a cold summer

Chapter Fourteen ~ Another Murder

Xara was the murderer. A serial killer on a killing streak. She killed Jesse and Isa. I was shocked. I trusted her. I thought she would be the one to solve the murder, not the actual murderer. And it was so elaborately done. As if she enjoyed herself.

The first thing I had to do was call the police. Not the joke of a station here. The real police. I dialled 999 and waited. They picked up after one ring.

I told them what happened, how my friends had been murdered and I called the police, but then it turns out the police lady was the one who killed them and I knew where she was; at the police station. They told me to stand by and they would send someone over. All I had to do was keep her in the police station until the real police arrived.

The dingy police station was just up ahead. I opened the rusting door and creeped inside. The fat receptionist wasn't at her desk today which made the building seem awfully quiet. A stack of empty doughnut boxes lay to the side of her desk. I went down the dark hallway to the left and found Xara's office. It was exactly how it was before: extremely messy and disorganised. Xara was sat at her desk, looking through some ripped pieces of paper. She smiled as I walked through her crumbling door.

"Hi Rain," she said cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"
I stared into her eyes. "I know what you did."
Xara frowned. "What did I do?" she asked, visibly confused.
I just looked at her.
"Well, I don't know what you're playing at. But I've got a meeting in ten minutes with Stella about the murder, so I should be going."
And with that, she threw the pieces of loose paper onto the floor and walked towards the door. I shifted to the side so that I was blocking the door.
"You're not going anywhere, Skye Witherdale."

Xara gasped. That was her real name, the name attached to the photo of the serial killer which was marked ONE. There was no denying it now. She was the killer. As I looked closer at her, I realised that it was the same person. Despite having dark purple dye on it, her hair was the same shade of mousy brown as in the photograph. I could even see small streaks of blonde from when she dyed her hair after escaping from prison which was in the second photograph. Upon closer inspection, I notice that her eyes were a little too icy blue, as if she was wearing contacts.

I waited for her to respond. Instead she merely clapped. "Well done. I think you're the only person who's genuinely caught me. Your friends tried, but to no avail."
I shook my head. "I can't believe I trusted you."
"Neither can I actually," she quipped. "This place is so dark, dingy and desolate that I was worried people would smell a rat when they came. Police stations should be productive places where the good guys hang out, so naturally it's clean. This isn't even a real police station; it's a barn I rented out when I arrived. The real station is in the village. But I knew you wouldn't know that. You're not native to this island. It was just too easy."

I just stood there, rooted to the ground. The shock of the murder stopped me from thinking logically. And in refraining to do so, I had just made everything much, much worse.

"I made sure your phone ran out of battery so that you couldn't call the real police. This barn is located on the main road between the village and your house soI knew you couldn't miss it. I assumed you would see this building and assume it was the police station. I was right of course. I'm always right. It was just too easy."

She'd said that twice now. I figured she was just trying to rub it in my face. I didn't give her the satisfaction. My face remained as calm as ever.

Xara seemed disappointed that I hadn't given her a good reaction. Instead, she said, "You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all this. Why is someone who's smart enough to pull off an incredibly convoluted and extravagant murder confessing to it and explaining their plan? They would then be a witness who could get me arrested. What a shame." Xara smiled evilly, the same smile those holographic ghost kids smiled. That must have been what they were modelled off.
"You're not going to tell the police because I'm going to kill you. I can't have you ruining my mission."

Without warning, she lunged over the desk towards me and clasped her hand around my throat. "This has been fun though, hasn't it. I'll miss you when I escape."

I desperately tried to pull her hand off my throat but she was too strong. I gasped for air, my eyes bulging. The room began to darken and red spots danced around in front of my eyes.

This was it. My life was over. I accepted defeat and thought about the hundreds of other people who would lay victims of Xara. Oh well. At least I tried.

But it wasn't over yet.

Xara suddenly let go of me and I saw why. A police officer, a real one I hoped, had kicked down the door and tackled Xara to the ground. Others were scouting the perimeter, taking samples and investigating the area. Another officer, a woman, walked over to Xara.

"Skye Witherdale, you are under arrest for the murders of Jesse Somersby and Isa Stratford, as well as the attempted murder of this young lady. You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions but anything you say may be used against you in a court of law."

Xara merely smiled. In fact, she was still smiling as they led her to the back of a police van. I watched as it drove away, and felt a true sense of accomplishment. I solved a murder and I put the killer behind bars.