《Summertime Mystery》
Chapter I: The Strange Visitor
It is the first day of May. The day passes quickly and night comes at the busy town of Mabseteer. The sun sets and eventually fades as it goes down behind the tall silhouette of mountains. The stars begin to appear.
The gentle night breeze brushes against the cheeks of the 19-year-old Elvery Warren, eyes closed as she finds solace in the small terrace of her humble one-story boarding house. Sitting on a soft warm chair, trying to relax, she inhales the cool thin air, then lets it out in a deep sigh ¡ª like she''s been carrying it her whole life.
About two weeks ago, she had packed up and moved from her parents'' place to this provincial town for a three-month solo vacation. Her parents let her leave, believing her excuse to train herself of becoming an independent young lady since she will already move to college this incoming school year. Little did they know that she just wanted to escape from their daily nagging about the course she''ll take in college.
Slowly, she opens her eyes. She raises her hand under the dark blue sky and carefully connects random stars with her index fingertip.
She laughs, softly, at herself.
How funny it is to connect stars without even forming a constellation, she thinks.
She really has no interest in earth science, astronomy, or whatever in relation to these stars and constellations.
What she really wants is to become a detective, and perhaps, a prosecutor ¡ª solving cases, standing in the court, instigating legal proceedings, helping people attain justice ¡ª someday.
Someday.
She laughs at that thought. And although she laughs, it has sadness in its tone. She knows she''ll never reach this dream of hers. Not when her medical-inclined parents keep on nagging her to follow their path.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
She shakes her head and tries to erase the thoughts. You can deal with that later on, she says to herself. Now, she just wants to enjoy the vacation, with hope of pulling herself away from society''s pressure.
"Hi, Elvery!" A dark blue SUV pauses in front of her house. Inside is a man who lives in the neighborhood; his house is within the view from her terrace. He is around fifty, with masculine physique, dark eyes, and brown hair. Elvery can clearly tell that Mr. Smith was handsome when he was a teen. He is also kind, in fact, he greets her every time he passes by.
"A pleasant evening, Mr. Smith," she responds. "Where are you headed to?"
"I''ll just take a quick visit at the construction site," he says, then bids goodbye afterward.
Ahh yeah, Mr. Mark Smith and his wife Alexa are the owners of the famous MaXa boutique. The shop is very successful that its second branch is under construction right now.
Elvery bids back with a smile and the car moves away.
She thinks of doing something that will get her distracted, and so, she reaches a book tucked under her chair.
Christmas Crime in Colorado ¡ª Cassie Miles
She flips the pages. She realizes somehow that she is like Brooke, the woman in the story. Like her, Brooke also packed up and moved to a place in order to "escape" ¡ª the only difference is that Brooke tried to escape from her traumatic past, while Elvery wants to escape from the future awaiting her.
BrzzzZz-b-brzzzZ, her phone alarms.
Aahgh, 9 pm, she grunts.
She didn''t notice she is reading the book for almost two hours already. She stands up and stretches her back. She turns around to enter the house.
She is about to open her front door when a green car passes her house with strange high speed.
What''s wrong with the driver?! She mumbles.
Then, surprisingly, it stops in front of Smith''s residence.
Huh?
Well, maybe a visitor, she thinks.
Elvery, hiding behind a shrub, continues to observe. She can''t help but get curious about the suspicious movement of the guy as he rings the bell. He seems uneased. He keeps looking around, probably making sure no one sees him and whatever he is going to do. The guy brings out his phone and dials. He seems impatient; seems nervous.
No more than a minute, a woman, carrying two bags and a suitcase, opens the gate. The two of them hurriedly jump inside the car.
As they make a U-turn, Elvery hears the man say to the woman, "Don''t worry, Aida, it''s all settled."
And again, the car halts away with a high speed.
Elvery holds her breath.
For a second, she is left there, standing with wide eyes and mouth open.
What is that?
Chapter 2: The Bad News
THE ONLY SOUND Elvery can hear is the constant clicking of her pen as its tip makes contact on the wooden surface of the desk. Her left-hand rests under her chin as she stares at the plain-colored wall about ten feet away from her.
It''s five in the morning and until now, she couldn''t take her mind off the incident last night¡ªgreen car with fast speed... Smith''s residence... a suspicious visitor... a woman with bags and luggage...
Arrgh, she grunts at the back of her mind. She hates that she couldn''t understand anything.
Nothing makes sense!
She lets out a yawn, the third one this morning. She was not able to have a very good night sleep last night because that "Aida and the visitor" bothered her so much.
She even tried to call Lila Smith, her very first friend in Mabseteer and daughter of Mr. Smith. Maybe Lila can shine light upon the incident, she thought.
Lila is a "cellcoholic" person ¡ª a cellphone addict. Well, that can be considered as an overstatement but that describes her well. She would stay up all night surfing the Internet and chatting with friends. Putting down her phone and sleeping early are not Lila''s things so when you call her, even when it''s late as midnight, she would pick up at the very first ring.
But no luck, Lila did not pick up. It was only nine in the evening when Elvery called so it was unusual that Lila was already asleep that time. But who knows, Elvery thought, maybe she was very tired so she decided to sleep early.
Elvery can''t contain the curiosity that builds inside her, but she knows she should not stick her nose into others'' businesses. So, she convinces herself to stop being bothered.
It''s nothing, Elvery, she says, it''s nothing.
She averts her eyes back to the pocket-size notepad that lies on her desk for almost an hour. She skims through her summer bucket list.
Hmmm, she mumbles as she points her index finger through the things on the list, trying to decide what to do for today.
??????(??)??????
Elvery is dazed with amazement as she stares at the undoubtedly refreshing ambiance of the Acey Krem shop. The shop''s interior has a yellow and white theme with a little touch of green.
She lines up and places her order at the cashier. The crowd does not surprise her. Besides the high demand for a cold snack during the hot season, the shop itself is a very famous one.
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Luckily, she spots a table with two empty chairs at the corner. But before she could reach the table, a tall guy wearing a light blue tee sits on one of the empty chairs. She pauses with dismay. Once again, she scatters her eyes through the crowd, trying to find another empty table. Unfortunately, there is none.
No choice, she sighs. With enough amount of confidence, she finds herself heading towards the table where the guy just sat.
"Uhm, excuse me. Can I sit here?" She asks, pointing on the empty chair in front of him while flashing a pleading smile.
The guy doesn''t seem to hear her because he is too hooked up in the book he is reading. She sits down on the only empty chair, which is in front of him, without even waiting for his reply. Besides, he seems alone, her instinct says.
The guy is probably around her age, but his face hides behind the book so the only feature Elvery can see is his dark auburn hair.
She glances at the book he is reading¡ªThe Untold Story of Terri Schiavo''s Death.
Wow, he''s also interested in mystery books, huh, she thinks.
Finally, the waiter arrives and places her order on the table. Yay! The Amazing Sundae!
Even at the very first taste, Elvery clearly understands why this is called ''amazing''. In fact, ''amazing'' is even a bit of understatement. This is beyond amazing, she must say. The Amazing Sundae instantly becomes her favorite ice cream.
While eating, Elvery observes the guy in front of her. He never jerked his head off the book all this time. The only part that moves is his right hand when he flips the pages. He hasn''t even ordered something. Bookworm guy, she mumbles, but immediately draws her attention off him.
As soon as she finishes her food, she brings out her notepad. She flips into the pages of her summer bucket list. She smiles as she shades the circle beside the item Try The Amazing Sundae ¡ª bestseller of Mabseteer.
Elvery is about to stand up and leave for the next destination when her attention suddenly diverts into a woman in the nearby table.
"Oh my gosh!" The woman exclaims, loud enough for Elvery to hear. Shock can be sensed in her voice.
"What happened?" The man in front of her asks.
"You know Mr. Smith, the owner of MaXa?"
Elvery feels a chill on her body as the word ''Smith'' touches her ears. Her mind is bothered with curiosity, so she stays at her seat to eavesdrop in the conversation.
"According to the investigation," the woman explains, "Mark Smith went to the second branch of MaXa around 7 pm last night, probably to check the site which is under construction..."
Yes, that''s true, he even greeted me before going to the site, Elvery''s mind says.
"The construction head, Lowie Velasco was also there. Maybe they talked about something related to the construction or whatever, I don''t know. Then, someone struck their heads with a hard thing, something like a hammer or stone. Velasco is in a critical condition now, but unfortunately," the woman pauses a bit, "Mr. Smith is dead."
Elvery falls in a complete shock upon hearing the terrible news.
Mr. Smith is dead?!
Then her friend comes to her mind. Lila.
She jerks back her head to the table and notices that the bookworm guy has already left but she doesn''t mind.
She immediately picks her phone and dials Lila''s number.
"Elvi-e," Lila says between her sobs, "D-dad''s d-dead." Pain and intense sadness from mourning are sensed in her voice at the other end of the line.
Elvery can''t hold her eyes from shedding tears as well, "I-I''m so sorry f-for your lost, Lila."
Then suddenly, the incident last night flashes back in her mind.
Green car... Smith''s residence... a suspicious visitor... a woman with bags and luggage...
"Don''t worry, Aida, it''s all settled."
She gasps. Her eyes widen.
Is it possible that the visitor at Smith''s residence is connected to the attack in the construction site?
Chapter 3: Night at the Site
"Coffee?"
Elvery is currently in the living room of the Smith''s residence where people, like her, drop by to pay respect and give comfort to the bereaved family.
Now, she is gazing up to a 45-year-old woman who is holding two cups of coffee. She gladly accepts one and utters her thanks.
"My condolences, Mrs. Smith." She says then she slightly bows her head.
"Thank you." The woman smiles but Elvery is sure it has sadness and pain behind it.
The woman pulls herself down and sits beside Elvery.
Lila is on the opposite side of the room, chatting with her friends and classmates. Elvery doesn''t mind at all that Lila talks to them. She understands that her friend has other friends too.
She glances at the woman beside her. Based on the way she dresses and talks, Mrs. Smith is a simple (yet elegant) woman despite living a wealthy life. She admires her for that.
"What''s your name, dear?" Mrs. Smith asks, then raises the cup to her mouth and drinks.
"I''m Elvery Warren from the town of Burion, but I have been staying here in the neighborhood for a couple of weeks already."
"New neighbor?" The tone of excitement escapes her tongue, "Oh, I''d love to meet your parents. Where are they?"
She really is Lila''s mom, Elvery says in her mind, she''s friendly and nice, too.
"They''re at home. I''m just having a solo vacation for a few months," she says.
"Such an independent young lady," Mrs. Smith commends.
Elvery likes to laugh at what she said. Oh, if Mrs. Smith only knows that my decisions in life are still dependent on my parents...
She lets out a soft sigh.
"By the way, you can call me Aunt Lex, dear. Mrs. Smith is way too formal."
"Sure, I love to." She smiles.
Besides her innate sweetness and friendliness, another thing Elvery admires in this woman is her strength. She remains calm, caring, and hopeful despite the tragedy their family is facing.
When Elvery asked her how she manages to be positive, she said, "I need to. For Mark....for Lila...for my family, I need to fight."
Elvery takes another sip from the cup when Aunt Lex speaks again.
"You know what, Elvery," Her tone becomes sad. There is pain from betrayal too. "I still can''t believe that Aida did this to us."
Aida?
"W-who''s Aida?"
"She''s our maid," she explains. "This morning when we woke up, she was not here, only a few of her things were left in her room. Then the news came that¡ª" she pauses to prevent tears from falling, "¡ªthat Mark is dead."
Then she looks at Elvery. Her face is serious. "Do you think that''s a coincidence?"
Elvery doesn''t know. She is also bothered and confused about Aida. And the visitor. Should she tell Aunt Lex about the visitor?
"I-i''m not really sure," she answers.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version."But is she a suspect?" she manages to ask.
"A person of interest," Aunt Lex replies, "Maybe she knows something that''s why she escaped. The police are looking for her because of her suspicious disappearance."
"I don''t think she''s the one who did this crime, though," Aunt Lex continues, "She''s a petite young woman, you know. She can''t strike two men, can she?"
She lets out a short giggle before drinking her coffee. Elvery just smiles back.
Sure, Aida can''t. But how about the strange visitor? Can he? Did he?
??????(??)??????
It''s late at night when Elvery came home from the wake. She lies on her bed, eyes unconsciously fixed at the ceiling. She tries to sleep but she couldn''t.
Arghh, she grunts as she changes her position, this time laying sidewards. She closes her eyes for a moment but opens them again.
Unable to sleep, she rises from the bed and sighs. She picks her keys up, goes outside, and drives her motorcycle.
After a few minutes, she finds herself in front of a building with a large tarpaulin printed with "Under Construction". The second branch of MaXa is now deserted and looks forlorn with strips of yellow crime scene tape draped across the site''s boundaries.
She doesn''t really know what she would do there, but she has the urge to go in.
She enters the doorway. The surroundings are pitch black. She couldn''t see anything but darkness and hollow-block walls. She doesn''t want to switch the lights on though. That can surely attract attention and she is not planning to let the neighbors know that someone is in the crime scene in the middle of the night.
She brings out her phone to use it as a flashlight, but just before she turns it on, her eyes catch a glimpse of light. What''s that? It seems coming from a flashlight, but it''s not hers.
Then she hears a mild thud and a creaking of sand. She tries to fix her ears to hear the sound clearly. And yes, someone is walking, very slowly, like he is trying to avoid making other noise.
Again, she catches a flash of light and hears footsteps from behind the wall. She''s not alone. There really is someone inside the crime scene other than her.
But who else would be going at the crime scene at this hour? If it''s the police, why didn''t he/they turned on the lights? If it''s not the police, what is/are he/they doing here?
By the roaming of light through the darkness, Elvery can tell that that someone behind the wall is searching for something.
She gasps.
Could it be the killer?
She wants to know.
But if it''s really the killer, then she is in danger. She hurriedly presses the wake button of the phone.
She needs to call an emergency, but she couldn''t press any key. She slaps the phone but still, there''s no luck.
Surely she wants to know who''s behind that wall but she doesn''t want to put her life at risk as well. So slowly, she steps backward, wanting to get herself out of the site.
Steps backward. Her hands begin to shake in fear. She can hear her heartbeats'' pace, fast as the green car''s speed.
Steps backward. Sand and cement creak below her feet as she steps on them. She tries to control her breath but panic sweeps through her body.
Steps backwa¡ªAWW!! Her foot trips against a metal bar on the floor causing her to lose balance. She falls on the ground and collides onto the stacks of cement bags.
She lets out a faint cry for a second but immediately stops when she realizes what has just happened. Her eyes widen in panic.
If there really is someone in the place, he surely heard her.
"Who''s that?" And as expected, an alert masculine voice echoes back and forth through the concrete walls of the building.
I''m dead, she thinks as she bites her lower lip in frustration.
Then she hears the familiar creaking of dust on the ground.
She hears footsteps ¡ª gradually increasing in volume as if someone is drawing near her.
The footsteps are going towards her.
She can sense it. She can hear it.
The feet stomps with the sound of her heart. Dug-dug, dug-dug.
Panic rises.
Dug-dug, dug-dug.
Tears fall. Hands tremble.
Dug-dug, dug-dug.
I need to get out of here, she silently says.
Dug-dug, dug-dug.
She hurriedly stands up and is about to take a step out of the building when suddenly,
"Too late to escape, girl," the man says in a playful but scary tone.
...and a bright flash of light beams towards her.
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Chapter 4: Elvery and K
"Too late to escape, girl," the man says as he points the flashlight towards her direction.
The man has this scary and authoritative tone¡ªor it''s just that Elvery is panic-stricken¡ªthat makes her stop and stiffen. With heart throbbing under her chest, she stands there facing the front door while her back faces the man.
"What are you doing here at this hour, young girl?" the man asks, maintaining his frightful tone.
Elvery feels the need to run but this man behind her seems to paralyze her limbs.
I need to distract him and find a timing to get away, she plans.
"I''m supposed to ask you that, mister. What are you doing here?" she asks, trying to sound strong¡ªor at least not too weak.
"I''m just... finding something," he says.
"And what is it?" she asks, still facing the front door.
She doesn''t really care about that thing yet she needs to make the conversation keep going¡ªso as her life.
"Why do you care?!" he blurts, "It''s just... just something small that I thought I lost here but must be somewhere else."
Psh, what an alibi, she thinks.
"And you girl," he chides, "better seal your lips and forget that you saw me, you understand?!"
Before she could utter a response, they suddenly heard a thud inside the building. Surprised, they jerk their heads towards the unexpected sound.
Someone is here other than them.
"Who''s that?!" the man yells and walks toward it.
Suddenly, a hand grabs Elvery''s arm from behind and pulls her out of the building.
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Shhh, utters a man, as he drags her with force. After a few moments, she finds themselves hiding behind a large post, leaning firmly to a wall on the side of the building. Both of them are gasping for air.
Elvery looks at the man beside her. He still holds her arm while peeping behind the post. He is tall; her height stretches up to his chin. He has a slightly slender body¡ªnot the muscular type but not too thin.
The man jerks his head to her and removes his clasp from her arm. "I think he already left," he says, "Are you okay?"
She wants to tell him how scared she was and how thankful she is that he came and saved her, but she only replies with a nod and a "Yeah."
"Do you know that man?" he asks. She says "No," shaking her head in reply.
"Why are you here?" he asks.
She stares at him, thinking if she should trust him. But then it comes to her mind that he saved her just a while ago. She exhales hard.
"The news about Mr. Smith''s death bothered me very very much," she complains, "I-I don''t know, maybe I''m just stupid enough to come here without even thinking that my life could be at risk. Argh, how impulsive I am!"
She lets out a sigh then she looks at him, "How ''bout you? Why are you here?"
"Same as you," he says, "Once there was a man¡ªwhich is me¡ªwho came to investigate the crime scene. But to his surprise, he saw silhouettes of a man and a lady. The lady seemed to be very scared so the man threw a stone inside the building to distract the scary man, and grabbed the lady away."
Elvery turns her phone''s flashlight on and flashes a smile. "The lady surely wants to thank the man for that," she laughs, "but wait, you''re here to investigate?"
"Yeah, I''m Khael, the famous Detective K," he says. He offers his hand for a shake.
Now he''s bragging, she thinks.
"I''m not bragging," he says, "Just stating the facts."
Wait, can he read my mind?
"No, I can''t read your mind," he laughs.
What?!
"Oh, I''m Elvery," she responds, placing her hand on his. "You''re good. You look young to be a detective, though," she commends.
He giggles. "Thanks but, uh- no, what I mean is I''m a high school detective. I helped in small cases like theft and leakages in school," he explains, "that''s why I''ve been called a ''detective''. It seems that you don''t know me, you must be from another town."
Elvery nods. She gives him a brief explanation of her life and how she pulled herself to a solo vacation. They keep chatting and she finds out that Khael is turning college, too. Khael tells her that Mr. Smith is his uncle who is very close to his heart; he considers him as a father.
"I have helped other people with their dilemmas," he says, "Now that it''s my uncle who needs justice, why would I withhold my help?"
Elvery feels Khael''s love for his uncle and his desire to attain justice for his death. She wishes that she can do something to help, but she doesn''t think she can really be useful. Yes, she dreams to be a detective, but unlike him, she hasn''t prove anything yet of her detective ability.
She sighs and stares at the spot of light pointed to the ground. She frowns when she sees something on it.
"What''s that?" she mutters.
She walks towards the thing; Khael follows. It is a chain necklace with a gold ring as a pendant. Engraved on the ring is the initials TV.
"TV? Television?" Khael jokes. Elvery replies with a frown, and he giggles, "Just kidding."
Elvery lets him hold the flashlight as she carefully examines the necklace. "I think this is a ring," she says, "I mean, a ring for a finger and not meant as a pendant."
"Why do you say so?" he asks.
"The ring does not match with the necklace chain," she explains, "I think we should bring it to a jeweller."
"Sure," he agrees, "I have a feeling that it has something to do with this case, too."
"Why do you say so?"
"This is an unusual place to drop a necklace, you see," he says, "this side of the building is like an abandoned area."
Yeah, it''s a narrow gap between the building''s wall and another high wall that serves as a boundary for the lot.
"Remarkable," she comments.
He shrugs his shoulders, "We''ll find out."
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