Chapter 5:

The Truth

Riddle Night


     After knowing Julie’s past it was harder to move on, the fact that her last words were that I was going to leave her makes it hurt. I don’t know how I will go back to school tomorrow, how will I live my life? Julie won't be there sitting with me at lunch nor talking to me in class. I will be lonely. 

    Ding, dong.
“I’ll get the door!” I yelled,  I ran downstairs to answer the door. When I opened the door I saw two men in blue suits.
 “We are here to ask you about Julie, we heard that you were her friend and you saw her before the accident?” I looked at their chests and there were police badges on them, so I nodded.
 “We are here to question you about what might have happened, can we come in?”
my hands started shaking, I started to open the door wider so they can come in but my mom stopped the door with her hand. 

 "I don't think that's a good idea! My daughter is still grieving; her friend just died! I don't think she can handle it yet!"
"We understand ma'am, but this is an important matter." the police officer said with a calm face, "we are sorry but we will try to come in now-" my mom went in front of them with an angry face.
" I said that I won't allow you to question my daughter and come in until she is ready!"
"Mom, it's fine! I can handle it!"
"But-"
"Mom! I want to! Let me do this!" 
My mom gave me a worried look "Okay, but under one condition! When it's too much to handle tell me so I can make them stop!" 
" Okay, mom." my mom gave the police officers a death stare and started to open the door wider so they can come in.

"Tell us what happened, from the beginning" 
"I was looking for Julie, and when I found her, we started fighting." I stopped for a moment.
" Okay, continue." one of the police officers said while he interlocked his fingers. 
I took a deep breath "suddenly, while we were arguing, something fell on her head, it fell so fast that I didn't process what it was.”
The police officers looked at each other then they looked back at me “ is it this that might be what hit her head?” they handed over a plastic bag with broken shards of something brownish orange. 
" I-I think so..."
" This is terracotta; which is made of fired clay used for sculptures or other things, do you know what the object was?"
"N-no"
"Okay." the two police officers got up from their seats. "Thank you for letting us take your time, if you remember anything that may help us with this investigation, don't hesitate to contact us."  both of the police officers went out of the door.

"Are you okay sweetie?" my mom put her hand on my back.
"Yes, I am okay, just a little tired." I started to get a little dizzy but I went upstairs to go to my room.
I laid on my bed; thinking about what happened. I started playing the time me and Julie were fighting outside, I tried to remember what happened; I tried to remember what fell on her head. I played the scene of Julie getting hit on the head over, and over, and over again; so I can see the object more clearly. And after a while, I started paying attention to Julie instead of the object, I kept on seeing her fall on the floor and start bleeding. My eyes opened wide and I started screaming. I could hear fast footsteps going up the stairs.
"IS EVERYTHING OKAY?" my mom screamed. My sister and mom looked so concerned. I started bawling; I was traumatized, I couldn't, I felt like I would faint at any moment. My mom and sister sat on my bed and they started hugging me. 
"There, there, everything is okay now." my mom said. "I don't think you should be going to school tomorrow, we will wait until you are ready." I nodded with tears going down my cheeks.

   It was nighttime, and I was in my room alone laying on my bed. My eyes were puffy from how much I cried, I started thinking. Honestly, I'm so hopeless! How am I supposed to become a detective if I cant handle this sort of stuff?! I put my arm in front of my face. I could feel my tears coming back but I was too tired to cry. I stayed frozen in my position, staring a the ceiling. I started to get sleepy and I suddenly went unconscious from how tired I was. 

  I heard something break and that is what woke me, I got out of my bed to see what happened, and while going down the stairs, I yawned. I saw my mom in the kitchen.
"Oh! Sorry! Did I wake you? I dropped a plate because I was in a hurry!" Lenna said, "Anyway I gotta go to university!" Lena waved at me and I waved back.
"Good morning sweetie, would you like breakfast?"
"Mom, aren't you supposed to be at work today?" I asked.
"I thought it would be better if I stayed at home today." my mom smiled.
"Okay, and yes! I would like some breakfast!"

   My mom and I spend the day together, cooking food together, making sweets, and other sorts of stuff. While we were in the kitchen cleaning up, the doorbell rang. My mom went to answer the door.
"Ma'am I understand, but this is important!" I heard a man's voice say.
"No! My daughter is starting to get better, and you will ruin everything!" 
"Ma'am"   
I started heading towards the door. "Mom, What's wrong?"
Mom turned her head "Sweetie."
The man went past my mom and headed towards me, and took out his badge "I am Eugene, a detective. I'd like to ask you about Julie's case."
"I-I can't!" 
" I think it might have been a murder."  
I froze "W-what?!"
"Would you mind if I question you?" 
"Tell me why you think it's a murder!"
"I need you to answer my questions first."
I looked at my mom, "Okay!"

"I heard from the police that you don't know what hit her, is that right?"
I nodded
" We put the broken pieces together, and it formed a terracotta planter. Do you know what floor it was dropped from?"
"No."
"Have you seen anyone suspicious?"
"No"
"Okay." he got up from his seat.
"Wait! You promised that you would tell me why it could be murder?"
"Look!" the man said "I can't tell you everything but, the planter was apparently made from the art club and it was stolen before Julie was killed. It already had soil and plant in it but It was nowhere to be seen at the crime scene. When we tested for fingerprints on the planter we didn't find any so everyone else till now thinks it's an accident. However, I found gloves in the dumpster and the plant with it. Everyone thinks I am paranoid but I believe it's murder.  Sorry, but that's all I can tell you. If you figure anything out please tell me." The detective took a paper from his pocket and wrote something in it. he handed it over to me, it had his phone number. "I'll be leaving now." He said.

I was shocked, my mom can see it on my face.
" Don't think about it too much! I think you should go to sleep its getting late."
I went to my room and started thinking. Who would want to kill Julie? She had no enemies that I know of! That detective is probably mistaken! Let me not think about it too much! Speaking of Julie, do I have any photos of her?  I opened my camera roll and I found three images that I have never seen before, they weren't  normal images; they were pictures of paper with sentences on them, and the first picture read:

Warm-up
Difficulty: easy


I'm good medicine, and I'm also good with food.
You can use me to describe the hair color of a dude.
If you don't solve this riddle you're screwed.
So I'll split this riddle into two.


Here is the second riddle so listen carefully.
I'll be squashed by something heavy.
Something that takes what you don't want.
And this sentence will end with a dot.



That was the weird phone call that I got! How is it in my images? I looked at the second photo, it read:

Riddle 1 

Difficulty: easy

I am a beautiful flower, I am a rose.
I am vivacious, I like to style my clothes.
I will be hit by a flowerpot. 
Somewhere that will be very hot.


Wait a second! Flowerpot? My mouth dropped! No! It can't be! I searched the meaning of Julie. It said:


Julie originally comes from the Latin Julia which could mean youthful, soft-haired, beautiful, or vivacious.


  I couldn't believe my eyes! Is the riddle related to Julie's death? I looked at the first riddle again the one that said it was a warmup. Something that is a medicine and a spice... and used to describe a color? Ginger?  Wait Sushi the cat! Sushi was squashed by a garbage bin! The last photo! I never answered the last phone call! The third photo read:

Have you figured it out yet?

I was shocked! The phone calls were related to these deaths? Will I get more phone calls that will put someone in danger? I couldn't be sure yet so I had to investigate! I went downstairs.
"Sweetie, why aren't you in bed yet?"
"Mom, I'm ready to go to school tomorrow!"
My mom smiled, "Okay."


- End of Chapter-


 





   

 

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