A Death in the Cornfield

A Death In The Cornfield

By Katrina Tao.

Dedicated to my brother, who promised to read this in 45 years

^_^

Copyright 2015

Maple Leaf Writing Project

Brattleboro, Vermont

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“Hurry up Ashy!” I ran toward the parking lot. “Mom and Dad are supposed to take us for ice cream after they finish their court hearings!”

“I’m coming, Ceara,” my little brother, Ashton hurried after me. “Wait for me!”

I stopped abruptly in my tracks and gasped. Ashton crashed into me. “What’s wrong with you?” He rubbed his head. “That hurt.”

“Do you hear that?” I asked.

Ashton listened for a second, gasped and said, “it’s Mommy and Daddy, screaming.”

BANG!!! BANG!!!!!

Ashton and I looked at each other and ran toward the sound of our parents.

Chapter 2

After we’d walked a few blocks, we arrived at a cornfield. The stalks were about six to seven feet tall. There were fresh footprints in the ground and a blood trail. Ashton and I followed it. The trail lead straight into the cornfield.

It took us about fifteen minutes to navigate through the field. I brushed past one last corn stalk.

About ten feet in front of us were two figures lying on the ground. If they were anyone else I wouldn’t be able to recognize them from that distance but I’d known those people my whole life. I reached into my pocket numbly and took out the phone my dad had given me for emergencies and called 911. I crouched next to my parents’ bodies.

“How could this happen?” I looked to my left and saw Ashton gaping at the sight of mom and dad. Ashton started to cry really hard.

I wanted to say something to comfort him, but I couldn’t. Tears had started forming in my eyes. I felt so helpless and so useless, all I could do was wrap my arms around my only living family left and cry with him.

About half an hour later we heard sirens. Detectives, MEs and CSU started showing up.

Thankfully, among them was a familiar face.

“Esme?!” Ashton and I cried in unison. Esme Gray, an old friend, smiled kindly yet sympathetically at us. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m an ME, remember? I am so sorry about your parents.”

I started to tear up again. “Thank you. I know they meant a lot to you too.”

“Excuse me, but who are you two? No unauthorized people are allowed at an active crime scene.” A woman from CSU, almost too eagerly, tried to usher us out but Esme stopped her.

“It’s fine Crystal, they’re with me,” Esme said.

“Oh, um...Okay.” Crystal left awkwardly. Esme was about to say something.

“Dr. Gray, do you know these children?” said an unfamiliar voice.

We turned around to see a woman standing behind us with a notepad.

“Yes they’re old friends, and the children of Maggie and Ethan Clove,” replied Esme. “Ceara, Ashton, this is Detective Gwendelyn Blake, the lead detective in um… the murder.”

“That means you kids are the next of kin,” Blake said. “That makes my job much easier. Do you mind answering some questions to guide our investigation?”

“Excuse me Gwen, but these kids just lost their parents and are most likely in shock.”

“It’s um… It’s okay,” I say, trying not to choke up. “We’ll manage.”

When Blake was done with her questions, she asked, “is there anywhere you children can stay for now? Do you have any relatives that you could stay with?”

“I don’t think so. Both our parents were only children and our grandparents are all dead.”

“You two could stay with me for a while. I have an extra bedroom in my apartment.” Esme looked at Blake. “Would that be okay?”

Blake thought for a minute then said, “I guess. You’d have to fill out some paperwork.”

“Okay, then, that settles it.”

“Wait, Detective Blake,” I tried not to choke up again, “I would like to request to assist this investigation.”

“No, I know you want to help solve your parents' case, but the best thing you can do is to wait for us to solve it.” She turned to Esme. “Dr. Gray, please escort these two back to your apartment. After that, you are needed in the morgue.”

Esme looked like she wanted to argue, but only nodded, “Of course, Detective Blake.”

Chapter 3

I was so angry at Esme for not trying harder to get me on the case, I ignored her most of the car ride. Ashton seemed to sense my anger and followed my example.

Esme tried to make small talk but both of us kept quiet. Eventually she gave up and we drove on in silence. After about two minutes had passed I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why didn’t you push to get me on my parents case?”

Esme looked surprised, “That’s why you’re mad at me? I assumed you’d understand.”

That caught me by surprise. “Understand what?”

“If I’d pushed for that, Blake would’ve taken me off the case.”

“But it’s not fair!” I began to realize how much of a little kid I sounded like but I didn’t care.

Esme shook her head, “Life isn’t fair, Ceara, you should know that.”

I sigh in frustration, I should have seen that coming. All my life I’ve been told that life wasn’t fair. “Esme. Can I ask you a question?”

Esme nodded. “Of course.”

“Please answer honestly.” I took a deep breath, “how did Mom and Dad die?”

Esme looked uncomfortable. “Ceara, are you sure you and Ashton are ready to know?”

I flinched, a little in surprise. I had almost forgot that Ashton was in the back seat of the car. I looked at my little brother. Unsurprisingly, he had fallen asleep. He must have been exhausted from all that had happened today.

“I think I’m ready, but I don’t know about Ashton. Please tell me.” I begged.

Esme sighed, “I guess it’s only fair for you to know. Esme took a deep breath. “I know you guys heard the gunshot. When you first told us that, we assumed that was what killed them. But once I examined the body, I realized that the gunshots were only to immobilize them.”

“Why would they use a gun just to immobilize them?” I asked.

“Probably to make sure we couldn’t compare ballistics. They even dug out the bullets in their legs. But what really killed them was the knife stabs in their backs. It was more like a dagger. Once your parents weren’t able to move, the killer stabbed them in the back where the dagger was just long enough to puncture their hearts.”

“Then why use the gun in the first place?”

Esme thought for a second, “Based on what I’ve examined so far, I think the shots were from a distance so maybe your parents were running. The killer probably couldn’t catch up to them so they just used the gun.”

I just gaped. I never could have imagined anyone could be so violent like that.

Chapter 4

Esme unlocked the door to her apartment, “This is where you’ll be staying for now. I’ll get your things from your apartment after I get back.”

“Okay, that’s great. And Esme, thanks for everything. I know you didn’t have to take us in.”

“No, actually I did have to. Maggie and Ethan, your parents, were friends, so I do need to help you two.”

After Esme made dinner, she left to go to the morgue. “I hate leaving you, but I really need to be down at the morgue. I’ll be back in a couple hours.” Esme said.

“Okay,” Ashton and I said in unison.

An hour after Esme left, Ashton and I were watching TV. There was a knock on the door. I walked over to look through the peephole and didn’t see anyone but saw something on the ground. Out of curiosity, I opened the door. In front of me was a briefcase with a note on top.

I opened the note, it said:

“I know who murdered your parents, but if you tell anyone, even Esme or your brother, I will destroy all evidence and you’ll never find out who did it. Put something that belonged to each of your parents and both their diaries in this briefcase and follow the directions written below exactly. And if you think you are so smart that you can tell someone and get away with it, just know I have eyes and ears everywhere.”

After I read it, I was so stunned that I dropped the briefcase.

“Ceara, who was that?” Ashton looked up from the TV.

“Um, no one.”

He looked confused, but thankfully, he just shrugged and went back to watching his show.

I sighed, relieved. I took the briefcase and the note into the spare room Esme gave me and Ashton to share. I examined the note closely, but there was nothing to indicate who sent it. I reached into my bag and took out one of those makeup brushes, the big poofy kind that you could also use to dust for fingerprints. I had learned how to dust for fingerprints just from watching cop shows. I dusted the entire card but the only prints I found were my own. I even dusted the briefcase but there wasn’t anything there. I then had an idea. Thankfully, my obsession with cop shows came in handy. I grabbed a pen from my bag with a UV light on the end. I shined it over the note and briefcase but still there was nothing. I groaned in frustration. What was I supposed to do now? I decided to call Esme and ask when was she coming back. I used her landline to call her cell. But when I was waiting for her to pick up, I realized there was static. I hung up the phone and searched the area around the phone.

“Aha!” I said to myself. Under the rim of the lamp was a small, round piece of metal with wires. A bug. Whoever wrote the letter said that they had eyes and ears everywhere, I thought, this must be how they can hear everything, but then they must have some sort of camera for them to be able to see everything.

When Esme finally came back, Ashton had already gone to bed. I gave Esme the bug and she put it in her car to bring to the precinct the next day to be identified. “Did you receive a note and a briefcase?” She asked suddenly.

I flinched in surprise. “How did you know?”

“We found a store where a pad of paper and a briefcase was purchased by one of our suspects. Tell me what happened?”

I was afraid that there’d be other listening devices so I whispered everything to her.

“What do you think I should do?” I asked.

“I’m not sure.” Esme thought for a minute. “Give them what they want as bait, then once they take it, we go after them.”

“What do you mean by ‘we’?”

“Gwen and the others. You do remember that she’s working your parents’ case right?”

I had been so focused about the briefcase and the note that I had forgotten that the police were working to solve my parents’ homicide. “So did you get the stuff from our apartment?”

Esme nodded, “Yes, and luckily I also got your dad’s watch, your mom’s pendant and both their diaries. I’ll notify Gwen tomorrow and make sure they’ll be ready to breach.”

I nodded in agreement, “Okay, that’s a good idea.”

Chapter 5

When I woke up Ashton was still asleep. I glanced at the clock beside me, it said 6:52 am. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head. I’d had a terrible nightmare in which my parents were murdered. Then I remembered that was my reality. There was no point lying in bed so I got up, brushed my teeth, showered, changed , and headed to the kitchen. Esme was making pancakes.

“You’re up early. I’d thought you’d be like your brother and sleep for another hour or two.”

“Nah, I don’t sleep that much.”

“Okay, here’s some breakfast.” Esme put the pancakes she was making in front of me with butter and maple syrup. “I need to be at the morgue in twenty minutes. There’s chicken in the fridge, anything else you might need?”

I shake my head. “No, thank you Esme.”

She smiled and said, “No need to thank me.”

When Esme left I decided to watch some TV. It was then when I realized that I was going to have to make funeral arrangements maybe with the help of Esme.

I tried to distract myself for a while by watching some TV, I guess it worked because when I finally looked up from the TV screen, it was already quarter of ten. I went to check on Ashton, who was still asleep. “Wow,” I said to myself, “he can really sleep.”

When I walked back to the kitchen there was a knock at the door. I looked through the peephole. Blake was standing in front of the door. I opened the door. “Can I help you?”

Blake nodded, “Dr. Gray told me everything, follow their directions with the briefcase and its contents in twenty-five minutes. Got it?”

I nodded.

When Blake left, I made sure that everything was in the briefcase. The watch, the pendant, and my mother’s and father’s diaries. Check.

Ashton was still asleep so I left him a note.

Ashy,

I’m going to be gone for a few hours. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine.

Luv ya, Ceara<3

P.S.There are pancakes on the counter and chicken in the fridge.

Twenty minutes later I decided to leave since it would take about five minutes to get to the park. I grabbed the briefcase and left. When I got to the park, I walked to the water fountain by the swings just as the note said.

Under the fountain was another note. Even though I knew that Blake and the other detectives were watching me, I felt very nervous. I went north towards the mall. When I got there, I turned left to the empty shoeshine stand next to McDonald’s. I placed the briefcase next to the stand and slowly walked to the bathroom. I looked back at the stand, but the case was gone.

“Schist!” Blake cursed as she and Esme walked towards me. “Dang it, we lost them.”

Esme smiled. “Not really,” she showed us her phone, “the watch has a tracking chip in it.”

Blake looked at the phone, “They’re heading west, most likely to the post office.”

“Can I go?” I asked.

Blake looked at me and seemed to decide that I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Fine, even though we have about half a dozen officers posted there incognito, this is still very dangerous so don’t let your guard down at all.”

I nodded.

We drove to a big brick building that said “The Post Office” and sure enough Esme’s phone said that they were there.

Esme and Blake walked into the post office, but there were a handful of people with similar briefcase, luckily we all recognized one of them. And she was holding the briefcase.

“Officer Smith,” Blake said to the CSU officer who had tried to usher Ashton and I out of the crime scene, “what are you doing?”

Crystal Smith pulled out a gun, “Don’t move!”

Smith was engaged with Blake so I took the opportunity and snuck around them by the post office boxes.

Blake raised her hands slowly. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I-” Crystal didn’t finish her sentence because I had grabbed the briefcase and hit her in the back of the head and she crumpled to the floor.

Blake ran up to her and said, “Crystal Smith, you are under arrest for the murder of Ethan and Margaret Clove. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning if you wish. You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answer any questions or answer any statements.”

As Blake took Crystal for interrogation, she smiled at me.

“Come on Ceara, let’s go too.” s,id Esme

Chapter 6

Since Blake took the car, we walked. When we finally arrived to the precinct Blake was already done with her interrogation. “Her real name is Camille Powers.” Blake said, “she is going away for life for first degree murder. Your parents sent away her father who died in prison so she decided to punish the people who wronged her. She wanted your parents’ belongings and diaries because she needed a code that she thought was in their diaries and she also needed their prints to tap into a trust fund.”

“A trust fund?” I asked, even though the pieces were coming together.

“Yes,” Esme smiled, “your parents put me in charge of it until you were twenty one.”

My jaw dropped. Oh my god, I thought.

“While we’re on the topic of good news.” Esme’s smile grew, “I am going to adopt you and Ashton. I couldn’t let you two go into the foster system.”

I started to cry, not only tears of joy, but also sadness.

Blake smiled too, “Why don’t you give Ashton a call?”

Esme handed me her phone, and I dialed Esme’s number. “Hello?”

I broke down in tears at the sound of my little brother’s voice, “Ashy, guess what?”