PIE HAS BEEN SERVED

Chapter 8

Location: Swerhalt Police Station

"You can't be working on this case. You are too close!", Detective Smith exclaims on seeing Detective Jones at his desk, gaining some unnecessary attention from the early morning staff. He soon realises this and lowers his voice, "you are too close, dammit!"
Detective Jones throws his hands around, standing up and says, "it was ages ago! I can handle myself."
Smith enters Jones' office because he has more to say on this matter. He closes in, "it was only two years ago, and I swear to God if you spiral again.."
Jones quickly interrupts him as bad memories flood his head, "enough!" He sighs and takes his seat, iterates, "it is in no way relevant to the current case as is your 'incident', okay?", while making air quotes at the end.
Detective Smith is shocked at the sudden personal attack. He is rendered speechless for a good few seconds. He snaps back and replies, "the press is gonna pound you hard about it."
Detective Jones sighs, "I will deal with it."

Day 5
Location: Kenneth's home

"Ken! Someone's on the phone is asking for you!", a middle-aged woman shouts, and leaves for her work. Kenneth rushes downstairs and answers, "hello?"
"Hey!", a sweet female voice greets.
"Oh hey. Shiela. Umm..hi.", Kenneth is fairly surprised.
"I talked to the detective yesterday like you suggested."
"...", Kenneth does not speak a word.
"Thanks for suggesting that. It helped.", she continued.
"Oh?", a slight hint of mockery in Kenneth's voice is completely missed by Sheila.
"Yeah.", she has nothing else to say.
"So how was the coffee?"
"Co.. coffee?", Sheila repeats.
"The Fischer Cafe?", Kenneth pries on.
"You saw?", Sheila voice falls short a few decibels.
"That wasn't a regular police interrogation, was it? Sure didn't look like it.", he gets anxious. Kenneth can feel the mystery unfolding before him. Patience has never been his virtue.
"I am not sure if I should tell you this." , Sheila hesitates.
Kenneth almost curses over the phone but stops himself by biting his tongue down. "Come on now Sheila, you can tell me this. You know I'm helping the police with this case. Whatever you know can help the case. Don't you want our friend, George to receive justice?" Kenneth ends up cursing himself internally for using his dead friend's name for this purpose.
"You are right. I'm sorry. It's..it's personal, I... I still don't think..."
"George... Sheila... George!", Kenneth recites.
"Fine!! Remember I said Olivia killed my best friend?", Sheila stops, requiring a confirmation from the other side.
"Yes?", Kenneth confirms.
"I went to the police station yesterday and spoke to a detective on the case", Sheila breathes loudly, "and he contacts me later to meet up at this cafe to talk. So turns out he's my deceased best friend, Lewis' older brother.", Sheila sniffs, "so there's that."
"Detective Jones?", Kenneth asks while connecting the dots.
"Yes. How did you..", before she could ask, Kenneth interrupts quickly.
"Sorry Sheila, gotta go. Good talk. Bye.", and he hangs up.

Location: St. Joseph's High School

Kenneth wanders around the streets and reach his school campus. The gates are locked and the security guard is chilling in his booth.
Kenneth has a lot of free time on his hands. While his best friend engages in her hobbies, he walks around the busy areas on the town. The detectives have not asked for his assistance ever since. It is now up to him to solve the mystery on his own. Kenneth reaches the boundary wall at the back away from cameras and the guard and climbs up to trespass into his own school. He sneaks around the buildings and comes closer to teachers' lounge and peeps at Miss. Clarke's office through the window. He tries to open it but fails. He looks through and sees the entire office is in the exact condition as they had left behind. He sits under a tree in the courtyard and says to himself, "man! This trip is wasted." He leans back and looks up, "let's revise again.."
Kenneth immerses in deep thought. His eyebrows draw together as he jumps up, "that's it!"

Location: St. Joseph's Security Room

Kenneth navigates around the forbidden room. He knows that it has been locked since the incident so whatever he is looking for should still be there, untouched. He reaches inside his pocket and grabs a sticky tape and a thick screwdriver, like he knows what he is there to find. The door has been locked with passcode. Unlike anywhere else, this door is thick, made of hard material, painted in brown wooden colours. There is a metallic power box beside it, which probably hides the keypad which is used to get inside the secret room. Kenneth inserts the screwdriver and slowly pivots the box to open under pressure.
"If you were ever here, you are bound to leave some evidence.", Kenneth smirks. He has found them inside the box, some viable prints. He looks at ways to extract it. "I knew it!", he applauds himself, "the only place you won't remember to wipe your fingerprints from is the place that won't be visible. Hell yeah!" He sticks a good amount of tape over the range of different prints on the inner side of the cover. "I got you!"
Kenneth does not make any attempt to get inside the room. He has found all he has come for. He rushed down the hallway and jumps over the wall back outside.

Location: Swerhalt Police Station

Detective Jones passes by Detective Smith's office. He peeks in, and speaks timidly, "so, I am heading out for a late lunch, you want something?"
Detective Smith stares blankly at the figure.
Jones sighs, disappointed. He opens the door further and walks in. "How long are you going to give me the silent treatment? I told you, I can handle it."
"I have to report it."
"You don't have to report it. It has nothing to do with the case.", Jones reaches the office chairs facing the table.
"You don't know that!!", Detective Smith stands up and slams the table.
"Right. You want to take this case away from me. Fine.", Jones presses on the head end of the chairs to calm himself down.
Detective Smith settles back down, "I don't want to, but I have to. You are one of the best but you can't be on this case.", he sighs.
Detective Jones blows raspberry, "do whatever you want!", turns around and leaves.

An hour later, Kenneth enters the police station, probably having solved the case without any help from the adult detectives. He walks past the front desk where his favourite officer offers him doughnut which makes Kenneth wonder how profitable would opening a bakery close to the station be!
"Officer Dickson, is Detective Jones in?", Kenneth asks politely, while  selecting a classic glazed doughnut from the box.
"He went out a while ago," Dickson pulls back and closes the box, "but Detective Smith is still in his office.", he starts flipping through some pages.
That is not the answer Kenneth is looking for. He sucks in air through his mouth and says, "is it possible if I wait in his office? I have to talk to him, exclusively."
Officer Dickson looks up from his scattered works and informs Kenneth that it is unethical to enter an office without permission. Next moment he laughs and says, "I don't think you can get in anyway without the key."
Kenneth smiles uncomfortably, "right. I will just wait outside then."
"You sure you don't want to go see Detective Smith?", Dickson asks to confirm.
Kenneth shakes his head and bites on his doughnut. He approaches Detective Jones' office. It is locked from outside. He looks inside to see an alphabetically organised cabinet and squeaky clean work table. 'Whoa!', Kenneth exclaims. He stands at the door for a suspicious amount of time. 'I need to get in there!'

Kenneth decides to visit Detective Smith after all. He knocks on the half open door which makes the detective look up from his work.
"Oh Kenny boy!", Smith is startled, "what brings you here today?"
"I was looking for Detective Jones actually. Can I wait for him in his office?", Kenneth asks sheepishly.
"You can talk to me.", Smith closes the file in front of him and looks up, "what's going on?"
"Nothing. Nothing!", Kenneth starts backing off towards the door, "I will see myself out then."
"You can wait here, in my office, if you would like.", Smith offers.
Kenneth shakes his head vigorously, "Thanks for the suggestion but I..I remember I..I have some place to be right now.", he takes a few quick steps out of the station.
'That was weird.', Detective Smith shakes his head and gets back into his paperwork.