Everything following was a blur. The whole rest of the day passed in a whirlwind. Tom and Vi drove home, giddy, though a man was electrocuted. You have to give it to them though, they were just married. Roses were being tossed from behind the car.
Meanwhile, Colin was home hurrying down the hillside to meet Eli. The grass licked at his heels and the trees bowed down to their roots. Mountains rose high above the rolling hills and everything had a dark haze. As he cantered down the slippery hill by the mansion covered in moonlight, Colin felt like something bad was happening, but he had no idea what.
"Eli! Eli! Please be with the goats. Eli!" All Colin felt was anxious, and one of his fears was that Eli was gone. In his mind the world was exploding, and everything was lost.
"Colin! Colin!" Came a hoarse reply from the bottom of the hill.
"My God Eli, what has been happening these days? I'm losing all sense and feelings." Eli ran his hands through his scruffy blond hair.
"I know how you feel, we just got the llama and..."
"ELI! I don't care about llamas!" Colin shrieked. Eli erupted into a laughing fit, doubling over on the grass.
"Oh, but—ahahaha—that just shows that you—ahahahah— do!" Then he regained his composure and addressed Colin again. "But yes, I do understand. I have been trying to find anything, anything in the goat-pen. Anything that would help give us some information on who murdered Errol."
"Do you want me to help?" Suggested Colin.
"Four eyes are better than two." And the two set to work. Eli knelt down on his knees and let his worn and tattered jeans be covered by the dirt. With his calloused hands he dug through the frosted dirt, and found only rock and earthworms, still living in the warmth of the underground, surviving until the cold penetrates through the surface and their hearts cease to beat.
Colin surveyed under water buckets and feed troughs, wilted weeds and even the goats themselves to find an object. The llama, not knowing that a teenage boy was searching under its hooves, stepped on Colin's hand and he let our a yelp.
"Ow! You darn cloven-hoofed VERMIN!" He cursed under his breath. "Wait..." Colin paused and then leapt to his feet. "Eli...Eli! Look! Oh my..." And there on the ground was a shine. A shine dulled by the long branches of the trees. A shine revealing designs that were spectacular and handmade. It was long and had a curved handle. Where the line and handle met curved a lovely, beautiful metal trigger. Deadly, but everything was so beautiful it reminded Colin of deadly nightshade.
"Who would have been able to afford that? Thats a thing of beauty." Eli stared in wonder at the pistol.
"Only someone of high status like my uncle or my father. I don't think my father would ever betray Errol. He isn't that kind of person." Colin whispered.
"But think, in all the books you've ever read, the murderer is always the least expected person." Eli replied.
"You do bring up a good point. It is always the one who is the most fragile, who is the most reactive to wherever the murder took place, or whatever he associates with the murder. In my favorited murder mystery, the murder associated the animal who was present during the murder with everything. Everything became related to that animal."
"What was it that you told me a yester 'eve?" Asked Eli. "You know, about your uncle? Gosh that made me laugh till I almost died. Your uncle, father, and a few friends went to The Dancing Boat, and you uncle called it a goat! Ha! Still funny." And then it struck them. It struck them like lighting strikes a tree. And when a spark his a flammable object, a flame is lit, and with power, fire can rage. And fire was raging in the minds of these two boys. A bonfire so powerful it would envelop all in its wake. And here was only one thing left do. Call Sigan Lee.
