One murder, three dead friends, three different modus operandi - the case is closed.
Three years later, the ambitious journalist Joycelyn Riley takes on the case of her life, travels to the former crime scene and follows the murderer's trail.
The de...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The house where Eloise Parks lived was narrow and located just outside the town centre. There was a sign on the dark oak door that read WELCOME.
Hesitantly, I pressed the doorbell and a shrill sound came through the tilted kitchen window. It was a quiet street with lots of trees, some of whose leaves were already turning red. In the small front garden below the kitchen window, colourful flowers were fragrant and she had also planted some vegetables.
Footsteps sounded and Eloise opened the door, smiling in surprise. "Mrs Riley, what a surprise."
"I hope I'm not intruding?"
"Oh no no, I was just putting the cake in the oven." She wiped her hands on her green apron. "Won't you come in?"
A little later, we were sitting in a small but cosy living room with lots of plants. The smell of cherry cake was in the air. Eloise handed me a steaming cup of coffee. "What can I do for you?"
"It's about the reason why I'm here in Vienna..." I began carefully, stirring my cup. "I'm a journalist by profession and I work for the Daily Mail."
"The Daily Mail?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes, and I'm here to investigate the case of the three friends. The three teenagers who were murdered in their brother's flat."
Clattering, she put her cup down and nodded slowly. "Oh, yes, I remember..."
"I was wondering if you'd be willing to answer a few questions for me? I know it's been a long time, but maybe something new will come up."
"Well, it was indeed a long time ago, but if it helps you and the investigation of this gruesome case, I'd be happy to." She nodded firmly and looked at me intently. "What do you want to know?"
"It's best if you just tell me how you remember it when you met the three of them. It was you who gave them the keys, wasn't it?"
"Yes, yes, that was me." She looked thoughtfully out of the window. "Well, Alex Madlock called me from the train and told me that they would be late. The train must have broken down or something, I can't remember exactly. They arrived just after ten o'clock in the evening. Alex ran ahead, Mason and Shireen rather behind. He seemed to be the one who had everything under control and walked straight towards me. I remember that Shireen Verton was rather quiet and often looked at the homeless shelter on the other side. There were several people there that evening and it was quite chaotic, not a good time to see Vienna for the first time.
We talked a bit in the lift and I told them that I was an art teacher. Shireen's eyes had lit up and she looked very interested, but didn't ask anything else. She and Mason were both rather quiet, as far as I remember. Back at the flat, I showed them everything. Alex took everything seriously, but I noticed Mason and Shireen smirking secretly a few times and giving each other looks as if they were making fun of him a little."
