Broken Memory ✓

21. Library Detectives

Today is beautiful out; the sun is shining brightly as it hits against the trees, making them become a vibrant green color. The air is slightly warm with a nice breeze, the perfect temperature for a bike ride. I pedal down the sidewalk and past the rows of abandoned houses, focusing on the music blasting through my earbuds.

Mom started going to therapy to solve her paranoia and trust issues. She's only had one session so far, but I can already see subtle changes... Like letting me go out today by myself. For once... It feels like life might be going somewhere good. I have good friends, my family is improving... The last thing I need solved is the murders.

I stop pedaling and park my bike in front of the library. Caleb and Connor's bikes are both here as well. I walk into the library, the cool air hitting my skin, and glance around for my friends. Caleb sits alone in a small room at a table with a laptop, Connor's backpack sitting on a chair next to him. Approaching the table, I greet Connor. "Hey!"

"Hey!' his face lights up at my arrival. He flashes me a smile and pats the seat on the other side of him. I sit down where he wants me to and look towards the laptop. An article on Bridgeport fills the screen.

"Hey, Ash!" Connor pops in and sits on the other of Caleb.

"Hey, Con!" I wave. Caleb smiles at him and focuses back on the screen.

"So, guys. I wanted to look through the town's history to see if there's any previous murders, and there were at least ten from even more than seven years ago. But they ended like six years ago. The murderer was never found, though."

"Who was killed?" I ask.

Caleb scrolls down on the page, skimming through some information, then says, "all minors. Kids who went to school. But why?"

"Did the murderer maybe have something specific against kids?"

"I dunno..." Caleb responds, trailing off as he reads more. "Well, we also don't know the murderer, so that's kinda a disadvantage. I wonder if there were even more murders like six or seven years back."

"Wait, guys," Connor earns both of our attention. "You know how this time around with the murders, they were all bullies or someone that was trying to figure out the murderer? What if that happened last time as well, I mean because they're all kids that go to school? It could be targeted once again, and the murderer disappeared for a while to make everyone think they were safe or something."

"Woah, that's a really good theory," I nod. "That's definitely plausible. Maybe we should look into what kind of kids each of the victims were or something."

We continue to talk about the case for a while, but eventually our conversation trails off into other topics. I tell them about my mom getting help and both Caleb and Connor wrap me into a hug.

"So it's finally gonna get really better?" Connor asks.

"Yeah, it is," I reassured.

"Are me and Erin still gonna spend time with your mom to help?" Caleb questions.

"I don't know, but we can definitely still hang out just as much, even if our moms don't."

"Hey, guys, it's lunch time. Wanna get some food?" Connor lets us go.

"I wanna keep researching and stuff," Caleb sits back down at the laptop. "But are we allowed to bring food here?"

"Yeah, if we bring it to this private room," I nod. "Con, wanna bring pizza here?"

"Sure, let's go," he beams at me. "What kind?"

The three of us decide on cheese pizza, so me and Connor head out and get on our bikes to go to the pizza place nearby. We bike in silence, lost in our own thoughts, and park both of our bikes against the wall of the pizzeria.

Inside of the building is a pretty long line. We stand at the end of it side by side with four people in front of us.

"Hey, uh," Connor nudges me. "Are you free tomorrow?"

"Sunday? Oh, yeah, I am. Why, have any ideas?"

"Oh, yeah, uh..." Connor glances around nervously, then focuses his gaze back on me. "Could you meet me at my house at like... One?"

"Sure! It should be fine with my mom. Anything planned?"

"Nah, I just wanna hang out I guess," Connor shrugs, shoving his hands into his jean pockets.

"Oh, alright cool," I smile at him and we move up in the line. Out of my peripheral vision I see him looking over to me and smiling, but I pretend I don't see it since it seems he didn't want me to notice.

We eventually make it to the front of the line and order. The order doesn't take long to fulfill since it isn't much food, and I end up paying for it. Connor carries the pizza outside and tells me he can bike while keeping it safe, so we begin our expedition back to the library.

As Connor sets the pizza down on the table, I shut the door of our reserved room and sit down at my seat. "Thanks, guys! Who paid?" Caleb exclaims, opening up the box and grabbing a slice.

"I did," I tell him, taking a slice for myself.

"I'll pay you a bit back," he bites into a slice and I do the same to mine.

"Oh, nah, it's fine," I wave his offer off. He shrugs, taking another bite, then goes back to his laptop.

"So, guys. While you were gone, I found out more about the victims. They're all names I remember as bullies in school, so maybe they were targeted by someone who was tired of their bullying?"

"It does match up with the bullies in our grade being killed as well..." I nod.

"But who is killing them and getting away with it so easily? I mean, there's no trace of any evidence pointing towards anyone in particular..."

"I still don't trust Jake... He dodged every question we had," I tell them.

"Jake?" Connor asks us.

"Oh, yeah. Wes said something about him - I'm pretty sure you remember that - and when me and Caleb were together we saw Jake and ended up questioning him... Except that kid's definitely hiding something."

"Yeah, definitely. Or at least something isn't... Right with him in the head. He has always striked me as kind of... Insane..." Connor nods. "I wouldn't be too surprised if he was involved with the murders."

I nod and we continue to eat pizza and discuss the murders, but we end up restating information or getting off topic more than creating any more theories or finding any new evidence. Regardless, it's still fun to hang out as always.

When it's time to go, I grab the empty pizza box, Connor grabs the backpack, and we leave the room to head to our bikes. I throw away the pizza box in a public outdoor trash can, and the three of us get on our bikes to pedal home.

The bike ride feels way shorter than the ride there. When we get to Connor's, Caleb and I stop to say goodbye. Connor gives me a hug and Caleb a high five, then waves to us once last time and heads inside. After biking a little further, it's my turn to depart, and Caleb and I stop to say our goodbyes.

"See ya, Ash," he gets off his bike. I do the same and he offers me a hug I graciously accept. His hug is tight and full of compassion, and the fact I can tell that much from his hugs alone makes my heartbeat race a little.

"See ya," I pull away. He smiles, but the smile fades away and we stand there for a moment in silence. "You okay?"

"Yeah..." he shrugs. "Don't worry about it. But..." Caleb places his hand on my cheek and draws me a little closer. He quickly plants a small kiss on my other cheek and immediately goes back to his bike, waving, his face flushed a light pink. I wave too, placing my finger on the place he kissed, then head to my own bike and pedal home.

What was that about?

A/N these past chapters do be kinda garbage doe 😳