Trampled Crops [MURDER MYSTERY]

Chapter 15: The House

"Purps, I'm starting to get a little worried about Bleek," Rop said when he got back.

"Bleek? Isn't he just on vacation, though?" Piper asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, I was talking with Gretchin-- you know, the girl that lives, like, thirty minutes away-- and she made me realize something. Bleek's been 'on vacation' for two months, and there's no trace of him anywhere to be found. Doesn't that strike you as a bit odd?"

Piper slid down in her seat. "Hmmmmm... I remember Crimmy saying something about that. Yeah, that does kind of rub me the wrong way..." Without a word, she got up from her chair and headed past Rop to the door.

"Purps, wait. Where're you going?"

"To Bleek's house. I'm gonna have a little look around."

"I'll come, too! Or, wait, don't you need someone to watch over the office?" Rop followed her as she left through the door.

"We won't be gone long. C'mon, let's have a look before too much time passes."

Rop and Piper made their way across the river and up the hill to Bleek's house, passing Bleek's half-finished cabin as they did. From a distance, Bleek's house almost looked abandoned; long, unaccounted weeds and vines growing all over its sides. Piper stepped up to his door, and Rop followed her.

"I'm sure he won't mind if we stop in for just a second..." Rop snickered.

The two entered Bleek's house. The air was cool, and smelt incredibly stagnant. Piper ambled around the house, shooing away specks of dust and cobwebs as she did, when Rop noticed a book lying on the counter. He picked it up and flipped through its pages before showing it to Piper.

"This book," he said. "It belongs to the library."

She looked at the title of the book. It was titled: "How To Make People Give You Things". Piper took the book and looked at the stamp on its first page. "January 5th. That's almost three months ago..."