Detective Stories, Volume 2/2014 by Gabriela Sandru

Detective stories By CLASS 8A of 2014

INTERMEDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE Tg.-MureÈ&#x2122;

SUPERVISING EDITOR, G. Șandru, Teacher of English

~ Illustrations by Farki (Iulia Fărcaș, 8A) ~

CONTENTS

THE ORPHANAGE CRIME

HOT REVENGE

THE PENTAGRAM

THE BUTLER

THE LAST FLIGHT

The Orphanage Crime CHAPTER 1 It was a cold autumn. The streets were clear, with no one around. The wind was blowing the leaves everywhere. There was no sound, no movement, and no appearance in the troubled neighbourhood of Sun Valley. You couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see many people on the street. The houses were rather small; they had big windows with the curtains pulled down; the roofs were very old and dark. Even if there werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t many people you could sense the existence of someone. The feeling was driving everyone crazy. Danger was in every single corner. There was only one man who was not afraid to take risks. This man was Barnabas Collins, a detective who wanted to solve all the mysteries of the neighbourhood. He knew everything that was happening there: from a tiny fight, to a hidden crime. 4

Barnabas was a tall man with long black curly hair and blue eyes and he was always wearing glasses. He was clever and brave. Detective Collins lived in a small house which only had one room, a kitchenette and a bathroom. He had been living alone after his girlfriend died in an accident several years ago.

*** At the police station, Barnabas wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t working alone. His partner, a young beautiful woman called Annabelle Dawson was a very good and smart detective. She had long blonde

straight hair and brown eyes. She was thin and looked fragile but she was tough and determined. Most of the time, they spent their time at the police station. They shared a tiny room with two armchairs, a coffee table, a desk and a small bookshelf. *** CHAPTER 2 One day, while Barnabas was writing in his diary and Annabelle was reading a book, the phone rang. It was Ramirez, the officer who found out about the missing case from the orphanage. There were five children who had disappeared. The one who reported their disappearance was an old caretaker, Mrs. Mariette. She had been taking care of the children for the last thirty years. “A missing case?” asked Barnabas. “Exactly”, replied Ramirez. “It might as well be a murder”, said Barnabas in a deep voice. “Don’t jump to conclusions, we don’t know anything yet”, Annabelle advised cautiously. “When did it happen?” she asked. 6

“Last night”, replied the officer. “What’s the address?” asked Barnabas. “The Sun Valley Orphanage, on Marta Street.” “Do you think this Mariette knows anything?” Annabelle wondered. “She might. We’ll ask her and the other children too.” “I don’t know… what can they tell us?” “Maybe they talked to those kids before they disappeared…” “We’ll also speak to the neighbors”, added Barnabas. “They must have heard something” he concluded, sounding very sure of himself. *** CHAPTER 3 Detective Collins and Dawson went to the orphanage and entered a tall large room with a red carpet on the floor and a big chandelier hanging from the ceiling. On the left there was a small kitchen and on the right there was a sort of an office. In front of the door there were the stairs leading to the first floor. *** 7

Barnabas and Annabelle entered the office but there was no one there. It was a big room with a desk, a chair and bookshelves. On the desk there were a lot of books about crimes and criminals. While they were searching the place, they heard a noise at the front door. Mariette arrived, carrying shopping bags. The detectives told her why they were there for and asked her to answer some questions. She agreed. *** “Mrs. Mariette, where have you been until now?” asked Annabelle, trying not to sound very harsh. “I’ve been to the hospital, my son is very sick”, she replied. “And last night, when the kids disappeared?” Barnabas asked. “At the hospital”, she murmured. “And who took care of the children?” Annabelle asked clearly enraged. “Our neighbor, La'Quisha van Banner. She’s the only one I trust from around here.” “What’s with the books on your desk?” inquired Barnabas, looking straight into her tired eyes. “What books?” the old lady asked, turning to look at the desk. “The books about crime” 8

“I don’t know, I don’t read anything of this sort”, she replied with disgust. “Don’t you know who does?” Barnabas asked. “…No… I wish I knew…” “Do you mind if we go upstairs to investigate?” asked Annabelle. “Of course not, go ahead” she said putting her hand out as to lead the way. *** They climbed up the stairs and entered a room. It was the missing children’s room. Nothing looked weird or strange at the first sight. There were six beds aligned by the wall, each one with a bedside table next to it but only one had a little flower in a vase. They looked under the beds – nothing. They looked everywhere but they didn’t find anything. Barnabas removed the carpet and saw some blood stains on the floor. Annabelle noticed a scratch on the wall next to one bed.

“What’s whit the scratch on the wall?” they asked. “We don’t know”, said one kid. “Here are some blood stains under the carpet. 9

“Uhm… I… don’t know”, said a little girl who was sitting on one bed. “Hmm, so you don’t“, added Barnabas. The little girl kept looking aside as if was avoiding eye contact with the detectives. She seemed suspicious. “She’s lying! Liar!”, a fat boy who entered the room shouted. He had been peeking through the door. His name was Peter Cartman, a ginger-haired boy with freckles and an angry look on his face. “You shut your mouth, you, your potty mouth!”, the girl yelled back. “Look wha’s sayn’!”, he laughed. “You both shut your mouths! Stop this nonsense!” ordered the old lady. “What’s going on?” “She’s lying!” Peter yelled at the top of his lungs. “Na, uh!” “Why do you think she’s a liar?”, Annabelle asked, feeling sorry for the girl who looked scared. “Look at her wrists!”, Peter suggested.

The girl was hiding her wrists in her sleeves and her face was all red as she was looking at the ground. “Stop hiding, Lily!”, said Peter. The old lady came near the girl and took her arms and pulled out her sleeves. Cuts and scars were all over her wrists. “Oh my God! Who did this to you?” the old lady asked seeming panicked. “No one…” “She did it herself”, the boy suddenly accused her. “W-what? This is stupid. I don’t…” “YES, I DID IT!” Lily cried out. “Why?” Barnabas asked feeling confused. “Why? Because I love it, I love the pain!” she replied “Freak!”, Peter screamed through his clenched lips. “SHUT UP!”, Lily cried out in a begging voice. “OK, calm down. And you shut up, Peter!” the old lady ordered looking in control. “We need to take a blood sample to check it’s actually yours” 11

From his coat, Barnabas took a cotton stick soaked in alcohol and started rubbing where the blood stains were. *** CHAPTER 4 At the laboratory, the forensic officers tested the blood evidence. Apparently, the blood wasn’t the girl’s. It was Brian’s, one of the missing children. *** At the police station, the medical; examiners called the detectives and told them that the blood was Brian Plabobsky’s. “Hey, isn’t he one of the children who disappeared?” asked Annabelle. “Unfortunately, he is.” “What do we do now?” she wondered. “We’ll go and ask La'Quisha van Banner. At long last, she was the one who took care of the kids”, Barnabas concluded, putting his coat on while he was leaving the police station. *** 12

Barnabas and Annabelle were on their way to the neighbor’s house. When they knocked at the door, a massive black lady yelled from behind. “Get out of my property!” “Miss, we are from the police station.” “What do you want?” she asked, opening the door and letting them come in. “Mrs. Mariette said you took care of the children yesterday”, explained Annabelle, while taking a seat on the sofa. “Did I?” “Well, that’s what the old lady says.” “Of, well, I didn’t’!” La'Quisha replied. “So, Mrs. Mariette is lying… Where were you last night?” Barnabas asked. “I was at home, eatin’ my fried chicken and my watermelon”, she explained. “Is there anyone who could confirm that?” asked Barnabas. “Yes, of course. My daughter, Vashanique was here with me last night.” “And where is she now?” Annabelle inquired. “At the KFC, she’s ordering some chicken wings with garlic sauce fo’ meh. Anyway, I ain’t stayd with those damn kids, 13

they were always coming on my property and messin’ with ma’ flowers” La'Quisha said before taking a plate of crackers under her chin which she carefully introduced one after the other into a large cavity that could be called ‘a mouth’. “And that would be a good reason for killing them” said Barnabas ironically. “Killin’? The only thing I’ve killed in ma’ life was chicken. I love chicken” she said, while gobbling the food down her throat. “Okay… have you seen anything

suspicious

around

orphanage?”

anyone the asked

Annabelle, trying not to look at the food. “Nah.

haven’

seen

nothin’ but they’ve messed ma’ garden last night”, La'Quisha said between two gulps. “So you wouldn’t hurt them, would you?” asked Annabelle. “Aw, hell nah! I don’t want to go back to prison!” she yelled. “What do you mean ‘go back to prison’?” Barnabas inquired. 14

“I don’t wanna talk about it no more!” the fat lady exclaimed. “All right!”, the detectives agreed reluctantly. *** After seeing that they couldn’t get any more answers, they went back to the police station and investigated La'Quisha van Banner. They found out she had been accused of killing her husband, but then she was proved innocent - her husband had committed suicide. “I know how it is to lose someone that you care for”, Barnabas said. “Maybe she isn’t so crazy as I thought”, said Annabelle “She might behave crazy as a result of not being able to get over her husband’s death” Annabelle explained. “Wait a second, she said something about the children messing with her garden”, he remembered. “Yes, you are right ….. Do you think she’s hiding something?” “Probably , let’s go and check it out” he suggested before getting out of the door. ***

The two detectives went back to the black lady’s house. Apparently, no one was home. To their utmost surprise, the door was opened. There was a horrible smell in the house. Both of them thought it must have been rotten meat. Boxes of fried chicken were on the floor and watermelon peel. It was really dark in the house even though it was sunny outside. All the curtains were drawn. The TV was still on and there was a shape on the couch. “We are from the police station, please get up!” said Barnabas while taking his gun out of his coat. The detectives approached the couch cautiously. To their surprise, they saw a corpse. The woman was dead. “O my God!” yelled Annabelle. They had the corpse taken in for autopsy. Later they found out that there was poison inside her body. The poison was a rare one coming from an odd plant 16

and the detectives identified it as the same plant from Lily’s room. “What plant is it?” asked Barnabas. “It is lupinus, a beautiful flower yet dangerous exotic flower” the medical examiner explained. “Wait! Isn’t it the same as the one from Lily’s room?” Annabelle asked. “Do you… think she did it?” Barnabas asked. “That’s impossible, she’s just a little girl… but… she could have. Crime has no age!” Annabelle concluded, suddenly feeling sick with the thought. ***

CHAPTER 5 Detective Collins and detective Dawson went back to the orphanage and brought all the children and the old lady down to the main salon. “Who do you think could have done this bloody crime?” asked Barnabas.

“Lily, of course - only freaks like her can do things like that!” Peter cried out. “How quickly you jump to accusations, don’t you think, young boy?” said Annabelle. “Calm down, Annabelle, we already know who the guilty one here is, don’t we? I think, Lily…” “I have to confess something…” said one boy. “…didn’t do it”, added Barnabas. “W-what?” mumbled Peter “Don’t listen to him!”, he added. “Did you say you wanted to confess anything?” Annabelle asked, putting an arm over his little shoulders. Peter was looking into the boy’s eyes with an angry look. He was saying something to him but the detectives couldn’t hear. “Yes , I do, actually…” the little boy said. “What are you doing?” yelled Peter. “I’m not afraid of you anymore”, he said. The boy’s name was Marty van Buren. He was a tiny, skinny boy with a tragic look on his face. He was a joke for everyone, 18

except for Lily. She had always been the only one who spent time with him. “One night, I was downstairs alone, when I heard a scream coming from a room. Everyone was outside playing, even though it was late evening, because there was no one to take care of us. I walked up the stairs and saw a shadow dragging a body. It was Peter. I clearly saw him bending over some children corpses. There were five of them: Nick, Robin, Gavin, David and little Timmy. When Peter saw me, he threatened that if I said something, he would kill me too. “So you didn’t tell anyone”, said Annabelle. “No, I was too scared. To make sure I wouldn’t tell, he made me help him carry the corpses to the old lady’s garden” Marty continued, tears running down his little pale cheeks. “And, how about the blood? We found only one drop. If Peter really killed 5 people, it would be a bloody mess everywhere” Barnabas exclaimed dismayed. “He actually poisoned them and when we dragged the corpses, one of the bodies fell and hit the knob. That’s why there was no blood in the house” Marty explained. “So the bodies are…” 19

“Yes, at the black lady’s house!” said Barnabas, feeling relieved. The detectives went straight to the black lady’s garden. They called the cops and started digging the garden. The bodies were found soon. *** CHAPTER 6 While an officer was taking Peter to the police car, detective Barnabas asked Peter: “Why, Peter, why? Why did you kill them?” “I couldn’t stand them. They were always mean to me, calling me names, and telling how fat and ugly I was” he said crying. “Take him away, officers” ordered Barnabas. “Who’s the freak now?” a voice yelled from one of the windows. It was Lily. “I… I am…” whispered Peter. When he got into the police car, he thought “I am not a freak”. *** 20

“What a case! We haven’t had a crime like this for months…” said Barnabas. “I know… I wish we hadn’t! Now, let’s go get some ‘chicken wings’ a la La'Quisha van Banner”, laughed Annabelle.

The End By: Sarca Iulia Iulia Fărcaș Blaga Sergiu Platon Smaranda Curticăpean Melania

Hot Revenge CHAPTER 1 A residential area, in the afternoon of the 15th September, 2005. A big white mansion with countless rooms, very luxurious and an even bigger garden that looks wonderfully colorful in autumn. Jessica Tolstoy is a blonde, blue eyes, 5’11’’ feet tall, 25 years old woman. She takes her grey Range Rover and drives it carefully along the alley before vanishing into the main road. ***

CHAPTER 2 A few moments later, a black car stops at the end of the alley. A man dressed in black gets out of the car and walks slowly towards Jessica’s house. He knocks at the door and looks 22

around as if to check if there is anyone on the street, touches the walls of the house and then leaves. Nobody seems to notice him. *** After several hours, Jessica wants to take a turn towards her home, but the street is blocked by a crowd of agitated people and police. She stops the car and gets out with her shopping bags, while talking on the phone with her best friend. She can hardly make way among the noisy crowd.

She walks through the alley and sees her house… burned to the ground. Jessica runs towards a fireman and asks him what has happened. She feels like choking when she hears a voice coming from behind: ‘Are you Jessica Tolstoy?’ asked the policeman in a loud voice. ‘Yes,

what

happened?’

she

replied,

looking

around

bewildered. ‘I’m afraid we have no time to chat about it. You need to come with us to the police-station a.s.a.p.’, the officer told her and grabbed her by the hand, pushing her carefully into the police van. *** Back at the office, Harry Ford, a police investigator with brown curly hair and brown eyes, is talking about the arson crime to his partner,

Rose,

simple,

unsophisticated police woman, on her first day in the Force. She has lots to

learn from her more

experienced partner. 24

Jessica is led in by a young police officer. ‘So, Miss Tolstoy we understand your house has been set on fire. Do you suspect anyone?’, Harry asked, looking curiously at the beautiful young woman. ‘No, I have no idea who could have done it... and why?! I went out for a shopping party and when I arrived, I’ve found my house burned down to the ground.’ ‘Does anyone else live there with you?’ ‘I used to live there with my boyfriend, Jason McCann, but we broke up two months ago. You know, he was a gambler... I haven’t heard of him since then.’ ‘Oh! I see’, Harry murmured to himself, suddenly seeming totally absent-minded. ‘Have you been seeing anyone lately?’ inquired Rose hesitantly. ‘Oh! Kind of… Dave Herman – he’s such a good man but we don’t live together. Anyway, he’s moved to New Jersey. I’m not sure if we are still dating, you see’, answered Jessica looking embarrassed. *** 25

CHAPTER 3 The two detectives are heading back to the burnt mansion to investigate the crime scene one more time. They start searching for new clues. After 10 minutes, Rose shouts from the alley in front of the house: ‘I’ve found something. I think it’s a footprint! A big one, I mean.’ ’Really? Let me see!’ asked Harry, hurrying to the spot where Rose is standing. *** They take a plaster cast of the footprint and send it to the lab for further analysis. Then they hurry back to the police station to talk about the possible suspects. Evidently, the main suspect is Jessica’s ex-boyfriend, Jason McCann, who - they have found out after searching his name in the police data base - had connections with the most wanted American gang and was one of the most known Mafioso in the city. He had a good reason to get revenge on Jessica after she had dumped him. *** 26

While looking at Jason’s picture in the computer monitor, Rose is thinking that Jason is very handsome - he has black hair and green eyes and looks so confident with his Greek nose and wide smile. *** CHAPTER 4

A day later, Dave Herman - Jessica’s new boyfriend - is brought to the police station. He is a tall, strong young man, with brown hair and blue eyes but today he looks tired and old. The interrogation room has white walls. In the middle of the room there is a table and two chairs. The room has a window. Harry sits in one chair and Dave is invited to sit on the other one. Rose stays behind the window, recording Dave’s testimony. *** ‘Where were you on the 15th September around 12 a.m.?’ asked Harry. 27

‘I was in New Jersey’ answered Dave, looking straight into his eyes. ‘Why did you leave everything behind and move there?’ ‘It’s a personal thing.’ ‘I’m not joking. Why did you leave?’ ‘I feared for my life; I was hunted down by a well known moneylender. I got bankrupt. I didn’t want Jessica to find out.’ ‘So, you too were after her money, weren’t you?!’, exclaimed Rose with a burst of disgust. *** After the interrogation, Harry asked Rose what she thought about everything. While they were talking, a policeman entered the room and told the detectives that they found a neighbor whose security cam had recorded everything. *** They watched the recording and saw a black car stopping at the end of the road after Jessica left that day. A man got off the car - he was dressed in black and walked carefully towards Jessica’s house. He knocked at the door and looked around a

few times, he touched the wall of the house as if looking for something hidden in the wall and then he left. *** When the detective called Jessica to the station she recognized the person on the tape. It was Jason McCann, her ex-boyfriend. ***

CHAPTER 5 The detectives found Jason McCann in the same casino where he used to spend his time when he and Jessica were still dating. *** â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jason McCann, you are arrested on the charges of arson, bomb threat and attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning, if you wishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. 29

*** Later, in the court of law. ‘So, detectives… How did everything happened?’ the judge asked. ‘Well, we have a recording of the crime’, Harry said facing the jury. ‘Mr. McCann went to Jessica’s house. He was standing in front of the door, pretending to be a guest, knocking at the door. But he waited for a few moments, his hands touching the walls and then he looked around carefully and left. But after that, we’ve seen on the recording that something was different. On the wall there was a little box. It was a small timed bomb. So about 5 minutes later, the bomb exploded, and it set the house on fire,’ explained detective Harry. ‘Plus we found a footprint which fits perfectly McCann’s shoes,’ said Rose, putting a few papers on the judge’s table. *** The jury walk out to take the final decision. When they return, the judge asks ‘How do you find the defendant?’ The foreperson stands up and says ‘We have found the defendant guilty of all charges, your honor’.

‘Jason McCann, you are sentenced to 10 years in a Federal Prison, without possibility of parole’ decided the judge before retiring to his room. ***

CHAPTER 6 ‘I can’t believe I’ve been caught.’ thought Jason, while being handcuffed and taken to jail. ‘Damn Luke! He said that there’s nothing that can prove that I’ve been the arsonist. When I get out of there, I’m gonna kill him. Yes, I am. It’ll be my pleasure. They really think that I’ll be locked up for 10 years!? Yeah, right! I’m Jason McCann. There’s nothing there that can keep me in one place. I’ll be out of here in no time. You’ll see. Just you wait!’ *** ‘We’re done with this. Everything is fine now’, said Rose relieved. ‘It’s a good thing that Jessica’s house was insured. She can have another mansion built, a bigger one if she wants. You know, if I were her, I would settle with a smaller house -

just to keep myself safe from attracting rascals who are only after my money’. ‘Yeah, we can finally relax now. It wasn’t a very easy case, though. Your first case!’ said Harry. ‘Let’s go back to the office for a nice and hot cup of coffee’, said Rose with a big smile on her face.

The End By: Alexandru Orza Vanesa Baciu Carmen Gliga Christian Halalai Andrada Szasz

The Pentagram CHAPTER 1 In Dallas, people were enjoying the beautiful and warm autumn of 1995. In a flat of a modern skyscraper, James was having dinner with his family. His mother, Ellen was a 36 year-old tall blonde woman. She was nice, caring, liked cooking very much and watching romantic films. She was beautiful but she had a sad look upon her face. Her husband, George was also tall and blonde, and, unlike his wife, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look charming. He was dominant and strict and he was a CEO at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. *** They were eating in complete silence. But there was chaos in Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mind. What happened earlier, the screams and all that was enough 33

for him. He stood up and walked towards his room, his green eyes still in tears. James was 16 and he knew it was shameful to cry at that age, but that only applied to ordinary boys. Not to him. He could afford crying. Nobody knew that he was beaten every single day by his father since he was a small kid. His father would beat him even for the

most

insignificant things, like tonight when he forgot to take out the garbage. His girlfriend,

Natalie,

had invited James to join her for a movie, but he just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care anymore. *** As he was heading towards his room, feeling miserable and low, he saw his father dominant shadow following him into the corridorâ&#x20AC;Ś ***

CHAPTER 2 Later that night, Vince, the forester, was doing his night shift. He was walking around his cabin, which was near the forest. The night was cold, and the forest was dark and scary, but not for him. Walking towards the forest, he saw something hanging from one of the trees. Vince turned his flashlight toward the shadow. It was a body. A very strange one… and above it there was a pentagram. “Oh, my God!” he thought, while he was taking his phone out of the pocket. “I must call 911.” *** Sam and Danielle were FBI partners. Sam was a 25 year-old, tall man with black hair and green eyes. He had a very active life; he liked jogging, cycling and singing karaoke. And he secretly liked his partner, Danielle. She was short, had long, wavy, black hair and blue eyes. She was 23. When she was younger, Danielle enjoyed watching “The Mentalist” and she realized she liked solving crimes so she decide to become a criminal investigator. Her hobbies were dancing, karate, reading detective stories and she was wearing glasses. They both lived in their FBI flats. They were at home, getting ready for sleep when their phones rang – a murder had been reported. 35

CHAPTER 3 Sam and Danielle were on their way to the crime scene. They had just got their first case to solve. “So, here we are. At last!” said Sam feeling excited. They got out of the car and went to talk to the policemen, who were already there. They were given the written report of the crime. “So, Mr. Vince Cordley, the forester, has found the victims’ body in the forest” said Danielle. “Apparently, it had been totally disfigured with sulphuric acid, so that the corpse shouldn’t be identified very quickly.” “Yes” Sam agreed, “the coroner has to do further DNA examinations to identify the body. Furthermore, a pentagram, some weird herbs and a knife have been found.” “The poor boy had his throat slit open” said a voice behind Sam. “Good evening. I’m officer Lance Wanfield. You must be the detectives.” “Yes, we are”, said Sam turning around. “We want to see the crime scene.” “Very well, follow me!” said the officer taking them there. “Looks like he’d been asphyxiated” Danielle told Sam, “before the knife was even used.” 36

“An occult ritual, seemingly. Some amateur did this. Is there any known pagan sect or so in this city?” Sam asked the officer. “Well, no. But there is this one girl and some of her friends pretending to bee witches, using white magic and healing hurt animals and stuff.” “What’s her name?” “Natalie McDale. But I don’t think she’d do such a terrible thing. I know her. Anyway, she lives in 43 Main Street.” “Thank you. Have a good day.” “Goodbye. Oh, and good luck solving this murder.”

*** 37

CHAPTER 4 Sam parked the car in front of Natalie’s house. They had been called by the coroner who wanted to inform them that the victim’s name was James Ackles, the 16 year-old boy of The famous George Ackles, the CEO. The investigators knocked at Natalie’s door. A very pretty, young girl opened it: “Hello. Can I help you?” “Yes. Are you Natalie McDale?”asked Danielle. “Yes, I am. Who are you?”asked Natalie looking confused. “Detectives Sam Wennester and Danielle Pentle. We are investigating a murder.” “Oh, my!” Natalie whispered for herself. “What happened?” “James Ackles’s body was found in the forest. A necklace with a pentagram was hanging in a tree. We heard that you’re practicing white magic. Do you know anything about this case?” “Oh, No!” she screamed. “He was my boyfriend. I’d never do that” Natalie added, as tears were running down her pale cheeks. “Who do you think the killer is? Did he have any enemies?”asked Danielle. “I don’t know” said Natalie. “But his father was very violent with him. James told me his mother would always try to defend him but she always ended up beaten, too.” 38

“What about the occult signs?” “I don’t use pentagrams. I’m not an amateur.” “Do you know where the Ackles live?”asked Sam. “Yes, 15 Liberty Street,” answered Natalie. “Ok, thank you. Have a good day!” *** CHAPTER 5 Three hours later, Sam and Danielle were discussing the Ackles, especially George Ackles’ reaction to his son’s death. “He seemed rather annoyed, not very upset though for his son’s death” said Sam. ”And he denied being violent towards James.” “I still think Natalie has something to do with the murder. But now that we’ve seen George’s reaction, he’s also on my list.” “Danielle, listen. If Natalie is the killer she wouldn’t have left her stuff there so she would get caught” Sam told his partner. “Also, this case looks a lot like the ones back in 1983. The throat of the victim was slit open and the body disfigured with acid. Moreover, all the previous victims were regular customers of the bank George worked at.” “There might be a link.” Danielle agreed. “Let’s interrogate the kid’s father.” 39

So the two left to the police department. *** CHAPTER 6 The interrogation room was small, with a small white table and black walls. Sam decided to interrogate Natalie first. “Why have you said you don’t use pentagrams?” “Those are for black magic, which is evil. I practice white magic.” “So you claim the pentagram wasn’t yours?” asked Sam. “No, I don’t claim. I strongly affirm that it wasn’t. I and James loved each other very much… Oh, I miss him so much...” she added, starting crying as she spoke. “Ok, calm down, please.” Sam tried

to comfort Natalie by putting an arm over her shoulders. “ What did James’ parents think about your relationship?” he asked. “They didn’t agree with it. Being rich people, they had greater expectations. But we decided to get married just after we finished high school, we had plans, you know...” *** CHAPTER 7 One hour later, Danielle is interrogating George. Danielle: “I’ve heard that you had been in jail for being very violent in your early years.” George: “Yes, but I’ve changed.” Danielle: “Also, when you were 17 you were diagnosed with psychotic personality disorder. You can’t cure that. And you’ve beaten your son many times. Do you confirm?” George: “No, I loved my son.” Danielle: “Some of your customers had been brutally murdered 12 years ago. What can you say about that?” George: “I have nothing to say about that.” ***

After the interrogation, the investigators realized that Natalie couldn’t have been the killer, whereas James’ father was the main suspect. He had nothing to comment about the crimes that happened 12 years before. He didn’t seem too concerned about his son’s loss. *** As they were debating the subject, Ellen, James’ mother, came into the police department. She looked panicked and she said wanted to talk to someone about her son’s death. Sam took Ellen in the room behind the interrogation room. She told the detectives that George was the killer. George was often very violent with James and ended up killing him. Moreover, he murdered his customers in the same way 12 years ago and made his wife hide the corpses in the bank’s safe. She also saw him asphyxiating James with his bare hands and wanted to interfere but he slapped her and she lost consciousness. *** The two detectives understood how the crimes were committed. Sam had a theory: “George killed James in their flat. Then he put the body in the car and drove to the woods. He dragged James under 42

that tree and hung the pentagram above the corpse trying to frame Natalie as the killer. Then he slit James’ throat open to look more like an occult ritual. In the end, George poured acid all over his body, hoping the police wouldn’t identify the body.” “Not such a brilliant idea after all!” remarked Danielle. *** They went back to the interrogation room. Danielle told George. “You’re wife told us everything, including what happened 12 years ago.” “You’re arrested for the murder you son. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning” said Sam, handcuffing George. *** CHAPTER 8

Behind bars, George was thinking about how his wife eventually betrayed him. “I’d escape from the prison and I’d got my revenge. And I’d take care of that young woman, too. Natalie, her name was. 43

First, I’d torture them both. So that they knew who the boss was. And then I’d kill them. Just to teach them a lesson!”

The trial was short. The court decided to sentence him to death. He was to spend 15 years in prison to reflect upon his deeds and after that he was to be executed by lethal injection. *** After the trial, Danielle and Sam were very proud of how they solved their first case. They visited Ellen. “Don’t worry!” they told her. ”He’s in a high-security prison. He can’t escape from there. He will be executed in the end.” Ellen began crying. “Thank you! Do you know how hard my life has been until now?” “You have to hold on” Danielle said. “You have to move from the tragedy and continue your life.” “Would you like to stay for dinner?”asked Ellen. “Yes, we’d love to stay” they both agreed quickly. *** After George’s execution, Ellen remarried and had a son, Jake.

Danielle and Sam got married and continued their life of solving mysteries.

The End By: Pop-Suci Lorena HalaČ&#x203A;iu Eliza Moldovan Ruxandra Radu Nicolas Handrea Bogdan

The Butler CHAPTER 1 Everything started in September, 1990. At the beginning it looked like another ordinary day in L.A. There was a residential area, The Green Valley, where Becky and Chris Martin, a young couple in their thirties had their small pretty house, with a large garden surrounded by a white fence, a little pool and a bulldog. They met for the first time at the police station several years ago and they fell in love immediately. Besides being husband and wife, they were well-known police investigators, respected

and

appreciated in their peaceful community. Becky used to read detective stories and watch action movies 46

and thrillers. She has known she wanted to join the Force since she was eight. In his free time, Chris used to practice karate. Now, they spend hours at work, but they always made time for their 3 year-old daughter, Lily. ***

CHAPTER 2 One late evening, while Becky was in the main bedroom, brushing her long wavy hair, the phone rang. She went downstairs and answered it. It was her husband, Chris. He seemed worried. “Sweetheart, we have a problem. Our neighbor, Mr. Sawyer the rich guy - was found dead this evening. His butler called the police and the Captain told us to investigate his death.” “Ok. I’ll be there in 2 minutes”, said Becky, while putting her shoes on. Soon after, she got out of the door. ***

“Where do we start from? What do we know so far?” asked Becky, soon after she entered the police station, her eyes searching for an answer. “Let’s go back to the house and talk to the butler. We might find some clues there. Everybody who has connections to the house should be considered a suspect” added Chris. *** CHAPTER 3 Becky and Chris arrived at Mr. Sawyer’s mansion. There they found their neighbor in the kitchen, shot in the head. There was blood everywhere. Down in the basement, his maid, Miss Stewart, was found hanged from the ceiling. “I heard some noises coming from the basement” explained the butler. “I went there and I saw Miss Stewart hanging there. I got scared and I rushed to tell Mr. Sawyer what had happened. Then I heard the door and some shooting. I saw Mr. Sawyer fall dead to the ground. Two men were searching for money and jewelry, opening cupboards and drawers and vandalizing the whole place. I decided to stay hidden because I feared for my life. Before 48

they left I saw their faces: one of the robbers had long black hair and beard and was quite skinny and the other guy was very tall wearing a red hat. They were both wearing the Chinese uniform from the restaurant where we used to order our food.” “We’ll call you in for more details. We’re taking the bodies for autopsy”,

Chris

said

looking around with a strange curiosity. The

butler

started

fidgeting and became very nervous. Eventually, he turned around and just left

without

saying

goodbye. “Chris, have you also noticed how strangely this guy started acting when you told him about the autopsy?” asked Becky. “Yes, I have… Hmm! Let’s go and collect some fingerprints”, said Chris, his forehead frowning as he searched the place. *** 49

CHAPTER 4 After the autopsy, Mr. Simon - the coroner - talked to Chris and explained what he discovered. “The young woman was poisoned. I found white powder in her mouth, which turned out to be poison, so she was definitely framed the suicide. Now, about the fingerprints… You won’t even imagine this: do you remember Jack Damon and Joe Monroe - the serial killers who broke free from prison after they were caught and sentenced to death? The fingerprints belong to them”, added Dr. Simon. “Yes, I remember. They are still free, I’m afraid”, answered Chris, looking extremely concerned. “That’s why the butler panicked! He must be Jack and Joe’s accomplice! Let’s investigate this right away”, exclaimed Becky while searching for more information in the department’s database. *** Later on, Chris told the butler in the interrogation room: “You know that you’re the main suspect for maid’s murder. We 50

discovered that she had been poisoned; she didn’t hang herself, as you might have wanted us to know!” The butler looked guilty and he decided to confess. “That’s true. I was an accomplice. They promised me part of the money. After that, they fooled me and I thought that it was better if I told you the real story”, explained the butler. “I have an idea. Call Jack and Joe and tell them to meet you at warehouse in 241 William Street. There, you will tell them the police has found out about the murder and that they are to leave town a.s.a.p.”, said Chris, getting really excited as he moved on with the details of his plan. *** CHAPTER 5 It was 10 p.m. the day after the interrogation. A crew of police was on the way to the warehouse. At 10:30, when the killers arrived, the men were already hidden everywhere in the perimeter. The butler approached them and they had a conversation. Suddenly, Jack and Joe took out their guns, aiming towards the butler. 51

“Freeze! Let your guns down!” Chris shouted on the top of his lungs. The killers tried to escape, but they couldn’t because the police was everywhere. They were surrounded. In the end, they were arrested and taken to the police section. “We finally meet, ‘Double J’. Tell us everything - we might reach an agreement”, Chris demanded. Jack and Joe were sarcastic and they didn’t care about what was going to happen. They just laughed: “Yeah, we killed them for the money, so what?” Jack said. Jack and Joe looked evil as they both displayed a large grin. It seemed as if their thoughts were aloud for everyone to hear: ‘We aren’t gonna lock us up! We’re gonna get free - the same way we did last time. You, fools!’ *** CHAPTER 6 After the judge heard the testimonies, Jack Damon and Joe Monroe were sentenced for life imprisonment in a maximum 52

security prison. The butler was sentenced to 8 years, without parole. “Do you think they will escape again?” Becky wondered, watching the police van disappearing with the criminals behind the corner. “Calm down, honey. I don’t think so. This time, they are sent to Alcatraz. You know what – why don’t we go on that holiday we promised Lily?” asked Chris, holding her tight to his chest while laying a kiss on the top of her head. “Oh, really? Thank you, honey!” Becky exclaimed with a sigh of relief looking at her husband with wet happy eyes. ‘I love you!” she added before giving him a soft kiss on his lips.

The End By: Suruceanu Diana Șărban Denisa Negru Claudiu Graur Mihai Chiciudean Andreea

The Last Flight CHAPTER 1 On a late night of December, at about 11:30 p.m., people from Heathrow Airport in London were preparing to take the WizzAir flight to New Zealand for the International Rugby Championship. People got on the plane after a delay of one hour. They were all a bit agitated and tired. Jeff Burrows, a police officer from The London Police Department, together with the rest of his family – wife and two sons, had their seats on the first class, in the 4th row. As soon as they embarked, the copilot’s voice could be heard over the loudspeaker. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard WizzAir! We’ll be taking off soon. We’ll be flying at an altitude of 30,000 ft. and we’ll be arriving in Auckland Airport at 11.35 p.m. tomorrow. The tower informed us that our scheduled pilot will be replaced due to sudden illness”, Mark Benson announced the passengers. He was quite inexperienced but had many hours 54

of practice in the simulator. This was going to be his first flight on a real plane. He was a tall young man, well-built and quite handsome, with dark hair and blue almond-shaped eyes that contrasted his dark skin. *** CHAPTER 2 In ten minutes, Joe Black, a middle-aged man with short dark hair and bushy eyebrows, got on the plane looking angrily around. He was the new pilot. He kept staring at the people on the 4th row, as if trying to get attention. But Jeff was too busy talking to his sons. The pilot had some sort of an evil darkness in his eyes. Then, he entered the cockpit, unnoticed by Jeff and his family.

“Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking”, his voice could be heard immediately after the door closed behind him. “My name is Joe Black and I am your pilot today. We’d like to welcome you onboard this flight to Auckland Airport. The flight duration is around 24 hours and we are expecting a fairly smooth flight today. Please feel free to move about the cabin as you need to. While you are in your seat please keep your seat belt fastened snugly about you in case we encounter some unexpected turbulence. In the mean time, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight, and if there is anything that anyone of us can do to make your flight a more pleasant one, please let us know. We hope you’ll have a nice flight. Once again, thank you for choosing to fly with us today.” ***

CHAPTER 3 Everything went smooth and orderly for a while. It was about 2 hours later that the passengers felt a shock under their seats and some drinks dropped on the floor. The few people who were still awake were wondering what had happened. 56

At the very same moment, the pilot took the microphone and announced the control tower that he had lost the control of the airplane and they were constantly losing altitude. *** “I am going for a smoke. I’ll be in the bathroom”, Joe told the copilot. Mark kept looking at Joe in complete bewilderment, thinking that something was surely not right. First, the announcement and then this… He couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. “Why would Joe go for a smoke while they were all in danger and they could crash anytime? Odd! Really odd…” he said to himself, while struggling to keep the plane flying. *** Joe went to the bathroom. All the passengers were sleeping. He entered and carefully closed the door. He took the parachute that was in a first-aid bag on the wall.

Then, he tiptoed out of the bathroom, walking silently to the emergency exit where he forced the door open, put on the parachute and jumped out, unnoticed. *** CHAPTER 4 Meanwhile, the copilot switched the plane on automatic mode. He knew that something was wrong so he went out to check if Joe was still at the bathroom. When he knocked at the bathroom door, a woman’s voice was heard: “Busy! Do not disturb me, will you?” Mark looked in the cabin. The passengers were still soundasleep. Suddenly, there was an orange flame at one of the “Fire!”

windows. he

thought feeling week in his legs.

Mark ran back to the cockpit as fast as he could: “Mayday! Mayday! This is flight ZH891, flying to Auckland Airport, New Zealand. We need help!” he yelled in the radio, “We are losing control of the plane! There’s been a fire!” *** The fire got bigger and bigger and some of the passengers started to wake up. When they saw the plane's wings on fire, they panicked. As they were screaming, more and more people woke up. They were all terrified and yelling. “Please, remain seated. Do not panic! Stay calm! Get your life jackets and put your oxygen masks that are under the seats” the flight-attendants advised them calmly. *** Mark’s voice could soon be heard over the loudspeaker. “Flight-attendants, prepare for an emergency landing. Ladies and gentlemen, we are now starting our descent. Please put on your life jackets located under your seats. This is an emergency landing. I repeat - this is an emergency landing. We’ll hit the water in approximately 5 minutes. We advise you 59

to hold your breath before jumping. Make sure you come back to the surface as soon as possible. There is a small island nearby. Try to get to it quickly. Good luck and God save us all!” Everybody was in shock. How could this happen? Some were crying silently. Others were sobbing. Some were praying. Jeff was holding his sons’ hands. His wife was next to them. She was white in the face and tears were running down her pale checks. Jeff kept reassuring everybody that they were going to be all right but she couldn’t hear him. *** CHAPTER 5 The plane hit the sea with a big splash. They had several minutes before the cabin was to be filled with the salty water of the ocean. Everybody rushed to the doors but the doors were all stuck. They couldn’t open them. Eventually, one door opened and some of the passengers managed to get out, before the plane was swallowed by the ocean. From the 120 people aboard, just 16 managed to get to the island. Soon after the last passenger – Jeff – swam out of the water, it 60

started raining as if the sky wept for the loss of so many innocent people. It was cold. The survivors were all wet and cold. Nobody could see anything. Suddenly, there were some lights in the sky approaching the small island. Three helicopters had been sent by the control tower to rescue the survivors, thanks to Mark’s distress signal. “We are Air Rescue! We have come to your rescue. Please, remain calm! We will proceed saving one passenger at a time. Make sure you send the children and the injured first. Do not look down when you get on the ladder.” *** CHAPTER 6 One day later, the BBC announced that the police started their investigation. As there was nothing left from the plane, they expected it would be a hard case. The police searched the island over and over again. No one that survived the terrible crash was able to say anything about what had happened. They were all in shock. 61

*** The police finally found a backpack which had been washed ashore. There was a C4 explosive bomb inside and a defuse kit. They took it to the police station for further investigation. Later, it was announced that the fingerprints on the explosive matched Joe Black's. *** He was found guilty and arrested for murder. On the way to the prison, he thought: “At least I got my revenge! Jeff’s entire family is dead now! That stupid cop… The fact that he survived is even better. To always remember... to never forget… to feel what I’ve been through: my only son… shot dead, with a 9 mm caliber on that fatal night of November…”

The End By: Mașca Lucian Gheorghiță Cezara Szocs Robert Pop Darius Gherman Gabriel

Disclaimer This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Special THANKS to Iulia Sarca, Alex Orza Orza, Lorena Pop-Suci, Diana Suruceanu and Lucian Ma Mașca for giving a helping hand with the typing and to Iulia Fărcaș (Farki) for drawing the characters for all the stories.

THANK YOU f or reading!

This book is a collection of detective tive stories written in groups at the beginning off th the school year 2014/2015 by 8th grade studen dents from ‘Tudor Vladimirescu’ Secondary School hool in Tg.Mures, Romania. There was a lot off ha hard work from the part of the students but itt wa was worth the effort: the result has just surpas rpassed my expectations. G. Șan andru, Teacher er o of English