The Cursed Carol ( Season - 1 & 2 )

Season 1 Episode 4 : Dead or Alive

Maybe it was just in my head. Maybe I was just overthinking. But from the beginning, it didn't seem that simple to me. I felt that there was a lot more left to discover. 

We called everyone. I was already at the HQ, along with Freddy . The Fleet had been called for an emergency meeting that night.

Soon, everybody had reached the HQ. I told all of them whatever I had already told Freddy about Ben being alive.

After I completed, Lucy enquired, "Dustin, why exactly do you think Ben is alive?"

I answered, "Okay guys, listen. Did you see the photo?"

Kate replied, "Yes, we did."

"No, you didn't," I continued. "Because if you did look at it carefully, you should have notice. In the photo, Ben was holding the blade in right hand and pointing at his left wrist. But according to Ben's autopsy report, the cut was on the right hand, not the left. 

"Not only this, but also if the cut is on the right hand, it means that he was holding the blade in left hand. Yet, the fingers of his left hand were burnt. He was wearing a wrist watch on his right hand. So it isn't likely that he changed the hand, removed his watch before cutting, then wore it again afterwards and even tried to hold the blade with burnt fingers!"

Lucy questioned, "But what about the body that the police found at the riverside? If it was not Ben then who was it?"

I replied, "We don't yet know but it is just a mere probability that it is Ben. So there can be two outcomes. Either Ben is really dead or.."

"Or someone wants us to believe that Ben is dead," Freddy finished for me.

I answered, "Exactly."

Lucy stated, "And if that was what really happened, then why the hell was Ben holding the blade in the photo?"

"I don't know. But even if there is a one percent chance of there being foul play, then we are going to do anything to bring Ben back or bring justice to him," Freddy stated.

All this time Kate was quite. 

"So, where do we start?" I said.

Lucy suggested, "Let's begin with his room. Because if we need to find why he was holding that blade, that is the place where we can find something of significance."

"Yes, that is a good idea," we all agreed. 

We planned to go upstairs to Ben's room to search for some thing that might be useful for us to find the hidden truth. While we were about to enter Ben's house, Kate stopped us, " Guys, there is something I need to tell you about that night."

She continued, "Later, when Ben was about to leave we were holding hands and while he was leaving we even kissed. Guys, I really loved him. He pushed me while we were kissing and ran and shouted and told me to wait for him as he would be right back. It was like he remembered something and left me standing there."

I hugged her and promised her that we would do everything to bring Ben back to her that was in our power. We greeted Mrs. Mathews and went upstairs to Ben's room. 

We were searching for something that could lead us to what happened that day. I stood at the place where Ben was standing at the time when he was holding the blade.

I said, " Okay, so he was standing here at that time."

Freddy pushed me back, "Stop being stupid, Dustin." That push was so forceful that I fell back and there, at the corner, just below the table I saw a rope. Long enough to tie someone, a person. 

"Did you get that ?" I said.

 "What are we supposed to get from this?" Lucy said. 

"Just take this process in reverse order. Freddy pushed me. I fell."

Freddy continued, " Or you stood up and came here. That was brilliant, Dustin!"

"Ben might have been tied up by this rope. He untied himself. Stood up and came there. He picked up the blade from table beside."

"And that anonymous person was here forcing him to kill himself!"

Lucy continued, "Or, he was killing himself. Could be because that person wanted him alive and he knew that the person wanted him alive."

"Children, come down. It is quite late. You should go home," shouted Mrs. Mathews. 

We went home and after a long time, I could sleep peacefully. 

Next morning came another thing. It was Ben's body's blood report and death examination results stating cause of death, suffocation. Police stated it was water. 

Freddy called me to come at the park as soon as possible. 

I brushed my teeth. Took my sandwich. Kissed mom and ran out of the house. I went to the park and found Freddy sitting there. 

I enquired, " Yes Freddy, what happened. You did seem in some tension on phone. Is everything ok ? ". 

He replied, " I just got something about Ben's murder if it is a murder ". 

" I don't get it. " 

" Dustin, I saw the blood test results. It was Ben's body. And the time when he died was between 8:30 - 9:00. The whole time he was with Kate. "

" It is not possible. She can't kill Ben. "

" I am not saying she killed Ben. But there is something she is hiding from us. Something about which she is lying. "

" Why you think that she is lying ? "

" Because she lied one thing. That they were holding hands. We saw them that day in the park. Ben was sitting on right and Kate on left. It means if they holded hands, it was left hand of Ben and right hand of Kate. But fingers of Ben's left hand were burnt. And other thing that she said that Ben ran away somewhere. Even that is wrong because the report says that Ben's leg was injured badly between 8:30 - 8:45. "

" Oh my god ! " I exclaimed. 

I didn't know the truth. Who was true ? The report or Kate ? Freddy or me ? police or us ? 

And more specifically, whether Ben is dead or alive ? 

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