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Chapter Fourteen ~ The First Suspect

I closed the book and threw it on the floor. This had gone on long enough. I was fed up of hearing everyday that another person was dead. But I was also slightly terrified. These people were all very close to me. What if I was next? Or maybe I'm not next. Maybe the murderer let me keep the book so that I could watch everyone die. That was a scary thought. Who could possibly hate me that much?

I figured that since I had the only solid piece of evidence, I would need to solve this murder myself. I reached over to pick up the book and flicked through it quickly. Five people had been murdered. All of them had some link to me, which must have been why the book was left to me.

What did they all have in common?

They were all my friends? No. Only Piper had been.

Then I realised: they had all been mean to me before they died.

Piper stole my money, Savannah and Arya accused me of bullying Piper, Scarlett started dating Logan. But that wasn't exactly mean. And what did Logan do? He was rude to Carol, but that hadn't affected me.

Or maybe the murderer thought it had. Maybe they killed these people because they thought they were hurting me.

Maybe the murderer was trying to help me. In a really twisted way. Or maybe they thought these people were my friends and were trying to hurt me.

Or maybe it's not about me and I'm just being paranoid.

Well, if I can't figure out the motive, the next best thing to do is to compile a suspect list. But then I'm back to square one as I have absolutely no idea who could have done this.

Think. Who do I know that is quite suspicious?

Barry? No, he's not the sharpest tool in the box. I doubt he would even have the brain capacity to think up such elaborate murder schemes. Also, he's pro peace and all of that. He wouldn't have it in him to kill someone.

Geoff? He's way too nice. And also quite dim. He's always the last to hear about things. But maybe he could use that to his advantage. Appear ignorant when he knew all along that the murder had happened because he did it? No, again he wouldn't have it in him to kill anyone.

This is hopeless. It might not even be someone that I know. Besides, my friendship with these people is probably clouding my judgement. I can't solve this murder. Not on my own.

Instead I tried to look at the facts and make some links. The first murder was Piper. She was strangled to death by a sheet of music paper. Then it was Savannah and Arya who were stabbed by catapulting knives which had been delivered to them. After that was Scarlett who drowned in the sink. Finally, it was Logan who got poisoned by a pizza. All of the murders were so intricate and, dare I say, cleverly planned. It must have been done by a serial killer, someone who enjoys murder. According to the book, they clearly enjoy it. That sadistic attitude is a common trait in serial killers.

What else? The timings of the murders. The first three took place at night, according to the book. But Logan's was after lunch. That broke the pattern. Why did the killer choose to break the pattern then? What was significant about Logan?

I could also look at who found the bodies. I found Piper's body. That could be significant. However, it was the police who found Savannah, Arya and Scarlett. And Carol found Logan.

That seemed odd. I remembered Inspector Steve said that Carol found Logan's body at his house.

Why would Carol be at Logan's house?

I suddenly remembered that Carol had been awkwardly eavesdropping on us and how rude she had been to Logan.

Could Carol be the killer?

No, no. That was ridiculous. She was just this kooky old lady. I couldn't see her as a killer. Unless it was all a facade. The only way I can prove it is to find evidence.

I glanced up at the clock which said 6:50pm. That means the shop closes soon. I still have that spare key which means I can have a sneaky peak.

***

Sure enough, the shop was deserted. I sneaked in, and had a poke around. The shelves were filled with the same books I had stacked there earlier. The boxes were full of old toys and the clothes rail was still there. Nothing seemed to be obviously out of place. The only other place I could think to look was at Carol's desk.

I walked over to Carol's desk which had three drawers under it. The first had piles and piles of paper documenting inventory registration, none of which seemed to be very useful. The second had six packets of haribo sweets. I laughed to myself. This was obviously how Carol stayed so energetic for extended periods of time.

However it was the third drawer that shocked me.

Inside was a small, black box and a vial of a bright, green liquid. Underneath was a book of sheet music.

I was staring at the murder weapons.