Case File #19

(5th Crime) 

"Those kids didn't do it" he said and Sharna told him to go upstairs to her apartment to talk in a safer place.

Sharna sat on her arm chair crossing her legs while the mysterious man sat in front of her; she asked Nicole to go inside to her room and not bother them.

"So?"  Sharna asked "What make you think they didn't do it Mr...?"

"I'd rather remain nameless" he said then grabbed from the table the mug of water that Sharna got for him. "I heard about you Detective, so I decided to trust you. Please don't let me down"

"I won't" she assured him

"I've been living at that mansion for quite sometime" he said looking down

"That's trespassing" she added

"I know and I thought about telling you or not for at least a hundred times before I did." he sighed "I don't wanna get in trouble" he scratched his head "but I don't want those kids blamed for a murder they didn't commit either."

"Cut to the chase and just tell me everything" she said

"I've been staying at the house for about 3 years now, I've got no other place to stay and whenever someone came to the house I tried to scare them off and build on its 'haunted' reputation so that no one would know my secret" he said 

"I knew it, there are no ghosts!" Sharna said to herself then gestured to him to go on

"I was there at the house when I found a group of 5 teens arriving. One kid told the other to prove himself by staying the night on his own and then 2 boys and 2 girls left leaving behind that one last kid." he clenched his fists "High schoolers are just mean and I heard them saying they'd come back to scare him later, and the poor guy was scared enough, he looked pale, so I tried to make no noise and hid."

"Did the others leave the house completely at the time?" she asked

"Yes, and I heard a car pulling off, so I assumed they were gone" he said then turned towards Nicole's room as he heard a sound.

"It's okay." Sharna said "Please go on"

"After a while I heard the voices of 2 people, a man with a harsh voice and a teenage girl's voice, so the kid hid behind an old couch at the corner and I remained still."

"Did you see their faces?" 

"No, it was dark, I saw some little hazy details, but mainly heard them. They were flirting, they started taking off their cloths and you know what happens next" he shivered and closed his eyes in pain of what happened next. "I think he tied her mouth or covered it because she couldn't scream and grabbed a knife which I could only see the dim light's reflection on it and he started cutting her open alive then afterwards I saw him getting closer to the fireplace and he threw there her detached hair along with her underwear and the knife itself."

Sharna looked uncomfortable as she remember the poor girl's picture. 

"He cleaned his mess, got dressed and left"

"What about Kevin?" Sharna asked concerned

"The boy? He was trembling, he looked like a ghost and his breath could be heard from miles"

"He hasn't spoken a word" Sharna said

"He's been through hell." the nameless guy said "As soon as that man left, Kevin ran over to her screaming, crying and just panicking. Her blood was now all over his hands and clothes, then he remained still like a sculpture until his friends came and started screaming as well. Some of them blaming him"

"What did they say?" Sharna was still confused why those kids decided to bury her in secret than tell the police.

"I don't know" he looked away ashamed "I left cause I didn't wanna get into trouble"

Sharna grabbed a notebook from nearby and started writing down points from what he said. The man got up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" She asked

"I'm leaving now" he threw his hands in the air

"How can I reach you again? If I ever need any more info" 

"I already told you everything I know. I need to disappear now"

Sharna shook her head "No, you said it yourself, you don't want these kids blamed for something they did not do. You can't just say stuff like you just said then disappear."

"I knew this was wrong" he said walking towards the door

"Please" Sharna followed and walked to the door blocking it. "Those kids are the only suspects and they'll probably go to jail for a freaking murder that they didn't commit. You can save them."

"What about me going to jail for trespassing?" he shrugged his shoulders and the room was silent for a minutes.

Sharna looked at him ashamed trying to guilt him.

"I'll think about it Detective" he finally said

She nodded and let him pass. "Hope to hear from you soon".

Sharna went to her room, changed and sat on her bed. She called Matt to tell him about that nameless guy.

"Do you believe him?" Matt asked

"Yes, I know he was telling the truth, but I'm afraid I wouldn't hear from his again and those kids would end up in jail"

"You wanna know what I think?" he said and Sharna knew from his voice that he was smiling

"Sure," she said "that's why I called you in the first place"

"I think that Detective Howard Young is a really clever man and he's got Detective Sharna Davis woking on his side on this case, so I'm pretty sure they'd find a way to prove the truth"

She laughed "Why do you think so high of me"

"Because I know you" he paused "I know what you can do and what you're capable of even if you still doubt it sometimes"

Sharna smiled and started blushing a little. "You're pretty okay"

The next morning, Sharna woke up and had breakfast with Nicole, she was still angry at her from how she behaved in the car and for embarrassing her in front of Matt.

"Why are you so quiet?" Nicole asked

"Trust me you don't wanna know" Sharna said as she poured milk on her coffee

"What? Why?" Nicole was confused

"I just don't wanna talk about it now" Sharna said coldly

"What happened?"

"I'm really not in the mood right now to argue" Sharna sighed

"I knew you were mad about the car" Nicole said "I was just trying to help you and be like your wing woman" she winked at her

"And I didn't ask for your help" Sharna drank her coffee and left the apartment 

Sharna went to the police station and met up with Matt outside. They both went in to Detective Howard's office.

"Davis" Howard said as they walked in "Good you're here"

"Nice to see you too Detective?" Sharna said and he gave her a mocking look.

"I've got news" he said

"Me too" Sharna added

"Let me just speak Davis, cause I need to get going" he said closing the door behind them. "I was contacted by the FBI" he said "There were 2 more victims murdered in a similar way, so I'm gonna be out of town for a couple day maximum"

"Who is gonna continue the interrogations?" she asked

"Well, I wanted to assign you with Caleb"

Sharna was excited but tried not to show it "Sure" she looked towards Matt and he was smiling at her proudly.

"I have something important sir that I need to tell you" Sharna said then told him about her witness.

There was a noise from outside Howard's office and Officer Mike rushed into his office.

"Sir" he said panting "He admitted, Kevin talked and he confessed he murdered Megan"

"This can't be possible" Sharna argued

"He just said it Sharna, no one pressured him" Officer Mike said

"But,.." she said, but Howard interrupted her

"But what? The boy confessed; his word is more reliable than a homeless nameless man who claims he was a witness because he's been trespassing for 3 years at that old mansion"

Mike looked confused.

"Davis, you have to be objective about this, all we want is to find the truth" Howard said and gestured for Mike to leave and close the door.

"I'm trusting you and Caleb to complete the interrogations until I'm back"

She nodded then he left the office.

Sharna went into the interrogation room along with Officer Caleb while Matt watched from outside behind the glass wall listening to them and observing.

The first to be interrogated was Darren, Megan's boyfriend.

"Take a seat" Officer Caleb said 

He did and said "I already told you everything". His mother attended too as his legal guardian 

"Just answer their questions" she patted his shoulder trying to remain strong, but her eyes wear tearing a little.

"How long have you and Megan been dating?" Sharna asked

"About 9 months"

"She's been homeschooled for a while." Sharna said and he nodded "When was the last time you saw her?"

Darren was shaking his right leg continuously "I haven't seen her in like 2 weeks"

"So tell us what happened that night again" Caleb added

Darren sighed "Kevin told us he could spend the night at that haunted house and kept bragging about it. He insisted and so we agreed about that dare and soon after we left, we came back to prank him, but he was sitting on the ground right in front of her dead body and he had her blood all of him" he ran his fingers through his hair and his face was red.

Sharna knew he wasn't being 100% honest "He wanted to go to that mansion?" Sharna asked raising an eyebrow

"Yes, he suggested the idea" he scratched the back of his head looking the other way.

"So is Kevin a part of your gang?" Sharna asked

"He's kind of new"

"So do you think he did it?" Caleb asked and the room was silent for a minute

"I wanna say no, but honestly he was the only one there, so?" he shrugged

His answers were exactly similar to the ones from yesterday which made Sharna and Caleb suspicious.

"One last question," Caleb asked "why was Megan homeschooled?"

"It says in her folder for health reasons, but nothing further" Sharna added

"I don't know she never told me, she said she'll be back though for senior year. She wanted us to win prom king and queen" he bit a nail "I think Hanna might know, she's her best friend after all"

Darren left and the next to be interrogated was Hanna and her father attended with her.

"From what we've heard, you were Megan's best friend" Sharna said

"Yes, Meg and I have been best friend for years" she started crying and her father was trying to comfort her.

"We need you to be honest with us" Caleb said 

"We didn't do it!" she shouted

"Then help us figure out who did it" Sharna said handing her a tissue "Let's start with the reason behind her recent homeschooling"

She sobbed "She didn't want me to tell, but she.." Hanna wiped her tears "she had a liposuction and decided to disappear for a while then make a comeback senior year to win prom queen"

"When was the last time you met her?" Caleb asked

"Like 2 weeks ago or something" she said

"That's what Darren said too" Sharna said 

"Yeah, the whole gang met" she nodded

"including Kevin?" Caleb asked taking notes

"No, he had a thing" Sharna gave a look to Caleb and he understood what she meant.

They asked her to tell them what happened and she said the exact same story as Darren. However, she defended Kevin saying he couldn't have done it.

"Did she ever talk to you about another guy in her life?" Sharna asked her referring to the guy the homeless man told her about and Caleb was confused.

Hanna sucked her cheeks and looked down. "Maybe, I'm not sure though"

"Did she or did she not tell you about another guy" Sharna raised her voice and Hanna's father was angry.

"She's just a kid, you're scaring her"

"I am doing my job" she said "and I'm trying to find the truth."

"Plus this guy could be another suspect which is good for their situation" Caleb added

"Yes" Hanna's voice was breaking

Skylar and Adam's stories matched Hanna and Darren's and Sharna thought it was a little rehearsed and Kevin was left out of it being the odd one out.

Sharna and Caleb took a coffee break before the interrogation with Kevin, they knew it was the hardest.

Sharna drank her coffee with Matt.

"What do you think now?" Matt asked

"I think that other guy should be found." Sharna said then buried her face in her palms "ughhh" she was angry "yes, these kids are mean but" she sighed "they didn't do it and no matter what, they don't deserve it"

"We already established that you won't let them go to jail" he smiled at her and reached out for her right hand.

She smiled back "Thank you for being here"

"Are you kidding me, it's a dream come true to watch a real life interrogation" his eyes widened with excitement.

Sharna laughed "Not just today, I mean thanks for being here for me in general. You're a great friend and unlike Em you don't have to pretend to be interested in me work"

"I'm very" he paused "interested" he smiled

"I need to go, watch out for that next one" she smirked and walked to the interrogation room again.

Sharna and Caleb sat as Kevin entered with his mum and sat opposing them. He looked worse than all of them, he was sweating and he hand black under eyes. He kept looking down.

"Kevin, we need you to speak honestly." Sharna said "I know it's hard, I know you've been through a lot, but.." he interrupted her

"I did it" he lifted his chin up with tears in his eyes "I killed her"

His mother shook her head in disagreement "He doesn't mean it" she threw her face between her palms. 

"I did it, she didn't love me back" he said

"Can you please tell us everything that happened?" Caleb asked

"I've been in love with her for like 2 years, but I was never good enough" his hands were shaking "I saw her at the house and she was laughing, I grabbed the knife and cut her open"

"Where did you get the knife?" Caleb said

"It was there" he sobbed

"How did you cut her?" Sharna asked

He closed his eyes "like a cross"

"Why?" Sharna asked "Why a cross?"

"I don't know" he was breathing hard "I just found myself doing it" he covered his eyes with his hands.

Sharna looked towards Caleb and shook her head.

"Mrs Bennet" Sharna said can I have a private moment with you?"

"Sure" Mrs Bennet went outside the room with Sharna

"I need 5 minutes alone with your son; I already have another suspect and we both know he did not do it, so please let me help him. Because a confession from him would cancel out anything else I bring to the table"

Sharna was able to convince her.

"Caleb" Sharna called him at the door "I need 5 minutes alone with him, I think I have an idea"

"What do you have in mind?" Caleb asked

"Whenever you hear me say 'it's hot in here', make the ac colder"

"Why?" Caleb was puzzled 

"Just trust me"

He gasped "Okay" and went outside

"Kevin" Sharna walked over "it's just you and me now." she sat down "It's hot in here don't you think?" he didn't say a word.

"So did you plan with Megan to meet at the house?" Sharna asked

"No, the guys dared me to stay there, but I just found her there"

She grabbed some sheets of paper from the table and started airing herself. "you're sweating, is it hot in here?"

He shook his head "so tell me how long have you known Megan?"

"Since like 3rd grade, but she never acknowledged my presence"

"So you killed her?"

"Yes"

She got up from her chair and started pacing "Would someone get the ac" she shouted towards the door "it's really hot in here" then turned again to Kevin.

"What about the hair, why did you cut it and burn it?"

he was silent for a minutes; he balled his fists and looked the other way.

"I don't remember, I can't remember every single detail, it all happened so fast" he was breathing heavily

Sharna walked over to her seat and took off her jacket "I don't know what's wrong with the ac it's really hot"

he nodded "Yes"

"Do you think your other friends told her to come over to the house or was it just a coincidence?"

"I don't know" he hit the desk with his fist.

"You told me she was laughing before you killed her, what was she laughing about?"

"Why are you torturing me" he screamed holding his head between his hands "I only have a memory of myself on top of her cutting her open"

She kept asking him the same questions and adding "it's hot in here" every once in a while and by the end of their conversation, he was all sweaty. Sharna left to go talk to Caleb and Mrs Bennet.

"Kevin is a highly suggestible person, by then end of the interogation he was asking ms to swich on the ac" Sharna said "He's a teen, he's a little fragile at this stage and he's been through a horrible trauma; probably his friends kept blaming him and his mind created that memory of him on top of her murdering her. " Sharna said

"Cause he witnessed the murder." He wondereed "We should get a psychiatrist as soon as possible to run tests" Caleb said

Kevin's mum left to go talk to him and Sharna told Caleb about that homeless guy and what he told her.

"We'll look into any street cameras which can face detect her in the past week, maybe we could find that other man"

"Great and as soon as you hear from the psychiatrist tell you" Sharna said and he nodded at her.

Sharna and Matt left the station and went to eat Chinese. He kept telling her how impressed he was with her interrogation with Kevin.

"My second major was Psychology" she told him.

Sharna went home after and found Nicole sitting on the couch waiting for her.

"We need to talk" she said as Sharna walked in

"I'm really tired" Sharna said

"Shar please talk to me" she got up and walked closer to her "I'm sorry about the car, I was trying to help out as your friend"

"And how long are you planning to stay my friend this time? Is there a certain deadline I should be aware of?" Sharna burst

"What are you talking about? I thought we were good" she twirled a lock of her hair

"You know we haven't really talked about it"

"Then talk" Nicole raised her voice

"I don't want to," Sharna covered her ears with her hands

Nicole sighed "You're being so freaking childish"

Each one of them locked herself in her room for the rest of the night.

Hey guys! Thanks for reading. Hope u enjoyed the chapter :) I'm really glad I was able to post a chapter this week and I'm trying my best to finish this crime along with the new semester and work. Also, my story is getting really close to 2k so I wanna thank everyone who's been reading, voting and commenting.