the hauntings of isla thatcher / S&C | completed

The Newspaper Lies

"This next part in our investigation is learning about Isla and her death," said Colby as he sits on a bed in the spare room. Hazel sits on the chair as Sam and Nate both stand on the opposite side of the room.

"Well, I mentioned to Colby about Isla's unnamed lover, however, we don't know if Isla died first or if he died first," Hazel said, shrugging her shoulders. It was true, her death was never confirmed by the public or anywhere else. "What's her story like before she died? Like, were there people that didn't like her for some reason? Or what're your thoughts on it?"

"Isla did have a pretty bad relationship with her mother but I doubt her own mother would kill her," Hazel says.

"Honestly, from all of our investigations, it wouldn't be a far of a fetch to suspect her mother. We've heard so many stories of family members killing other family members. Seth's fifth cousin, Lizzie Borden, was a serial killer." Sam mentions as Nate agrees.

As hard as it is to grasp such a thing, Sam was right. Anything could be possible. 

"Is there anything that might tell us about her death?" Colby questions, smoothing out the blanket on the bed. "Actually, there's a newspaper article on the display wall that mentions Isla's death. Maybe it'll tell us how she died."

"Let's see it."

Hazel leads them into the hall and in front of the display wall, pointing at the middle where a crumbled up newspaper was stabled on. "Here."

ISLA THATCHER FOUND DEAD IN FLOWER HOME

Colby began to read,

Isla Thatcher was found dead in her home on her 23rd birthday. People suspect that Isla had killed herself but others suspect that she has been murdered. Police had found a bullet wound in Isla's forehead with a gun laid next to her. There's not much evidence to rule out the cause of her death but police had labeled it as suicide. Shortly after Isla's funeral, the police came forward and closed the investigation due to lack of evidence.

"Shit. Does it say who found her?" Nate asked.

Colby kept reading.

"It says that Isla's mother found her."

It's heartbreaking for any family member to find their daughter killed in their own home. Police were able to ask her some questions which led to the possibility of Isla's unnamed lover being a suspect.

"Why on Earth would he kill his own love?" Hazel asked, shocked at what she had heard.

"Not sure, maybe he was framed to cover up someone else." Sam states. Colby's gaze went from Isla's newspaper to another newspaper right next to hers. It was short but the title caught his attention.

BODY FOUND DEAD IN FLOWER HOME

"Another body? In Isla's home?" Colby couldn't believe what he was reading.

Body was found dead in Isla Thatcher's home two days after Isla was found. Cause of death is unlabeled, but police found the same gunshot wound in the victim's forehead, the same as Isla. Rumor has it that the victim had killed himself after being ruled out as a suspect. We are unsure whether he was involved in Isla's death but we are doing everything we can to ensure Isla's mother peace.

"Two fucking days after she was found?"

"That's no mistake. In Isla's journal, she talks about their love so often that it's impossible to believe that he would kill her or be involved in her death in any way." Colby mentions.

"I believe his death was just to cover up someone else as you've said, Sam."

There were no doubt that someone was involved in both of their deaths. Could it be another unnamed lover Isla hasn't mentioned? Could her lover have a secret so fucked up that they both died at the end? So many questions, so many possibilities.

"If I'm honest, I think the mother did it. Just hearing Isla's entries, she sounds so fucked up. Why else would Isla be afraid of her own mother? Evil soul, absolutely no remorse what so fucking ever." Hazel shouts. The men stared at her, confused at the sudden rage.

"Are you okay, Hazel?" Sam asked, debating whether he should comfort her. Then Hazel stopped, breathing heavily as she looked at them. She felt embarrassed. "Oh. Yeah I'm okay. Just heartbroken at this newspaper and the secret life Isla lived because of her own mother."

"I see."

Nate glanced between the newspapers on the display. "There's something fishy about these papers. Maybe we can use them to point out any lies between the two stories."

"We can use these when we do our next method."

"What's the next method?" Hazel asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "The estes method but that's later on. We still have much more exploring to do so make sure that camera is ready and recording."

Then Nate grinned. "Time to explore, again."

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any idea why Hazel acted the way she did?! keep reading to find out!