The Prom King: A Murder Mystery ✔

Chapter 17: Identity Unknown

Me: Jonas, who knows that we've been investigating Chase's death?

Jonas: Us, my parents, ur dad, Sophie, Ethan, Carly. Who else?

Me: Cass probably knows. Maybe Mrs. Robinson & Carly's mom. I think that's everyone. I don't think Chase's parents know, and besides, who in their right mind kills their son?

Jonas: Yeah, I'd probably rule them out too. But now, which of those people were at prom?

Me: Ooh, good question. Sophie, Ethan, Carly, and Cassidy.

Jonas: so it has 2 b one of them, right?

Me: Maybe, but...Dad said there wasn't much suspicious stuff in the tape. It's not like they forced a penicillin pill into Chase's mouth. They would've caught that on the tape.

Jonas: But they could've put it in Chase's food

Me: And who was on the food prep team?

Jonas: Ethan and Carly

***

After the conversation Jonas and I had last night, I could barely get any sleep. I could almost taste the relief in knowing who killed one of my best friends.

Jonas came over to my house the next morning. As he parked his car, I could see a police car trailing close behind. Hopefully we would find Chase's killer soon so we could go back to our normal lives, or at least as normal as possible. Even my dad decided to work from home in his office until they found the stalker.

Jonas let himself into the house, and we immediately went to the living room where I had already set up the whiteboard.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Absolutely."

"So what do we know now?"

"Well, here are our suspects. Ethan, Sophie, Cassidy, and Carly," I said as I wrote their names on the board.

"Ok, let's take a look at Ethan and Carly. What are the possibilities of them killing Chase?"

"Well, either of them could know where I live because of the whole stalking thing."

Jonas thought for a moment, his eyes puzzled. "Yeah, but how would they get that Stanford scholarship? I didn't even tell anyone but my parents that I got accepted. Plus, the killer might have known that Chase didn't get into an Ivy League school. Who would he tell if not us?"

"I have no clue. Hey, do you still have the email from Stanford?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's on my phone." Jonas quickly pulled up the email and handed me the phone. I quickly scanned the end of the letter once more.

After careful consideration of your academic record and financial need, it is our university's pleasure to award you the final spot on the Stanford football team.

We hope to hear from you soon concerning your acceptance.

Sincerely,

Valerie Thomas                                                                                                                                                                 Vice President

"I know who we need to talk to first, Jonas--Valerie Thomas."

Minutes later, Jonas was on hold to talk to Valerie Thomas.

"Just talk to her about the letter, about why they chose you can stuff like that."

"No problem," Jonas said as he put the phone on speaker. 

"Thank you for calling Stanford University. Valerie Thomas speaking."

"Hello, this is Jonas Simmons. A couple days ago I was sent a letter awarding me a full athletic scholarship to Stanford on the football team. I just wanted to say thank you for selecting me."

"Of course. You were a marvelous candidate for the scholarship."

"Thank you. Also, I just wanted to know...what made me stand out from the other candidates?"

"Well, um, your GPA, your--er, volunteer experiences, things like that." Jonas and I could both hear the woman stumbling on.

"One more question," Jonas said. "Why did the school think I had so much financial need even though the FASFA said otherwise?"

"Oh! Well, you see that was actually an error on our part in the letter. We know that your family would be able to afford the tuition costs."

"But isn't part of the scholarship selection your financial need?"

"Yes...but like you said, it's just part of the selection. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting in two minutes. Thank you for calling."

She hung up.

"Something's up with this, Jo."

"I know. I bet she knows who the killer is. We just need to find the connection."

***

Jonas and I decided to go to the park afterwards to get some fresh air and hopefully, some fresh thoughts. As we walked there, an undercover policeman followed us in his car.

"We're going to find out who did this soon, Jonas. If we only knew Valerie Thomas's social circle."

"Yeah, you said it." Jonas stopped walking for a moment. "Hey, isn't that Ethan?"

I looked towards where Jonas was looking. Sure enough, I could see Ethan as he walked in the park holding someone's hand. The pair was several yards away as they walked towards, but I knew they hadn't seen us yet. I could tell the other figure was a girl. She was wearing a Harvard hoodie with the hood pulled over her head. Large sunglasses covered her eyes.

"Jonas, who wears a hoodie on a hot day in the middle of June?"

"Someone who doesn't want to be identified, that's what."

"So it's not Sophie then. She wants everyone to know where she is. Who do you think it is, Jonas?"

"I don't know, Jo. Let's go find out."

A/N: Don't you love a good cliffhanger? Ok, maybe not, but don't you feel that we're getting closer?!!! Who do YOU think is under the hoodie and sunglasses? Who is Valerie Thomas working with, if anyone? Don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT, AND SHARE this story with your followers!

Till next time,

-shalom900