50 Words For Murder

chapter 4 : exterminate

exterminate

ɪkˈstəːmɪneɪt,ɛk-/

verb

destroy completely, kill (a pest).

It was not often that Niall woke up with a raging headache and four police officers hovering over him. Of course, there was that one time during Liam's birthday but this was different.

The bright flashlight belonging to one of the officers nearly blinded him. He looked down to see himself lying in mud. A dull throb emerged from the back of his head. He could hear voices - people all around him were talking -but he couldn't make sense of any of it. All he could hear was "murder" and "student".

Niall pressed his hand to the back of his head. It was damp and hurt more than he had ever imagined it would. When he brought his hand in front of his face, it was covered in blood.

Suddenly, he felt himself realizing everything around him. His ears became unblocked and he blinked. A female officer stood a foot away from him, shining the torch to his face.

"Are you all right?" she asked, her voice muffled in Niall's head.
"Concussion, detective," said another cop. "Probably doesn't know what's going on."
"Doesn't explain why he had the murder weapon in his hand."
The light was starting to give Niall a headache.

"Stop," he croaked, weakly. "My head." The detectives seemed to understand and switched their flashlights off. Someone held Niall to his feet.

"State your identity," declared one of the officers.
"Brooks, he just woke up!" said another woman. "Let him sit for a while and gather himself. You can ask your questions later."

Niall was taken to a police van and made to sit there. He didn't understand what was going on. A paramedic was tending to him. A short, dark woman who introduced herself as Caroline.

"Now," she said, gently. "What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Niall Horan." said Niall, rubbing his head. He winced as Dr. Caroline put a damp cloth to the back of his head.
"Do you remember where you are?"
"I'm in the shed," said Niall. "The one where they conduct those horse riding classes on campus. Right?"
"Exactly," said Caroline, smiling at him. "Do you remember what happened last?"
"Umm.." said Niall, squeezing his eyes shut. His mind was blank. "The last thing I remember was walking Cassie here to calm her nerves."
Caroline's smile vanished. "I'll bring a detective. Stay put."

Niall's throat felt parched and he stared at Caroline leave. Police tape was everywhere. Had someone been murdered?
A blonde detective came in his view.

"Niall Horan," she said. "I'm Detective Brooks. I'll be asking you a few questions."
"About what?" asked Niall.

"The murder of Cassie Cowell."
"Murder?!" spat out Niall. "S-she's dead?!"

"I believe so," said Detective Brooks, calmly. "You would know as you were the last person to see her."
"I...I don't remember."

Niall vaguely remembered walking down this trail with Cassie. She had told him that she was worried about some kind of stalker and he had assured her she would be fine. After that, his mind drew a blank.

"The fact that the possible murder weapon was found in your hand with your fingerprints all over it doesn't help your case, Mr. Horan," said the detective. "We need you to remember."

"W-what?!" said Niall, shocked. The air had suddenly turned colder. Goosebumps pricked his skin. "I didn't do it!"

"Then let me remind you of the scene," said Detective Brook. "You were lying unconscious five feet away from our victim Cassie Cowell when we arrived. You had a butcher knife in your hand, smeared with blood. Unmistakably Cassie's blood. She had been stabbed several times in the abdomen. Recall anything?"

Niall stayed silent, filled with shock. Why would he murder Cassie? And was her last name really Cowell?

"She told me her last name was Springfield," he said, randomly. Detective Brooks raised her eyebrows.
Suddenly, Niall could hear yelling. He turned to see four guys and a bunch of detectives running towards him.

"Niall, are you okay?" yelled Liam.
"Detective, these boys broke through the tape line!"
"Niall, don't say a word!" said Louis. "Call your lawyers!"
"Hold up," said Detective Brooks, standing up. "Who are you boys and what the hell do you think you're doing on my crime scene?"

Niall looked at the boys. It looked as though they had hastily removed their costumes and make-up in a hurry to get here. Louis still had traces of eyeliner and Harry's hair was still a mess. Zayn still had traces of green in his hair and his lips too, were darker. Liam was the only one who looked normal.

Louis stood in front of the boys and faced the detectives.
"We're Niall's friends," he said, firmly. "And we came here to tell you he's innocent."
"That's my job to decide, don't you think?" sneered Brooks.
"Well with how terrible the cops have been with their cases lately, it seems to me like you aren't doing a very good job, does it?" snapped Louis.
"You speak like a defence attorney," said Brooks. "Are you a law student?"
"Oakwood Law," said Louis, boastfully. "The best in the States."

Before Brooks could retort, Caroline stepped in.
"Detective, forensics confirmed the butcher knife to be the murder weapon," said Caroline. "Cassandra Cowell was stabbed seventeen times in the abdominal region. There were signs of a struggle. Time of death was 10:45."

Niall turned green. Seventeen times?! The boys, too, had grown silent. Everyone had forgotten about them breaking in.

"The victim appears to have been stabbed by a person who is roughly 5 feet four inches tall. Also, we found a cellphone on the crime scene that appears to be yours, Mr. Horan."
She handed out the black phone.

"There was a bloody fingerprint on it," said Caroline. "that belonged to Cassie. It appears that she made a phone call from your phone at around 10:15 P.M to a certain Zayn according to our tech department."
Everyone turned to Zayn.

"I did get a call," said Zayn. "When I was in my dorm. But no one spoke so I assumed Niall had misdialled my number."
Detective Brooks sighed.
"I need to have a word with all five of you."