.
"Well, yes," he admitted. He had been pushed down the stairs after all. He was surprised he was still alive.
She waved a bottle of morphine tablets at him. "I want you to take once, you are most certainly going to need it tonight."
She handed him one with a glass of water whilst Ciel checked it was definitely morphine. He reluctantly took one to placate her and because the pain was getting unbearable.
"There's just one more thing that you are going to have to do before I can take you home."
Ciel stiffened. He wasn't out of the woods yet. He was going to have to take care in how he answered,
"What is it?" he tried to sound innocent and unaware of the gravity of the situation.
"We have to see the headmaster now. You need to tell him that you will promise not to tell anyone about what you saw. Do you think you can do that?"
Naturally he wasn't planning on keeping his mouth shut, but lying where necessary was part of the Phantomhive code so he agreed to it. His aunt put on his shoes for him and helped him off the bed. He limped down the hallway holding her arm to the headmaster's office.
No pupil had met the headmaster yet so of course there were lots of stories about what he looked like passing about. When Ciel was forced to sit down on the chair opposite the headmaster, he knew all of them were wrong.
Opposite him was an old man with long flowing grey hair with a solitary plait and a very long fringe covering his eyes. Hair aside, he looked average until he smiled. Ciel scented danger when he saw that smile. Something caught his eye behind the headmaster. Why were there coffins behind his desk and why were there bones on everything?
"Hello little Earl, I am Undertaker."
"Undertaker?"
"Yes, that really is my name. I decorated my office to match. Do you like it?"
Undertaker's voice belonged in a horror film and Ciel began to suspect that he was never going to leave the office alive. His heartbeat began to get uncomfortably fast and his palms were very slick with panicked sweat.
"It is certainly very unique," he answered cautiously.
Undertaker beamed at him. "You have very good taste, little Earl. Now onto what you are here for. Do you promise to stay quiet about what you saw today in the clubhouse."
Undertaker leaned forward over his desk and his breath wafted over Ciel causing his hairs to stand on end. He could also sense his aunt breathing down his neck.
"I promise."
The headmaster grinned in satisfaction.
"I see. The sad thing is that I know how clever you are and the only way to stop you is to end your life."
Ciel tried to get up and run but was forced back down by his aunt. Undertaker continued talking.
"It will be sad to see you go, however a dead body is so much easier to hide than a live one."
Ciel tried to wriggle out of his aunt's grip and opened his mouth to shout for help even though he knew there was no one around to help him. When he did something was forced into his mouth by his aunt and down his throat. He choked from its forced entry and then from the effects. There was no pain. His body shook uncontrollably and his heart rate spiralled out of control.
The last thing he ever saw was Undertaker's face leering down at him.
