Detective Stories, Volume 4/2016 by Gabriela Sandru

Detective Stories By CLASS 8B of 2016

INTERMEDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE Tg.-MureÈ&#x2122;

SUPERVISING EDITOR, G. Șandru, Teacher of English

~ Illustrations by Mara Pintea and Irina Matei, 8B ~

Limited Edition

CONTENTS

CAROLYN'S SUNSET

UNDO

ANGEL EYES, DEMON LIES

THE ICE CREAM VAN

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 Sky Is The Limit

Carolyn's Sunset CHAPTER 1 It was the rainy autumn of 1950 in Virginia City, Nevada, a beautiful city with kind people that had to hide every night from the terrifying silence of the dark. Weird things happened every night in the old forest of Virginia: kids would disappear and would be later found dead, in some of the cases with black hands and bloody faces. Cries and shouts were heard every nightâ&#x20AC;Ś creepy noisesâ&#x20AC;Ś always during the night, never during the day. Lorraine and Roger Adams were freshly married and raising a little baby girl named Carolyn. They recently moved in a plain white house near the old forest of Virginia. It was a small house with a view to the forest and the shadows of the trees, with three bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. This house had a locked cellar where they could not get in. The previous owner had locked the door and no one had the key. Lorraine was a twenty-eight-year-old housewife and Roger a thirty-year-old lawyer. Their little daughter, Carolyn, was only four years old. Everything was perfect, until one night, when Lorraine woke up in the middle of the night. She heard some strange noises. ***

When she got to Carolyn’s room, the little girl was awake. She was standing on the floor, facing the window that overlooked the locked cellar. She had been talking to somebody. “What are you doing here, little miss?” Lorraine asked playfully. “I'm just talking to my friend. He needs some help,” Carolyn said in a serious voice. There was total silence. “What friend? Who is he?” “Only a friend, mommy. He needs to get out. We have to open the door.” “But there isn't anybody here! You are probably dreaming or imagining things, honey!” Lorraine said before she knelt down to look Carolyn into her big blue eyes. “I'm not dreaming!” Carolyn protested, stomping her leg. “Let's go to bed, sweetie. It’s late! You need to get some more sleep. We’ll talk again in the morning,” Lorraine promised before kissing her and tucking her in. “Ok, mommy” the little girl said, curling into her mother’s arms. Lorraine read her a story and Carolyn fell asleep soon. Lorraine also went to the bed thinking about her daughter’s imaginary friend.

CHAPTER 2 The next morning, Lorraine woke up sweaty and terrified. She had dreamed about little Carolyn. In her dream, the baby girl was wearing a black dress and her curly blonde hair was shining. They were playing in the woods; they were running and catching butterflies when she suddenly noticed that Carolyn had disappeared. Lorraine called her name for many times but no one answered. Suddenly, the ghost of a boy appeared in front of her and told her she would only be able to find Carolyn after the sunset. Totally awake but feeling worried Lorraine ran to Carolyn's room to check on her baby girl. She kept saying to herself that it had all been just a dream and nothing really happened. Carolyn was nowhere to be found! Lorraine saw the black door of the cellar open. She hurried to the cellar. Inside, on the floor, she found the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;sunsetâ&#x20AC;? printed in red. When she got closer, she realized the ink was in fact blood. That cellar was completely empty. She screamed for Carolyn. Repeatedly... Roger woke up alerted by the screams. He asked Lorraine what was going on. She told him about the night, how she had found Carolyn talking to somebody and then her dream. They tried to find Carolyn, they looked for her everywhere. Nothing. The girl had just vanished into thin air. An hour later they called the police. *** 7

CHAPTER 3 Lorraine could not stop crying. Her mind was lost. “I'm scared, Roger. I'm sure it was her blood on the floor. Where is my Carolyn? Where?!” “We will find her, you’ll see”, Roger said with a calm voice, “The police will search for her. If they don't find her until sunset, I will go in the woods myself and search for Carolyn.” “We will go together! I’m coming with you! I just hope we’ll find her before it's too late.” *** An officers’ squad got there. Lorraine told them what had happened and they started the search. Officer Taylor was in charge of the search. He remembered an older case, similar to this: a little boy who had disappeared in the same forest and he had never been found. A shade of sorrow filled his eyes as he looked at the devastated faces of the parents. After ten hours, the officers decided to stop for the time being and get back in the woods at the first hour in the morning. A strong windstorm had just started and it was almost dark. People were reluctant to go on with the search at that hour. Many were afraid because of the scary things that kept happening in the woods at dark fall. *** 8

Lorraine and Roger continued their search alone. They had flashlights. The light was weak and faded in the dark. They kept on looking for their daughter, calling her name repeatedly. The time flew fast. It was 4:00 a.m. when Lorraine heard shouts. She hurried towards the place where the sounds were coming from, followed by Roger. They found a cave, hidden behind some thick trees. Inside, there was Carolyn! Deadâ&#x20AC;Ś Her face was bloody, and the picture of the sun was printed on her chest. Lorraine fell to the ground and took her little baby in her arms before bursting into tears and yelling for Carolyn to come back to her. Her tears were falling on Carolyn's face, washing away the blood. Roger took his beloved wife and daughter into his arms. He did not know how to react. Their life was never going to be same again.... ***

CHAPTER 4 The Police officers arrived at the crime scene, led by detective Sarah Fosters. She looked for clues near Carolyn's body but there were no footprints or anything whatsoever that could incriminate a person. Sarah thought something strange was happening. Something unreal, out of the ordinary… Only a ghost or a spirit could do something like this. Lorraine was destroyed. She could not go over her daughter’s death. Such an innocent pretty little girl… now dead! “What did she do wrong? She has never made a mistake. She has never done anything wrong! She has never upset anybody! Who could have done it… make her suffer like this and treat her like an animal?” she cried. “We don't know, miss. There aren't any suspects yet,” said detective Sarah thinking if they didn't find a suspect, the case would remain a mystery. “You have to find the murderer! Or I will!” Lorraine was ready to revenge her baby. *** After days of investigations, still no clues were found. Lorraine and Roger buried their little girl in a bed of white roses the third day. Their little angel was gone forever. *** 10

That night, while Roger was sleeping, Lorraine was awake, sobbing and hugging Carolyn’s teddy. Suddenly, she heard noise coming from the cellar. She quickly ran there. The door of the cellar was open. “Who's there?” asked Lorraine in a shriek voice. “Mommy, I'm here!” It seemed to be Carolyn's voice. Lorraine entered the cellar but there was nobody. The door closed behind her with a slam. A boy appeared in front of her. “You can bring Carolyn back to life only if you come tomorrow to the cave, alone, after the sun goes down” he said before he disappeared and the door opened again by itself. Lorraine was trembling with fear and excitement. She ran back to the house and got into bed, next to her husband. She thought the rest of the night about what she should do and decided to go to the cave the next day alone. ***

CHAPTER 5 Lorraine got up with tears on her face. It was going to be a tough day. Roger noticed she was behaving differently. “What happened my dear?” he asked. “Nothing, darling! It’s just that I keep thinking about Carolyn. I can't accept she is dead. That's impossible! Why is all this happening to us?” she cried. “I don't know why… but we have to accept the truth. Carolyn is dead. We buried her…” he said with a trembling voice. Lorraine didn't say anything else. She busied herself in the kitchen. She acted the rest of the day as if it were just another day. *** Before the sun set, she took a flashlight and got out of the house without anyone noticing her. She didn't want to tell Roger where she was going or what she was up to. Lorraine got to the cave but there was no one there. The sun was setting down so she waited. The moon appeared on the sky and darkness covered the surroundings. Lorraine was excited and scared at the same time. She heard a song coming from the woods. It was the same song like the other night. Suddenly, she saw Carolyn. Her blonde hair and big blue eyes. Carolyn was wearing the white dress she had been 13

buried into and she was holding a red rose. Lorraine rushed towards Carolyn and took her little princess into her arms. Tears of joy and sweet smiles were shared between mother and daughter. Lorraine was grateful she could see her little baby again. “Come with me, Mommy. Let's play for a bit,” Carolyn asked. Lorraine followed her. They were running and laughing happily when suddenly Carolyn disappeared, exactly like in her dream the night before Carolyn disappeared. Lorraine tried to find her desperately. She run back and forth calling Carolyn’s name while tears were running down her cheeks. Then she saw Carolyn near a ravine. “I can fly, Mommy,” Carolyn said before she rose to the sky, “I always loved the sunset!” “Don't leave me honey! I love you so much!” Lorraine begged. “You can come with me if you want. Take my hand!” Carolyn said stretching out an arm. Lorraine struggled to catch her daughter’s hand. Lorraine was near the ravine. The distance between them was getting smaller but then Lorraine slipped… she fell into the ravine. Her wonderful hair was waving into the air before she touched the ground with a loud thud. Her last sight was that of her daughter’s. She closed her eyes as a 14

thread of blood trickled down her face. She heard the song again... She whispered Carolyn’s name. “Carolyn…” Lorraine felt happy! She was with her daughter again! ***

CHAPTER 6 Life is a story. Sometimes it is full of mistakes. Sometimes things happen unexpectedly. Beautiful moments are like the sunset. They come but disappear before you blink.

The End

By: Turceniuc Alexia Cășvean Andrada Bendriş Carla Bogdan Alexandra

Undo CHAPTER 1 Two ordinary 12-year-old schoolgirls, victims of a parent’s worst nightmare. It all started on a rather sunny day of October. Meghan and Zoe, two British sixth-graders, both blonde-haired, both having green eyes, fair skin, very innocent figures, both having another regular day. Little did they know that that day was going to become far more “fun” than expected. *** A walk home from school, a shortcut taken, a suspicious looking house, a piece of paper on the ground, two very curious girls. What was going to happen next? “Oh look, Zoe! What does this mean?” “It’s a link to something, I’ve never seen one like this! It’s definitely NOT ordinary”. You see, the situation of those two was a lot different than most. Meghan was the social butterfly, Zoe on the other hand had social anxiety, most people did not understand how they could be friends, but they got each other in a way that no one else did.

CHAPTER 2 Once the two left the shady neighborhood where they had found the paper, they went to Zoe’ss home. As soon as they got there, they ran upstairs to her bedroom and typed in the link. That day their lives changed forever. When the link finished loading, a live stream of a masked man torturing a pregnant woman, then her newborn baby and a kid the girls thought they had recognized popped up; the man then went to a computer in the back of the camera that filmed the massacre. He positioned himself in the middle of the shot and said: “Hi there, girls”, with a grin on his is scarred face “I’m coming for you too! Soon!” Then, he plunged his hand into a bowl full of his victims victims’ blood and drew a creepy smiley face on the back wall.

When they told him the whole story, he started laughing; it seemed to him like something they invented. Needless to say they could not convince him about the validity of the story as there was nothing in the computer. Nothing came up in the History search either. *** Two more days, two more sleepless nights for the girls; one missed school bus; the two blonde girls at the bus stop; one black SUV - a driver the girls recognized immediately; a relatively common person.

CHAPTER 3

Monday night, the girls still haven’t come home. Tuesday, haven’t showed up at school either, their parents started getting worried, it all became a huge drama when Zoe’s father told Meghan’s parents about the link. After a very long discussion, the two families decided to call the cops. One hour later, two detectives show up at Meghan’s house where both Zoe and Meghan’s parents were. “They always take the school bus from the stop in front of the school, we should look there, too” said Meghan’s dad. *** The bus stop seemed clear, until Naomi Watts, one of the detectives in charge saw a piece of paper hanging from the stop sign. It was a well-hidden envelope, under a piece of metal that looked exactly like the one used for the sign. Inside the envelope was a CD with the blonde girls’ photo printed on it. Tony Rothschild, Naomi’s partner, thought that witnesses should be found and interrogated before the evidence was viewed. It would have taken more time for the specialists to analyze the evidence and look for fingerprints but this way they could buy more time to save the girls.

Fortunately, while the detectives were still there looking for evidence, two women showed up at the local PD saying they saw the girls getting in a car. They also mentioned seeing part of someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face in the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mirror. Naomi and Tony were called to the police department. ***

CHAPTER 4 A large room, a table in the middle of the room, dim lights, a file on the table. It was an interrogation room in the Essex Police Department. On a side of the table sat a middle-aged woman. Naomi walked in the room wearing a leather jacket and deep red lipstick. She put a recorder on the table saying “Look, we are all worried. There’s a very bad guy walking the streets right now and kidnapping kids. All I’m asking you is to be honest and tell us everything you saw on Monday afternoon.” “The girls you showed me in the photo just got to the bus stop when the school bus left. They seemed disappointed. Shortly after the bus left, a black car pulled over in front of the girls. They smiled to the driver. I haven’t seen the driver’s face but the girls seemed to know him. They quickly got into the car and left. I’m sorry, I know I’m not supposed to ask, but how are their parents taking it? I imagine they are terribly worried,” the middle-aged woman said. “You’re right, you’re not supposed to ask! Have a good day!” Naomi replied before leaving the room and slamming the door while Tony was grabbing a chair to sit next to the old lady. ***

Ten minutes later, on n the other end of the hall hallway, another interrogation room. Inside, another old lady and the two detectives sitting on opposite sides of the table. “Oh, Oh, I like your tie, where did you get that from? And aren’t your glasses too small for your ur face? What hair gel did you use for your hair? It looks wonderful, darling! darling!” “Thank Thank you, miss! I really appreciate it. Now, what exactly did you see on Monday afternoon?” Tony asked in a serious voice. “Oh, well I imagine my sister told you about the girls getting in the black car, so I won’tt waste your time with that ‘cause I know you’re busy. I saw a person with quite grey hair, I haven’tt seen the whole face, only a bit of the neck and the hair, that’s all. Now, if you’llll excuse m me, I have to visit my grandchildren, good bye!” Have a good day, miss, and thank you for your time!” “Have Tony said before the woman out of the door.

CHAPTER 5

“You know, you could have been nicer to that old lady! All she did was help us,” Tony told Naomi reproachfully. “Oh, but I was nice in there. Now, where are we on the CD we found?” “Nice one, Naomi! No prints were found, all there’s left to do is watch it.” *** The picture of an enormous house appeared for just a second, then, the blonde girls sitting on two chairs, wearing ripped bloody clothes. Their hair done nicely. A noise could be heard in the background as the masked man came in the room with a razor blade, got close to the camera and whispered “Don’t you worry, I’m taking good care of them!” Then, he put a piece of cloth on the camera lens as a loud moan of pain was heard. After that, the computer went black. The detectives ran the footage of the house through the database and found out it belonged to an old man who had passed away. When they got there, all the furniture was moved to the side and only two chairs were left in the middle of the house, behind them were not one, but two smaller smiley face painted in blood. Under one of the chairs, another CD was taped on. Same as always, no fingerprints were found. On the video, a shot of a skyscraper appeared for a second, then, the girls wearing beautiful dresses and nice hairstyles, with cuts all over their arms and legs. Again, the same gray haired 24

man, wearing a different mask, came close to the camera and said “See, I told you I’m taking good care of them!” The camera then stopped recording.

“Quick, run the skyscraper image through, I feel like we haven’t got much time left” Naomi said after taking the CD to the computer lab. *** As soon as they got an ID of the building, they rushed there and split up to search every single apartment. Tony Rothschild found the crime scene first, and called Naomi. The empty apartment had two chairs in the middle of the room, the same two smaller smiley faces painted in blood on the back wall, and another CD taped on the back of the front door. *** The next video contained an image of a field, as the camera got closer to the ground, the door of an underground cellar could be seen. The detectives found out the field was located on the other side of the country. It took them ages to get there and even more to find the small door. When they opened it, a terrible smell of rotten meat came out of there. Tony and Naomi slowly walked down the stairs, with guns in their hands. ***

“Hello, there, people of earth! Would you like a cup of tea?” Zoe asked, with a crazy look on her face and a glass filled with something red in her hand. “We’re good, thank you!” Naomi replied in a calm voice, although feeling shocked by what she saw: handcuffs, saws, nails and a bloody hammer, candles, a chair and a camera in the middle of the room, and, of course, the red, dripping smiley face on a white wall behind the chair. There was a vintage bath in the middle of the room full of blood. Meghan was laying in the bath, with her eyes open and both her limbs cut off her body. ***

CHAPTER 6 “Did the man who took you here leave anything for us? A message or a CD?” Tony asked Zoe. “I think my daddy mentioned leaving something in the bath. Would you like me to show you?” “Yes, please!” said Tony with a terrified look on his face. Zoe then went towards Meghan’s bath. She dipped her hand in Meghan’s blood and started searching for the CD, grabbing her friend’s limbs throughout the process. “Found it!” A name was written on the CD, smudged by the poor girl’s blood. The video recorded on it only contained a photo of an ordinary house. *** Both girls were taken to the hospital, one to the morgue and the other one to rehab. The house from the last video was identified in a neighborhood close to where the girls lived. *** A man with gray hair was found hanged to the ceiling in the middle of the room. Meghan’s mom recognized him. He was the principal of the school where both Meghan and Zoe went. *** 27

At the hospital, Zoe was administrated ministrated a lot of fluids to wash the drugs out of her body. She was finally stable and ready to talk to the detectives. The nurse left to get more fluids for the I.V. before calling the detectives as she had been instructed earlier that day. Two minutes later, flat line. Zoe was dead.

The End

By: Gânj Amelia Lungu Larisa Nicola Văsie Văsieșiu Tudor Târnăvean Daria

Angel Eyes, Demon Lies CHAPTER 1 It is a wonderful winter night. The three detectives are hanging out after a hard day at work. They like teamwork, more than working alone. They live in a small town named Eden. *** The team is made of two men and a woman. First, there is James Maslow, a strong independent man, a dad who enjoys fishing and hanging out with his 12-year-old daughter, Jessica. He is in charge of the team. He lives with his mother and daughter, after losing his wife at the age of 40. Lewis Brooks, is in his thirties and he likes crimes. He lives in an old complex building with his cat and his girlfriend. The woman’s name is Chloe Roberts. She is more silent than the others and enjoys reading and staying at home. Her best friends are Rose Smith, a talented 34-year-old woman with big blue eyes who likes drawing and the 27year-old Phoebe, Lewis’ girlfriend. *** Both Lewis and James are too busy talking about the last night’s match to notice that there is something about 29

Chloe. They enjoy their beer and relax after a hard day at work. Chloe tells them she is concerned about Rose Rose’s health condition. But no one takes her seriously. “There is nothing wrong with Rose, is there?” Lewis asks, letting his head back and giving James a suspicious glance. Then they keep on talking about the match, completely ignoring Chloe. She has this unsettling feeling she can’t explain… ***

CHAPTER 2 As they are talking and laughing, James phone starts ringing. “A tragedy took place. We need you NOW! The three of you! Here’s the address…” They instantly knew the night was ruined. The neighborhood looked gray. And worn out. There weren’t many houses and everywhere you went it was just dead silence. “So loud that I can’t even hear my own voice” joked Lewis. James smiled a little but Chloe really didn’t enjoy that little joke. “This is not the best time to be making jokes you dummy!” said Chloe. “You two are so childish. Just shut up, will you?” James said, putting an end to the conversation.

***

When they got to the house, the first thing they noticed was a cute little dog swirling around a bloody glove in the front yard. It looked like the doggie was actually crying! It was clearly affected by the absence of his master. 31

“But But this man... Oh, my God! I know him! He is Sean, Rose’s husband! He always wears these gloves every time he works in the garden!” Chloe said while checking the glove. “And this is their dog, Bee-bee”,, said Chloe whil while staring with empty eyes at the dead body. 32

“If his glove is here, then, where are Sean and Rose?” Lewis asked. It was obvious he was, too, very confused about the situation. “And why are there so many bloodstains all over the floor, and even on the house sign?” James wondered. “Wait! The sign says this is 115, Sunset Street. Isn’t this the house that the old couple were complaining about the other day? Martha and Bob! That’s their names! They said weird noises were coming from the house, and it always had a weird scent of blood” he added. A deep silence took over, and Chloe decided it was time to break it. “We... we should better go and search for Rose. She may know what happened since they live together after their kids...” but stopped and hesitated about saying more. Both James and Lewis gave her a suspicious glance. “'Ok, sure, good idea. Let's go team!” Lewis added, sounding quite excited. “Not so fast! First, we need back up and a warrant. And we need to find some witnesses. Maybe someone noticed anything. Let’s start asking questions!” James said while taking his phone and dialing a number. “Come one, Chloe! Let’s go! Let James stay if he wants to stay so badly”, said Lewis while he got to the car. “Are you coming or not?” *** 33

CHAPTER 3

A silhouette was coming from the street. It was Rose. Behind her was her brother, Edward; she seemed upset, holding her head down. Edward was holding her from behind as if she needed support to remain standing. She looked up and saw the three detectives in her yard. One of them was her good friend, Chloe. They asked Rose if she knew anything about the bloody glove. “No!” Rose said. Lewis wanted to have a look at the cellar. He told Rose about the complaint Martha and Bob had about the noises and the smell coming from the house. When he asked Rose if she was ok with opening the cellar, her face turned pale white. Chloe interrupted them “Stop guys, you’re putting too much pressure on her!” “I… It’s ok Chloe, I can handle it,” Rose said forcing a smile on her face. “Um… everything is fine guys, the noises that Martha and Bob heard was just a raccoon that was stuck in my ventilation system. The mechanic that helped me with this problem left his glove here, I think...” Chloe looked at James and Lewis with a disappointed face. ”See? Nothing to worry about!”

James took another look at the cellar door and then whispered something into Lewis’ ear. “Anyway, may I look inside your cellar? It seems pretty suspicious to me.” Rose glanced at the cellar door and answered back “I’m sorry Mr. Maslow but that door is closed for a couple of years and, as Chloe said, there is nothing for you to see there.” This was a tough situation. The three detectives decided to break the door open so they asked if they could do it. Rose agreed but then she felt very sick so she asked if could go inside the house while they were down there. After more than half an hour, she was back in the yard. As she said, there was nothing in the cellar so she looked at Lewis and James and with a sad voice and said “At least you could trust me... Do you really think I did something wrong to my own husband...?” A tear was slowly going down on her face. She looked at the front of the yard and saw Chloe, petting Bee-bee. Rose hugged her and started crying on her shoulder. “Today was a really bad day! When do you have some free time? Maybe we can hang out with Phoebe or I don’t know… I just need... to spend some good time with my friends” and smiled, while her eyes were still filled with tears. Chloe stood up and said in a brave voice “Don’t worry Rose. We will definitely find Sean!” and smiled back at her even if in her mind she thought “We WILL find him... alive or dead!” 35

CHAPTER 4

This case quickly became a burden for the detectives, no one seemed to be guilty, but at the same time, everyone seemed to be in charge for Sean’s sudden absence. They invited everybody to the police station. The interrogation room was a strange room. Most of the time, anyone who got there was found guilty. The room was grey and it smelled like metal. To make the job easier every detective interrogated a set of suspects. James questioned the old couple, Martha and Bob; Chloe discussed with the sister and the boss and Lewis talked to Rose and Edward. *** “So, Bob, what do you disappearance?” asked James.

know

about

Sean’

“Nothing, we just know that he got missing and we heard weird noises from Ms. Smith’s house and there was this odd smell there. Like blood.” Martha rushed into the conversation saying “We have nothing to do with this!” “Anyway we need to hurry and catch the train, we are moving to Florida, to stay with our children” added Bob, in the same rushed manner.

As Lewis was talking to Rose and Edward, Rose started to cry and said that she could never do anything bad to his husband, while Edward tried to console her. Lewis felt it was enough for the day. He was a bit suspicious but did not care that much about that. After all, Rose was Seanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife; she could never have done something like that. NEVER! 37

Chloe talked to Sean’s sister and to his boss, and she found out that the sister was innocent, but the boss was trying to make somehow excuses. She knew that a while ago Sean made a mistake, which had cost the newspapers he was working for a lot of money. Now, the newspaper was not selling anymore so Sean’s boss might have killed him in revenge. Plus the ‘Breaking News’ exclusivity would bring profit and make the company rise again. It was 9 p.m. by the time they finished their interrogation. “Who do you suspect? Any ideas?” asked Lewis. “I’m pretty sure that Rose and Edward are innocent. Both of them seemed quite affected,” Lewis said. “Martha and Bob are still suspects. It’s odd that after all this they are still rushing to Florida,” James added. “Yeah, and the boss, he had all the reasons to kill Sean since THE event with their newspaper company” said Chloe, with empty eyes running all over the room. “Poor Rose...” “So the main suspects are Martha, Bob and Sean’s boss. We need to continue the investigation on Monday, guys. Stay safe!” Lewis said as he got out of the room. Saturday night. Alone. Dark streets. Dark thoughts. “Rose...what has gotten into you?” Chloe murmured to herself as she was walking home. They would all meet again on Monday. 38

CHAPTER 5 It was about 2:00 p.m. Phoebe received a message from Rose telling her that she wanted to see Phoebe that day. It was a long time since they talked. In 30 minutes, Phoebe answered her friend’s message. She called Rose and decided to meet. Soon, Rose was on her way to Phoebe’s house. No one else was on the street. It was a really cold and foggy day, with no cars on the road or boats on the river, except one. Phoebe looked at it wondering what it was doing there: “Odd! I’m sure he won't catch any fish in such a weather!” but she just drove by. She was now near Phoebe’s house when she heard someone screaming but she did not immediately assume the worst. No one would ever hurt anyone on a silent day like this. So she walked into Phoebe's front yard. No one seemed to be home but she knocked at the door anyway. Soon, Phoebe opened the door and the first thing she did was to hug Rose. She welcomed her in. She knew what had happened some time ago so she didn't want to put much pressure on Rose so she avoided talking about that. The talked about random stuff like the weather, politics, make-up and after about one hour, Lewis entered the room with three cups of tea in his hand asking “Do you girls want some tea ?” and smiled. He sat down on the couch next to Rose. She felt uncomfortable with the situation so she said “I am sorry Lewis but I don't want to see you here. I don't want to be 39

rude or anything but I'm not in the mood for this police stuff of yours. Can you leave us alone? I wanted this to be like a girl's meeting...” So he stood up. “I am opening the door.” As he was leaving the room, he yelled “I left now”. Phoebe jiggled a bit but Rose wasn't amused at all. After a couple of hours, Rose left Phoebe’s house. It was very dark outside so she called Edward to take her home. *** Meanwhile James was spending the Sunday with his daughter, on his boat. They were out fishing. He wanted to spend a little more time with his family, especially after everything that happened. As they were going under the Eden's Bridge, his daughter felt something dripping on her shoulder so she looked up and froze for seconds before she started screaming. “Are you ok, Jess? What happened?” James asked. She was trembling and pointing to the bridge. James took her home and rushed to work.

CHAPTER 6 Sunday night Phoebe was feeling a little nervous because of the things Rose said to her. They were bothering her. She felt she had to tell Lewis everything. When Lewis woke up the next morning, he couldn’t find Phoebe, so he started worrying. “That’s odd! Where is she? She couldn’t just have gone without telling me... Her phone is here and she didn’t take her keys either”. Downstairs everything was completely silent. Phoebe was always in the kitchen when he woke up making coffee. Actually, there were two empty cups on the table. As he was looking at the cups with a puzzled look on his face, he heard noises coming from outside. They sounded like a dog barking so he looked out of the window but he couldn’t see a thing. He went out. As he got near the dog’s house, he noticed the dog barking to a tree so he looked up. His face turned pale. He reached for his phone and dialed 911. He could not understand why Phoebe would do something like that. She had been happy. She had never complained of anything! The police came at the house and started searching the place. But there was no evidence whatsoever. So they left with nothing. No suspects. No evidence. No motif. ***

Lewis was given some days off to take care of the funeral. His friends feared he was in depression. He did not talk. He did not say a single word after he found Phoebe hanging from that tree branch on the fastidious Monday morning. After three days all of Phoebe’s belongings were sealed in a box outside the house. Lewis had emptied all the drawers, the shelves and wardrobes. He had to let her go. *** That day he was sitting at the desk in the study. He realized he forgot to empty its drawers. Phoebe had some things there. He opened it. As he was throwing all her stuff in a box, he noticed an envelope. He looked it for a few seconds and then opened it. It was a letter from Phoebe. After he read it he got in his car and rushed to work. When he arrived at the office, he saw Sean’s boss being handcuffed and taken to jail. Lewis yelled “Stop! Everyone stop! It’s a mistake! He is not the killer! Rose is!” Everyone was shocked “How can you say that? There is no evidence she is the killer!” “Lewis, Rose was Sean’s wife. Why on earth would she do that?” James asked. Lewis didn’t said a thing so everyone waited. When there was a complete silence he said “This is the evidence,” 42

pulling Phoebe’s letter from a pocket, “it says that here that Rose killed Sean. Two years ago Rose wanted to get a divorce but Sean would not let her go. He could not bear the thought of being separated from his kids. He didn’t want Rose to take the kids. So, he would rather have his kids murdered. The police didn’t find enough evidence to charge him or anyone else with their murder. But Rose knew. Sean had told her. She went insane. All she wanted was revenge. So she locked him in the cellar and tortured him there for months.” With a confused look on her face, Chloe asked “Didn’t we check the cellar already? Nothing was there, was it?” Lewis answered “Nothing was there, you are right, Chloe. It was clean. Too clean I should say. Rose said that they hadn’t opened that cellar in years. Do you remember? Wasn’t it supposed to be dusty then? Right after saying that, Rose excused herself saying she was feeling sick. She had almost half an hour to hide Sean’s body somewhere and clean up everything. She might have killed him in the cellar then drag him to the garage. Sean’s body was found under the bridge on Sunday. Rose visited Phoebe on Sunday. She drove across that bridge to get to Phoebe’s. Does that make sense to you now? And then, on Sunday night, she killed Phoebe for fear she would turn Rose in!” *** Rose was arrested for first-degree murder. She confessed both her crimes but at the trial she attempted a 43

temporary insanity plea. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Chloe, James and Lewis were all there. They did not feel sorry for Rose whose big blue eyes turned gray with guilt and remorse. After the trial, Lewis went to the graveyard and knelt down next to Phoebe’s grave. Tears filled his eyes as he said: “We got her, honey! You can rest now!”

The End By: Pintea Mara Matei Irina Cioca Anamaria Orza Adriana Mărginean Alexandra

The Ice Cream Van CHAPTER 1 It was a rainy day of September. The Peterson siblings, Nick and Rachel, were going home after another day of school. Nick was a 1st grader, he had blonde hair and blue eyes. Rachel was in the 8th grade. She had long, brown hair and green eyes. They lived with their parents, Michelle and Brian, in San Antonio, Texas. As the kids were turning into Oak Street, where they lived, they noticed an ice-cream van. They remembered the summer nights not so long ago and they decided to buy some ice cream. They approached the van and they recognized their neighbour, Morgan Stanford, who was sitting behind the steering wheel. He was a tall man, he was completely bald and he had a lot of tattoos. Morgan invited them to get in the van so they can choose the flavour for their ice cream. The kids got on. Busy with the so many flavours of ice cream available, the kids failed to notice Morgan who had taken a baseball bat from the front sit, ready to hit them. In the last second, Rachel saw him and pushed Nick aside towards the door, but Morgan caught them before they could escape. Rachelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s silver bracelet fell onto the ground but no one noticed in the struggle that followed. A couple of minutes later, the van

left in a hurry. The kids were lying on the floor, inside the van, unconscious. ***

Getting her grocery bag, Trisha Davis, an old lady who lived nearby, was getting ready to go shopping when she noticed the van. She immediately thought about her grandchildren, wondering if they liked strawberry or vanilla ice cream. But then en she did not feel comfortable enough to stop the van and buy ice cream. So she went the opposite way, to the grocery shop. *** Brian Peterson and his wife, Michelle, were waiting for the kids to arrive home from school. They started to 46

worry when they realized the kids should have been home by then. *** After another hour, Brian decided to go out and look for them. He followed the route the kids always used to go to school. At the end of Oak Street, right before the corner something was shining in the rain. Brian got closer to see Rachel’s bracelet on the ground. That moment he realized that his kids might have been kidnapped so he called the police. “You called 911. How can I help you?” “I think my kids were kidnapped. I don’t know what to do. They should have been home by now but when they failed to appear, I went looking for them and I... I found my daughter’s bracelet on the ground and I ... I don’t know what to do.” “Calm down, sir. Where are you? Stay right there. I am sending an officer to you right now.” “Thank you!” he said after giving the operator his address. ***

CHAPTER 2 Officer Brown arrived at the Peterson residence. Brian was holding Michelle in his arms. They were both sitting on the couch and Michele was crying. They told the officer what had happened. Later, they decided to call the local TV station, go ‘on air’ pleading people to help them find their kids. If they put the kids’ photos on TV, someone could recognize them. In the evening, Officer Brown went back to the station. Brian and Michelle couldn’t do anything, but wait. *** Rachel woke up, still feeling dizzy, in a very dark room. She was tied to a chair. Her brother was lying next to her, but he wasn’t awake yet. Rachel was very scared, so she tried to breathe deeply to calm herself down. She noticed the walls. A dim light from a skylight in the ceiling revealed a lot of photos... most of them were photos of her and her brother... many showing other children she didn’t know. Rachel realized that they were in big trouble. At that moment, Morgan entered the room. “Hey, little girl, you woke up.” Rachel didn’t say anything. “Let’s wake your brother up, too.” Morgan said before slapping Nick quite hard. 48

“Stop it! Why are you doing this to us?” Rachel cried, grabbing Morgan’s leg in an attempt to stop him from harming them. “Ha, ha! You’re funny. It’s all so funny” Morgan replied.

CHAPTER 3 Later that evening, Officer Brown called Brian Peterson. He told him they had to come to the police station as soon as they could. They had a witness. Brian and Michelle Peterson arrived at the station. Officer Brown introduced them to Trisha Davis. After the TV broadcast, the old lady realised the kids who were missing lived near her place. She then remembered the van. Somehow, she knew there was something wrong with the van, so she thought she should go to the police station. She told the investigators that she had seen an ice cream van around the time of the kids ‘disappearance. She realized why she hadn’t felt comfortable with the ice cream van. The driver was a tall bald man with a lot of tattoos. He did look suspicious. The police started a search for all the ice cream vans in the city. They found out that there were 10 ice cream vans registered in the city. Three belonged to individuals not businesses. One of them was bald. It was Morgan. *** Nick woke up and started crying. Rachel tried to calm him down, but it was too late. Morgan entered the room. “Why are you crying? The worst is yet to come” Morgan yelled before pulling a knife from his pocket and stabbing Rachel right into her chest. Then he left the room, leaving the girl in a pool of blood. Rachel was gasping for air. Her brother was crying loudly. 50

“Tell mom and dad I love them!” were Rachel’s last words. CHAPTER 4 The police called the three van owners and invited them to the section. Officer Brown led the first suspect into the interrogation room. The room was grey and there was a wooden table in the middle of it. A wall was made of the one-way mirror. Morgan was the third to enter the room. “What were you doing in the afternoon of the 22nd September?” the officer asked. “I was watching a movie at home, alone.” The officer asked him a few more questions. Morgan answered each time, looking a bit nervous, which made Officer Brown think Morgan was lying. *** Later on the van owners and some other criminals were summoned for a suspects line-up. Trisha Davis was watching the scene from behind the one-way mirror. Officer Brown asked Ms. Davis if she recognized any of the suspects. “Number 3! That’s the one I saw!” she said, pointing towards Morgan Stanford. *** 51

CHAPTER 5 After several hours, Nick realised he could not do anything to help Rachel anymore. He had been crying his heart out and begging her to come back to him. But she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. She was dead. He looked around to see a dim light coming from the door. In the excitement of the crime, Morgan had forgotten to close lose the door when he left. The door was open. That was his escape, Nick thought. The survival instinct hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t left him. But he had been tied to that chair. The knife Morgan used to kill Rachel was still on the floor, full of blood. Nick struggled to get iit and used it to cut the rope. He stood up. He went to the exit door and he opened it. The only thing he could see at the end of the hall was trees. He was in a forest.

The police checked Morgan’s ice cream van. There was blood on the floor. They ran the DNA tests and they found out that the blood was Nick’s and Rachel’s. Officer Brown arrested Morgan Stanford for kidnapping and alleged murder. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.” Brian Peterson wanted to talk to Officer Brown. “Are we going to find them?” “We’re doing our best to find them. We need to make him talk.”

CHAPTER 6 Nick didn’t know what to do. He was surrounded by trees. No sign of human intervention. Just trees. And the forest. He tried to find a path or a road that could take him back to the city, but he never found it. He was isolated. He wanted to go back to the cabin were Rachel’s body was, but he could not find the way back. He got lost in the woods. At dark fall, he started crying. He was alone, terrified and hungry. He was lost. He collapsed to ground, numb. *** Morgan Stanford was in the interrogation room. Officer Brown wanted to make him confess where the kids were. “Where are they? Tell me and we will make a bargain.” “I want to make a deal,” Morgan admitted. “I’m listening to you.” “I don’t want to be sentenced to life imprisonment and I don’t want to join a maxim security prison. I will tell you where the kids are if you give me that.” “Ok... I think we have a deal.” said the police officer. “The kids are in a cabin in the woods,” said Morgan giving the officer more details.

A police SWAT was sent to the cabin to look for the kids. The Petersons told Officer Brown that they also want to be there. “Please take us with you! We miss our kids so much!” “Ok. Get in the car!” They arrived at the cabin. The door was wide open. That could not be a good sign, Officer Brown thought. They entered the cabin and saw Rachel on the floor, in a pull of blood. Brian and Michelle fell to the ground, crying and holding at their beautiful, dead daughter. Nick wasn’t there either. The police looked for him everywhere. He disappeared completely. The Peterson family was destroyed. They lost both kids in a day. They could not imagine life without them. Three days after they found Rachel’s body, Brian and Michelle Peterson organized her funeral. The whole family came to see her for the last time. They lit a candle for Nick too, hoping that he might still be alive and that one day they would see him again. *** Officer Brown changed the kidnapping accusation in Morgan Stanford’s file to first degree murder of Rachel Peterson. At the trial, Morgan was found guilty by the jury. He was sentenced to death.

The next morning when he woke up, the little boy did not know who he was or why he was there. He felt cold so he started walking deeper into the forest. He became one with the nature.

***

*** 15 years later Nick Peterson spent the next 15 years of his life in the woods, feeding like an animal, walking like an animal, living like an animal, without knowing who he had been. From time to time he would see tourists in the woods. He would observe them from the distance, too afraid to interact with them at the beginning. Then he got used to staying away. He managed not to be noticed for 15 years. One day he saw a family hiking in the woods. They had a daughter. She looked exactly like Rachel. At that moment, Nick had a flashback. He remembered everything. He felt the urge to meet his family again. He followed the road to the city. He had been avoiding the road before, not sure what to get of it. Now he knew it would take him home. He arrived in the city. He saw a street sign that said “Oak Street”. He remembered his address. He hurried down the street and suddenly, he saw his house. An old woman was sitting on a bench with a cat in her arms. She seemed lost in her thoughts. Her hair was white and her eyes looked sad. Nick approached her cautiously, tears flooding his eyes: “Michelle Peterson?” “Yes. Who’s asking?”

“Mom! I missed you so much! It’s me, Nick!” “My God!” she said before bursting into tears. She touched her son’s face, studying it carefully. She recognized his eyes. “Brian, Brian! Come here! Our son is back!” she cried to her husband. The two parents hugged and kissed their son with love. They were a family again. Rachel was also there, in their hearts.

The End

By: Nicu Nicușan Tudor Mustocea Bogdan Oghingiuc Doru Târnăvean Răzvan Clocoţan Darius Vlad 58

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 Alexia Turceniuc, Gânj Amelia Amelia, Pintea Mara, Matei Irina and Nicușan șan Tudor for giving us a helping hand with the typing of the stories and to Mara Pintea and Irina Matei for illustrating the stories.

THANK YOU all for reading!

This book is a collection of detective tive stories written in groups at the beginning off th the school year 2016/2017 by 8th grade studen dents from ‘Tudor Vladimirescu’ Secondary School hool in Tg.Mureș, 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