Queen of Terror

Chap. 8

"Apparently, the woman your father was describing was Clara Nightingale."

Chloe scoffed as she looked up at me. "How would you know that?"

"Listen, I have no time to explain." And I'm not even sure if I want to explain it to you. It had taken quite a while to explain it to Nino and Adrien, and they were my best friends, yet Chloe on the other hand, we weren't even close like that, and she seemed to still hate my guts. I don't think I could open myself up to her now, especially when we weren't in good terms. "Anyway Chloe, what about your mother? Was there a note of some sort?"

"No, I'm not quite sure, but I doubt it. Maybe the police got ahold of the note first, because I came to the scene quite late. When I got there, they were already taking my mother away. I didn't even get to see her face because it was already all covered." Chloe wrapped her arms around her body in a hug, her eyes going back to the floor. I could just feel my heart tugging inside of my chest just looking at Chloe, my pity growing more and more. "Anyway," Chloe continued. "My mother doesn't really like writing, and it already made sense as to why she had commit suicide, so I doubt she wrote a note explaining why. But-" She paused for a bit, her eyes roaming around the house, before she let out a sigh. She then suddenly leaned forward and grabbed the notepad and pen I had put down on the table in front of me. Using the pen, she wrote down a couple of words on the notepad, before she handed it over to me.

"It's an address," I said, looking down at the words, confused.

"Not just any address," Chloe informed. "You know the maid that was there when my mother committed suicide? That's where she lives. Maybe you can get out of here, stop bothering me and go get some real clues. I can tell you think your parents' deaths are related to mine, which would be why you're here asking me these questions, but I promise you, Marinette. I don't have any answers that would help out with anything."

I stood up from the couch to leave. "Well, thanks anyway, Chloe. You may not think it, but you've been a real help today." Clara Nightingale must have been a part of Chloe's father's death. If Mr. Bourgeois was describing her in his notes, then she must be important. I gave Chloe one last wave, before I started heading to the door.

"Wait!"

At the call of Chloe's words, I stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

"I was there," she started speaking again, getting me to frown. "When your parents died. . .I was the one who called the police. I was actually walking to your bakery to buy some pastries, but when I climbed out of my car, I saw this girl coming out of the bakery. A mask was covering half of her face, but she had the same hair style and color as you. Her eyes were the same exact colors as yours as well. I thought it was you, so I just shrugged it off and let her walk away from the bakery. When I got inside the place, I found your parents lying there, dead."

My frown and confusion only got deeper. "You saw. . .me?"

"I thought you murdered your own parents, Marinette, which was why I wanted you to keep away from me because I was afraid I was next. But then, I thought to myself. . .why would Marinette murder her own parents? It just didn't make any sense, because I knew how close the three of you were, so I. . .started investigating this as well. I thought maybe if I let you in and ask you a few questions, I would get you to blurt it out and tell me, but. . ." Chloe shrugged a little. "What's there to ask? You came in here asking me these questions about my parents, wanting to find their murderers. If you're doing this, then it doesn't make sense that you would kill your own parents."

"You saw. . .me?" I was still hung over by that. I remember being at the palace at the time, until they called me and told me the news. I started walking over to Chloe, feeling the fright on my face as I neared her. "Chloe, you have to give me a better description, like did she-?" I grabbed her arm without meaning to, but immediately after I did, my eyes widened, getting me to stop with my words. I fell down to my knees, feeling this immense pain inside of my head. Clenching onto it, I screamed out loud, my eyes shut.