It Started With a Murder

Chapter Five

Cathie:

I duck out of the science classroom as soon as the bell rings and practically run from school. Avoiding Pearl is harder than I thought, especially since we had last lesson together; it had been difficult but I'd just about managed to avoid all her attempts to talk to me.

I decide to miss the bus and walk home today. There’ll be less of a chance of bumping into Pearl and it will give me time to think of a reason for rescuing Adrian.

I pull out my Ipod and stick my earphones in, listening to a Queen CD, on loop. I expect to be walking alone for the journey (all my friends catch the bus), so it surprises me when one of my earphones gets tugged out.

“Cathie, hi.” I turn around to see Murphy standing, awkwardly holding one of my earphone’s.

“Urm, hey. Can I have my earphone back?” I ask, wondering what on earth Murphy wants with me.

“Sure, if I can talk to you for just a few seconds,” Murphy says, handing me my earphone back.

I don’t particularly want to talk to Murphy, but I’m not as good at telling people to go away as Pearl is, it makes me feel really horrible. So I turn my Ipod off and fall into step beside Murphy.

“What do you want to talk about?” I ask.

Murphy smiles. “I don’t know how to word this exactly… except to come right out with it.”

“Go on then,” I say.

Murphy opens her mouth about four times before actually telling me what’s going on. “I want your help to find Annabelle’s murderer.”

“What?” I laugh, is she crazy? How could we possibly find Annabelle’s murderer? We’d be a terrible team, we hate each other!

Murphy sighs. “I know it sounds odd but I think we need to do something.”

Trying to stop my laughter, I manage to say, “why?”

“Because the police have come to a dead end.”

This stops my laughter. “I thought the police suspected Adrian.”

Murphy shakes her head. “He has a valid alibi.” This leaves me cold, that means it could be anyone, my mind automatically starts racing through people I know who could be the murderer. “And since the police have no one else to offer, I think we could help by doing something to try and find her murderer.” Murphy finishes.

I bite my lip. “Murphy we hate each other, we could never work together!”

Murphy shakes her head. “I don’t hate you.” I stare at her, completely disbelieving. Murphy smiles. “I hate your sister, because she’s a complete bitch to me and to most of our year. I don’t have any reason to hate you though. You sometimes annoy me a bit but it doesn’t make me hate you.”

I think about defending Pearl, but end up deciding that there’s no point with Murphy. “I don’t see how we could possibly help find the murderer,” I say, beginning to put my earphones back in.

Murphy grabs my arm before the earphone reaches my ear. “Wait. We can help, we knew Annabelle, we knew who she got on with and she didn’t get on with. We know so much more than the police do, we only have to find the important pieces of knowledge and we can find the murderer. Don't you want to help Annabelle rest in peace?”

I stare at Murphy, captivated by her words; she should enter politics, she really is very persuasive. “Why do you need my help?” I ask. "I mean, what could I possibly do that you couldn't, we both probably knew the same things about her.