Miss Hawkridge

seven

Anna screamed, as she dropped the bag.

"What's wrong? Anna?" The trio rushed to her, only to be met with a trembling Anna, as Elijah swore at the sight, and so did Liv and Alaric who came after him.

Lying down on the ground, not so far from Anna's feet, lay the heavy hearted, and gut-torn bird. It had its eyes open, black as they seemed to be, staring right back at Anna, as she screamed one more, the hair on her body rising as the feathers of the bird with dried blood.

"Where was this?" Elijah demanded.

"Inside the backpack," Anna quivered. Alaric used that instant to further examine the dead bird, using tissue paper to work with.

"It's been slit through the gut. I'm no expert, but it looks like the same kind we found on the dog," he concluded.

"How are you so sure?" Elijah asked.

"I'm not. But I do have some training, albeit not professional, in recognising similar knife and cut patterns. My dad taught them to me back when he took me fishing," Alaric explained.

"You're telling me whoever killed Diamond, killed this little bird too? But of what significance is this bird?" Anna questioned.

"I don't think it carries much significance so much as it does as a tool of fear," Liv answered. "And if Ric's deductions are accurate, then perhaps, we might be able to find the killer of this poor animals based on the knife and cut pattern."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but you're not Sherlock Holmes, and neither do you have a fancy ass lab dedicated to yourself where you find such things," Elijah reminded her.

"Stop raining on my parade. Even if we don't have a lab a dedicated to ourselves, we still have a lab, and we can still afford a microscope, one with very high magnification," Liv informed him.

"Yes, and pray tell who is so generous enough to lend you such instruments?" Elijah crossed his arms.

"The school, of course. We don't pay a fortune to it for nothing, you know," Liv shook her head.

"Yes, because we can carry this dead animal to school without anyone suspecting a single thing. Yes, what brilliant idea," Elijah clapped his hands mockingly, "Why didn't I think of it before."

"But it would've worked if you weren't such a pessimist," Liv accused him.

"Yes, excuse me if I come up with realistic solutions," Elijah rolled his eyes.

"If anyone's realistic around here, it's me. I've gotten us most far in this investigation," Liv claimed. "See, look, there's a box with the bird. Let's look inside the box, and on top of it too. And let's not forget, we still have to find out why this dead bird is here. Even if Lia received it, why is it under her bed and not in some dumpster? Why didn't she report it? Probably because whoever sent it had some or the other kind of dirt on her. Bet you didn't think of that before." Elijah shrugged.

"This box has nothing in it except small bits of paper," Alaric told them as he dug through the bag. "Wait, there's something else in here." He brought out a notebook that read 'Physics' on the front. "I'm sure we'll find something more important." He smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, you do that, and let me just," Liv grabbed the notebook from Alaric's hand, "go through this while I'm at it. I'm failing Physics and if I have Lia's notes, I'm sure as hell passing." Elijah rolled his eyes, before he and the rest two went back to the bag.

"There's nothing in here," Alaric frowned.

"No, there's gold," Liv exclaimed. "This book is gold. None of this," she turned the pages, "is Physics notes. None. This is a ledger, used for deals and bookings." The trio indulged her in blank looks. "Drugs, man. I'm talking drugs. There's no way this isn't a record for drug deals. I mean, look at these names, and numbers, and grams. Who adds grams for anything else except drugs? This must be the dirt the person had on Lia. She was a drug dealer."