Golden Murders

III.

Alexi's POV

24th October, 2015
11: 15 AM

Today was interrogation day. Most of the classes were cancelled due to the wake of the incident, but I still attended school anyway to check on my friends. I sat in my seat, fidgeting with my pen as the principal's words echoed in my mind.

"If any word of this gets out to the public, there will be severe consequences. Keep this as private as possible, understand? Anyone caught will be expelled, and it will tarnish your chances of admission to other schools," Mrs. Charlotte Whitlock had declared to the witnesses of the murder earlier, her tone left no room for argument.

I reclined in my chair, my expression twisted in disgust. A teacher had actually died on school grounds, and all the administration seemed to care about was their precious reputation. I cant shake the feeling that the school bribed the police with an insane amount of money to keep this confidential.

I heard the bell chime and let out a sigh as I reached for my bag. With two free classes ahead of me, I thought it would be a good idea to grab a meal with Hazel and Mythra at the school café. They probably have a free class as well. As I reached for my phone to shoot a text in the group chat, my ringtone interrupted me.

It was Hazel.

I furrowed my brows and answered the call, bringing the phone to my ear.

"What's up?"

Hazel's voice trembled as she spoke. "Ale-Alexi, you need to come down here-" Her words were filled with fright and nervousness, and I could sense the fear in her tone.

"Hazel?.. What's wro-"

"C-come to the teachers' staff room on the 3rd floor, and d-don't bring anyone with you," she spoke. Concern creeped its way onto my face.

I stayed silent for a moment, trying to make sense of the situation. Something serious must have happened on the 3rd floor. "On my way," I replied, my mind racing with worry.

——*——

11:28 AM

I hurried down the stairs to the 3rd floor, the halls were deserted once again since many people didn't attend school today. I spotted Hazel standing outside the staff room, her eyes wide open and her body quivering. Concerned, I slowed down and walked over to her.

"You okay? You look pale." I grabbed her shoulders, genuinely worried.

Her frightened expression remained unchanged. She did nothing but slowly point her shaking finger towards the door. I let go of her shoulders and walked to the door, sliding it open. At first glance, eveyrthing seemed normal, until I looked in the corner.

The room was empty, but in shambles. Papers and stationary were scattered on the floor, books tilted and torn. The curtains on the windows were ripped and some of the glass, shattered. But in the corner of my eye, I could see blood leaking out and spreading on the floor.

A whole puddle of blood lay in the corner, and on top of it, Mrs. Barlowe, lifeless.

——*——

2:39 PM

I clutched the edge of the chair that I sat on in the police station, waiting for my turn in the interrogation. Mythra, who sat next to me, placed a reassuring hand in my shoulder. I smiled at her warmly. We were in the police station for interrogation.

The image of Mrs. Barlowes dead body slipped into my mind once more, causing me to tighten my grip on the chair. Her pale face had two X's carved on it with a knife, one on each cheek. She had several deep slashes on her body and arms, almost like the murderer was taking out their rage on her.

The door clicked open and the person who finished with their turn walked out. An officer peeked his head through the door and called a name. The student sitting next to us got up and walked into the room, leaving me and Mythra alone in the waiting room.

A few minutes of nervous silence went by. "The door isn't closed." Mythra spoke to me silently.

The door to the interrogation room was left slightly ajar, the officers inside didn't seem to notice that it was open. Mythra shared a glance with me and slowly crept up to the door.

"What're you doing?" I asked.

"Shush, come with me." She grabbed my arm, pulling me up from the seat. The door creaked as Mythra pushed it open a little further, just enough for us to see inside.

"Someone could see us." I whispered to her, looking around to make sure we were alone. She ignored my words. We could hear the muffled voices of the officers as they questioned the student who had just entered. Mythra motioned for me to come closer, and we both strained to listen to the conversation. It was risky, but we were desperate for information.

The police questioned the person, their inquiries growing more pointed. "Is there anyone you suspect of being involved in the murder of Mr. Jeffrey Cromwell?" the officer asked, his voice firm.

The person hesitated, then began to speak. "Yes, I have my suspicions about-"

Just as they were about to finish, we heard footsteps and inaudible chatter coming from the distance. Our heads snapped in that direction, eyes widening but feet rooted to the ground. The voices were growing louder by the second. We couldn't move, and the officers would soon turn the corner.

Without a word, Mythra grabbed my arm and pulled me in the opposite direction, causing me to stumble. She yanked me into a small alcove, and we pressed ourselves against the wall, holding our breath and praying that we wouldn't be discovered.

The officers' footsteps walked past us and soon disappeared. We remained pressed against the wall, exchanging glances at eachother. Mythra peeled herself off the wall and stuck her head out of the corner to check.

"Gone?" I asked.

"Gone." She nodded.

I caught up to her side one again as we scrambled towards the door to listen.

"... she was there for both of the murders, and she was the first one to find both of the bodies.," The person being interrogated explained to the officers.Our eyes widened slightly as we exchanged a knowing glance, as if we could read each other's thoughts.

We didn't catch the name of the person they were referring to, but we do know who discovered both of the bodies first.

It was Hazel.

She's the prime suspect now.

——*——