Arabella Academy: Perfectly Imperfect

44. Third Death's A Charm

They got a murder on their hands. They don't know what to do with it.

~ From In The Heat Of The Night

***

Joel's body was lying on the bed.

Dead.

"Not another dead body," Marcus cried out.

"Quick! Close the door," Luis told Marcus.

Their horrified faces moved closer to the dead man on the bed. His eyes were still open, void of any life in them. They seemed like they were staring beyond the roof as if the dead man would suddenly wake up any time and strangle the both of them. There was a bullet hole on his skull, above and in-between his eyebrows. Their eyes extended to his hands when they realised that he was holding a gun, still firmly held in his hands.

"Did this man just... kill himself?" Luis asked, unable to take his eyes off the body.

Marcus kept quiet for a moment. He sighed to himself.

"No, he didn't," he replied, suddenly wearing a serious face. He suddenly didn't like how this game was playing out; it was turning out to be a dangerous one.

"What do you mean he did not? The evidence is literally screaming in bloody hands!" Luis shrieked.

Marcus rolled his eyes.

"Shape your hand into a gun," he ordered Luis.

"What?"

"Just do it."

Luis folded his hands into a gun.

"Now, place it on your forehead."

Luis obeyed.

"Now, tell me if you can shoot yourself with your hand in that position?"

"Ooooh!"

Marcus was correct. The angle at which the hand was bent didn't provide enough room for a finger to pull a trigger. Luis stared in awe at Marcus.

"How did you figure it out?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Quite weird actually. I just asked myself why he would shoot himself at the front of his head?" Marcus answered.

"So what does this mean?"

Marcus didn't like what he was about to say.

"It means that this man didn't kill himself. Either he had someone shoot him, or worse, he was shot by someone."

"But who would want to kill him?" Luis was full of questions. He took his eyes away from the dead person, nausea hitting him hard.

"Someone who knew he was after the necklace. Someone who knew that maybe he was so close to finding it, and maybe he or they were afraid that he could get to it first," Marcus tone was low and threatening. He was confused, countless questions in his mind too.

"Marcus, we should not be here. What if that murderer called the police?" Luis' voice went to a frightened whisper, "What if the killer is still here?"