The Witch's Doll ⚢

Chapter 6

"Strange how circumstances could change so quickly," Isla murmured to herself. "The Sergeant killed himself even if he was supposed to sleep after being injected with a tranquilizer."

She wondered why Sergeant Kinsley destroyed the security camera. It made no sense. If a rational man was already committing a crime with police officers as witnesses, why on earth did he find the need to remove the footage then kill himself after?

The second mystery was the seemingly harmless Professor. It might be a personal choice for her to work out, but the fact that she had a tranquilizer needle in her arsenal was to be solved. She searched through the school's database on the Academy's website with the password given to her by the Headmistress herself to look upon records and files inaccessible to students. She came to the information that the Asian woman who first seemed to be an ordinary teacher had no input about her background and past before her years.

She joined the academy a mere three years after she graduated. Professor Marie Lu was the older sister of Evonnie Lu, and their parents died in an accident months after they immigrated to England. Anything about their life before arriving in this country had been wiped clean.

"They have tea," Henri said, making her lose her train of thought. He just came back from being questioned by an Inspector for he was among one of the witnesses on the Sergeant's road to lunacy. "The Inspector's already asking questions from Miss Lu's friend. I told you that they were stuck. Statements from different people won't change the perspective of everyone here. Sergeant Kinsley went mad, attacked a poor girl, and killed himself."

"We have been both reminded of our fleeting mortality, so I wonder if you were approaching a point with that tea offering," Isla said, displeased about his interruption and his obvious reasons.

"You know," he started, sitting next to her while balancing both cups on his hands. "You could be nice to me. I'm here in distress and I thought so were you. What got you so irked?"

"I thought I should review what happened by looking through the footages within the sanctum sanctorum of the cops. But they refuse to let me look. My thoughts wandered off to another piece of a puzzle that might not help in the long run so all things aside, I might have wasted my time. The police want all of the evidence in their possession whether they admit it or not and they are being ungrateful."

"Do we even have a suspect pool?"

"I'm making one up as we go."

The mild flavor of bergamot hung in the air and wafted to Isla's nose. A sudden thought crossed her mind. She grabbed the tea she was offered and stood up, heading towards the paramedic's area.

"Wait! Isla, where are you going?"

"I need to have a word with Miss Lu," Isla said, declining to look back. "Don't come, your criticism on my personal choices makes me want to gouge my eardrums out. There are some theories I'd like to approve with her, alone."

"You were able to make some?"

"Of course," Isla smiled. "The only clue I can concur without case files."

* * *

"You will stay here while I get to the bottom of this."

"B-but Ate Marie!"

"I'm serious Evonnie, you nearly died today. Heaven forbid something happens to you! Alessandra is being questioned right now and I will be next. But before all that, Alessandra will get an earful out of me too. I told her to stay back at the academy." Her older sister said evenly but with a hint of anger as if the oldest caught the youngest doing something they shouldn't be.