Broken

Chapter 7

                     
                           
Ethan

I shiver as a cold breeze passes by. It's a bit chilly today. I don't think the jacket I'm wearing is enough. After Unwrapping the lemon flavoured lollipop I bought earlier, I put it in my mouth. Maybe I'll drop by at a cafe for something hot on the way to the police station. It would have been faster if I had my bicycle but unfortunately... it's busted.

The thought of my bicycle reminds me of the incident that happened yesterday with the girl. I could tell at a glance that she was a reserved person. It was amusing to see her expressions as I pressed on about her personal matters. Then again, I just love to push people's buttons. Although...she looked like she was angry and in a rush but still took the time to put on a bandage which was really unnecessary in my opinion. That was...kind of her I guess.

She seemed devastated though. Like she'd been crying a lot. Well, I hope the Lolipop cheered her up.

As I walk down the street, I look up at the sky. It's a beautiful day today even though it's a bit cloudy. The trees at the side of the road looking picture-perfect in shades of red, orange and yellow. I've always loved Autumn. The atmosphere is always refreshing.  As I pass by the house of an old lady I know, I see her sitting on a chair on her lawn drinking tea. I smile and wave at her and she does the same.

After a while, I finally reach a cafe. Upon entering, a gush of hot air mixed with the smell of coffee hits me. Soooo relaxing!

The interior has an aesthetic feel to it. There seems to be a few people here. Walking up to the counter, I make my order.

" One hot mocha, please "

" ok....it'll be done in a few minutes," the cashier says as I hand her the money and she gives me a receipt.

While I wait for my order, I start to surf through the net. Suddenly something catches my eye.

It's a picture of that girl from yesterday. Morgan.

I press the article.

...what?

Serial killer on the loose? Not only did she killed those two men from that street she killed her mother just yesterday evening? Is this for real?

" Sir ? " a woman's voice snaps me back to reality.

" yes? " I say to the cashier.

" umm, your drink ? " she says. I didn't notice.

" oh! Sorry about that. Thanks. " I grab my drink and walk out of there.

The hell? Morgan? A serial killer? I read the rest of the article as I blow on my hot coffee.

It seems she was caught red-handed in front of her mother's corpse by her neighbour. Before the police arrived she fled the scene. Hmmm, I have a weird feeling about this. It's hard to believe that that nice girl I met yesterday would do such a thing. I need to talk about this with my uncle.

Upon reaching the police station, I greet the guards outside. They try to behave so well in front of me it makes me laugh. Of course, my uncle is a strict lieutenant and my brother a police officer.

As soon as I walk in, I spot my big brother talking to someone with a file in hand.

" Hey, beanpole! " I yell at him. He and the other officer looks at me. He angrily glares at me and then gives the file to the other guy and tells him to go.

" what are you doing here!? " he says as he stomps over to me.

" awww, come on. I just missed my brother and uncle so much that I just couldn't wait to see them. " I say while making an innocent face.

" This isn't a playground! Get lost! " he says.

" ok ok wait, I'll go. I came to talk about this new serial killer stuff " I say as I finish the last drop of my coffee and throw the empty cup in the trash.

" look, it's none of you're business. Just leave. I've got more work to do because of that. " he insists.

" hey, I could help you guys too. " this may be weird but there have been few times when my uncle asked me for some advice. Because my gut feeling is almost always right. My brother gets annoyed obviously due to that. He's just jealous.

" No need. There's nothing a candy-loving high schooler like you could do in this case  " he says arrogantly.

" while all you could do is curl up into a ball in fear. Ha! I bet you bribes too don't you " I say while laughing.

" Zane, Ethan! What are you two doing!? " This hoarse voice belongs to my uncle. Someone definitely went and told him about my arrival.

" Uncle Max! I just came to see you and talk about something! " I say to him as he walks over to us. Zane stiffens up. 

Uncle pats my head and ruffles my hair " how many times have I told you. Only come here in case of emergencies. So what did you wanna talk about. " he may be a strict person but he has a soft spot for me and Zane.

" About this new serial killer case. How did you figure out the culprit? " I ask.

" Hmm, well I'm on my break anyway right now. Follow me," he says and leads me out of the police station. He ushers Zane to go back to work.

" So why are you interested to know ? " he asks.

" No reason. This isn't really the first time I'm curious about a case " I answer with a smile.

" This time it's a serial killer. I don't wanna get you involved. So don't get any bright ideas. " he says sternly.

" Don't worry. I'm just curious about it. Just wanna know. " I say.

" One of the neighbours found that girl with the body. As you probably read on the news, she ran away before we got there," he says. He looks worn out. We stop next to a tree. He takes out a cigarette and after lighting it, takes in the smoke. Aunt would be upset if she knew he still smokes.

" Is that all the evidence? And why did she kill her own mother?" I ask.

" The neighbour thinks the mother used to abuse the girl. They said they used to hear loud noises coming from there whenever the girl got home. So maybe, the kid just snapped. In the previous case concerning the two men, her DNA was found in the car. Not only that, her fingerprints were found on the murder weapon that was used to kill the mother" he says.

Abused? This is surprising. If that was the case then she must have been using makeup to hide any bruises since I don't remember seeing any on her. I could see why they'd suspect her. There's a lot of evidence pointing towards her. But...then why do I feel that there's more to the picture than meets the eye. Is she not the serial killer?

" Her DNA was found in the car right? Why was she even there? Could it be Kidnapping? I can't possibly think of any other reason "

" We think so too. One of the bodies was found in the basement. I bet those guys didn't know who they're dealing with. " he says.

But.. according to the news didn't some anonymous person call the ambulance? Was it her? Did she just want them to discover her gruesome work?

" Your brother is assigned to lead the investigation. "

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Zane is a hard worker but he isn't exactly the leading type. And he can be a bit insecure at times. Especially after what happened with dad...

" You should go home now. Tell your aunt I'll be coming late today," he says and walks back inside the police station.

I unwrap a pomegranate flavoured lollipop and put it in my mouth. I still find it hard to believe. She didn't seem like that kinda person. Should I look into this matter on my own too? I didn't want to start anything by telling them I met her yesterday.

If they get to her and it turns out that she wasn't guilty, then another innocent person will have to suffer. Even though there's evidence that it's her, I don't know why but deep down I feel that this isn't exactly the case.

Well! It's time to get involved!