Cypress Alley

Chapter 13

I sat huddled pathetically by the piano in the music room. My teacher spared me a look - a slightly perplexed one, at that - but quickly returned to her lesson, as if nothing had happened. Apparently, this was typical of me.

Or, at least, that's what Malcolm told me. You see, he'd made it his mission to torment me all lesson.

But I ignored him - a fairly easy task with a mind filled to the brim. He eventually gave up, which left me feeling pretty proud of myself, as he moved to the other side of the room to taunt someone else.

Our teacher taught us about the circle of fifths, then made us do some rhythm dictation. I took this as my chance to plan my investigation and start my own casebook. Unlike Eliza, I didn't have any spare notebooks conveniently lying atop refrigerators so I had to suffice with some scrap paper. There was an abundance of that in the music room - what with all that used sheet music no one wanted anymore - so I grabbed a handful and folded them into quarters. Attaching the pieces with a staple, I scrawled "The Case of Cypress Alley" on the inside cover. On the outside cover, in bold red lettering, I added: "If found, please return UNOPENED to Elijah Sullivan for a large reward." In reality, there was no reward, but I needed some sort of enticement to ensure it would be returned. It didn't matter, anyway. I wasn't going to lose it.

By the time I was done, the class was finished with the task and were being called to write their answers on the board. My music teacher never called me up, so I was safe. She knew I preferred to be ignored, which was, possibly, the only good thing about her class. Besides, I usually managed to pull off a B at the end of the semester - her tests were easy enough.

Blocking out the chatter of the class, I flipped to the first page of my new notebook. I decided I'd take the opposite approach to Eliza: blend in, rather than walk around asking obtrusive questions. And I'd have a proper suspects list. I wrote Wendy down at first but drew a line through her name since I'd already established that she was innocent. My remaining suspects were, for the moment, Veronica, Georgia, Sam, Malcolm, and Mr Pierce. I was already one step ahead of Eliza since I'd ruled out Wendy. Smiling in satisfaction, I decided Veronica would be my next suspect - a lunchtime project. And if I spied on her, I'd also gain intel on Georgia and Sam, conveniently. And besides, I didn't want to waste my time on anyone as stoic as Malcolm - he'd never give anything away. With the same, conceited expression plastered over his face each day, he strode a little like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, only bothering to move his facial muscles at a sneer or a shout. He would probably be the most difficult to pry information out of, so they'd be left until I could think of a better plan.

Mr Pierce was a different story. The only class I had him for was PE, and although North had him too, she wasn't in my class. But she had been in Eliza's class. Would that give Eliza and advantage? I supposed I could spy on her class, but would it be worth the risk? Especially considering what happened last time.

I decided it wasn't worth it. Mr Pierce wouldn't act any differently in Eliza's class. The only way to get anything out of him would be to ask.

But that was out of the question. Mr Pierce was terrifying. There was no way I'd speak to him out of choice. I decided to put him to the side with Malcolm for now. 

It wasn't long before the class was let out. I left the room with my notes folded in half in my pocket. As I passed the front office, I saw Phoebe with two adults standing by the front desk. I recognised her parents immediately – I had seen them on the news a couple of times, and I was fairly sure her dad was running for parliament. 

They seemed pretty intimidating - definitely not the type of people you'd like to strike up a conversation with for fun. You know, the sort of people who seemed more robot than human, with their perpetually stern expressions and uncannily broad shoulders. They had perfect posture, too. Her mother was only slightly taller than Phoebe (who, as you might know, was tiny), yet appeared to loom over her. Her father towered over almost everyone else in the room. 

As I caught his gaze, I felt ashamed of my scrappy appearance: slumped shoulders and two-sizes-too-short clothes, I was dwarfed by his pristine suit and tie. Her mother wasn't any better, with an eye as sharp as a shark's tooth, which seemed to pierce my skull. Phoebe, on the other hand, was hunched over just as I was, with a constricted face and teary eyes. Her parents were angry, it appeared. And Phoebe was bearing the brunt of it.

I know I should've have been, but I was curious. So was everyone else, it seemed, as they gawked just as I was. But Phoebe's mother's ice-cold stare was enough to send our feet flying out the door.

I found Eliza on the same bench outside. She pretended not to see me, but I noticed her eyes dart in my direction as I walked past. She sat in the same stiff, determined manner she did at recess. I wondered if she saw Phoebe and her parents in the foyer. Did she know whether it had anything to do with Jill, and would she have felt a pang of guilt?

I thought Eliza was incapable of feeling guilt anymore. Well, maybe she would feel guilty if she killed someone, but I doubt she had any sympathy for other people's feelings. If she did, maybe she would listen to my ideas. But if she wanted the case to be solved, it would be - just not by her. She could waste her time following Wendy while I solved it.

Eliza had taken the best seat to spy on Wendy and Veronica, and there was no way I was going to sit next to her. Instead, I sat a few metres away at the entrance to the library. The vantage wasn't too bad, but I was extremely exposed. And people gave me odd looks as they entered the library when they saw me sitting by myself in the most awkward place. The library had a glass door, but food wasn't allowed, so I ditched my lunch and went inside.

I was engulfed by the warm, comforting air of the library. It was quiet, but loud enough to not be uncomfortable. The bookshelves tempted me, but I forced myself to stay by the door. Unfortunately, I was hit by a rush of cold air every time someone opened the door.

I watched Veronica sitting in her usual poised manner, and Georgia next to her, copying her every move. Sam, Ant, and some others sat on the opposite bench. Wendy sat on the edge of her seat, leaning towards Veronica and away from the others. Since North was gone, she started hanging out with Veronica, which was convenient because her old group sat right behind them. I could see the girls from her old group eyeing her judgmentally. She seemed to have completely abandoned them.

But enough of her. I wasn't going to waste my time on her like Eliza was.

The automatic doors from the front office slid open and Phoebe walked through them, followed by her mother, then her father. They walked almost regally and seemed to radiate confidence and poise. They were lead by Phoebe, who walked more timidly than usual, to a block of classrooms. Phoebe's face seemed redder than before and looked like she would faint at any moment. It was a peculiar sight, and many people stopped to stare. I thought Phoebe's ability to block everyone else out was great and wished I could do the same for Eliza.

Unfortunately, my eyes flickered toward Eliza every few minutes. She didn't seem to know I was in the library, and wouldn't take her eyes off Wendy. She looked crazy – no one stares at people with such intensity. It made me glad not to be sitting next to her. Wendy was either entirely oblivious or shared the same ability to block people out that Phoebe had. Either way, she was extremely lucky. Eliza's stare was enough to freak anyone out.

Veronica didn't seem to do anything suspicious, but it was hard to know. I didn't know what I was even looking for. I was just waiting for something suspicious to happen on its own.

This, I figured, was not a great strategy. Things like that don't just happen – they have to be provoked. Maybe Eliza had the right idea with the whole 'interrogation' thing. But I wasn't going down that path – I was too awkward and nervous for that. I would just have to wait.

At that moment, Veronica decided to look towards the library. I quickly averted my gaze but it was too late. She'd seen me.

I got up slowly and walked deeper into the library as if it had been what I planned on all along. I subtly turned back, to see Veronica pointing in my direction and announcing something starkly to her group. I slipped between the bookshelves as they all turned to see what she was talking about. Hopefully, they wouldn't believe her: I couldn't have them all watching me as carefully as I was watching them. So much for blending in.