Morning Birds Sing Deep into the Night

Chapter 9

Whistling echoed from the rattling shutters being toyed with by the wind. Noses were cherry red, eyes held dark circles underneath, and frost-bitten were the skin of our cheeks. One by one we all clocked in after ushering numb feet inside tattered boots inside. I blew out a puff of white, pale lips chapped. William cast us a single glance before stepping towards his work room, the creaking door closing with a click behind him. Ashley's gaze was locked onto his turned back, barely suppressing a flinch as he shut the door and closed himself off. Next to me, Christopher leaned forward and gently tapped the painter on her shoulder. She spun around, blinking at both of us in silent question. Brows furrowed and lips pursed. Christopher turned and tilted his head, tight-lipped as he nodded at me and then his room in a gesture for her to follow us. Shoulders bunched up before falling back down in a shrug, eyes softening as she mouthed silently. 'Alright, lead the way.' No doubt she had questions for us too, if the curiosity trapped inside her gaze was anything to go by. Once the three of us were inside Christopher's work room, I closed the door with a sigh that lingered for a moment. Afterwards, I turned on my heel to greet their loose-knitted gazes, burdened with a daunting truth. We all knew.

I swallowed dryly. "We've all managed to figure out who the murderer is, haven't we?" My voice trembled as Christopher nodded slowly and Ashley bowed her head in reluctant agreement. The mechanic piped up, tone unwavering as he spoke. "I was hoping we could all meet up later today after work. Come up with a plan." Ashley tilted her chin upwards to gaze at us, blinking and nodding. The previous shyness within her eyes hardened into pure determination, no longer reluctant. "I agree. Although I'm not certain of the motive, I know that he's dangerous." Christopher nodded while I let out a brief hum of acknowledgement. The painter clocked her gaze back to the door, turning back to us as she prompted. "Would you mind if I went to grab my painting supplies before coming back? I don't think he knows that we're suspicious of him, but just to be safe." Christopher raised his palm in the air with a faint wave. "Of course, with the situation we're in it's best to be cautious." Casting him a grateful nod, Ashley stepped out the door and walked briskly towards her work room. We held our breaths in silent hope until she returned safely.

Snowdrops nestled in blankets of white, tips glazed with frost. I stared at them through the fogged window pane, thinly layered in a fresh coating of ice. A voice disrupted the silence, my winter dazed eyes flicking over to Christopher as he cleared his throat. "So what should we do, other than the obvious of calling the police?" Ashley hummed, a low trill breaking the raspiness of the air's frigid chill, being warmed from a stone fireplace tucked in the corner. "There's not enough evidence for them to perform an immediate arrest, that's for sure. We would have to convince them with the evidence we have, at least to do an interrogation." Christopher and I nodded, his nose and cheeks dusted a light pink from the previous wind gusts that caused us to run inside for warmth. My face was still numb from the outside air, fingertips laced around a mug of steaming tea. Snowflakes dotted the faulty golden rim as uneven nails danced around the edge. I exhaled a breath of air, the steam wafting around my lips fanning out. "What if we called the police, explained our evidence, convinced them to perform an interrogation, and then asked if they could meet us outside of the toy factory early tomorrow morning?" My two coworkers perked up, mulling over the idea with a quiet pause.

The edges of Christopher's lips quirked up in a thoughtful smile. "That could work." The lights of Ashley's eyes seemed to brighten, as she quickly nodded in agreement. Christopher pulled out his phone, the slight grin he wore slipping into a firm line as the ringtone buzzed to life. The sound ended abruptly as an authoritative tone crackled out. "Hello, my name is Cathy and I'm an officer at the North Police Department. How may I help you?" I breathed out slowly as Christopher replied, a neutral expression hiding his true emotions, sight locked onto the phone speaker. "Hi, I'm calling about the situation going on at the local toy factory. I'm a worker there, and I have my two other coworkers with me." The woman's voice let out a hum of acknowledgement from the other end. "Alright, the last I heard there were four workers left. Is there an issue concerning your other coworker, the one that isn't with you?" She prompted with a steady voice. A silent breath slipped past Christopher's lips as he answered her, glancing back to us with a determined flame raging in his eyes. "Yes, there is. The three of us have all come to the conclusion that he is the one responsible for the murders." While Cathy was caught by surprise, Ashley and I held our breaths as Christopher explained the evidence we had gathered.

We stood outside on the porch, huddled close together to keep warm. Blocking the frigid chill of nearing mid-winter, fleece-lined scarves and fuzz-adorned gloves moving in time with our shivering forms. Two police cars drove up, parking in the ice-matted grass at the building's side. Four figures stepped out, dark boots shuffling towards us with arms folded together from the whistling wind. A woman led the other three onto the porch, greeting us with a singular nod. "It's nice to meet you all in person. I'm Cathy, the one you spoke with on the phone yesterday evening." We introduced our names, before unlocking the door and leading the officers inside. I tucked the rusted silver key inside my pocket, breathing white fog into the hallway. The policeman in the back closed the front door with a quiet click, boots stepping onto the floorboards despite their creaking of protest. Ashley spoke, voice tethered and words falling just. "So... all we have to do now is wait for him to arrive." Christopher flicked his gaze towards her in sympathy as Cathy nodded stiffly. I bowed my head in both sympathy and silent acknowledgment. Henceforth, time passed during the quiet moments. An hour went by, and so did patience.

Everyone gazed at one another in shared worry. I broke the silence with a dull tongue and nervous eyes. "William figured it out, didn't he?"