A Girl, a Murder, and Twelve Dreadful Children

Chapter XV: Dani and Children, Detectives Inc.

Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured? -- Friedrich Nietzsche, Good and Evil

Dani, in spite of agreeing to what she privately considered a disaster waiting to happen, had very little hope of solving the case. With or without the children's help, but especially with it. Still, she had agreed. She might as well keep her word and let them do something to help.

"I have a list of things each of you can investigate," she announced.

The children sat up straight and looked far too eager. Dani felt rather as if she'd walked into a room full of dynamite.

"I'm going to sort you into two groups and give each group a task."

They all nodded in unison. Dani now felt as if she'd walked into a room full of dynamite while holding a burning candle.

"Please work together. If you need help, come and ask me." She almost laughed when she realised how much she sounded like a teacher assigning homework. "Try not to get into trouble." Wait, that was asking the impossible. "I mean, too much trouble."

More nods. Less enthusiastic ones this time, accompanied with some frowns and unhappy looks. Dani pretended not to see this. As long as they followed her orders, she didn't care too much if they weren't happy about it.

"Cathy, Jack, Amy, Kevin and Julie will look through Courtney's old Facebook and Twitter posts. Take a note of anything you think might be important. Rosie, Imogene, Harriett, Noah and Elias will go through these newspaper articles about the murder and look for references to dates and places. And Max..."

The youngest member of the family practically jumped up and down with excitement. Dani paused. She'd meant to tell him he was too young to help. But she remembered how much she had hated being told she was too young to do anything, and he would be distraught if he was left out.

"Max will help me investigate the people who knew Courtney in Enniskillen."

There. She'd given him what he thought was a job, but in practice she would be the only one actually working. That way, everyone stayed happy.

~~~~

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The steady, rhythmical noise forced its way into the man's brain. He stirred, muttering under his breath, and pulled his quilt over his ears.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

It wouldn't stop. It reverberated through his head, seeming to shake him to the bone. Cursing, the man sat up and turned on the light. He rubbed his bleary eyes and gazed sleepily around the room. The light drove the shadows away to the distant corners, allowing him to see there was nothing there.

Tap. Tap.

And yet the noise continued. Now that he was somewhat awake, he realised it wasn't in the room at all. It came from the bathroom down the landing.

He got out of bed and traipsed to the bathroom, turning on the landing light. Finally he found the source of the noise. It was the cord that turned on the bathroom light. It swung to and fro in the draft, knocking against the mirror at regular intervals.

The man tied it around the towel rail. He waited a minute to be sure it wouldn't hit the mirror again. Satisfied, he turned and went back to bed.

His bedroom door had closed of its own accord. He pushed it open.

A hundred eyes glared down at him. The shadows writhed, undaunted by the still-glowing lamp. A hundred sharp teeth shone in the light.

He had no chance to scream.