Forlot: True and False - Book Four {Completed}

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The four of us gasped. Ava snorted and gripped the sides of the chair. She dragged it - and Sarah - away from the table and to the other room. We looked at one another.

Was it true? Was Sarah really Avery? The girl who was accused of shooting Dr. Maxwell - even though that he was alive - and Caleb?

That cannot be. She seemed nice.
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"We need a team name," I suggested. "How about the Claws of Night? Or the Dangerous Dogs?"

Ava shook her head. "I will think of a team name for us. And the only person who is dangerous around this town is Avery. Also known as Dangerous Avery."

"Who is Avery? Is that the psychopath?" Gretel wondered.

"I am afraid so. She is infamous for killing millions of innocent lives. She does it for the 'fun' and loves to see the sufferings of others."

"Gosh." I fiddled with my fingers. "No wonder she is a psycho."
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Then again...Ava could be right. After all, Sarah is Dr. O'Connor's granddaughter. Margie told us.
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What was the connection between Dr. Maxwell and Caleb? Why would Avery want them dead? Maybe...maybe there was no connection. The killer is a psychopath after all.
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You see, it would make a bit of sense if Sarah was Avery. Dr. O'Connor and Mrs. M. were free from their cells, and Sarah would have the motive to try to murder Dr. Maxwell because from what I observed earlier, Dr. Maxwell and Dr. O'Connor did not get along.
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"Ugh!" He turned to the man who was called Dr. O'Connor. "As for you..."

"Yeah, yeah. You were going to say that I should be gone too," Dr. O'Connor interrupted him.

"Get...out."

"Are you not going to ask me how me and my wife escaped from the mansion?"

"Absolutely not! I do not care about you or your wife! I never have!"

"Well, you should. 'Cause I am here to reclaim my company."

"Forget it! You were captured by my brother!"
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But then...why did Caleb get shot? Did Sarah know him?

I was trying to put the pieces together, but I always went back to square one. Ava returned and shut the red door. She was holding two papers and strolled over to the table.

"I will deal with her later," she informed us. "It is a good thing that I caught...Avery...in the act. She will not be getting away with her evil plan." She set the papers on the table. "But enough about her. We need to go over a few things." She blew away a strand of her hair. "First thing that is on the agenda. Have you collected any information? Any at all?"

I facepalmed. Aw, man! I forgot the documents that I found. They were still hiding under my bed.
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I got off my bed and gathered the other papers. "But it states that the Lubriem built this place for Lean and her friends." I got on my knees and slid the papers under my bed. "It makes me wonder if Lean and Mr. Hawk were ever friends."
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"Hansel?" Ava said my name. "What is the matter?"

"I...messed up," I said sadly.

"Messed up? Why do you think that you messed up?"

"I...I found something that you probably want to see."

"...okay. Where is it?"

"I...do not have it. I accidentally left it under my bed. It is back at the mansion."

"Oh. Well, that is alright. I do not need actual evidence. I only desire statements. Could you at least tell me what it was that you discovered?"

So I did. I explained to her about the deed between Mr. Hawk and Lean Share. How the Lubriem made the house for Lean and her friends. How Lean owned the mansion and not Mr. Hawk.

"That is...interesting," Ava commented, rubbing her chin. "I thank you, Hansel, for sharing your discovery. It will be very beneficial. Anything else?"

I was about to tell her about the stone, the fact that it was the green stone and not the yellow one, when Nigel joined in on the conversation.

"We found out that my dad - who is not my biological dad - works for Zeolex."

"Ah. Yes. A family member of yours works at Zeolex. This makes the case juicier. Thank you, Nigel, for admitting the truth."

"Ava," Margie began. "Sorry that it took us a long time to retrieve the stone and get back to you. We were in a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

"For one thing...Dr. Maxwell is still alive. He kidnapped Mr. Hawk and Nigel's mom and knocked us out."

"Hmm...I wonder how he is alive."

"Then Dr. O'Connor and Mrs. M. showed up," Gretel added. "And friends of ours showed up also and freed us."

"That was when Mr. Hawk was shot in the stomach," Nigel said. "He was shot when Dr. O'Connor and Dr. Maxwell were fighting for a gun. And then Dr. Maxwell shot Dr. O'Connor in the chest."

"Gosh. I am sure glad that I missed all of that."

Margie rested her hands on the table. "We took Mr. Hawk and Dr. O'Connor to the hospital. You were not there."

Ava nodded. "You are right. I was not. I could not stand being at that hospital for one more second. Not if Caleb dies."

Gretel put a hand on Ava's shoulder. "We checked on him before we came to your house. He is still alive. There is still time to save him."

She sniffed. "You have the yellow stone?"

Margie, Nigel, and Gretel looked at me with worried looks on their faces.

Ava would be so disappointed.

I reached into my pocket. "I have a stone..." I pulled it out and showed it to her. "...but...it is not yellow. It is green. There was no yellow stone."

Ava squinted at the green stone. "This is not good."