Erudition of Doyle: Volume One

CHAPTER 2: CASE I - THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF MERMAID

Case 1: The Mysterious Death of
Mermaid (The Interrogation
Chapter, Part Two)

ROSALINDA

The Detective was currently discussing the case with the Inspector. I sat beside Raleigh, arms crossed, listening quietly as I noticed the restlessness in his eyes. He clearly wanted to go home but couldn’t, not while this case hung over him. The Inspector and the Detective began walking toward us, toward him, to question him.

“What time did you get here?” the Inspector asked.

“Why do you need to ask that?!” he snapped, startling both the Inspector and the Detective. Raleigh gritted his teeth and looked away, not out of guilt, but out of sheer frustration. “I didn’t kill her,” he muttered, his voice tight with anger. “I don’t even know her, or that she existed, until this fucking case.”

“Just answer all of their questions. If you’re not guilty, then you’ll be able to go home,” I said calmly, which only made him furrow his brows even more.

Raleigh sighed in defeat. “Around 9:30.”

“When did you leave?” the Inspector asked.

“9:40.”

“Why did you come here at such an hour?”

“Because I forgot my katana in the clubroom, and I couldn’t sleep knowing I had left it behind. I tried to stop myself, but I really wanted to get it. It’s very special to me,” he said, his hand resting on the katana. “After I took it, I decided to go to the swimming pool to relax for a bit, but I didn’t stay long,” he answered sincerely.

“Relax there?” The detective quickly wrote something down in his small notebook. “While you were there, did you wake up at any point because of sudden noises from the water or someone calling for help?”

“No, I didn’t hear anything.”

“Why did you sleep there?” the Inspector asked.

“I was just resting for a while, but I was so tired that I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep. I had been working all morning.”

“What kind of work do you do?”

“Babysitting.”

Both of them turned to look at me. I knew what was coming; they were going to interrogate me next. Before the Inspector could speak, I spoke first.

“I arrived here at 10:20. I came back because I left my notebook. I forgot it because of what happened earlier. I panicked and left it behind. I had to get it back because I don’t want anyone else to find out what’s in it.”

The Inspector sighed heavily. “You two know the yellow tape around the area and the sign, right? Why did you still enter the building?!” he asked, his voice raised. We both looked away, embarrassed and ashamed. “I’ll let this slide for now, but you two need to cooperate with us.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied, while Raleigh continued to stare elsewhere, his forehead furrowed.

The interrogation went on for a while, but they eventually decided to let us go home early after reviewing the results of the victim’s autopsy. Our presence had nothing to do with the case, yet the Inspector still suspected Raleigh. There were no CCTV cameras in the school, which made their investigation even more difficult.