a cold summer

Chapter Four ~ The Team

"I still think it's highly unlikely that my friends were murdered by vengeful spirits," I protested, but Xara just ignored me. I still found it odd that she was so quick to write the murder off as a ghost attack.

We stopped outside a flashy building made entirely out of glass. Xara smiled and walked through the door. The building felt very open and airy; there was something so calm and serene about it.

On the left was a small cafe called Cafe Well Bean, emitting a beautiful scent that made the whole building smell like fresh bread. I cringed at the name, but then wondered if their sausage rolls were any good.

On the right was a large expanse of grass which seemed pretty random. Upon closer inspection, I realised it was actually astro turf. Bean bags and pillows lay across the floor under what I realised was actually a large tree. I stared at it in amazement, wondering how they could have possibly fit that enormous tree in such a tiny building.

Straight ahead was a green wooden door leading into a room which wasn't made of glass. Xara reached for this door and opened it to reveal an office.

Three desks were arranged in a line down the room. One of them was immaculately clean with all of the stationary and paper put in its proper place as well as a gleaming computer sitting on top. The one behind however, was the polar opposite. Broken pencils and ripped up paper lay strewn across the desk next to a large black stain, probably ink. It reminded me of Xara's desk. The third was a combination of the two. Organised enough, but not to the point of extremity.

Xara frowned, and then pushed a bell behind her. Nothing happened.
"They should be here," she muttered. Unless they're on another break..."
She began to walk back towards the door which swung open and nearly knocked her over.

Three people were laughing as they walked through the door. They smiled at Xara, who smiled back.

"I trust you got my message," said Xara calmly.
The three people nodded. The first was a tall and slim woman with straight and glossy blonde hair. She had extremely dark eyes, as black as charcoal. The other two must have been twins because they looked identical. They were both quite large and had dark brown hair with a slight curl to it. The one thing that struck me as odd was that they had different coloured eyes. One of them had light brown whereas the other had dark blue. They all looked very friendly and had an air of calm about them, reflecting the building which I now assumed was their office.

"Rain, this is Stella, Barry and Geoff," Xara announced. "I've been working with them for six years now!"
They all gave me a small wave and a smile.
"Nice to meet you,' I said.

Stella stepped forward and said, "Rain, I understand how stressful and confusing this must all be for you. But I want to assure you that we will find the spirits who did this."
I frowned. "That is, if spirits did it."
A muscle jumped under Stella's eye. "Of course."
Barry and Geoff merely smiled. There was something off about these people.

"Well, we don't necessarily know if this murder was as a result of a spiritual clash," began Barry. He was the one with blue eyes. "But that's what we're here for. If we discover it wasn't the result of something supernatural, we will leave the case to Xara. Don't worry, ninety percent of the time it isn't. But you know Xara, ever paranoid."

Xara looked slightly embarrassed. Barry didn't notice and continued. "We have to take a look at the evidence and rule out every possible option. We'll do some research on the significance of the area as well as the style of death. If we find anything useful, we'll give you a call."

"Feel free to get a drink or a snack from the cafe," said Geoff. "I run it myself as part of a successful chain. There are now six stores in the world."

I looked behind him at the cafe, seriously tempted.
Geoff just laughed. "Stop by any time you like!"

"We should get to work," said Stella. "We'll be in touch if we find anything."
"Thank you," said Xara. "We'll be on our way then."

Xara and I headed out the building as Stella, Barry and Geoff got to work. I just hoped that somehow they would be able to solve this murder.