Detective Stories, Volume 3/2015 by Gabriela Sandru

Detective stories By CLASS 8A of 2015

INTERMEDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE Tg.-MureÈ&#x2122;

SUPERVISING EDITOR, G. Șandru, Teacher of English

CONTENTS THE BLACK WOMAN

THE TWISTED COP

DRAG ME TO HELL

FREAKY FRIEND

BECAUSE OF HER

To all the English teachers, especially the great ones. To all their students, especially the daring ones.

The human mind is like an umbrella, it functions best when open. ~Walter Gropius~

The Black Woman CHAPTER 1

It was the night of Halloween, 2012. The streets of Blackpool, Oregon were swarming with terrifying small creatures, laughing and rambling about, carrying â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trick-or-Treatâ&#x20AC;? bags half-filled with candies. Recognizing your child among hundreds of masks was a hard task for a mother. Princesses, zombies, witches and vampires were hunting Ghost Street, a street owing its name to the fact that it was close to the town's cemetery. There were many people trick-or-treating that night. The Johnson's twins were there too, inseparable as always. It was their first Halloween on the streets. Jane stood behind the window, keeping an eye on them. She was beginning to get worried as she could no longer see her children. She did not like the fact that she had to leave the kids alone. It was Patrick's idea, not hers. She hated her husband for making her leave the kids alone! All by themselves! *** Suddenly, there was a loud prolonged scream coming from the end of the street. All the children ran towards their houses. In a matter of minutes, the street was entirely empty. Where were the twins? Desperate because she could not see the twins anywhere, Jane Johnson called Patrick, her husband, and told him to go to look after them. She was going to wait for them at home, in case they returned. 5

CHAPTER 2 Patrick stormed out of house, determined to find the kids. He spent an hour knocking at doors, asking about his children. Unfortunately, nobody could help him. Nobody had seen anything. The children were gone. “Sorry to bother you! Haven't you seen my twins?”, he asked Lolita, the pale looking woman who opened the door of the last house on the street. She was known in the neighborhood as The Black Woman as she was always dressed in long black dresses. “How do they look like? Were they wearing costumes?” she asked. “I really don't know. I was at work when they left.” “Well, I can't help you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm quite busy with my girls.” “Please, help me! Listen, I have a son and a daughter. They have fair hair and blue eyes. They are quite short for their age. They are both 10. My daughter has long hair. I'm sure she is dressed like a princess. Before I left for work last night, I had seen a princess dress on the bed and a beautiful crown. Have you seen her?” “Well, I might have, but I'm sure she wasn't your daughter!” “Why are you so sure?” Patrick asked in an already irritated tone.

“Well, if I had seen you daughter, she would be playing with my girls now.” “What about my son? Have you seen him?” “No!” “Oh, God! Can I talk to your girls? Maybe they know something! Anything!” “Well, if you must! Come in then!” *** Patrick followed her inside. There were dolls everywhere. An old sofa, old photos covered in dust so the pictures were barely visible. Dust everywhere. Scary carved pumpkins grinning at the windows. Shadows. Darkness. Dust. Dolls. But no girls! *** Behind a dark wooden door downstairs, somewhere under the ground, way too far from the worried father, a girl's voice whispered “Help!” the muzzle over her mouth distorting her words. “I don't want to play with her! I don’t want to be a doll! Please, daddy! Help me!” the little princess sobbed, wiping her tears away. She had big blue eyes and she looked beautiful in her long dress with her long fair hair. Her eyes were reddened and swollen.

CHAPTER 3 It was dark in the room. The moonlight glided through the only window in the room. Lucy was terrorized. Tied to a chair with a rope, alone, she was trying to set her free, to escape the scary dream she was in. It was 10 a.m. The wind was teaching the dry leaves how to dance, while the lightning dazzled the whole city. The cold autumn rain was hiding behind gray clouds. Terrified by the shades of the small room, Lucy fidgeted in a desperate effort to release herself. Soon she discovered that the chair was weak. Then she moved harder to the right, until she fell with the chair, breaking it. A dull thud was heard in the house and Patrick wondered: “Where did that noise come from?” “I think it came from the attic. I have some birds there. I need eggs, you know!” Lolita answered. “I want to go upstairs”, he said thinking that his daughter might be in there. Lolita was a pack of nerves but she let him go without protesting. Patrick climbed the stairs to the attic cautiously. The floor creaked. He reached the attic: there were no birds... There was definitely something strange about the house. Why was Lolita lying?! *** Dusty boxes filled the attic. They raised Patrick's curiosity. He wanted to check on them so he entered the room, but one 8

wrong step on the old rotten floor made him fall into the malefic room underneath. Stuffed legs and arms, bowels, blood, pieces of limbs were all on display in the room of terror. Horrified, Patrick immediately thought Lucy might be dead. He saw a little Halloween bucket with his daughter's name on it. The bucket was full of sparkles and a lot of Cinderella stickers, but no sweets. On the floor, there was hair and pieces of cloth. On the right wall, there was a black wooden board. The board was full of newspaper cutouts and pictures of pretty girls, dating back to 1984. All the girls were reported missing on different Halloween nights over the past years. They had surely been kidnapped. Right in the middle of the board, there was o photo of his family… He watched the wall with great terror. He could not believe his eyes. He reached for his phone and called the police. Five minutes after the call, there was a knock at the door. Lolita didn't hear it - she was no longer in the kitchen when Patrick arrived, but he did. He sneaked downstairs and let the detective inside. He led the police officer to the room where the hideous wall displayed all the missing girls. *** “I have a bad feeling about this! I am so scared! I saw my family photo on the wall”, Patrick told the cop. “What happened, exactly?” Captain Smith, the police investigator, asked. 9

“Well, my twins disappeared, so I went to search for them. I knocked at all my neighbors doors to ask if they saw them. In the end, I got here. All these girls missing… I am sure that Lolita had invited each of these girls to ‘play’ with her dolls on Halloween night, over the years ... and then the girls were never found! I'm afraid my twins have been kidnapped, too! You know, I heard a noise coming from the attic so I went there but I fell through the rotten floor into this room” he said, showing the detective the broken ceiling. “There are strange things in these buckets… they look like human limbs… and there are a lot of photos of young girls. There is even a photo of my family. I hope she didn't do anything to my daughter, or I’ll ...” “Well, calm down! I'll look into this matter! I'll do everything I can to find your children” the detective assured the poor father.

CHAPTER 4 Meanwhile, Lucy was trying to escape. The sun rose slowly at dawn and the room that had felt like a prison all night was gradually being lit. The chair was totally broken and the poor princess was on the floor. She was in a lot of pain as she had broken her arm and a few ribs when she fell earlier that night. Somehow, she untied the ropes and she could move again. Lucy hurried to the door and she started to scream: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Help me! Somebody, help me! Daddy! Daddy!â&#x20AC;?

*** Unfortunately, her father could no longer hear her as he was already gone. The Black Woman had vanished and Patrick assumed she went after Jane. However, Lolita was not gone after all. She was down in the cellar, preparing her act. There was a secret entrance to the cellar from a kitchen cupboard. Lolita turned on her old gramophone. Beethoven was her favorite of all the classics. She started sharpening her heavy stiletto. The dagger had a long slender blade and a needle-like point. Lucy was unconscious on the floor. Lolita approached the little girl and started to manipulate her as if she were a doll. There was a metal table with tools on it. They were all stained with dried blood. The Black Woman tied the princess to the table and started to poke her with the long sharp knife in order to awaken her. *** 11

“Well, well, well... Who am I playing with? Maybe it is Lucy Johnson? Of course, it is!” Lolita said with an evil laugh. “Please, don't hurt me!” Lucy cried in despair, “My dad will find you and he'll kill you”, she said trying to sound menacing. “Huh... You make me laugh!” the wicked woman replied. Then, she started to prick the princess's arms and legs, while collecting the blood into a large bowl set under the table. The little girl was crying and screaming in pain. “Stop! Please, stop! Leave me alone! Why are you doing this to me?” “Oh, dear, but I don't do it just to you... Oh, no! This is my special treatment! I need you! I don’t want to grow old. I want to be young and beautiful forever!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, while giving the poor girl blow after blow with her long sharpened knife. *** Lucy kept begging for her life, but her voice was becoming softer and softer. Her body was full of blood, she had cuts all over it and she was losing blood fast. Soon, she did not have enough strength to say anything. The pain she felt was betrayed only by her eyes - rivers of tears were falling down her pale cheeks.

CHAPTER 5 In the meantime, her father, the detective and three police cars rushed back to the Black Woman's house. They did not find anything wrong at Jane’s house. Patrick’s son, Kevin, had returned home not long after his father had left in search for the kids, saying he did not know where his sister was and that he could not remember anything that happened after they knocked at Lolita’s door. To their surprise, they discovered that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was being played inside the dark house. The music was very loud. “Police! Open the door!” the investigators shouted drumming the door with their fists. “Open this door or we we'll break it!” the police officers shouted. Yet, nobody answered. Consequently, the police broke the door. Patrick and the police officers hurried to where the music was coming from. His heart was pounding fast in his chest. When he got into the kitchen, he noticed the secret door in the cupboard. It had been left wide open, so he ran downstairs to the cellar, followed by the police officers. When he got there, he realized it was too late for his little daughter. She was already dead. There was no one else there. Next to her body, he found a note saying I guess I'm sorry for your daughter! Patrick was stunned. Tears were running down his face. He gently closed the little girl’s eyes and kissed her for one last time. Smith covered the body with a white sheet and let the sleeping beauty sleep her never-ending sleep. 13

CHAPTER 6 “I'm so sorry for your daughter. I hope we will find the killer” Captain Smith, the police officer in charge of the case said, sounding unconvincing. “I already know who did it! Don't you understand? It is that woman, Lolita! She must have killed my baby” Patrick yelled. “We don't know that for sure” the police officer replied. Why did the cop seem to take Lolita's part? Why did he seem to dismiss this case so easily? Patrick was stunned.

*** The day passed very slowly. At 11 o'clock in the morning, the bell rang at Johnson's residence. Patrick and Jane hurried to the door. Captain Smith greeted them “Good morning, Madam! Sir! I'm terribly sorry for your loss! I have some news, though. The good news is that we have checked the crime scene and we found handprints on the knife. The bad news is that the handprints belong to your daughter”, Officer Smith reported to the suffering parents. Jane started to cry. Patrick could not believe what he had just heard, “That's a stupid! What do you want to say – that my 14

daughter committed suicide? What about the note I found next to her corpse? Are you crazy? I want to go to the police station right now!” he said, storming out of the door.

*** “Oh, my God!” Patrick thought a couple of minutes later when he saw the Black Woman on the street. Patrick stopped the car and leapt towards her screaming, “Why did you kill my daughter? Are you crazy?” The officer needed to prevent Patrick from strangling the woman right there on the street, “Calm down, sir! She's a possible witness.” “What?” Patrick asked with wide eyes. “Yes, the Captain is right. I saw your daughter commit suicide. After she came to my house, she sneaked in and found my special room. You know, I work at the morgue and in my free time, I create dolls”, Lolita added smiling. “How can you lie to my face?” Patrick cried, “Officer, arrest her at once!” but nobody moved a finger. Patrick was confused. Maybe the police was right about Lucy's death. But why would she do something like that? Something strange was going on! 15

*** Later that afternoon, the sky was grey and heavy with rain. It seemed like not just the Johnsons were crying, the clouds themselves could not refrain from mourning the little girl’s death, shedding rivers of tears. Lolita was brought to the police station. Captain Smith interrogated her. “Can I offer you some coffee or tea?” he asked her. “No, thanks” Lolita answered, “Let’s get over it as soon as possible”, she demanded. “OK. Tell me, did you invite the Johnson's girl in your house?” Smith said after he pushed the recording button on the camera. “Well, it was Halloween; kids were on the streets trick-ortreating. The girl came at my door. I didn't ask her in! She was with a group of kids. Somehow, she sneaked into my house. I found her later in my basement, with the knife in her hand. She was writing something on a piece of paper whit her own blood. She seemed… possessed or something. It was strange… I ran for help, but it seems I was too late…” “OK. That's enough for now!” the cop added and then he stopped the recording.

“Thank you, honey!” Lolita said the next second, putting her arms around Smith’s neck. “I really love you! I knew I could trust you this time, too. Without you, I would be old and wrinkled… You set me free every time!” “You know I'd do everything for you”, he said before kissing her. ***

EPILOGUE November, the 2nd - the day of the little princess’ funeral. She was ready to go to a better place. The raindrops covering the withered grass sparkled in the sunshine. Lucy was so beautiful in her white dress, with her braided fair hair… she looked exactly like a princess from a sad fairytale. Her father approached the white coffin. He wanted to say good-bye to her for the last time. He took her hand and closed his eyes, while placing a soft kiss on the cold hand. Suddenly, everything blurred around him and he heard a voice saying, “Come to me!” The rain started. The soil was turning to clay. Holding a rose, as red as her daughter’s blood, Patrick stood silent by her grave. In a matter of seconds, the flowered withered and its petals fell to the ground, one by one. Patrick collapsed, dead.

The End By: Alexa Denisa Oprea Diana Roșca Flavius Scridon Arcadiu Zagon Patricia 18

The Twisted Cop CHAPTER 1 It was an extremely foggy January morning, cold and dump in the city of Los Angeles. Although it seemed just another ordinary day, Jack had a strange feeling that something bad was going to happen. The fog was so dense that you could not see a few steps in front of you. Jack wanted to go jogging that morning, as he had done every morning since he moved here. He was so strict with himself about keeping fit. He was new in LAPD. Jack was a good detective. He was from New York, where he had worked as a detective for 8 years. He was a tall guy with a mysterious look. His hair was brown and short and his eyes were blue. He liked to dress smart and was always very formal in his black suit. Sometimes, he preferred the black suit even in his free time. Every morning he got up at dawn and went out for a jog. That day, he got up later than usual. Nevertheless, he decided to go jogging. While he was running on Freedom Street (he would have preferred Central Park in New York) he noticed he was already late for work, so he went back home to get ready instead of finishing his usual morning routine on Damson Street. He got home, showered and put on a suit, before getting his car and heading for the office. His home was in a block-of-flats on Fifth Avenue. It was a big yellow block near Freedom Street. 19

CHAPTER 2 After half an hour, he arrived at the office, drank a cup coffee, and then he had a chat with Beth. Beth was a detective in the same office, and she always got there before him. She was a pretty woman with long dark hair and Asian features. She liked to wear silk shirts and black jeans. Jack was sipping his coffee when a police officer rushed in and told them that he saw a woman who had been stabbed. *** Jack decided to further investigate the matter. “So, where did you say you saw the woman?” he asked the police officer. “On Freedom Street, near the Butcher’s” the officer replied. Jack remembered that he had been jogging on Freedom Street that very morning. “When did you see her?” he asked with a touch of surprise in his voice. “At about 9 o'clock in the morning”, the guy replied. “What did she look like?”, he asked. “She was lying on the pavement with a lot of blood around her.” Jack decided to talk to Beth about this case. *** 20

“So, what do you think we should do, Beth?” asked Jack. “We’ll go to the crime scene!” “Ok, let’s go then! We’ll take my car!” he said and then the two of them rushed out of the door.

CHAPTER 3 Jack and Beth arrived at the crime scene. They found the woman lying on the ground, face down. After examining the dead body, Beth looked for clues near the body and found a knife in a trash bin. They took the knife and sent it to the lab for further analysis. On their way to the car, they noticed some odd footprints in the snow. They followed them to an abandoned mansion where they found two homeless people who were immediately restrained. They were searched for any illegal items and then escorted to the police station. The interrogation began: “What were you doing at the crime scene?” asked Beth. “We live near there - you see, we don’t have a house. We were hanging there when – suddenly, out of nowhere – a man stopped in front of the house. He was talking on the phone. After 2 or 3 minutes he was gone. We followed him and saw her…” “What did he look like?” Jack asked. “He was a strong tall guy with brown eyes. He had a mysterious air and he was wearing a black jacket and black jeans” said one of the homeless people. Beth and Jack discussed the situation: “We should go again to the crime scene and look for more clues” Beth decided looking concerned and unhappy about the whole situation. *** 22

They got in the car and went there. When they arrived there, they searched the place again. Across the street, there was a Butcher’s shop. Beth noticed there was a camera above the entrance, and it was on. The red light was blinking. They went to the owner of the shop and asked if they could see the film of the previous day. The butcher agreed. While watching the film, the detectives noticed a man wearing black clothes and talking on the phone. The homeless people had mentioned the same man> tall, strong, mysterious looking. Then, the film stopped all of a sudden. They took the camera in for analysis. *** Later on, the results came from the lab. The steps in the snow matched a 43-sized shoe, which meant the owner of those shoes must have been a tall guy. To the police investigators utter surprise, the fingerprints on the knife matched Dylan’s, the officer who had told Jack about the crime in the first place. Jack assumed it could be some sort of contamination of the crime weapon by mistake. Maybe the officer was young and inexperienced. They decided to interrogate Dylan, nevertheless. *** “What were you doing between 6 and 9 a.m. this morning?” Beth asked him. “I was… I was… at home” Dylan said hesitatingly. That made Jack curios about Dylan. He was watching the interrogation from the other room but Dylan could not see

him as Jack was behind the one-way mirror wall. “And what were you doing at home?” Beth insisted. “I was sleeping.” “Really? So late? Why?” she asked. “I… I’ve been… feeling… umm… asleep lately.” “Then, how come you were walking on Freedom Street around 9? Weren’t you supposed to be asleep in your bed, according to your first deposition?” Jake said after entering the room. Dylan put his head on the table and said nothing. *** Later, Jack and Beth took Dylan to the interrogation room for a police lineup. The two homeless people were there and they identified Dylan as the mysterious man they had followed earlier. Dylan was suspended, a police officer read his rights and he was arrested.

CHAPTER 4 The next day Dylan was taken to court. Jack was at the trial as prosecutor. The evidence incriminating Dylan was overwhelming. While the jury was still deliberating, Jack received a call from Beth: “Did you know that the woman Dylan killed was his former wife, Sally?” “Really?” Jack asked seriously surprised. “Yeah! They divorced two years ago because she found out that Dylan had been doing drugs. She was threatening to expose him. Sally’s sister phoned a couple of minutes ago. She said Sally knew Dylan was going to kill her one day. Poor woman!” “So, that’s why Dylan killed her! He was afraid other the office would find out” said Jack, watching as Dylan was being taken to prison after the jury had found him guilty of all charges. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for first degree murder.

The End

By: Cîrnu Adrian Martinovici Gabriel Sărmășan Ionuț Șimon Călina Terpea Antonia 25

Drag Me to Hell CHAPTER 1 It was a late summer night. The sky was cloudy and dark. Thunders could be heard from time to time and lightings ripped through the sky as if in despair of the long gone hot summer nights. A big storm was approaching. The sky was tormented above the house Mr. and Mrs. Devries had bought in Bournemouth for their large family a couple of weeks before. They were having dinner with their children when they heard a knock at the door. Mrs. Devries opened the door and saw a mysterious looking old woman. Her hair was thin and white and her skin was fair and wrinkled. She was in her sixties and she was holding a ‘Welcome’ basket in her long skinny arms. She said in a cracked voice “Good evening, dear! I’m Elisabeth McKenzie, your neighbor. I’ve come to warn you about the house!” Elisabeth looked like a crazy woman who wanted to scare the newcomers. Maybe she wanted them to leave the house. The woman forced herself in through the open door, passing past a puzzled looking Emma Devries. “Oh, hello! Do come in!” said the pretty annoyed Emma Devries. “Sit down, please! Would you like something to drink?” 26

“I’d like a glass of wine. Red, please! It was my husband’s favorite wine when he was alive”. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t know that… I’m sorry for your loss!” “It’s okay, don’t worry! It happened a long time ago. You know, we had been together for 30 years when he was killed… And we have two sons, Adam and Nick.” “Really, how wonderful! We have two children too: Kelsey, my eleven-year-old daughter and my son, Joe. He’s twelve. Maybe our sons could get together some time…” “Well, yeah… Can I ask you something personal? How can you be so calm? How can you all be so calm when there was a murder in this house?” “What!? A murder?” “Didn’t you know that? Oh, I thought you were told that when you purchased the house! Silly me! Oops, I got to go… Maybe we’ll talk again tomorrow. Good night!” and Elisabeth McKenzie turned around heading towards the door. “And don’t worry, sweetheart! It is all going to be all right in the end!” “Good night!” said Emma, looking even more puzzled than before. ***

CHAPTER 2 Not knowing what to make out of the encounter, Emma Devries decided to keep the strange visit just to herself. She thought poor Elizabeth was just being affected by her husband death and she was probably hallucinating or creating stories to cure her broken heart. She didn’t want to ruin the surprise she had planned for her husband – a night out! *** Later that night, around midnight, Joe was woken by a strange voice: “Let’s play a game! Let’s play a game, kids!” When he heard that, he ran to Kelsey’s bedroom and woke her up. She found the whole situation very appealing! “Finally, an adventure!” she thought. Kelsey wanted to play the game but Joe was very scared and he didn’t want to get involved. So, he went back to his bedroom and climbed up his bed, holding the blanket above his head. The night was chilly and wet. The voice called Kelsey in the garden and told her that the game started and that she had three lives. She was so excited! There was a huge oak tree in the middle of the garden, surrounded by a layer of black roses. Their smell was stunning! *** In his bedroom upstairs, Joe was worried about his little sister. The thunders and lightings scared him even more. He was about to call his parents when he heard steps outside the door. For a reason he couldn’t exactly explain, he was terrified. He waited in complete silence crutching his blanket over his nose but nobody opened the door. He waited a little 28

longer. Nothing! Worried sick about Kelsey, he approached the door and opened it. Nobody! He saw some light downstairs so he hurried there but he couldn’t find anybody there, either. Suddenly, he heard a cry coming from the garden. So he rushed out the door. “Kelsey!” he called first in a soft voice, looking around. Nobody answered. “Kelsey!” he called again, this time louder. He was scared and tears were already running down his cheeks. Where was his sister? “Kelseeeey!!! Kelseeeey!!!” He shouted her name repeatedly but there was no answer. He knew he had to tell his parents and he turned around to leave the garden when he heard the engine of a car in the back of the garden. There was an old dirt road there leading to the forest. The sky shook violently with another thunder and soon after that, there was lighting. He thought he had seen the shade of his sister fighting an old woman inside the car. He ran towards the car but it disappeared in a cloud of dust behind the hill.

CHAPTER 3 He ran back into the house and called his parents who were still in town. “Mum, mum, mum! Hurry up! Come home! It’s very important” he cried. “Joe, what happened?” she asked, beginning to get worried. *** Joe had hung up so his mum was terrified. She decided to go home. When she arrived, she found Joe crying in his room “Joe, why are you crying? What happened?” she asked. “Mum… Kelsey disappeared. The woman who came last night kidnapped my little sister!” “What? I’m calling the police!” she said rushing to the phone. While Emma was talking to a police officer, Joe saw a shadow at the window and screamed: “Mum! Look over there! It’s her! There is a shadow!” “Mr. Jackson, please hurry up!” Emma told the police officer “My son just saw a shadow moving outside.” “I’ll send a police crew and two of our best detectives”, the police officer assured Emma. “Thank you so much! My address is: 43 St Michael’s Rd” she added, before hanging up. *** 30

After several minutes, Charlie Sheen and Arianna Rafael, the two detectives, came to the house with three police crews. One crew started their investigation in the forest, one on the street, one in the garden and the detectives were talking to Mrs. Devries and her son, Joe. They found a man hiding in the garden. Joe saw that man and told his mum: “Mum, he’s the man I saw at the window!” The man was arrested and some neighbors identified him as Adam McKenzie. In the forest, a necklace was found by a policeman. Later, he showed it to Emma: it was Kelsey’s.

CHAPTER 4 In the interrogation room, Adam didn’t want to admit that he had anything to do with the disappearance of Kelsey. Charlie was getting angry but Arianna gave him a pat on the shoulder. He was very happy to have such a wonderful person next to him. Arianna went to Adam McKenzie “Good morning! I’m detective Arianna Rafael.” “Good-Bye! I don’t want to talk to you”, Adam said, looking aside. “I understand, but I still have some questions for you”, Arianna insisted. “I won’t answer!” he replied. “You have to. Why were you in that garden?” “Well, maybe… I like Mrs. Devries’ roses”, he answered, looking amused. “How do you know her name?” Arianna asked. “We are neighbors, for God’s sake!” “Interesting indeed… Well, thank you for now!” she said, leaving the room. *** When she met Charlie, her partner, she said: “Charlie, we must investigate Adam’s house”, while passing past Mr. Devries, who was waiting on the corridor. 32

“What!?” Emma asked in surprise, “Elisabeth said she had a son whose name was Adam”. “Who’s Elisabeth?” Charlie wanted to know. “She’s my neighbor. She came by the other night. She said she had two sons: Adam and Nick.” “We need Joe to come with us, he’s the only witness”, the police officer said. “But isn’t it dangerous?”, Emma panicked. “Please, help us! He will be ok” Arianna assured the worried mother in a calm voice. “Okay… but be careful, please!” *** They all went to Adam’s house. They knocked at the door and a short lady answered. “Good day, Ma’am! Police! We have a search warrant.” “What did you say?” asked the old woman looking scared and uneasy.

CHAPTER 5 “We must search your house”, the police officer told the old lady. “Well, Come in!” she replied, opening the door so that the men could go in. “I’m Police Investigator Arianna Rafael and I have to ask you some questions. My partner, Charlie Sheen, is going to search your house”. “What happened?” the old woman ask cautiously. “Haven’t you heard by now? Adam is in jail. Where were you last night?” “I was in my bed. I’m an old lady and I’m sick” she responded in a hurry. “I didn’t ask you why you were in bed. Where is your other son, Nick?” “Oh! My! Well... umm… He must be on a trip!” “So you don’t know for sure where he is! Interesting!” *** “Arianna! Come here!” Charlie was shouting from the other room. “What did you find?” she asked.

“Look over there, blood stains. We must take some samples”, he said, while collecting some blood samples. *** “Joe! What are you doing there?” Arianna asked in surprise, when she saw Joe entering the house and heading towards the room on the right. “Stop, stupid child! Don’t go in there!” Elisabeth cried out seeming furious. “How can you talk with a child like this!?” Charlie asked. “That is a sanctuary. It belonged to my late husband” Elisabeth answered, while blocking the door access with her body. “We must check the room at once”, the police investigator said. While they were all going through that door and down the stairs, Joe shouted “Kelsey!” but no one answered.

CHAPTER 6 “Arianna, quick! Come over here!” Charlie Sheen yelled. He found Elisabeth’s husband tied to a chair. He was in severe condition – almost decomposing. Elisabeth tried to run but a policeman who was in front of her house, caught her and locked her up in the police car, after reading her rights. Arianna found Kelsey tied up in a wardrobe. She was unconscious and she had a muzzle over her mouth to prevent her from speaking. “Kelsey! Joe shouted happily “Is she alive?” “Yes, but we must call an ambulance” Arianna said while dialing 999 on her mobile phone. *** Shortly after that, an ambulance arrived and took Kelsey to the hospital. Her parents were worried sick about her health. Fortunately, Kelsey was already feeling better after the doctors put on an oxygen mask and a glucose IV. *** Elisabeth McKenzie was found guilty of first degree murder, kidnapping and assault and she was sentenced to twenty years in jail with no parole. Her son, Adam McKenzie, got away with a lighter sentence - four years in prison for kidnapping and complicity to murder. ***

After Charlie admitted to Arianna that he loved her very much, they got married. Meanwhile, at the Devries residence a strange voice could be heard late one night: “Be careful! I will be back…”

The End By: Cirilă Oana Roșca Larisa Someșan Ariana Țarcă Silviu Vereș Andrei

Freaky Friend CHAPTER 1 “Come on, mom... Everyone is going to this party. It's Halloween!” “I said NO! You're still grounded.” “But every...” “I don't care if everybody is going, Charlotte. You are not!” “I hate you! You are ruining my life!” It was October 31st, 1959. The night of the Halloween party, held in the city’s graveyard. Ashley Jones, known as Ash, was the best detective in Rosewood, but also the mom of Charlotte Jones, a typical high-school freshman in the 50s. Ashley was a single mom so she was very protective with Charlotte. She was tall, skinny, beautiful, with big brown eyes, and long black hair. She did not have many hobbies because she had Charlotte at quite a young age and the responsibilities of having a baby were so overwhelming, that she had to get a job before finishing her studies. Ash worked very hard on her job, while continuing her studies. From a simple secretary she became a detective. She was a 33-year-old strong independent woman with a 15-year-old girl, whom she had raised entirely on her own. 38

CHAPTER 2 Charlotte was a teenager and it was getting more and more difficult for Ash to talk to her. She wouldn’t listen to her mom. She was stubborn and independent. Charlotte waited so long for this party so she couldn’t afford to let her mom ruin her night. After slamming the door into her mom’s face, she turned off the lights, pretending to be sleeping but later got out of the house through the window. Her best friend, Moira, drove her to the party. *** Later that night, when Ashley went to her daughter's room to check on her and try to reason with her, she freaked out when she saw that Charlotte wasn’t there. Ash knew exactly where Charlotte might be, so she went there, determined to take her daughter home. “CHARLOTTE! CHARLOTTE!” Ashley shouted the moment she arrived at the gate. “Oh, hey Mrs. J.” “Hi, Moira! I'm looking for Charlotte. Have you seen her?” “She is over ther...” Moira’s voice broke when she realized Charlotte wasn’t there anymore. “Ok, she was over there a minute ago, with Kyle.” Moira said, pointing toward a big old tree in the back. “Kyle?”, Ashley’s eyes widened with surprise. 39

“Yeah, her boyfriend.” “Okay, thanks.” “Any time!”, replied Moira before leaving. Ashley looked all over the place but she could see no trace of Charlotte. After a while, she decided to go home thinking she should wait for her daughter there. It might have been a waste of time to try to find her at the party, there were so many people. Ashley waited for Charlotte the whole night but she never came home. She was getting really worried. *** The next day, at about 8 a.m., Ash was doing the dishes when the doorbell rang. “Good morning, ma’am! I’m Detective Dan Davis!” a tall darkhaired man told her, showing his badge. “Are you Mrs. Ashley Jones?” “Yes.” “Mrs. Jones, I don't know how to say this to you... It's about your daughter.” “Did you find Charlotte?” Ash asked almost chocking with fear. “Mrs. Jones, your daughter... She had been killed last night. Her body was found behind a grave this morning. I'm so sorry!” 40

When she heard the word ‘killed’, Ash dropped the plate she had been washing. It broke and cut her leg. She didn’t notice, though. She fell on the kitchen floor, covered with her own blood, crying and screaming with the pain that she felt inside her heart. She lay there for the rest of the day. Her heart was broken. *** The next morning, Ashley entered the police station. Her partner, James Smith greeted her. “Ashley, I can’t believe what happened! I'm so, so sorry!” he said, putting his arms around her shoulders. “Thank you, James.” “Are you sure you don’t want to take some time off?” he asked, offering her the chair to sit. “100%. I want to find the person who did that to my little girl and I swear to God, I will ruin his life.”

CHAPTER 3 After that little talk she had with James at the police station, they went together at the crime scene to find some clues that could lead to the killer. Ash was really nervous but determined to find the murderer. When they arrived at the graveyard, the forensics were all over the place. Ashley and James were getting closer and closer to the corpse. When Ashley saw her daughter's dead body, she turned around. It was too much her. She wanted to catch her breath. As soon as that moment was over, she turned and saw one of the doctors coming toward where she was standing. “The cause of death was strangulation. Maybe she was drugged, we don't know yet... Her body is now being sent to the morgue. We will run some tests to find out what had happened to her before she was killed” he said. Ashley remained speechless. Her eyes were searching for something long gone… “The police didn’t find much evidence, only the rope the killer used”, the forensic added. “Okay, thanks!” she said, still looking absent. The doctor left. Ash was still shocked. She could not believe that someone was able to do that to Charlotte, her innocent precious child! “If the police didn’t find anything else here, I think we should go, James”, said Ashley. 42

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ok, boss!â&#x20AC;? James responded, moving to her side. As Ashley made her first step, she saw something shining on the ground. She lifted it. It was a lighter with the letter 'K' inscribed on it. After studying it carefully, Ash had a suspect in mind: Kyle.

CHAPTER 4 The next day, Kyle was asked to come to the police station to answer some questions. When he arrived, Kyle was taken to the interrogation room. It was small and there were only two chairs and a wooden table. One of the room’s wall was made of reflective glass. “Hi, Kyle! My name is James Smith and I will ask you some questions about Charlotte and the night of the party, ok?” “Okay...” “So tell me what happened...” “We were at the party, having a great time. We split for one second and I haven’t seen her ever since!” “Really? This is what I think really happened. You were together, like you said, having a great time until one moment. You got into a fight, a big one. You both said some awful things. You got angry, took the rope from your costume. When she turned around you strangled her.” “WHAT? No! I loved her. I couldn’t do such a horrible thing to her. How did you even think I could do that?!” James put the lighter on the table. “My lighter, so what? I lost it at the party. Where did you even find it?” “Next to Charlotte's body. I think this says it all”, the detective said, studying Kyle’s reaction. 44

“Do I need a lawyer or something?” Kyle asked, his breath precipitating as he did so. “Do you?!” asked the detective, raising one eyebrow. Ashley was watching the entire thing from behind the glass. She was paying attention to Kyle’s behavior, to see if he was nervous, paying attention to any twitch or muscle reaction. After that, James left Kyle in the interrogation room and entered the room Ashley was in. “What do you think?” Ashley asked. “I don't think it’s him”, James answered. “Me neither... But if it’s not him, then who killed my daughter?” Ashley’s eyes darkened as she drowned, sinking into deep thought.

CHAPTER 5 After the interrogation Kyle left the police station. On his way home, he was forced to go through the dark side of the city because the Halloween Parade was held on the main roads. Not far away from an abandoned old house, Kyle heard Moira shouting at someone. “Why did you do it, huh? Now they are looking for you all over the place! You shouldn't have killed her! You are so stupid!” At first, Kyle thought Moira was talking to someone on the phone. But as he was getting closer to the girl, he noticed that she wasn't. She was talking to herself. “Moira?!” Kyle shouted. When she heard her name called, Moira ran. Kyle was shocked. He ran after her; he needed an explanation but he couldn't catch her. She was too fast. Soon he lost her so he decided to go home. He thought about what happened and he realized that the right thing to do was to talk to Mrs. Jones. *** The next day he went to the police station. “Good morning, detective Jones!” he said when he saw her. “Oh, hi Kyle. What's up?” “I need to talk to you” Kyle said with a shaky voice. “I'm a little busy right now. I'm sure it can wait” she excused 46

herself and turned her back to him. “Actually, it can't. It is really important. It's about Charlotte.” Ashley's face turned red. She didn't want to get too emotional so she pretended to be indifferent. “What about it?” “I know who killed her.” Ash thought she misheard what the boy said. “Sorry, what?”she asked. “I know who's the murderer” Kyle declared, looking right into her eyes. “Who?” Kyle stood there for a minute without saying anything. “KYLE! WHO KILLED MY DAUGHTER?” Ashley yelled at the boy. The whole office was looking at Ash. “Look, I know this is gonna sound really crazy...” “Kyle.... Tell me the name!!!” Ash interrupted him. “Moira!” “Moira?! Are you out of your mind? Why would she do that?!” She was shocked. Flabbergasted! “Before Charlotte I used to date Moira for a couple of months but I ended it as soon as I fell in love with Charlotte. I told 47

Moira that I didn't love her anymore. She didn't take it very well at first. But a month after the breakup she and Charlotte were best friends. I thought it odd at first but then… I guess it was obvious why!” “Yeah, it's all very weird… Do you have any evidence that she had done it?” Ash asked surprised. “Yeah! I overheard her the other night shouting and blaming herself for the murder.” “Shouting at herself? Now you think she's a psychopath? Come on!” “I told you that it was a crazy story. I was sure you were not going to believe me! You know what?! Forget it! I'm gonna prove you that I'm not lying.” On his way to the exit door Ash stopped Kyle “Yeah, what you say might sound crazy but if you are right Moira is really dangerous. If you want to prove it, I'm coming with you. I mean it could be a lead. Let me grab my jacket.” Kyle smiled. “Thank you!” he said. “Sure! James! Could you please take care of the paperwork while I’m gone?” “If I say 'no' you're going to fire me, right?” James said with disappointment. “Yes!” Ash said with a large smile on her face “Thank you, James!” 48

“Of course”, James responded. Ashley and Kyle got out of the police station. *** “So, where do you want to start looking for evidence?” Kyle asked. “At her house, I guess” Ashley responded. They went to Moira's house but couldn't find anything. Kyle thought about her locker at school. Maybe she had put something there but still, there was nothing. “Where did you hear her talking?” Ash asked. “Next to an abandoned house in the area… Why? Do you think she hid something there?” “Maybe... I don't believe in coincidences”, Ashley added. “Ok, follow me. I know where it is” Kyle said and grabbed her arm. When they arrived to the house it was night. The lights from the house were shut down. They thought nobody was in there until they saw one of the curtains moving. “I think she's in there” Kyle whispered. “Let's go in!” Ashley said sounding determined. She got a flashlight out of her jacked and in the other hand she had her gun. When Kyle saw the gun he felt uneasy “Are you going to use that? Is it really necessary?”he asked. 49

“If I have to...” They got into the house. Ashley searched the first floor but no trace of Moira. They went to the second floor. She entered two of the rooms there. Nothing. When they entered the third room, Ash turned on the lights. Opposite the door, there was a really big window. It was open and Moira was standing on the window sill. Her legs were already outside. She was about to jump. “Moira!” Ash shouted, “What are you doing, hon'? Don't do this!” Ash begged the girl while putting the gun down. “Mrs. J.... I'm so sorry!” Moira started crying, “I didn't mean to kill her, please, believe me! I was just going to scare her a little but I couldn't stop. She stole my boyfriend, my soul mate.” When Kyle looked around, he saw the walls were entirely upholstered with pictures of Charlotte. Moira knew every move Charlotte had made. She took a picture of her at every place she had been at. It was evident that Moira had been stalking Charlotte for months. “And you took my lighter, didn't you?” Kyle asked. Moira didn't say anything but one could notice the guilt in her eyes. “If you loved me as much as to commit murder for me, why did you incriminate me by placing the evidence? he asked. “I panicked when I saw she wasn't breathing. I'm sorry, Kyle! I really am. Goodbye!” she said ready to jump but Kyle leapt forward and stopped her. Ashley was so shocked that she 50

remained speechless. “MOIRA! Please don't do this. We can figure things out, just please, don't jump. Do this for me, Ok? I'm begging you” Kyle was trying to talk her out of it. It worked. “For you, anything. I did it for us, Kyle, to be together” Moira said while she was getting down the window sill and into the room. She ran into Kyle’s arms, crying. Ash had already called backups. She took her handcuffs and put them on Moira's hands. “Moira Queen, you are under arrest for first degree murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything 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” said Ashley still amazed that her daughter was dead because of her best friend. Moira was shaking. It was as if she couldn't believe herself that she had killed her best friend. *** “What is it going to happen to her?” Kyle asked after Moira was taken away. “They are going to put her through some psychological tests to determine if she was insane when she committed the crime. She will be sent to an asylum, I guess. She’s not going to do jail time - she is under 21. I don't know, we'll live and see”, Ash responded feeling relieved to have found the killer. “Thank you, Kyle for helping me catch her. I'm sure that Charlotte loved you very much. You are a good kid!” “Thanks, Mrs. Jones!” said Kyle. 51

CHAPTER 6 After the psychological examination, Moira was proved a schizophrenic so she wasn't sent to jail. She was admitted to an asylum instead. She was going to spend her entire life there. Ashley missed her daughter a lot. She kept a picture of her on her bedside table. Although she loved Charlotte to the moon and back, two years after the funeral, Ash decided she was going to move on with her life. She married James and shortly after, they welcomed triplets into the family. After finishing high school, Kyle went to university and became a detective. His ambition was to be as good a detective as Ashley was. He got a job at the same police station as Ash. They visited Moira at the asylum from time to time. Even though all of them moved on with their lives, Charlotte was never forgotten!

The End By: Echim David Marin Marius Orian Henrietta UrzicÄ&#x192; Teodora Vas Dennis 52

Because of Her CHAPTER 1 It was Christmas time in the year 2004. Melissa and Jonathan Hanks were decorating the Christmas tree in their charming little house from the small town of Springfield, just outside Chicago. They lived on Flower Street. Their house was average with small windows and a big terrace but it was painted yellow so the house itself looked bright and welcoming. Melissa, a married 42-year-old woman and mother of two, was a detective for 20 years. She was a slim, blue-eyed woman with long blonde hair. She was witty, intelligent and careful. Although she was tough as a detective, she was gentle as a mother. Melissa loved being a mother and family was most important in her set of values. She liked to spend quality time with her husband, Jonathan and their two kids. She also enjoyed reading. Her favorite books were detective stories. Jonathan, a 45-year-old man with black hair and green eyes, whom she married after they had met at the police department 15 years ago, was well built, strong, intelligent and optimistic. His hobby was hiking in the woods. They loved spending their weekends in the mountains.

CHAPTER 2 While they were decorating the tree, the phone rang. Melissa answered, “Hello! Hanks Residence. Who’s this?” “Hello and Merry Christmas! I’m detective Sparks from the Chicago Police Department. We’ve got a problem and we need you. Can you two help us out one more time?” “Sure, what’s the problem? I’m all ears!” “It’s about Richard Hasting, you know - one of the richest men in our city. His daughter, Melanie has been kidnapped. She is just 8 years old” the detective reported. “We’ll see what we can do. Good-bye, detective! You can count on us! We’re on our way” Melissa said before she hung up. Then, she turned to her partner and husband and told what had happened.

CHAPTER 3 So Melissa and Jonathan drove to Chicago and stopped at the missing girl’s house. When they arrived, there were many police cars there already. The detectives started looking for clues in Melanie’s room. On her bed, Jonathan saw a cute pink cell phone. It must have been the girl’s phone. They sent the phone to the lab, for analysis. Before they left the house, the two detectives took one more look in Melanie’s room, but everything seemed to be in their place, except for one thing: her favorite teddy bear was missing, according to the maid’s statement. Later that day, the lab called Jonathan Hanks and informed him that they found thousands of voice texts in Melanie’s phone. The Hanks hurried to the lad. When they listened to the last message, Melissa felt cold chills on her back. The voice of a young man was saying, “Hey, pretty girl! Wanna know who I am? Come and meet me… in the woods”.

*** After running a massive TV and radio campaign in order to organize a search party for Melanie, with the help of the entire neighborhood and Chicago P.D., Melissa and Jonathan set off looking for the little girl in the woods. Emily, Melanie’s best friend who was also one of her classmates, was helping too.

*** It was the morning of December, 26th. The air was cold, damp and foggy. When they arrived to the woods, the fog was dense and it 55

seemed to go down over them, embracing them in a morbid hug. It was extremely difficult to see. Nevertheless, all of them searched the forest cautiously, hoping to find the girl alive. *** They kept looking for the girl until late at night. When they almost lost hope of finding anything, they came across a freshly made mound of earth. When Jonathan looked closer, he realized it was a child’s grave - there was a little pale hand coming out of the ground. *** “Oh, My Lord!” Melissa exclaimed with terror in her voice when she realized it was the body of 8-year-old Melanie.

CHAPTER 4 The examiners approached the crime scene and the body was soon exhumed. Melanie’s mother, Sandra, who was watching the scene from a distance, burst to tears when she was told Melanie was found dead. The forest echoed her screams of pain, like a compassionate friend. The little girl had a bad injury on her head. Her skull was broken but the cut was not very big. The forensic investigators assumed she was hit with a strong object. The blow might have caused her to faint, but not die. After the autopsy, the examiner confirmed that she had been buried alive and that the poor kid had died of asphyxiation. “Who could have done such a thing?” Melissa asked without trying to hide her disgust. “I don’t know. I think the killer is a person that Melanie knew very well. She trusted him. There were no signs of a struggle or a fight on her body”, said Jonathan. “We should find out who owns this part of the forest. I noticed that part of it is surrounded by a fence”, Melissa added before leaving the room. *** The detectives also interrogated Emily, Melanie’s friend, hopping that she knew more. “Tell me, Emily; did anything weird happen in the last months? Did you notice anything?” Melissa asked after offering the girl a glass of water.

“Well, maybe”, Emily answered. “During the last weeks, a young man was always waiting for Melanie when we finished classes. He sometimes gave her sweets or flowers saying that the flowers were fresh from the garden. Melanie was so happy”, Emily explained. “Do you know who that guy is?” “I’m not sure. I don’t think I do. I didn’t think that he wanted to do something bad to her.” *** After several phone calls, the detectives found out that the owner of the land where the body was found belonged to Gabe Luther, the Hastings’ gardener. He became the main suspect in the murder case. However, the detectives were still trying to find new evidence for the case. A simple act of ownership was not enough to send Gabe Luther behind bars.

CHAPTER 5 When the Hanks thought they reached a dead end, Emily’s mom called the office and reported that someone was calling and texting Emily. However, she had no idea who it was. Melissa hurried to Emily’s home. She asked for the phone and listened to the voice message. It was the same voice as before; the killer was now harassing Emily! *** The next day, the police was lurking in front of the school; they believed the stalker was waiting for Emily. At one point, not long before the classes finished, they saw a strange looking young man in front of the school. When Emily got out of the school, the young man approached her. He offered her a candy but the girl refused to take it. The man insisted. He was becoming violent towards the girl so the police intervened, arresting him and sending him to the police department. *** Meanwhile, Jonathan was talking to Emily’s parents, “Tell me, Miss Andrew, do you know who could have done such a thing? Did the Hastings have any enemies?” “I don’t know if it’s important but I know Melanie’s parents had filed for a divorce. Her mother was having an affair for quite a while” Emily’s mother said sounding secretive. “Do you know who with?” Jonathan asked worriedly. “Some neighbors told me they had seen their gardener entering the house and that he stayed there for a couple of hours, repeatedly.” 59

*** At the police section, Melissa was talking to Gabe Luther in the interrogation room. “Gabe, do you know why you are here?” she asked. “Because you’re bored and you want to have fun?” said Gabe angrily but without any humor. “You’re the main suspect, Gabe. We think you killed Melanie.” “You don’t have a proof!” he replied boldly. “Oh, yes we do! First, you stalked Melanie and now Emily! We have the voice texts, you know” said Melissa confidently. She knew Gabe was the killer. “I don’t care. It’s not true. I was working at the time of the murder. So, you don’t have anything” he said and looked the other way. “We also know why you did it. We know you were having an affair with Mrs. Hastings. We have proofs. We’re going to court against you”, Melissa said, ready to arrest Gabe. She took the handcuffs but then… “OK! OK!” said Gabe scared. He started crying. “I killed Melanie because I love her mother. Because of her, Sandra doesn’t want to get a divorce. So, now that she’s dead, she can divorce and be happy with me”. “I think she will be happier without you. I’m arresting you for murder of Melanie Hastings. Everything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you” Melissa said, handcuffing Gabe in the meantime and escorting him out of the room and into the jail cell. 60

Several days later, Gabe was brought to court. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Hastings stayed together. Richard dropped the divorce charges and now they have a baby boy.

The End By: Péter Timea Izabella Popa Alex Lucian Togănel Ana Carina Török Cristian István Simon Rareș

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 Alexa Denisa, Chirilă Oana, Simon Rareș, Șimon Călina and Urzică Teodora for giving us a helping hand with the typing of the stories.

THANK YOU for reading!

This book is a collection of detective stories written in groups at the beginning of the school year 2015/2016 by 8th grade students from Tudor Vladimirescu Secondary School in Tg.MureČ&#x2122;, Romania. There was a lot of hard work from the part of the students but it was worth the effort: the result has just surpassed my expectations. G. Č&#x2DC;andru, Teacher of English