MURDER IN THE WINTER

Chapter-3

The next day raven woke up with a knock on her door. She ran towards the door and opened it. Thompson was standing right in front. "good morning miss raven." " good morning to you too mr. Thompson." "as I said yesterday today is your big day." "what about that sir?." Asked raven. " remember yesterday I got a call from the senior police officer?" "yes, I do sir" "yes, he has asked me to make you as my assistant for this case as you have a keen interest for this case. Would you be happy to take it up?". " I would love to work on the case sir." " okay then, get ready and meet me at Elvis diner, at sharp 11:00." " sure sir." Raven dressed up and got ready to lock her house and leave before leaving the apartment she glanced at melon white's house. " I must leave it 10:50 already." She said to herself. Saying that raven left the apartment, came down the stairs and walked straight towards eLvon street, right where elvin's diner was situated. Walking straight again, she saw melon white getting into a car, she tried to get hold of her but she remembered thompson's words " we don't choose a suspect without evidence" knowing she could do nothing she walked straight quietly. At last, she reached elvin's diner where before entering a homage board was placed, where it was written "our condolences to late elen opstalen" her picture was pinned below the homage board. Without any time waste she walked into elvin's diner. Where she had found Thompson. "nice to meet you here sir." Raven said "miss raven, why do you suspect melon white?" Thompson asked suspiciously "today morning, when I was on my way to elvin's diner I saw melon white getting into a car." "so that's what makes you suspicious about melon white?" "no sir, I feel that elen opstalen and melon white were friends, but they had enmity. That's what makes me suspicious about melon white". "well if you suspect her.... We will investigate her." "thank you sir. And one more thing... raven was interrupted by the waiter. " may I get something for you mam, sir?" "hot cocoa will be better." I will take hot cocoa to, but she's paying." "okay sir,mam" saying that the waiter left. "so, you were TELLING SOMETHING MISS RAVEN?" "YES, IS THIS DINER BOUGHT BY THE OPSTALEN'S?" "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT MISS RAVEN?" " I SAW THE HOMAGE BOARD AND ALL THESE POSTERS OF ELEN OPSTALEN." " YES, WELL THERE ARE RUMORS ABOUT THE ENTIRE TOWN HAS BEEN BOUGHT BY THEM." RAVEN HAD A SUSPECTING LOOK ON HER FACE. "WHOLE TOWN IS IT SIR." "YOU ARE THINKING SOMETHING MISS RAVEN?." "SIR, IF THE WHOLE TOWN WAS BOUGHT BY THEM, DON'T YOU THINK THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD A LOT OF ENIMIES?" "ENIMIES, WHO?" "THE...." JUST AS RAVEN WAS ABOUT TO SPEAK, SHE WAS INTERUPPTED AGAIN. "HERE IS YOUR HOT COCA MAM, SIR" SAID THE WAITER. "THANK YOU.. RAVEN SAW THE NAMETAG ON HIS SHIRT AND SAID..... STEVEN. I WILL PAY THE TIPS AND BILL AT THE COUNTER." "SURE MAM" SAYING THAT STEVEN WENT AWAY. "SO..... THOMPSON WAS JUST ABOUT TO CONTINUE WHEN RAVEN SAID "THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD ENMITIES AGAINST THE OTHER INDUSTRALISTS IN THE TOWN,OTHER RICH PEOPLE IN THE TOWN." "YOU DO HAVE A POINT MISS RAVEN." THOMPSON TOOK A GLANCE AT HIS WATCH, AND IT WAS ALREADY 12:00. RAVEN TOOK A SIP OF HOT COCOA AND IT WAS TASTY AND HOT. BY THAT TIME THOMPSON HAD DRANK HIS HOT COCOA, WHILE WEARING IS COAT, THOMPSON SAID "COME ON MISS RAVEN, WE HAVE A SUSPECT TO INTEROGGATE." Raven ran toward the billing counter and have her card. "here sir" "just a second mam" saying that the biller swiped the card and returned it to raven. "thank you." Saying that raven ran out of the shop saying " wait up mr. Thompson" Thompson turned behind and looked at her. Raven reached where Thompson had stopped. "let's go." Said raven. Thompson put his hat back on. They both walked together discussing what they knew about the case. And reached raven's apartment. They climbed up the stairs and reached the 5th floor, where raven lived. "this is melon white's flat." Said raven pointing her finger. "are you ready to go inside?" "I am." Thompson knocked at melon white's door. Immediately she opened it. "how may I help you sir?." "we are here to interoggate you about late miss elen opstalen's case. "am I a suspect?" "no, we just wanted to interoggate and find out more details on late miss elen opstalen." "please come in." Thompson and raven went into melon white's house. While walking inside melon white turned to them and said "tea? Coffee? Hot cocoa?" "hot cocoa please" said raven and Thompson. "nice choice". Melon poured them cups of hot cocoa. " so quick?" "I have an instant hot cocoa maker." Elen gifted it on my birthday." "so, miss melon, where were you when elen opstalen was found dead?" Thompson asked. "i.....i was um....... At the grocery store." "why stammer?" asked raven. "I get scared by the incident of elen opstalen, and you all think I have committed the murder." "we never said that it was a murder..... to anyone. "we ourselves are finding out whether it was a suscide or a murder." Thompson said suspiciously. "um..." when melon was about to say, a car honked. Melon quickly wore her bag which was on the table and while wearing her coat too, she said "I am sorry but I must take your leave." Raven grabbed her by her arm, and said "we will find out what you have done to elen opstalen." And then raven left her, said to Thompson "where does this girl go in a car everyday?" "I go to the town chapel to give my condolences and prayers to elen opstalen." "now do you? Was she such a good friend? Or you were her friend because she was the richest in town?" asked raven suspiciously "I don't have time to chat." Saying that melon asked Thompson and raven to move out of her house. They moved out, saw melon lock her house, and melon went away. Raven whispered to Thompson "I think we should steal her keys without notice and break into her house" "miss raven! I respect you, but not for stealing." "he-he I was joking, so what next?" "maybe we should follow the car." "it's a bit late for that." But I saw the model of the car, it's an moris minor car." "then, we will find it out tomorrow." Saying that Thompson left and raven went back to her home, placed the keys on the keyboard and roamed here to there restlessly saying "i am missing something I know it. Okay, let me try to get everything together, so, melon moves to a place in a moris minor car, she gets scared when anyone talks about elen, and won't answer our questions properly. So, let us make her a weak suspect." She kept writing down as she said. The next moment an alarm rang, with the reminder that Christmas was just 5 days away. "I will have to start making preparations." After saying that raven sat down on the sofa beside the fireplace, started the fire, curled up with her favorite book. She lost track of time again and found herself in dark because she had'nt switched on the lights and it was already nighttime. "I have to make dinner for myself" she said "huh!" saying that raven got up from the chair and went to the kitchen island, started cooking some instant noodles. "pour some hot water in the cup of plain noodles, add some salt and pepper. There! Your noodles are ready." She read aloud while pouring the water, adding salt and pepper. After she made it, she curled up on the sofa, looking out of the window. Just then someone knocked at her door. She got up and walked towards it, opened it, and a postman was standing. "mam, here is a letter, from Paris." Raven was a French girl not a Britain. She came to London to live with her sister, but she expired. Raven told her family members that she would cherish her sister's soul. For a moment, raven got lost in the past. "mam?" "yeah, thank you sir," she said while taking the letter out of his hand. The postman asked, "do you know anyone from France mam?" "I am from France." By saying that raven went inside and locked her door, opened the letter, her parents had written the letter. It read-

RAVEN, ITS BEEN DAYS SINCE YOU COMMUNICATED,

DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER US?

THE DAYS IN FRANCE ARE DARK,

THE LIFE IN FRANCE IS IN THHREAT, BECAUSE

OF THAT TERRORISTS ATTACK.

YOU HAVE BEEN SEEING THE NEWS?

IT'S YOUR MA

SARAH.

"DAYS ARE DARK? DAYS WERE DARK FOR MY SISTER." RAVEN SAID TO HERSELF, SHE ALSO SAID THAT, SHE WILL POST THEM A LETTER TOMORROW, IT'S TOO LATE NOW. SAYNG THAT RAVEN WENT TO BED.THE NEXT MORNING RAVEN GOT UP AND WENT TO THE POST OFFICE, SAT DOWN AND WROTE-

Mum, you must be worried, but everything is fine here, except there is some horrifying news I wish not to tell you. I will try to be back to France maybe some other time. Here it is getting busier and I am having enough trouble by myself and I don't wish for more. So request you to kindly keep away from me for a couple of Months

Yours,

Raven Serlen

RAVEN POSTED THE LETTER AND WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE WHEN SHE BUMPED INTO SOMEONE-"I AM SORRY MISS I BUMPED INTO YA" RAVEN LOOKED UP AND SAW HER OWN COUSIN SISTER- cLémence. "Oh mon Dieu! où étiez-vous? notre famille est inquiète que vous ne vous en souciez même pas." "please move I have somewhere to reach." "you are not going anywhere, except coming with me straight to France" just then Thompson interrupted "MADAMÉ WHO ARE THOU? "WHO ARE YOU FIRST?" "I AM MR. Thompson; investigating agent." "I'm sure I don't need an investigating agent now." "not you madamÉ but the city does" "there is something big going on in here is'nt it?" "yes especially with the case of beloved elen opstalen." "YES," SAID RAVEN "PLEASE MOVE NOW, WE HAVE SOMEWHERE TO REACH." "RAVEN WALKED FRONT WITH MR. THOMPSON BEHIND HER. "good day to you miss" said Mr. Thompson to clemence. THEN MR. THOMPSON, WALKED ALONG WITH RAVEN AND ASKED HER WHAT WORK SHE HAD AT A POST OFFICE. "I HAD A BIT OF PERSONAL WORK SIR." "SURELY MISS RAVEN."