As Evil As Murder

05 | Heathens

"I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things."
-Tom Waits
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"Now this is the part I don't get." Rex said, knotting his hands and staring at me in surprise. "If the story was never completed, how come it was the winning entry?"

"Open ended stories are a thing Rex." I rolled my eyes, "You already asked that question when we were back in high school after I won, and I said the same thing then too remember?"

"You are both from the same high school?" Hawkins asked, frowning at Rex.

"Yeah we were best fri-"

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" Hawkins asked sharply before Rex could complete his sentence.

"Uh- you literally just told me Charlotte is the author of The Autumn Leaves this morning. That too over the phone." Rex said, his voice a bit strained. "I didn't get much time to say anything because I was busy arresting one of my closest friends."

Hawkins was still looking doubtfully at Rex so I decided to interject.

"So what's the problem now? Just because some psycho is taking my story way out of context, I'm a suspect in this?"

"Yes that's true." Hawkins replied and I scoffed, getting more irritated.

"But we can let you off the hook." Rex said, grabbing a chair from the corner and sitting down beside Hawkins. "We just need you to help us."

"I'm an author. I don't 'help' cops. I'm not Sherlock Holmes." I huffed.

"Do you know why I arrested you on the spot when I got the call that you are the author of that story? Without even thinking twice about it?" Rex asked me seriously. I shrugged,

"Rookie mistake?"

"No." Rex sounded firm yet a bit offended. "My mom always told me to be careful when I was with you back in high school-"

"- so you arrested me because of your mom?" I snorted and Hawkins glared at me.

"Let the boy finish." He ordered and I rolled my eyes.

"My mother said that you were smart." Rex started but I interrupted again.

"You just said that she hated me-"

"She did, because you always got away with your lies. Teachers would never give you detention because you had an excuse each and every time." Rex leaned back to the chair, daring me to contradict him. I just sighed.

"So?"

"She said to be careful of authors because they plot murders for a living." Rex concluded and I stared at him in shock.

"So you do think I'm some kind of freak who eat bodies?" I asked in alarm and I saw a tiny smile on Hawkins' wrinkled face.

"I was saying sorry for arresting you." Rex said, exhausted.

"That was a shitty apology." I retorted.

"No it wasn't! Take it as a compliment as in 'I-arrested-you-because-I-think- you-are-smart-enough-to-get-away-with-murder'!"

"Alright- alright!" Hawkins raised a hand to signal silence. "Don't go putting ideas in her head. We have enough murders as it is."

"How do you know it's a murder?" I asked curtly. "You explained about the leaves and your theory that someone is brainwashing these kids to suicide. But how do you know that they are actually dead if there is no bodies?"