Detective Stories, Volume 5/2017 by Gabriela Sandru

Detective Stories By CLASS 8A of 201 2017

INTERMEDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE Tg.-MureÈ&#x2122;

SUPERVISING EDITOR, Gabriela Șandru, Teacher of English

~Book iIllustration by Kara Medeea Șandru, Amanda Hadăr, Ariana Mureșan, Elsa Luță and Noemi Kardos ~

CONTENTS OBSESSION

THE ALLEYWAY CRIME

ELISE

LIFE ISNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T PERFECT

PAIN

THE DEAL

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

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

CHAPTER 1 It was a warm, spring evening in Monte Carlo. The bright, colorful lights engulfed the city, like they did every night. People were out on the streets, walking their dogs, listening to music or chatting with their friends, enjoying the last few days of the spring holidays. There was nothing unusual about the atmosphere; everyone was having a great time. Sandra was sitting at a cafĂŠ, talking to her colleague, Minho, about their latest case. Sandra was a woman in her late 20s with bleached blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was about 5 feet 6 and she was very skinny, yet strong. Her hair was always tied up in a ponytail and she was well known by her friends for wearing all black and high heels most of the time. She was an elegant and calm woman. She was the kind of person everybody goes to when they seek advice, since she was quiet and wise. She was forced to grow up quickly after her parents died when she turned 9. They were murdered, but even to this day, no one knew who killed them. This determined Sandra to become a police officer; she wanted to know who the killer was, and she was still searching for him to this day. She met Minho about six years ago. They were paired up for a case that 5

everybody called a suicide, when instead, it was another murder. They managed to provide enough evidence to arrest one of the richest men in the area, so their boss decided to let them stick together. Even though she didn’t like to admit it to herself, Sandra found Minho extremely attractive. He was slightly older than her. It would be his 30th birthday next June. He was really tall at 6 feet 1 and he had ad a great sense of style. He always had his black hair styled perfectly and he usually wore sunglasses, which gave him a mysterious, yet eerie vibe. He always liked looking expensive, wearing fur coats and rings when he felt like it. He did, indeed sounded like an ‘I steal hearts 24/7’ type of guy, but everybody knew about his love for his wife. He was a kind man and people really appreciated him. They wouldn’t think of him as a bad man, as a criminal…

CHAPTER 2 Minho sipped his coffee and scrolled through his Facebook feed, checking what his friends and family were doing back in South Korea. Sandra’s phone rang, which made him look up from the screen. “Detective Sandra Park, how may I help you?” she asked cheerfully. “Oh, hello Mr. Smith. Yes, he’s here.” she smiled at Minho. She looked away from him for a few seconds before her eyes widened. She stared into her cup of tea and gulped, before ending the call. “Dara? What’s wrong?” he asked her slightly confused. “It’s… It’s about your wife…” she mumbled. “What’s up with her?” the man tried not to panic. “She… She was found dead a few minutes ago near the casino…” Minho’s heartbeat quickened and he felt a drop of sweat roll down his temple. His mouth was dry and his hands were starting to shake. He didn’t feel alright; he felt sick and weak. He stood up with his vision blurry and held onto the table for balance. Sandra said something, but he couldn’t hear her clearly. He wobbled his way towards his car, but before he could open the door to the driver’s seat Sandra pushed him around the vehicle so he would be in the passenger seat. She got into the car as well and drove towards the casino, checking on her partner from time to time to make sure he was still conscious. *** A few minutes later, the car parked into the casino’s parking lot. There were a couple of police cars with their sirens on and there was also an ambulance there. Minho sprang of the car and ran towards one of the cops. The cop immediately recognized him and signaled him to follow him. 7

They walked behind the building were about a dozen of other people were crowded around a woman’s lifeless body. She was a petite redhead with freckles and green eyes. She was wearing a white sweater that was stained red from her blood and a pair of leg leggings along with some boots. There were small, yellow pieces of paper on the ground with numbers written on them and there were plenty of officers taking pictures. Minho grabbed a handful of his dark hair and pulled on it before falling on his knees. He fe felt a hand on his shoulder, but he didn’t need to look to know that it was Sandra. He somehow managed to stand up and he looked at the other cop straight in the eyes. “I’m taking this case…” he said, not showing any kind of emotion. “You can’t do that! That is your wife! I’m sorry, but we can’t have you jumping to conclusions because you want to blame somebody for her death. Just go home, get a drink and rest for a while.” “Jackson, let him have the case,” Sandra intervened. “If he fails to find the murderer,, he won’t blame anyone, and he won’t live with regrets for the rest of his life, like I did.” “I can’t do that…” Jackson answered, leaving them alone after that. “Why would anyone do this?” Sandra mumbled, stepping back from the dead woman. “I don’t know, but I will find the killer!” Minho frowned. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you!” she said, rubbing her partner partner’s back in order to comfort him. 8

CHAPTER 3 Sandra’s car parked outside Minho’s house. She pulled out her phone and sent him a text, saying that she had arrived. It had been a couple of days since the murder. Minho took Jackson’s advice and stayed at home for a day. He spent hours scrolling through his gallery, looking at pictures of him and his wife while drinking hot chocolate. He got hundreds of messages from his family and friends, telling him to stay strong and not to give up, but he was far from being weak. He wasn’t overwhelmed with sorrow, actually he was determined to send the criminal behind bars. As he was checking a few texts from his sister, he noticed a message pop up on his screen. He smiled and ran towards his closet, grabbing one of his black fur coats before heading out the door. He listened to the sound of his feet hitting the pavement and stuffed his hands in his pockets, taking a deep breath. He saw Sandra staring at him through the windshield. Minho opened the door and threw himself inside the car. “Did you close the CCTV system?” he asked, looking at himself in the mirror. He looked like a total mess. “I did. We should be safe to go,” Dara answered, starting the engine. The drive towards the police station was quiet. Sandra asked her partner if he was alright several times, but he just nodded and continued looking out the window. Once they arrived at the police station, Sandra pulled out a key from her bag unlocked the door, slowly creeping inside the building. She made sure the place was empty before she turned on the lights. They made their way towards the evidence room, making sure to avoid the security cameras, just in case. 9

“Got anything useful?” Minho asked Sandra who was rummaging through a drawer. “Not really… There’s absolutely nothing that could lead to a suspect…” she mumbled before collapsing in a chair. Her eyes darted around the walls as she noticed the picture of a woman pinned to a board. The woman had dark skin along with an afro hairstyle and big, dark eyes. She was smiling brightly at the camera. “Minho, I think we have a witness…” Sandra affirmed. The man walked over to the picture and looked at the information next to it. Jaclynn Smith, aged 23, Southlake Avenue Nb. 4 “We have to talk to her!” Sandra demanded. “We can’t! We’re off radar, remember?” Sandra scoffed and left the room heading to her car, followed shortly by Minho. *** Meanwhile, Jackson was back at his apartment, flipping through the hundreds of papers that were spread around his living room. He had three empty cups of coffee next to him and his eyes were already sore and puffy because of how tired he was. He was concentrating too much on his work to notice that someone was standing in his doorway. He only snapped out of his trance after he heard someone clear their throat. He turned his head around and noticed his roommate, Mark staring at him with an angry expression that was fairly visible even though he just woke up. “Jesus Christ, Jack, it’s 4 AM!” he scolded his friend. “Go to sleep! It’s just another case…”

“Markie, this ain’t like my other cases. There is only one suspect, and it’s someone important.” Jackson explained. mething?” Mark asked, walking “What? Another drug lord or something?” over to the couch to sit down. “I wish… The only suspect we have is Lee Minho…” Mark frowned, not expecting to hear Minho’s name in the same sentence with the word suspect. “What makes you think he murdered his own wife?! That That’s absurd!” he shouted. Jackson looked around the room for a few seconds before he spotted a small plastic bag on the table. He leaned over and grabbed it, shoving it in Mark’s hands. Mark analyzed the silver ring that was inside of the bag, then he looked and Jackson puzzled. “That’s Minho’s. It has his DNA on it,” Jackson said, letting his legs go numb so that he felt onto the couch.

CHAPTER 4 Minho’s phone rang, which disturbed his little nap. He groaned as he picked up his phone, looking at the caller’s ID: Jackson Wade. He tapped the green icon on his phone, waiting for Jack’s voice to be heard through the speakers. “Minho, we need you in the interrogation room a.s.a.p.” he said in a serious tone before hanging up. Minho spent a few seconds, trying to process what just happened, then he burst out his front door, rushing to the police station. *** The other officers, the secretaries and even the janitors stared at him as he walked through the plain halls. He stopped in the middle of the hallway and glared at the blond man in front of him. Once Jackson’s eyes landed on Minho, his expression became more worried, maybe slightly hesitant. “Come in…” he mumbled, opening the door for Minho. They both entered the interrogation room and Jackson signaled him to take a seat, before he sat down as well. “I think you already know how this works…” he said, making Minho nod. “Where were you on the 9th of March from 3 PM to 7 PM?” Minho smirked and looked at the other man in a threatening way. “You’re not insinuating that I killed my wife, are you?” “Be careful with what you do, there’s cameras everywhere.” Minho bit his lower lip and leaned back into his chair. “Now answer my questions and you are free to leave…” 12

“Fine then… I was at work till 5 PM, then I went home. I watched some TV and went out with Dara at 6.” “Well, that’s interesting. Your wife’s estimated time of death was at about 5:12 PM.” “I did NOT kill her! I was at home!” Minho raised his voice. “Can anyone confirm your alibi?” hich made Jackson smile to himself. Minho didn’t answer, which “What reason would I possibly ly have to murder my own wife?” “Minho, we both know…” Jackson started, leaning eaning closer to the other man. “You don’t need a reason to kill…” he whispered, and then he turned to the noticeboard where a photo of wonderful Kiara was pinned on top of a pile of notes and papers.

CHAPTER 5 “Ok, I guess you are free to leave… I got the information that I needed…” Jackson mumbled before closing a file. Minho rolled his eyes and got up, leaving the room. He headed for the staircase looking down at his shoes. He remembered the days when he had to work extra hours at the office and his wife would come and bring him pancakes and tea, even if it was 10 PM. She would stay with him until he was done and they would drive back home together. He smiled at the thought, but still felt a few tears form. His lips trembled as he tried to keep his composure. He only had a few more steps until the stairs. As he was going down the stairs, he saw a figure in the corner of his eyes. He looked up and saw a large man wearing a police uniform looking at him aggressively. Minho tried to ignore him, but the man quickly blocked his way. In a matter of seconds, he spun Minho around and pushed him against the wall, handcuffing his hands behind his back. Minho protested and tried freeing himself from the man’s grasp, but he was too strong. He heard footsteps coming from the second floor. He turned his head and his eyes landed on Jackson who was looking at him with a superior attitude. “Lee Minho, you are arrested for the 3rd degree murder of your wife. Everything you say can and will be used against you, blah blah, Miranda rights, blah blah, you know the deal… You’ll be taken into custody until the trial.” “You can’t do this to me! I didn’t kill her! I LOVED HER!” Minho screamed, struggling some more. “Then why was your ring at the crime scene? Also, the CCTV showed someone in a police uniform. The witness also described somebody tall… Isn’t that enough?” Jackson asked. “I swear I didn’t hurt her!” Minho kept protesting. “Tell that to the judge.” Jackson smirked as he watched his colleague being dragged away. 14

CHAPTER 6 The old, rusty metal door made a painful creak as it slid open. The sound of high-heels hitting the tiles made Minho look up. He saw a woman standing in the doorway, staring down at him. She had black streaks of mascara running down her cheeks and her lipstick was slightly smudged. Even though her makeup was a total disaster, her blond hair was still tied up in a perfect ponytail. She looked at the guard next to her and said something that Minho couldn’t hear. The guard nodded and walked away, leaving him and Sandra all alone. Dara walked inside Minho’s cell and closed the door behind her before kneeling down next to him. A few tears escaped her eyes as she stared at Minho’s emotionless expression. She called his name several times, but he didn’t react. She placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him slightly. “Minho! Please, talk to me!” she begged, continuing to cry. “I’m so sorry…” she mumbled, pulling him in a hug. “I didn’t mean it to turn out this way…” she cried, stroking his soft, black hair. “I wanted to return that ring, but I think I dropped it… I hate myself for that!” she continued sobbing in Minho’s hair. “What?... Why?” Minho whispered between his teeth. “Why did you kill her?” Sandra pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. “She was ruining everything; she kept getting in the way…” she explained. “Everything, huh?” Minho gasped for air and then let his head fall, chuckling quietly. “Yeah, us! But don’t worry, babe! We’ll finally be together once I get you out of here!” Sandra cupped his cheeks. 15

Minho’s chuckles slowly turned into giggles, then a dark laughter, followed by a full blown maniacal laugh. Sandra got up and took a few steps back from the mad man. Her eyes were wide and adrenaline was rushing through her veins. The door next to her swung open and a few men rushed inside, followed by a woman in lab coat holding a syringe. The men pinned Minho down as the woman injected the clear liquid into his wrist. He quickly calmed down and the men released him. He passed out, soon after flashing Sandra a sick smirk…

To be Continued By: Șandru Kara Medeea Moldovan Paul Milașcon Adina Șomfălean Antonia Maria

Illustration by: Kara Medeea Șandru 16

CHAPTER 1 It was a late Friday when it all started in November, 1993. Detectives Chriss Buckingham and Jessica Brown had just left the job and decided to go to a caffe near the precinct. At that time, Chriss was 27 and Jessica was 22 year old. They were just at the start of their career. They were the best-looking detectives in the whole LA. Their main hobby was practising their shooting skills at the shooting range. No one could beat Chriss's highscore so he remained the best shooter in the city. After that, they would go to the same cafe, which was close to the precinct. Chriss's mother had died about a week before. He found her lying on the floor in his apartament. When that happened, Jessica took him to her place to take care of him and confort him. Chriss's apartment was also near the precinct but when his mother died, he decided to sell it. He was also short with money as he had never been interested in making a fortune and used to spend every dime he earned. On the other hand, Jessica was coming from a wealthy family. They owned a mansion near the sea and Jessica thought it would be the perfect get-away, especially for someone who lost their entire family. The mansion had a big infinity pool, a huge garden and a tennis court. The Browns also owned a big farm in the countryside. They were a beautiful family unlike the Buckinghams. Both Chriss' parents used to drink a lot. When Chriss was born, his father left and never returned, so he was raised by a single mom who later developed some sort of depression.

CHAPTER 2 Chriss and Jessica were sipping their coffee when they suddenly heard a scream. Someone was crying in an alleyway behind the apartment building. They took out their pistols and ran towards the noise. There was a woman on the ground. She was crying and then, all of a sudden, she collapsed. They aproached her and saw a pink bow in her hands. “What happened?” Chriss asked the woman, after she regained consciousness. “My child is gone,” she told them. Chriss decided that Jessica would stay with the woman, while he would go in pursuit of the van. When he got into the police car, he realised that the keys were in Jessica's pocket. He was getting out of the car when a white van speeded beneath. He managed to see their license plate. He ran back to Jessica. “Damit, Jessica! I forgot to take the keys!” “Oh, sorry! It’s my fault!” Jessica replied, “I should have given you the keys when you left!” “No problem. I managed to take a photo of their license plate. I'm sure that will come in handy. How's she holding up?” Chriss asked worriedly. “Don't worry, she'll be fine! I'm not sure about the child though. I told her that we would find her as soon as possible. Who could do something so horrible to a little girl?” “I don't know yet, but we will find out soon. But the most important clue is that I saw the “Pac standard deliveries” logo on the van”, the man said, proud of his developed observation spirit.

“That's good news, but first of all we have to take her to the hospital. She hurt her head when she fell,” Jessica added, showing him the dried blood on the woman’s head. “Ok. You get her to the hospital and I will secure the crime scene. Oh, and let the others at the precinct know what happened”, Chriss ordered, already taking care of the evidence. “That's a good plan. I'll meet you here in 15 minutes”, Jessica promised, already packing her stuff. “Ok. Just hurry up! A storm is supposed to start in about 2 hours and the evidence might get destroyed!” “Ok. I'll come back as soon as possible”, Jessica said before leaving.

***

CHAPTER 3 “Hey, come check this out!” Jessica cried with a doll in her hands, she had found shortly after she returned to the crim scene. “Good job, Jessica. I think this is the daughter's doll!” said Chriss happily. They went on with their carreful searching when, thanks to his good observation skills, Chriss noticed something glittering in the mud. He aproached it, and realised that it was an ID. There was a man's photo, under the ID number and the same logo that was on the white van. Chriss showed this to Jessica. “Look what I’ve found! This thing could prove the criminal.” “Wow! Awesome work, Chriss! Now let's pack our stuff and go. The storm is about to start”, Jessica said worriedly. They started to pack their stuff when a man approached Chriss. “Good evening, officers!” the stranger said. “Oh, good evening! Who might you be?” Chriss asked visibly irritated. “O'Sullivan! Johny O'Sullivan! Look, I saw you guys investigating the area and I decided to come forward, maybe even help you out,” Johny said with a submissive attitude. “Well that's good news, tell me what you know,” Chriss said, suddenly feeling more optimistic. “I was having my evening walk when I heard a scream. It sounded like a kid having some sort of a trouble. I ran towards the sound and I saw a man forcing a little girl into a white van.” “So did you see his face?” Chriss asked nervously. “Unfortunatly, no! But I know that he was a caucasian male. And he had longer hair! And also I managed to see another guy helping him out.” 20

“Hmm! So, that makes two problems to take care of. Thank you for the information. I'm sure it will come in handy,” Chriss said before leaving. “We’re done here, Jessica. Let's go to the hospital. I need to ask that lady a few questions,” Chriss said before leaving the room. Later that day at the hospital... “Ma'am I need to ask you a few questions. Did you see the criminal's face?” “I'm sorry! I can't remember anything! My head still hurts from that fall”, she replied. “Well in that case, I will ask you one more question. Do you recognize this man?” Chriss asked, while shoving the ID he had found into her face. “That's impossible!” the woman said in complete shock. “That's my ex-husband, Jamie Bright. We only divorced a month ago.” “Thank you for your cooperation.We'll see you later,” Chriss said before leaving. “So Chriss, what do you think?” Jessica asked when they left the room. “We may have our criminal here: her ex-husband. He might have kidnapped his own daughter only to get revenge on the mother. Let's go to the precinct and prepare the interogation room! You should call Pac Standard Deliveries to let the guy in the white van know that he has to come for an interrogation a.s.a.p. and if they ask you who he is, just show them this picture of their car and the hour it was taken. I will call the witness to come over.” “Right away!” Jessica said before starting up the engine. ***

CHAPTER 4 The detectives called it “The Truth Room”. It had white walls and a reinforced metal door. There was a big one-way mirror on one wall. Only the officers and the witnesses could see through it from the other side. In the middle of the room, there was a big round table made of steel, three chairs and a security camera in every corner of the room. On the table, there were some botles of water and a notebook. There were also some ventilation ducts on one wall, which were used to release toxic gass, in case the suspects interogated there were trying to hurt the officers. This gass did not kill the offenders; it just put them to sleep. After ten minutes, the suspects arrived and were taken to the interogation room where Chriss had been waiting for them with a list of questions. “Good afternoon, gentlemen! Please, take a sit,” Chriss said nervously. “Good evening, officer, what can I do for you? asked the driver of the van. “What's up?” said Jamie. “I want you two to respond carefully to my next questions. Here comes the first one.What were you both doing today at 2 p.m?” Chriss asked. “I was just doing some deliveries but I was in a hurry. You know, I was late for my mom's birthday,” the driver said cautiously. “I was just walking to the cafe near the precinct to see my lovely wife and my beautiful girl,” the other man said, looking uneasy. “Why were you driving with such high speed through the city? You could have crashed and killed someone?” “I was just hurrying back home. I didn’t want to be late for my mom's birthday. I swear that's all,” the van's driver said, sounding scared. 22

“What about you? We found an ID near the crime scene. Jamie Olliver, 28. It has your face and your name on it,” Chriss said looking into Jamie’s eyes. “Umm, that must be a coincidence. I have my ID right here in my pocket!” Jamie said searching his pockets. “It can't be! Where is it?” said Jamie looking angry when the door oppened and Jessica entered. “Here it is!” said Jessica. “You thieves! You stole it from me! Jesus Christ, even the police are a bunch of thieves these days!” Jamie said dissapointed. “Who do you think you call a thief? Jessica asked angrily. “You, criminal!” “Everybody, calm down!” shouted Chriss. “Gentlemen, you stay here and we will anayze your answers!” Chriss said before closing the door behind him. “Jessica, you need to calm down. Don't you see he's just playing with you?” Chriss asked. “OK , I'll try, but he called me a thief!” Jessica complained. “So, what do you think? Who's the criminal?” said Chriss confident. “I'm 100% that Jamie is the criminal. Just look at him!” Jessica said, pointing towards Jamie through the one-way mirror. He was smiling. “What do you think about the other guy?” said Chriss. “I think he's okay. He was in hurry. I believe his alibi,” said Jessica confident in herself. “Yes, you might have a point there. Jamie lied to my face about meeting his wife and lovely daughter. You know, the lady told us they got a divorce a month ago. She was definitely not expecting him. Take the witness to me! Let's see what he has to say.” 23

*** “Good day, officer!” “Hello, Johny! I want you to come over here and take a look at this man's face. Do you recognize him?” “Yes, officer! He looks exactly as the criminal that I saw. I recognize him because of the hair!” said Johny happily. “Thank you, Johny! Here's your reward for helping this investigation,” Chriss said while handing him 300 dollars. “Thank you, sir! Good evening!” Johny said before leaving the precinct. ssica, we've got him! Jamie is the “Jessica, criminal! You can let the other guy go!” Chriss said, still worried. “Finally, y, some good news!” Jessica shouted relieved.

***

CHAPTER 5 “So what do you think happened?” Chriss asked Jessica. “Well, when Jamie and his wife divorced, he had already planned to take care of his daughter, but his ex-wife didn't let him near her. So, he made a plan to kidnap his own child. I had to admit the plan worked pretty well. Someone must have helped him, though. You see, Johny saw two guys that day: one was in the driver seat and the other one was forcing the girl into the van.” “Oh, no! So that means he's still out there with the child,” Jessica cried. “Unfortunatly, yes! Let's take care of this guy first,” Chriss said confident. When Chriss and Jessica got into the room with two other agents, Jamie jumped from his chair and tried to attack Jessica but Chriss managed to stop him. “Get off me! You little rat. I did nothing wrong!” Jamie said, throwing a fit. “Mr. Bright, calm down!” said Chriss. “All the evidence points towards you! You are responsible for this horrible act.” “Oh, really? Where is your evidence?” said Jamie laughing. “When we investigated the crime scene, we found your ID on the ground, close to the crime scene!” said Chriss confident. “Plus, we also got the lab analysis on the girl's dall. The fingerprints which they found on it are yours!” said Jessica. “Ah! So, I guess you've caught me. But you'll never find her! She’s mine!” said Jamie happy. “Oh, about that. Our witness claims to have seen another person with you. Who is he and where is he now?” said Chriss angry.

“Ha, ha! You'll never find him or my daughter. You can do whatever you want but I won't tell you a word about their location!” said Jamie looking like a madman. *** “Jamie Bright, the court has found you guilty of kidnapping Martha Bright. You are sentenced to 20 years behind bars. And you'll stay 3 more for trying to hit an officer,” said Chriss satisfied with the verdict. “Oh, come on! That's not even fair! I didn't even touch her. At least I destroyed my wife's life,” Jamie added with complete satisfaction in his voice. “You, maniac!” Jessica cried before forcing him into the prison bus. *** “Well this is the most complicated case we’ve ever worked on,” said Chriss exhausted. stop for 13 days and still haven’t “Yes, we’ve been working non-stop completed it!” Jessica complained. “I agree! That guy has some serious problems. I hope he learns a lesson the hard way, in prison,” Chriss said laughing. “I hope so, too. He's pretty aggresive, he nearly punched me!” said Jessica angry. “Oh, Jessica, you know I wouldn't let anything like that happen to you.You're like familly to me,” said Chriss. “Oh! That's so nice of you!” said Jessica happily.”So what do w we do know?” she inquired.

“Well, first let's finish our coffee. I'm so tired right now and I need it badly,” said Chriss exhausted. “And then what?” said Jessica curious. “We call it a day and first thing in the morning we'll continue our search for the other suspect” said Chriss, looking at her with blank eyes. “That's a good plan!” Jessica said while walking with Chriss in the middle of the foggy night to the café.

The End By : Rîcu Răzvan Oltean Andrei Miki Cosmina Mureșan Ariana

Illustration by: Ariana Mureșan 27

CHAPTER 1 It was a sunny autumn afternoon in Detroit, when Tom Clawford and his family were spending some quality family time in their mansion on Maple Street. Tom and his wife, Bella were the richest family in the town and they had a beautiful little daughter, Elise. Elise was an angel. She had long curly light brown hair and blue eyes. When you looked into her eyes, it seemed like looking at the ocean. She was 5 years old and she was very intelligent. Her familiy were very proud of her. She loved her parents a lot, especially Tom, who was a very good father and who spoiled her. Tom was a very important businessperson in Detroit. He had lots of accounting firms and did business only with very important people. He was only 35 years old but he gained worldwide fame, due to his way of doing business. Tom was tall and stocky. He had short curly brown hair and green eyes. He loved his girls, Elise and Bella a lot. They meant the world to him. Bella was a very good wife and mother. She also spoiled her dear ones, Elise and Tom. Bella did not have a job, she had been a housewife since Elise came into their family. She was 32 years old and sometimes she behaved like a child, especially when she was playing with her daughter. Bella had long light brown hair and blue eyes. When she was a little kid, she looked exactly like Elise. ***

It was Saturday and Elise wanted to go to the park with her father. There she met some of her friends and they played together. While they were playing, Tom was sitting ing on a bench, reading a newspaper. sat down After running a lot here and there, Elise got tired. She sa next to her father and asked for an ice cream. Tom could never say NO to his little princess. Therefore, he told her to stay put while he went to the ice cream van to fetch the ice cream. He knew Elise only liked strawberry ice cream. He preferred vanilla and chocolate ice cream. But not Elise! When he came back holding the two ice cream comes in his hands, Elise was nowhere to be seen. He had been missing for two minutesâ&#x20AC;Ś The worst two minutes of his life!

CHAPTER 2 Tom started to look for Elise. He asked everyone if they saw his little girl, but they said ‘NO’. He asked Elise’s friends if they saw her after he had left for icecream, but they also said ‘no’. Tom was about to call the cops when he notices two police officers. They looked odd but Tom decided not to think about that at the moment. He wanted to find his daughter first, so he told them what happened when they showed him their IDs: Louis Patel and Rudy Orwell, Detroit PD. “Don’t worry, Mr. Crawford! We will find your daughter!”, Louis comforted the worried father. The cops were wearing dark blue uniforms and a very shiny badge. Louis Patel seemed nice. He was short and fat and he had black eyes, short hair and his skin was brown. Rudy Orwell was the funny guy. He could always find something funny in the worst situations. He was very tall and thin and he had a long face and his skin was snow white. Tom was standing near the bench where he had left his daughter, looking around with dispair when Louis and Rudy came forward: “So,” Louis concluded, “you called the police because you couldn’t find your daughter anymore. You left her in the park, to play with her friends.” “No, I left her on the bench while I was buying ice-cream for her.” “When did you go to buy the ice-cream?” “30 minutes ago.” “I’m sorry but a missing person case can be filed only 24 hours after the disappearance. Until then, we can’t do anything. You have to wait for 24 hours before you can report a missing person! Maybe you’ll find her later.” “Are you serious? You’re telling me I have to wait for 24 hours and then you’ll help me? My daughter could be in danger and all 30

you can tell me is wait?” Tom could not believe his ears! He was troubled and on the verge of a breakdown. “I’m sorry Mr. Clawford! Call us tomorrow, at this time. Here is my number!” he said while giving Tom a business card. *** Tom rushed home and told Bella what happened. She fainted as soon as she heard the news. Tom tended to get her and when she recovered, they went back to the park to look for Elise. They asked every person and every child if they saw her, but nobody could remember her. They kept looking for little Elise until dawn. The next day, a heartbroken Tom called the police to report his beloved daughter missing. Louis Patel and Rudy Orwell arrived at the house to start the investigation. “Well, Mr. Crawford, tell us what happened,” said Louis. “So, yesterday afternoon, Elise told me to go with her in the park and I agreed. She met some friends there and played with them for a while. I was sitting on a bench and watching them. They ran a lot and Elise came to me feeling tired and told me that she wanted an ice-cream. I went to buy her ice-cream. I only missed for 2 minutes. When I came back, I couldn’t find her where I left her. I started to look for her when I saw you.” “OK. So you left her alone in the park, on a bench, right?” “Well...” “Why did you leave her alone?” “I went to buy her an ice-cream!” “You shouldn’t have left her alone! You should’ve taken her along to the icecream parlour.” “But she was tired!” Tom was getting nervous and uneasy. He wanted the cops to go out and look for Elise rather than ask him stupid questions. 31

“How old is Elise?” Rudy Orwell asked. “She’s 5”, Tom answered with a sad voice. “What was she wearing when she disappeared?” “A pink floral dress, black tights and red shoes.” “What does she look like? Do you have a photo?” “Yeah, sure”, Tom said, “She has blue eyes, a little nose, red lips, curly light-brown hair and her height is 1.23 m”, he added while taking a photo of Elise from the family album. “OK. Thank you! We’ll do our best to find her. If Elise comes home or something else happens, call us! We’ll keep you updated with the investigation. Keep calm and try to get a little rest!”

CHAPTER 3 The park was in the outskirts, near a forest. The police officers looked everywhere for proof. They took stamps from the bench, but they didn’t find anything interesting. There were only Tom’s fingerprints, which was odd, as Elise had sat there, too. They had been looking for evidence everywhere but they didn’t find anything. Tom was there, too. He wanted to make sure they do everything to find Elise. Suddenly, Rudy Patel found something on the ground: a piece of material. Tom recognized it immediately. It was from Elise’s floral dress. “Yes, it’s Elise’s dress. She was wearing this dress in the park…,” Tom said, his voice breaking. “So, do you want to tell me that my daughter is dead?” Tom asked. “No, I don’t want to say that. We’ll take it to the police station and take a DNA test. It might be somebody else’s blood,” Louis explained. *** The night came and they had to resume the search and go home. When Tom arrived home, Bella wanted to know everything. She had lots of questions and she started to scold him for not taking her along. While they were still debating what might have happened, there was a knock at their door. When they opened it, there was an envelope on the doormat. Bella opened the envelope to find a photo of Elise. It was taken after the disapperance. Only half of Elise’s face was to be seen, but it was clearly spotted with blood. Attached to the photot, there was a note. Bella read it and fainted: “Come to the forest at midnight with $100.000, if you want to see your daughter alive! No cops, or she’ll die!” There was a little map drawn at the end of the note, showing the way to a cabin. “Leave the money on the porch!”

Tom and Bella decided not to tell the cops anything. Tom wanted to go to the forest alone. He took $100.000 0.000 from the seif and piled it in a suitcase. He arrived near the cabin. It was night and he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see very ry well. He left the money on the porch, in front of the door and went back home. They waited all night for a knock on the door or a phone callâ&#x20AC;Ś but there was nothing. *** In the morning, the investigation continued. Near the park, the cops found footsteps and pointed them to Tom, telling him they had a lead. They decided to follow the footsteps into the forest. They arrived at a cabin,, hidden between trees and bushes bushes. The place looked wild. There was a porch. It looked dusted and old. They knocked at the door. No answer came! No one seemed to live there. There was nothing there. Tom recognized the place he had been to the night before, but he kept silent, hoping his daughter was still alive. The forest was silent and eerie.

CHAPTER 4 The police placed video cameras in the area, hidden in trees and bushes. One cop was left on the watch. Tom wanted to stay there, too. After a while, a man arrived at the cabin. He stayed a bit then left and returned later in the afternoon. Suddenly there was a scream inside the cabin. Tom called Louis, still shaking with fear for his daughter’s life. He didn’t recognise Elise’s voice. He could just hope his daughter was somewhere else, safe. Louis and Rudy arrived at the scene. They had been waiting for a while when a man opned the door of the cabin. The cops approached him. “You should come with us. We have some questions that need answers”, Louis told him, before leading the suspect to the police car. Tom insisted to have a look inside the house to see if Elise was there, but the cops did not think it was a good idea. They didn’t have a warrant yet. They all arrived at the police station, which was at the edge of the town. It looked more like a house than a police station. There was a big room, an open area filled with chairs and a bathroom. There was a one-way mirror in the interrogation room. This was the only part that looked like a regular police station. Everything was grey there. the walls, the furniture and the carpet. There were two desks and two chairs. The windows had black curtains and there wasn’t any sunlight. The only light in the room was from the light bulbs and the computers. There were two computers on the desks. The cabin was on each screen, filmed from different angles. Tom was watching the scene behind the mirror. “Wait, I’m not a criminal! I don’t know why you brought me here!” the suspect said in a loud voice. “Well, we usually perform our interrogation here. Is there a problem?” Rudy asked, looking at the man’s many tattoos. 35

“State your name for the record,” Louis ordered after turning on the voice recorder. “Dexter Raff, but you can tell me Dexter.” “OK, Dexter. How old are you?” “36.” “Are you married?” “Do you see a ring on my finger?” “No, I see lots of tattoos on your body!” “Well, do you have a problem with that?” “No, let’s continue. What were you doing in that cabin in the middle of the forest?” “I live there! The cabin is beautiful, isn’t it?” Dexter smiled. “You live there? In the middle of the forest?” Louis asked in surprise. “Yes, don’t you believe me? Do you want to go there with me?” “Yes, we’ll go there soon, but not now!” Meanwhile, there was some movement on the computer screen. A woman with a long face, dark skin and long straight blond hair was at the cabin. She knocked at the door several times, but there was no answer. She was looking around visibly puzzled. She was young and very beautiful, and she was wearing a lot of make-up. Rdy Orwell called the man on the watch and told him to bring the lady in. “What were you doing there, Miss Richmond?” he asked, after requesting her ID.

“I was looking ng for Dexter. I heard that he was taken by the police. I wanted to check. I have to go back and take care of her her, otherwise Dexter will kill me!’ she cried before she started to cry. “Who do you have to take care of?” Rudy asked. “A little girl. I don’t know her name, but she’s very beautiful. She has long brown hair and blue eyes.” “Yes, that’s my daughter. That’s Elise!” Tom cried. *** “So, Dexter! There is a woman who pretends you hired her to babysit a girl, who happens to look exactly like Elise. Her name is Miss Richmond. Do you have anything to tell us?” Louis asked. “I don’t know what she is talking about. I’ve never seen her before,” he said, while the police officers were bringing the young woman in. “He’s lying!!! He told me that if I was not taking care of the little girl, he’d kill me,” Miss Richmond replied, grasping Rudy’s arm. Tom clenched his fists in the observation room, behind the oneway mirror.

CHAPTER 5 The next day, in the morning, Rudy and Louis went to the cabin with a warrant. Tom and Bella wanted to be there too, but they were told to stay put and wait. The police arrived at the cabin. They knocked at the door but no one answered. They were worried that Elise had left the house during the night. Rudy and Louis quickly set a search party and told them to look for Elise in the forest while they were continuing their investigation. They decided to break the door and check the cabin. It was a big cabin with lots of rooms. Unfortunately, they didn’t find the missing girl anywhere in the cabin. The cops decided to go back to the police station and talk to Dexter Raff again. *** Rudy and Louis called the parents and told them to meet in the park where the girl had disappeared. The worried couple arrived there immediately. “Ms and Mr Crawford!” Rudy greeted them. “Do you have good news?” Bella asked, feeling hopeful. “We searched the cabin but there was no trace of Elise. We also have a search party that is looking for her in the forest as we speak.” “You have to find her! You just have to find her and I’ll reward you with lots of money,” Tom said, already feeling hopeless. “We have some news, but they aren’t good. We still haven’t found her and Dexter Raff won’t tell us anything. The general prosecutor agreed that we should use the lie detector to prove is guilt. I am positive he had kidnapped your daughter.” “OK, good idea, but can you move faster please? My daughter must be terrified,” said Tom. 38

“We’ll do everything we can, Mr. Crawford,” Rudy explained. The cops went to the police station to interrogate Dexter again. The man looked exhausted, clearly suffering from sleep deprivation. “Well, Dexter, we searched the cabin and guess what? We found Elise there!” Louis said with relief in his voice. “That’s impossible! She’s somewhere else! She must be!” he said quickly, before realising he had just exposed his guilt. But Louis understood. It was enough to place Dexter under arrest. *** The cops went to the Crawford’s residence. “Well, Dexter sort of admitted kidnapping your daughter, and we arrested him. He told me that she’s not in the cabin, she’s somewhere else,” Rudy explained. “And did he say where my daughter is?” Tom asked worriedly. “No. He didn’t want to tell anything else, but at least we know that Elise is alive.” “How did all of this happen?” Bella asked before she sat down. “He must have been there, in the park. He must have watched you and Elise. He found the perfect moment when you left for icecream and she was alone. Then, he brought her to the cabin. She must have fought him and her dress got caught in the branches, that’s how we found it. He must have asked Miss Richmond to take care of Elise. When she heard he had been arrested and the little girl was there alone, she decided to…” “Move her somewhere else, obviously. Her place! But what did you do with that woman? Where is she?” Tom demanded to know. 39

“Oh, we let her go after she wrote her statement. She looked rather terrified by Dexter,” Rudy explained. “So, you let her go? This woman has my daughter!” Tom said angrily. “I’m sure Miss Richmond is innocent. Elise must be somewhere else!” Louis declared, feeling very confident. *** The next day, in the morning, Tom was on his way to his office when he met Harry Davis, his neighbour. Harry was also a police officer and he knew everyone in the town. “Hello, Tom! How have you been? How are those lovely ladies of yours? ” “Oh, Harry! Not good! Haven’t you heard? Elise is missing,” Tom said and explained his neighbour what had happened. “Oh, that’s terrible news. How is Bella? How is she hanging on?” “She’s not feeling OK. She doesn’t want to eat and sleep, and she cries a lot.” “I’m so sorry for you! Let’s hope that Elise is well,” he added. “Yeah, I want to believe that, but it’s been so long since she vanished…” Tom added in a sad voice. Harry came closer to Tom and placed his hand over the man’s shoulder. “Can I ask you something?” “Yes, of course!” Tom said, looking into Harry’s eyes. “Who is in charge of the case?” “Officer Louis Patel and Officer Rudy Orwell. Do you know them?”

“Never heard of them,” Harry answered. “Maybe I don’t remember them. I have to go now. Hope that everything turns out well for you!” “See you, Harry!” Harry Davis immediately looked into the matter and found out that Louis Patel and Rudy Orwell were, in fact, wanted men! The Interpol was looking for them for kidnapping children! Officer Davis immediately contacted Tom: “Tom, I looked into the matter! I’m afraid I have bad news. Rudy and Louis aren’t cops, as they said. They are criminals. They are wanted by the Interpol for kidnapping five children so far. It’s in their record.” “Are you being serious?” “Yes, I ran their names through our database and found out that they were arrested some time ago for child molestation but they were never proven guilty and their names were cleared.” “Oh, my God!…” Tom gasped. “Don’t be afraid. Tell me everything you know.” “Can we go to that cabin?” Harry asked after hearing the story. *** When they arrived at the cabin, the cameras weren’t there anymore. Harry searched the place very carefully and found one camera, which Rudy and Louis had forgotten in a tree. Harry removed the memory cip and went to the police station to watch the recording. It seemed that after Louis arrested Dexter, he returned at the cabin with his accomplices, including Miss Richmond. At midnight, they took a corpse out of the door. It was little, the size of a child.

CHAPTER 6 Officer Davis called Tom to give him the bad news. He then asked the grieving father to help him catch the criminals and revenge Elise’s death. Tom agreed and called Louis asking him to meet at the police station as he had some questions for Dexter. Louis and Rudy did not suspect anything. They were all in the room, when they heard: “Police! Don’t move!” Harry was in charge of the operation. There were real polecemen who handcuffed the suspects and took them to Detroit Police Department. “Well, well, well! Who we have here? Louis Patel and Rudy Orwell. I remember you very well, but do you remember me?” Officer Davis asked. “Yes, yes!” said Rudy elated. “Glad to see you again… I was wondering what…” but before ending his sentence, Louis shut him off, “Enough!” “So, do you remember me, Rudy Orwell? Why do we meet again? Can you tell me?” “Yes, of course. It’s this girl...” Rudy said before Louis’ hand landed on top of his mouth. “SHUT UP!” Louis yelled in an angry voice, before being taken to another room. “It’s better without Louis, isn’t it?” asked Harry. “Yes, now we can talk, my friend!” said Rudy. “So, tell me, what did you do with Elise?” “Louis did. He killed her. They needed her liver. It’s a pity she was so beautiful. I told Louis we could just settle for the money her father had given us. He left it on the porch.” 42

“So, is the cabin yours?” “Yes!” “And Dexter and Miss Richmond, who are they?” “Sarah is Louis’ girlfriend. She’s so beautiful, isn’t she? And Dexter is his cousin. He wanted to save the little girl but …” Louis denied everything until Officer Davis brought in Sara Richmond. As soon as she saw the handcuffs around her wrist, she confessed everything. Eventually, Louis told them where Elise’s corpse was. Louis Patel was found guilty for first-degree murder. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The others got away with 15 years for complicity to the crime. Bella cleaned Elise’s dress, the pink one with flowers, for the funeral. With sad eyes, she watched the coffin being lowered in the ground, while her right hand rested on her tummy, comforting the new life inside.

The End By : Pop Andreea Pop Eduard Mureșan Darius Hadăr Amanda

Illustration by: Hadăr Amanda 43

CHAPTER 1 It was a foggy autumn evening in the year 1997 in Sandstorm, Arkansas. Alisha, a 12-year-old girl, with brown eyes and red hair was staying with her grandmother, Ms. Gray, at her house in a peaceful little town, while her mother, Mary Gray, and her stepdad, Mr. Rowel, were working overnight. Alisha was a very smart girl. Her grandfather and her younger sister died due to cancer a long time ago and her real father was in prison. Her mother decided to remarry after she had met Mr. Rowel. Mary Gray was a very kind woman with red hair and green eyes. She was in love with Mr. Curtis Rowel. She thought she had found her soul mate. Mr. Rowel was a very tall guy with white hair and a very grumpy face but he was always kind and considerate towards her. What she didn’t know was that he was very jealous on Alisha and the attention she got from her mother. Just before dusk, Ms. Gray asked her granddaughter to run to the chemist’s and buy her some medicine because she was not feeling very well. Alisha listened to her grandmother as she always did and sprang out the door. On her way to the chemist’s, Alisha had a clear feeling of being chased but she chose to ignore it and continue her way. Soon after she had entered the chemist’s, a very tall guy with a black outfit, a hat and very dark sunglasses entered the chemist’s as well. He looked a bit suspicious, but he just asked for some herbal tea and nobody seemed to notice him any longer. After Alisha had bought the medicine, she left he shop, suspecting nothing. At the corner of the street she fell down, dead. The chemist’s and his assistant left shortly after. As they were closing the shop, they noticed the little girl on the pavement. They ran there to find her dead. They immediately called 911. 44

CHAPTER 2 a Robert MacMillan was detective at Sandstorm Police Station. He had worked for the police his entire life. fe. He was tall and black. His partner, Mark Nelson was a tall man with white hair and green eyes. He has been a good friend of Robert since they were kids. Jesse Fisher was a beautiful woman in her thirties thirties, one of the few poilce women in the department.. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. Mark had left the building a few minutes before, telling them he needed a break. Robert and Jesse were busy doing paperwork when they got a call. *** Ms. Gray was outside her house, calling for Alisha. She should have been back in less 10 minutes, as the chemist’s wa was near their house. It has already been 20 minutes… … What is keeping her? Ms. Gray thought,, while leaving the house and heading towards the chemist’s.. When she arrived, she saw a group of people gathered in a big circle in the middle of the road. “What happened?” she asked, pushing her way closer closer. “A girl had been killed!” the chemist’s answered. A terrible feeling told her… but it couldn’t be her… The old lady knelt down beside the dead body yelling, “No!! No! That’s my granddaughter! How could something like this happen happen? How did this happen? Why her? Why?” *** 45

The police arrived at 9.27 p.m. Robert MacMillan and Jesse Fisher got out of the police van and headed towards the body. Mark Nelson arrived a few seconds after that. They were all shocked by what they saw. “What happened here?” Robert asked. “My granddaughter is… dead!” Ms. Gray yelled with tremendous pain in her voice, looking as pale as the corpse in her arms, while Jesse was trying in vain to soothe her. “When did this happen?” asked Mark. “Almost half an hour ago,” he answered. “What were you doing at that time?” Jesse asked, while she was still trying to calm Ms. Gray. “We were closing the store when we saw the girl. She was still warm when we arrived!” said one of the workers. “Oh! Did you see anybody?” Mark asked, looking disgusted by everything he had seen so far. “No! No!” they both answered. So, the killer fled quickly afterwards, Jesse thought, looking around for clues. “We’ll have to start an investigation a.s.a.p. and we also need to find the girl’s parents! You two, be at the police station tomorrow morning at 8.00 a.m. We need to take your statement!” Robert ordered, carefully examining the witnesses and their reaction. “Sure, no problem! We’ll be there!” they both said. The ambulance took the pale, grieving grandmother and her dead granddaughter to the hospital. Jesse noticed a brown leather wallet on the ground. She picked it up and opened it. 46

CHAPTER 3 The next day the witnesses went to the police station. “So, who was in that shop before the crime?” “Well… There was this odd looking suspicious male at the same time the girl was there,” one of the witnesses explained. “And what did he buy?” “He bought some herbal tea!” “What was he wearing?” “Well… a black outfit, a hat and very dark sunglasses, which I found odd, as it was already dark outside”, the witness explained. “Ok, we have to go back there! Now!” said Robert. They went back to the shop looking for any type of evidence. Then Jesse noticed the surveillance camera. They went back to the station to analyse it. They saw the girl entering the shop and after 10 seconds, a tall male entered as well. Although he was with his back to the camera, they could notice his white hair as the hat he was wearing didn’t cover the back of his head. “Ok, so we know that he has white hair!” Jesse concluded. “Yeah! Oh, Jesse, what have you found in the wallet?” Robert intervened. “Nothing! Just a few dollars. I was so disappointed!” she answered, “And by the way… Where is Mark?” she asked. “Oh! The tall guy with the white hair?” asked the worker. “Wait!!! That’s right!” Jesse shouted, “He is tall, he has white hair and he was…” “He was late when we were called last night!” Robert intervened again. 47

“Oh, no! This could only mean…” Jesse felt uneasy to finish her thought. “He’s one of the suspects!” Robert finished her sentence. *** They got a call from the hospital telling them that Ms. Gray got a little bit better. They invited her to the police station. When Ms. Gray arrived, two hours later, she said, “I still can’t believe she’s dead!” “We neither,” everyone said. “Do her parents know?” asked Ms. Gray. “Err….We couldn’t reach them last night, but we’ll tell them right now”, Jesse explained and rushed to call Mary Gray. “Hello! Jesse Fisher here. I’m with Sandstorm PD.” “Good morning, officer! Mary Gray speaking.” “Ms. Gray, we have some bad news! Please take a seat!” “Ok… What is it? Is my daughter OK? What about my mom?” “Well… Here’s the problem! Your daughter is… well… she is… dead!” “You’re joking! Is this a prank? She is with my mom! It’s impossible!” the mother screamed in terror. Jesse tried to explain the situation but she couldn’t finish the conversation as the mother lost consciousness. Later she arrived at the police station with her husband asking about her daughter. “Where is she? I have to see her!” Mary Gray demaned. “Soon, Ms. Gray. She is taken care of by professionals right now”, the police officers explained. Mary sank into a chair. Her husband did not seem touched by the gravity of the situation. 48

“What about you, Mr. Rowel?” Robert asked. “Sorry, what are we talking about?” Curtis Rowel asked, a bit confused on what was happening. “You don’t look upset that your step-daughter died!” “What? Well, I’ve just remembered something!” he answered absent-minded. suspects! A tall “I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re one of the suspects guy with white hair was seen in the chemist’s on the night of the murder at around 9 p.m.” “Are you crazy? It’s my stepdaughter you’re talking about! I’d never do something like that!” he yelled. ou weren’t at “About that… Curtis, where were you last night? You work for sure at that time!” Mary admitted with tears on her face. “Well… well… I…!” Curtis was trying to find his words. “Take him in!” yelled Robert while some officers were already handcuffing Curtis Rowel. “But…!” “But nothing! You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!” “Wait! It could be Donald Forman, our neighbour! He is tall too and he has white hair. I always knew he was a pervert by the way he kept looking at Alisha,” Curtis confessed. “Then we’ll talk to him, too!” Robert concluded.

CHAPTER 4 It was already 11.00 a.m. and everyone was there, except for Officer Mark Nelson, who was still missing. He arrived 20 minutes later and was taken directly to the interrogation room. The interrogation room was a small place in the back of the police station with a wooden table and four old chairs. Mark was sitting on one of them. Meanwhile, Robert and Jesse were analysing every piece of information in their office, while Curtis and Donald were freaking out behind bars! “Hey, Robert! Guess what?” Jesse whispered, showing him the computer screen. “What?” “Look at this scene! The suspect gives the money to the cashier. Can you see this?” she asked, pointing to a ring on the suspect’s finger. “There is something written on it, but I can’t find out what is! The quality of the video is not good enough!” Jesse complained. “Oh! That’s a very important detail indeed!” Donald Forman wasn’t wearing a ring, which reduced the suspects circle to Curtis Rowel and Mark Nelson, who were both wearing rings: the name “SARAH” was written on Mark’s ring and the name “ELISABETH” was written on Curtis’ ring. Sarah was Mark’ wife. They have been married for 10 years. The police found out that Curtis mother’s name was Elisabeth. Donald Forman was free to go and he left wearing a big smile on his face. The chemist was asked if he noticed a ring on the suspects’s finger. He remembered a ring and said that there was a short name written on it. Robert got a phone call from Paul Brook, the owner of the fanciest bar in the town, who had found out about the murder from the local radio news. He told him that Curtis Rowel was at the bar the previous night and a couple of drinks. 50

Robert and Jesse entered the interrogation room to ask Mark why he was late on the night of the murder. Mark found his words very hard and explained: “My daughter, Erika,, was having one of her seizures, so I had to drive Sarah and her to the hospital.” rah to find out When Jesse heard that, she immediately called Sarah more. now,” Sarah “Erika is OK! She hasn’t had a seizure for two weeks now, said surprised that Mark would make up something like that that. *** “So, Jesse! It has all came to an end!”” Robert concluded, in complete disappointment. “Who could have thought that about Mark? But I wonder why?” “Yeah, we’ll have to tell everyone about this!”

CHAPTER 5 “Why, Mark? Why did you do it?” “He paid me!” Mark said. “I needed the money. You know how much Erika’s treatment costs!” “Who paid you?” Jesse asked in complete shock. “Curtis Rowel. He wanted to get rid of her, I don’t know why and I don’t care. I just wanted the money,” Mark explained. “He will deny it, obviuosly. Check the bar’s surveillance camera, if you don’t believe me!” he added. Robert immediately called Paul Brook and asked about the footage. When they checked it, they saw Mark arriving at the bar a few minutes before Curtis. Then there was a footage of Curtis giving Mark a thick envelope, and then Mark exited the bar shortly after 9. “See?! Told ya’! That’s the money, in the envelope!” Mark said with a very satisfied face. “How did you do it, Mark?” Jesse asked. “I followed the girl into and out of the chemist’s, I got her at the corner of the street and broke her neck in one move. I hid behind a building and waited for the police to arrive before I showed myself at the crime scene. And that’s pretty much it!” “Oh, I see! That is why you asked for a break? To meet Curtis and kill Alisha.” “Yeah! Kinda’. But I wasn’t planning to kill her that night, though. I just seized the opportunity.” “It’s time for you to go behind bars,” said Jesse while two officers were leading Mark into the cell.

CHAPTER 6 The court sentenced Mark to life imprisonment for first degree murder and Curtis to 20 years for complicity to first degree murder. Sarah Nelson filed for a divorce a week after her husband was sent to prison. Mary Gray burried her daughter and made regular visits to the prison where Curtis was held. Robert Macmillan and Jesse Fischer coul not understand why she kept in touch with her daughter’s killer. They went on working for Sandstorm PD and became partners. After 15 years, Curtis Rowel was released for good conduct and Mary Gray welcomed him home. “I’m so happy that we are together again!” she told him, “I forgive you, my dear!” They decided it would be better for them to start fresh and move to a big city, somewhere where nobody knew or remebered what they did. So, they chose Cincinnati, Ohio, where they found jobs, a house and they led a happy life, in spite of their dark past. Life isn’t perfect!

The End By: Zurgălău Rareș Trifan Roxana Banyai Daniel Ötvös Roza

Illustration by: Kara Medeea Șandru 53

CHAPTER 1 It was late autumn when a group of university students decided to go on a camping trip to a forest, not so far from where they lived.. The weather was very cold for this time of the year. The forest was already rusty and a thick layer of dead leaves colored the ground in shades of yellow, orange and brown. The idea of going camping came from Jessica Lange, a 20 year yearold student at a pharmacy college, who loved nature & animals, was very sociable, kind of bossy, but a good company to have. Her best friend was Sarah Ferguson, a 21-year-old old model that always travelled, loved shoes, foreign languages & her hair. Sarah was going out with Greg Davidson. It wasn’t anything serious but she liked him despite being younger. Greg a 19-year-old artist that had a very old but good taste of fashion, liked starring at people and things in general, that’s probably why some people thought he was mad… James Liptak, a shy guy, Greg’s room-mate, liked cooking spaghetti for some reason, had a cat, mommy’s boy, had never had a girlfriend and was kind of a loner. Then there was Erik, Jessica’s cousin, that one handsome guy that appears in every teenage girl’s dream, secretly in love with Sarah. 54

Finally, there were Damon & Tina, a couple living next door to Jessica, madly in love with each other, both love singing and have a bad habbit of ordering pizza every single evening. They all agreed to Jessica’s idea. James got his dad’s van. They stuffed it with their things, (mostly Sarah’s...) and set off. Leaves were everywere the road and the wind was annoyingly blowing them everywhere.

CHAPTER 2 As soon as they arrived at the camping area, they unpacked and prepared their tents. When everything was set, Greg came with the idea of making a campfire and James offered to help. As he was passing Damon and Tina's tent, James heard his name being said. He bent closer to hear what the two of them were saying about him. “I bet that psycho won't deal with that fire,” Damon laughed. “Definitely! He can't deal with anything, mommy’s litte boy," Tina added. “Come on! He’s a pshyco. I don’t know why Greg likes him.” “Well, he can cook spaghetti! Such a freak!” Tina said, bursting into a terrible laugh. When he heard what they were talking behind his back, James got extremely irritated and angrily continued his way. Later that night, after dinner, the girls went to their tents to catch up with some sleep, while the boys had to clean the place and prepare the wood for the fire. They were supposed to guard the camp, one by one, till morning. The first shift was Damon’s. He took a knife from his tent and then went into the forest to gather some more wood for the fire. Minutes passed and he didn't return, so the others decided to check on him. After half an hour there was still no sign of Damon. “Didn't he say that he was going to the same place where he first found the wood?” Greg asked. “I guess... I didn’t quite pay attention to him”, James explained.

* * * After a while, they finally got to the spot Greg was talking about. They found Damon, hanging from a tree. His skin was pale white. His neck surrounded by a thick rope, was covered in red br bruises. Everything looked eerie. Silence engulfed the forest. There was nothing they could do for Damon now. * * * When Tina found out, she collapsed. After she regained consciousness, she began crying like never before. “Sarah, you and Jessica and go take care of Tina. I am going to call the police and we'll try to figure out what happened,” Greg said. “Umm... What are we doing now?” James asked worriedly. “Call the police, definitely! There is a murderer out there. He might be one of us,” Erik said, looking around in terror. “How do you know that?” James asked. “Easy, James! Relax!” Greg was trying to calm them down, “We're going to get through this,” he added before leaving to check on Tina.

CHAPTER 3 The situation began to look more and more tense. Everyone had suspicions. Apparently, this little trip started to become a nightmare. Everything became grey, just like Tina's mood. “Sarah, how is Tina?” Greg wanted to know. “She is still in pain. We’ve tried to help but nothing really works”, Sara explained. “Have you guys already called the police?” Jessica asked. “Yes, they're on their way. I assume that they must be here in a few minutes,” Erik answered. “It won't take too long... just an eternity," James whispered between his teeth. “Jesus, James! There is no need to be rude... Don't you see that she is having a hard time?” Greg scolded his room-mate. “I was just trying to make a joke...” James said, feeling ashamed. It didn't take too long for Tina to burst into tears again. She wasn't feeling fine and hearing those mean words did not help her either. But she knew that nothing would be solved if she continued to act like that. She had to become stronger. * * * The police arrived to the scene in about hals an hour. No one was allowed to leave the premises for the time being. Apparently, the only people who could come and go were the sheriff and his two deputies. “I want to talk to all of you. One by one! The deputies will search the place. So, go to your tents and stay there until I call you!” the Sheriff explained.

* * * I started to feel anxious about this whole police thing, he thought while going back to his tent, as instructed. Luckily, these three are not professionasl, just some country sheriff and his deputies. Nobody suspects me. There is nothing to connect me to the murder. I must keep it that way! I just have to focus and give the right answers when they question me. Then wait for their raction when they find out the little surprise I had prepared for them! The picture will terrify them forever. I don't feel guilty at all, I had my reasons for what I did. * * * The boys were asked to lead the deputies to the place where they found Damon. A horrible view came in, which made everyone's hair rise on their hands. The thick rope was still surrounding Damon's pale body, but the head was missing. Drops of blood were draining out of the fresh wound. Everyone was terrified. Nobody understood what was going on but they all had the feeling that it was just the beginning. After hours of searching, Damonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head was still nowhere to be found. It disappeared completely. They all decided it was best for everyone if they went back to the camp and resumed their search in the morning. The sheriff and his deputies drove away while the boys headed back to the camp.

CHAPTER 4 Everyone was sitting around the fire, trying to warm up a bit. “Okay... So, what now? You heard what the sheriff said,” Greg told the others. “Let's talk a bit. Maybe talking will release the tension for now,” Jessica adviced. “We'll be fine if we stay together. Tomorrow is our last day here and we can then go back home,” Erik added. “I assume we can stay a bit and then go to sleep before we freeze to death,” Greg said and then he watched the fire, his thoughts rummaging through his head. It didn't take long and everyone went back to their tents. Each of them wanted the nightmare to end as quickly as possible. * * * Now that the sheriff is gone, things will be easy, he thought, while sneaking out of his tent. He could barely see anything. The night had already settled in and the forest was in complete darkness. He was passing Sarah's tent, when he heard her talk on the phone. He knew she was talking about him, although she did not mention his name. “[…] I really can't understand why he did it! I began to figure everything out earlier this evening. […] No, why? It’s not like someone’s listening to everything I say?” Sarah said before she lost the signal. Apparently, she knows something. I have to do something… before anybody else finds out, he thought and hid behind a tree as Sarah was coming out of her tent, with a toilet paper roll in her right hand. As she was walking by, he got his knife and stabbed her in the back, multiple times. She didn't even have time to scream, he was 60

too quick for her. Her skin got pale, the knife still, dug deep into her back. She passed away quickly, the blood dripping heavily from her wounds. He was contemplating how life was leaving her body. When she stopped moving, he sneaked back to his tent, removed his gloves and shoved them in his backpack. He was going to pretend that nothing happened and went to sleep. Suddenly, there was a loud scream and the whole camp was awake. Greg had found Sarah’s body. “God, please! Tell me this isn't really happening, that I am having a nightmare,” he begged. “First Damon, and now Sarah? What is going on?” Jessica screamed in terror. The situation was getting out of control. This was the second death, so the group had the right to panic. There was nobody there to help them. “Let's all stay together! This way the killer can’t get to us,” Greg suggested. “Tina's tent is the biggest tent. We can all go there," Jessica said, gathering her stuff. “Yes, you all go and take your sleeping bags and we'll meet here,” Tina said, clearing the space for her friends. “Erik, bring the water cans so we don't have to leave the tent till morning”, Greg ordered. None of them slept well but they rested for an hour or two. The next morning the Sheriff came with his deputies to find another body, Sarah's. It was already ice cold. He carefully collected the knife in a plastic bag to be later analysed for fingerprints. I'm not sure I remember who touched it last night when we had to cut the wood for the fire, he thought, but I am sure that I didn't. I wore gloves when I killed her, so I am safe for now. 61

CHAPTER 5 Everyone was in shock, and some were crying, especially the girls. After two deaths, it was clear that the young people were being 'hunt' like prey. The guys were trying to make them more comfortable but all they could do was just stare into their eyes. They clearly didn't know how to react. “Sarah was such a good person, everyone loved her. Why would someone do something like that to her?” Greg broke the silence. “Maybe she found out about Damon’s murderer! She has never had any enemies, so that would be the only option left!” Tina suggested. “Great point of view, Tina!” Jessica agreed. “The murderer must have known that she found out about him and killed her to cover up his traces!” “But who is he? Two people have already been murdered! We have to do something about it!” Greg demanded. “What if... the killer is right here, watching us,” James asked. The sudden silence was broken by a mobile phone ringing. It was Tina’s. She told them that the sheriff was expecting the lab result any time soon and that he would drive there later on. Everyone started to speak loudly. Greg stopped them: “Silence! We are going to go to the police station. I don’t think we should wait here any longer. The killer might be on the watch to get to one of us. Let’s hurry to the van! Now!” he ordered, and everyone followed him. “I don't know what to say. What if the murderer is still going to get us?” James asked worriedly. “Don't be silly! He will go to jail!” Jessica said while opening the door of the van. It didn't take too long and everyone was in the van, except for the 62

driver. James was such a perfectionist and he was always late. They were all getting really impatient. When James got to the van, they all threw him some nasty looks. “What took you so long?” Jessica wanted to know. “Ok, fine, I'm sorry! It took me a while to get ready.” “Just shut up and drive!” Tina told him. They arrived at lab after a half-an-hour drive. The sheriff was waiting for them in front of the lab. He took them to the office, where there was a brown envelope on the table. “Who is going to open it? We need to know the result,” the Sheriff asked, but no one answered. They kept looking at the envelope with blank eyes. “Don't even think about it!” Greg said and started to rip off the edges of the envelope. His hands were shaking, just like everyone's else. Finally, Greg pulled out the paper. The results were there, in front of them. A great silence fell on the lab. Everyone was staring at the paper, shocked by what they saw…

CHAPTER 6 “How could you do that, James?! We had trusted you,” Greg asked. “Come on, you know he is a psycho, we all know that. I should have known. That's why he killed Damon! He must have overheard what we said about him”, Tina explained. “I swear it wasn't me!” James cried out. “Don't lie, James! We all know it was you!” Tina stated. “Okay, I did hear you two talking about me, but I didn’t kill Damon!" “Okay, maybe he is right,” Erik intervened. “But how do you explain the fingerprints which were on the knife? They don't lie, James! They are your fingerprints!” “I really didn't do it, guys! The last time I used the knife was the night before Sarah died and that was to cut the wood,” James explained. “What are you going to do to me?” he then asked as the Sheriff was coming closer to him. “Well, you are under arrest until the trial. The rest of you, guys, you can go back to the camp for the night. You’ll be safe now that the killer is in custody!” he added. * * * The sheriff drove the group back to the camp. They all looked calm, as if nothing had happened. The boys made another fire, to warm up. It was getting late and they all had some serious sleep to catch. “For our safety, I think we should all sleep together again,” Erik stated. “That's OK,” Tina agreed. “Your sleeping bags are all here anyway,” she added. 64

They were soon gathered in Tina’s tent, except for Jessica, who wanted to grab something from her tent. She said she was not going be long. * * * “So... it really wasn't him,” Greg thought in a loud voice. He looked at the pair of thights he was holding and pulled them with a sudden move to check their strenght. They will work just perfect for choking someone, he thought. I’ve been lucky so far. They all think it was James all along. There is still one thing I should take care of Jessica. He sneaked out behind Jessica’s back, then quickly wrapped the thights arround her neck and pulled hard enough to strangle her. As she was struggling to escape his grip, she managed to turn around and see him. She looked deeply into his eyes. Her body was lying motionless on the ground. Her pale skin, the purple marks on her neck, the pair of thights wrapped around her neck, the shock in her frozen look… Everything was in its place, waiting to be discovered. Until somebody else found out, just to get what all the others got… Pain!

The End By: Vlad Antonia Luță Elsa Roșca Alex Moldovan Ioana Stan Sebastian Illustration by: Luță Elsa 65

CHAPTER 1 It was a sunny day in Los Angeles. There was a great buzz all over Beverly Hills. Abu Ramal was at the butcherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. He owned the small business and he was very happy with it. Abu was a shy guy from Yemen who emigrated to the U.S.A because of the civil war. He usually worked on weekdays but today oday he wanted to leave earlier earlier. He had an urgent personal matter. He was tall, with dark hair and big black eyes. He had deer eyes, so mild and peaceful. In the center of L.A., Mark Tailor, a detective from C.I.A., was drinking coffee with his partner Dorothy Dawson, a beautiful woma woman in her thirties. The were both in the Narcotics Division. Mark Tailor was a tall guy with a dark complexion and a long chin; he was always good looking, and he liked wearing a cashmir jacket with his tight jeans. He was a big fan of L.A. Lakers and he did not miss any of their matches. He did not have a family, because he always worksed late. He lived in a big lonely house in Hollywood with his dog Chop. He loved cooking and playing baseball with the other C.I.A. fellows. Working at C.I.A. was difficult, especially when one had to deal with guns and drugs dealers like Omar D. and Michael DeSanta.

Mrs. Dorothy Dawson was a short, pretty woman, yet very aggressive, with a military-like like attitude. She lived in Beverly Hills in a little cozy house, with her cat Mrs.Cute. She loved Turkish soap operas. She had had a sad childhood as she had grown up in a neighborhood full of drugs and gangs and she was left orphan at 16. At the age of 20 she joined the U.S. Army and then the C.I.A. She was a strong petite woman with big dreams. ***

CHAPTER 2 At the corner of St. Peter’s Boulevard and Queen Victoria Street, Omar D. was selling drugs. Cocaine, most likely. That was his specialty. He always took care so that no one noticed him actually selling the drugs. Omar D. was known in the neighbourhood as the most dangerous drug dealer in L.A. He was a very tall, athletic man with broad shoulders. He had an army of men, all muscles and well worked out. They were referred to as ,,The Ballas’’. Omar was preparing to close a deal when he noticed Abu Ramal, on the opposite side of the street, studying them. He took out his gun and quickly shot the witness, before disappearing in a dark van. *** When the C.I.A. arrived, the street was full of blood. Abu Ramal was lying on the pavement, still holding his phone. The last number he dialed was 991. “Very interesting”, Mark thought, “I know this must be Omar’s hand! Headshot between the eyes is his signature”, he said, carefully examining the head wound. C.S.I. took the body to the lab for further investigation. “I don’t know what to say. Omar might have been caught in the act while selling drugs… Ramal must have seen him when he went out from his store”, added Mrs. Dorothy Dawson. “Something like that. We need to find Omar immediately and arrest him”, Mr. Tailor exclaimed, “This must be his last crime!” “I agree!”, his partner said. “Here, come and take a look at these traces. They seem fresh! Omar might have fled by car or something”, Mr. Tailor said while looking carefully at the wheel traces. 68

“Yeah, we might be fortunate. Let’s take a look at those”, Mrs. Dorothy Dawson added, noticing the CCTV cameras above the butcher’s. “Yes, let’s go!” Mark Tailor agreed and then he saw some oil trails on the street. “Look! Oil trails”, he said happily. “Yes it’s probably from the van!” exclaimed Dorothy Dawson. “Let’s follow he trail”, Mark added. *** They followed the oil trail for 3 kilometers. They arrived at an abandoned factory. The van was parked there. “Should we go in before we call for backup? It looks very dangerous.” “Yes, but that’s our job! You don’t need to be afraid, we can do this together!” “You’re right. Let’s go in!” Dorothy agreed and followed him inside, their guns ready. They found a second entrance in the building.. They heard some people talking. Someone noticed them and asked “Who’s there?” Mark Tailor managed to call for backup before the cross fire began. Mrs. Dorothy Dawson was shot in the leg. The Special Forces arrived but Omar escaped. They found a lot of weed in the basement. “Wow! That’s a lot of weed. I bet this costs about 1 million dollars”, Dorothy exclaimed. “Obviously! This is pure Marijuana. Probably over 1 million”, Mark explained. 69

“I’m impressed, Omar. You run a great business!” Dorothy said ironically. Somewhere in the factory a security man was found hiding in a boot. He had hidden there when the shooting began. He was taken to the C.I.A. base for interrogation. The guard was led into the “White Room”, the most secretive interrogation room. “What’s your name?” asked Mr. Mark Tailor. “Johnson Amadeus,” the suspect said. “What were you doing there?” Mark Tailor asked. “Guarding the freezer of the meat factory, sir.” “A meat factory?” Mark asked showing genuine surprise. “Yes, sir. Mr. Ramal’s meat factory.” “Ok, that’s interesting news! Thank you for the information! You can go now,” Mark Tailor said before standing up and getting ready to leave he room. After the interrogation, the C.I.A. detectives were very confused. “Probably, that’s the real reason why Omar killed Ramal” Dorothy Dawson stated, “He didn’t pay the rent for the factory.” *** They went back to the lab. The crew prepared the footage of the fatidic day recorded by the CCTV cameras. The detectives find out what really happened that day. There was a women fallen on the ground, in front of Ramal’s shop. A dark van drove by just as Ramal was getting out of his shop. He then noticed the woman and wanted to help her. He looked around for help and then took out his phone to call the ambulance. After three seconds he died, shot in head by Omar.

CHAPTER 3 The detectives returned to the factory, feeling there was something missing from the whole story. They found some keys on the floor with some sort of codes and a keyring attached to them. They had been dropped in a dark corner of the room, probably when the cross fire began. “These must be from a fancy house! I bet it is Omar’s home,” Mark said, examining the codes. They got back to the C.I.A. lab to find what those codes were. The keyring and the codes pointed to one location only: Liberty Street, number 3. The Special Forces descended to the location and forced their way in to find Michael DeSanta and Omar D. on a couch, smoking marijuana., surrounded by bags of cocaine. They were arrested on the spot. Omar D. was found guilty for the murder of 10 people and for drug trafficking and he was sentenced to 80 years in prison. Michel DeSanta got 25 years for drug trafficking. ,,The Ballas’’ were officially out of the game for ever. For the two detectives the ,,The Ballas’’ mission ended, but the crimes never stopped as the streets of L.A. were hiding other ilicit drug markets.

The End By: Bota Eduard Kardos Noemi Macarie Bogdan Porumb Adrian Hadăr David

Illustration by: Noemi Kardos 71

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 Kara Medeea Șandru, Antonia Vlad, Răzvan Rîcu, Rareș Zurgălău, Andreea Pop and Edu Bota for giving a helping hand with the typing of the stories and to Kara, Ariana, Amanda, Elsa and Noemi for illustrating the stories.

THANK YOU all for reading!

This book is a collection of detective stories written in groups at the beginning of the school year 2017/2018 by 8th grade students from ‘Tudor Vladimirescu’ Secondary School in Tg.Mureș, 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. Șandru, Teacher of English