It was Monday morning for them to be lazily up. The sky greeted them with its blissful sun's blinding tail. The clouds are invisible. Students are keep coming from the school's entrance gate, others were still lying at the waiting shed. While some were laughing. No one cared what each other was doing while waitinf for the bell to ring. The school's field is full of peers doing their hobbies.
A group of friends were about to go together at their respective rooms when they noticed their schoolmates were gathering and murmuring. They no longer asked what was there. Surprised, the six, namely Ken Bernardo, Jim Evangelista, Li Ramos, Greg Bernardo, Andy Salvador and Aris Locsin, three of them approached the corpse for a closer look.
"Kelly?" Jim ejaculated in shock when she saw a corpse being referred to. Her stomach reacted and felt sudden feeling to puke.
"How did this happen?" Li asked in a whisper, "No, what happened here?" Her eyebrows meet in the middle of her forehead.
"The first person who saw it said it fell from the height of this building." They heard from a crowd. "He heard a loud thud."
Indiscreet comment of whispers are flooding from the crowd. The gruesome scene about Kelly's dead body brought a confusion to all. Kelly's body was facing the ground. Her head's slightly raised in the left, hand's position is as if she's reaching for something. Eyes were wide opened and reddened from the impact of her fall. A part of her leg's bone is broken.
"Maybe she committed a suicide?" Answered the girl he was talking to.
"That's impossible, why would someone like her commit suicide?" Continued by the two people. Jim, Li and Greg didn't hear much of what the two were talking about because their attention had been turned to the incident.
Jim took pictures to all possible angles of the victim's body. Greg, on the other hand, carefully examined the victim's body while Li wrote something in their detective notes. They are used to being always ready as accidents happen wherever they go. Nobody cared about what they wère doing, the focus is all about the victim and the scene.
"Jim!" Greg calls a slim girl, who is fashionably wearing a uniform, pigtailed long hair and a little pretty smile. Turning to it she said, "You see there's a handprint on her arm. Guys, I don't think it's suicide. There's something strange in here."
"This is a murder." Pointed Li, "Look at the ballpoint pen stitched around her neck. Her eyes. Her position."
"If it's murder, what's the killer's motive? What's Kelly's arrears to her for him or her or whoever did this to commit this incident?" Greg thought. The School's President, serious when it comes to work but she's fun to hangout with, "We need this." She picked up the ball pen that was on the ground next to the corpse.
They stood up, "Another case to solve!" Enthused Jim.
"Yeah, mystery time!" Agreed Li.
They pulled themselves out of the throngs when the teachers arrived with the principal. They were all evicted from the crime scene and announced that no one would leave their respective classrooms until there will be another response from the administration.
Ken, Aris, Li, Jim, Andy and Greg belong to the Elite Class which has only 20 students so their classroom is in the Golden Building which is quite far from the gate. Who would doubt them that they are detectives if they look ordinary except Aris, the campus girl in a group called Purple Chix.
"Murder?" Curiousity strikes to Ken, the band majorette, "How can you tell this is a murder case?"
"Her eyes and the position." Li, the boyish personality and the lead vocalist of their school music band, replied.
"Who could possibly kill Kelly?" Aris asked, very chic, she's smart and sophisticated beyotch.
"We need possible suspects." Suggested Andy, the school's math wizard a.k.a Princess of Numbers.
"We have obtained evidence that could lead us to the murder." Said Jim. The warrior lady. Mix martial arts black belt holder.
"Detective kit." Greg's orders her friends.
Ken dropped the attache case they called the detective kit. Jim invented it to keep their sleuth's tools. It can't be detected by their school threat detector since it has barrier. It also contains a working computer for their investigation, but they cannot open it publicly. Ken and Greg are good in hacking computer data, report database, emails etc. Greg opened the detective kit and seemed to be typing. Concentrating. Brows are frowning.
"But what's the motive of the killer? Why Kelly? If it's just a matter of intelligence, will it be May? They're the only ones who always compete." Ken asked one question after another, "How are we going to tell the public about all this?"
"Just like the old way. Computer." Li said, "The first thing we have to do is solve it."
"Then we'll talk about how we can communicate what we know once we've resolved it." Aris added.
Kelleana Alexandrea 'Kelly' Santiago is the real name. Miss Intrams at the school that will be replaced next month. Famous, kind, smart, beautiful and friendly. Everyone is just wondering why she committed suicide (in the belief of others), she has no enemies, no one, many are angry with her but not a single word that she has a quarrel with. Except for May who always challenges Kelly to a fight but she doesn't let her.
"A handprint on the arm, a ball pen used to stab the neck, we got fingerprints. .Hmmm, interesting." Thought Aris.
"Maybe this is what happened," Andy took out a notebook to draw his imaginary scenario, "The killer forced Kelly to go with him but she insisted on releasing her. It turned out that the suspect was holding a ball pen, he/she would have held Kelly with both of his/her hands, but due to Kelly's agility she was accidentally stabbed in the neck. Then the suspect pushed her so she fell. Maybe it's just an accident, not murder or suicide." She frowned after her deduction stated.
"Wait, I'm confused." Greg messed up her own hair, so, she suggested, "It's better that we think on our own."
"What if we just go to our Investigation House?" Ken exclaimed.
"LET'S GO!" Simultaneously together the four said.
They left the classroom since there were no classes due to the incident. The admin announced to suspend all classes and activities. All teachers are in the conference room. Police and ambulances had also arrive. When they arrived at their investigation house, they immediately sat down at their respective mini desks. Each of them has their own investigation job. Ken was assigned to research fingerprints and DNAs using a High-Tech air-monitor-human's-profile computer. Greg in turn-on evidence items (used in murder, blood stain, clothe piece etc.). Li on the traces left on the victim's body. Andy is their interviewer of possible suspects based on their research. Aris and Jim are their photographers. Of course they are fully equipped.
"Look at this, Aris." Jim said and showed Aris the picture, "If she really committed suicide she should have closed her eyes, because this is what often happens when you commits suicide, feeling the moments before you die. But it's different, Aris, wide -eyed like seeing a ghost. Well, we can say it's either an accident or murder."
"That's what I just said." Li's voice was irritated.
"Jim, this is it or, the position of his head and body seems strange." Aris said softly.
"It's a murder case then."
"Don't you trust my instincts guys?" Interrupted Li.
"Li, can I have the fingerprints copies?" Ken's orders.
Li handed over the adhesive tape, "Anyways, you think so, Jim and Aris?"
The two nodded at the same time as they stared intently at the picture of the corpse.
"But how ?" Ken asked while typing on the computer. She full screened the fingerprint reached by Li, the photo of the owner came out.
They gasped in unison, "Allan Torres ?!"
"Andy, you need to interview this person." Ken said.
"What was his motive for killing Kelly?" Jim asked, "Eh?"
"It could be evidence." Li said.
"What if it's another suspect's ball pen, he just used gloves for Allan to be mistaken for a killer to save his life?" Aris stated an excuse for the accused.
"I agree. And what if.. .What if they both committed a crime against Kelly?" Andy asked and was confused, "We need to think some more appropriate questions against Allan."
"We'll think of that. So, that means there are two suspects?" Greg asked.
"Sure?" Andy hesitated, "I don't know, it's just my hunch."
Ken intervened between the two, "Do what you have to do, Andy. Aris and Jim, we still need more pictures."
"Sure!" Two photographers simultaneously got their DSLR.
"Greg and Li, we need more evidence."
"Sure, Ken." Li replied.
"I'm just here guys, I'll be your back up, make sure your walkie-talkie works." She concluded while waving the wireless channel mobile.
The four went back to school at once. Their secret investigation house is just a walking distance from the school. They just go home differently but they have contacts to each other. After they entered the shortcut since students are not allowed to enter their school the two photographers went straight to the building where Kelly's fall originated. Li, on the other hand, was at the crime scene with a police line, a nurse had just come out of the ambulance so there was a chance that Greg got inside without being noticed while Li was watching around.
"I just got to the ambulance to observe the victim's body. Read that?"
"Roger!" Ken replied, "Jim, Aris, what's the news?"
"Jim speakung, we haven't gotten close to the post yet."
Meanwhile. . .
She picked up the piece of cloth next to the victim's drawn position, "Maybe this is okay." Li whispered to herself, "There is new evidence."
"Copy." The other channel answered.
She searched the surrounding before one police officer comes looking back. The scene was very disgusting based on the spread of blood. 'Kelly's head must have turned', she said in her mind. 'Wait what's that?' She approached what she saw glowing.
"Tooth?" She picked it up with a twizzer, "Guys, I have found another evidence." She announced to her friends again.
"Ok." Ken replied on the other line.
Then. . .
"Jim, there's a drop of blood here!" Aris called. She took a shot of it.
Jim wiped off the trace and inserted it into her compact device to keep the stain and automatically send it to Ken.
"Guys, there are still fingerprints on her leg, her finger is traced and there is still a trace of the rope left. What's the connection?" Greg's news on the other line. "There's still a needle in her arm."
She used a magnifying glass that could clearly see the human's outer skin.
"Copy, Greg. We're going down so let's just meet where we took the shortcut."
Greg and Li answered 'YES'.
Somehow on the other side. . .
"Hi Allan." Andy greeted when she met Allan outside the hallway, he could not go home yet because he was a representative of the school honor court.
"Hey, Andy, what else are you doing here? You should be at home right now. When the cops see you here, you will be detained for violating them and be regarded as suspect."
Allan is a student assistant at the school. They find him simple and just a guy. Nothing special to be specific.
"I'll just ask you something." She shrugged, "For newspaper, since you talked to the cops earlier. Can I?"
"Well, let's get in here first." He opened the nearby classroom, good thing it's not locked yet.
Andy sat up while getting ready the notes, "How are you connected to Kelly, Allan?"
"Why are you asking me ?" He asked Andy back.
"I heard that you're one of her friends."
"Well? Why ask the obvious?" He chortled.
Andy scratch her chin, "I mean, what else connection do you have aside from being friends.?"
*awkward atmosphere*
"Just friends." Allan's sad response.
"Didn't she tell you the any last thing before the incident happened?" Andy's 'click click' of the ball pen was steady.
"She told me, someone wanted to kill her, that I would take her away." He can't stop himself because of the annoyance filled in his mind done by the sound of 'clicking'. "Can I trust you to keep this a secret? I can't get rid of the pain. I was somehow, Kelly's confidante when I saw her smoking at the rooftop one day. She was crying hard."
"What else? Didn't she order anything.. .Like you tell my parents blah blah blah .."
"It's not a necessary question, right?"
"Just some details."
"Limitations, Andy."
"I know, just answer that question, Allan. Then I'll decide if I publish it."
He took a deep breath before he answered, "Hmp, the last I heard from her was that she will go with him."
"Did she say who?"
Allan shook his head as a sign of no. Andy thought of what else could be asked that Allan would not be surprised but she changed her mind.
"If your fingerprints ever match, Allan on Kelly's skin what would you say?"
"A-What do you mean? Did you hear from the police? Do you think it's murder?"
Andy was stunned and couldn't immediately respond, "Well, uhm. .You see, you wouldn't believe it if I said I investigated Kelly's body earlier."
"That's illegal--"
"Just answer my question."
Allan frowned at Andy as if she was saying something that the girl thought she had a bad opinion of him.
The young man let out a deep sigh and bowed, "Before she went upstairs, I grabbed her to stop her. I told her not to go ahead with what she was planning." Allan explained as he took a handkerchief from his jacket pocket. "Can I have another question?"
Andy noticed that something had fallen out of the window pocket but she stayed that way. She nodded at the last thing Allan said.
"Last question." She waited for Allan to nod who later also agreed, "Do you know any of her enemies, close friends, relatives etc.," She asked, "Recently?"
"Shama, they argued before any incident happened. Do you think Kelly was murdered, Andy?"
Andy just shrugged before saying goodbye.
"Thanks for your time, Allan." She intentionally dropped her ball pen to pick up the one that had fallen, "I'm leaving."
"Anytime."
Andy came out of the classroom first. She looked at a piece of cloth. It's a letter written in ink.
"Let's eat first." Jim exclaimed the most greedy of them when it comes to food.
"I'm hungry." Agreed Aris.
'A blood, needle, tooth, cloth, another cloth, trace of rope, trace of hand and ballpen. It is clear to us what happened but how? What is the motive of the killer? If we put together all the evidence we got it all makes sense now.'
"Guys, do you think what I think of who killed?" Li asked.
They gasped in unison. Their minds suddenly drew a connection to each other.
"Right, think about who is the only person in the school with a rope and a needle and to think this is not just a needle. It's a syringe needle." Greg fills in their puzzle.
"Another time I talked to him earlier, he said he was in the canteen when the incident happened." Shared Andy, "If that's so, how does he calculate the time of Kelly's death and his alibi he's in the canteen? It takes 5 minutes to walk downstairs to canteen. At that time, the incident took place. Kelly's body was only 1 hour and three minutes already when we arrived, which means the canteen was still closed at that time. "
"No wonder, you're the world's math wizard, babe." Teased Jim who just raised her hand to lower Andy's eyebrows.
"How could he be the killer?" Ken querried.
"Unless they have a relationship." Jim blurted.
"I'm sure Allan has this ball pen, how did the killer manage to clean up after he killed Kelly?" Li asked.
"Right, he used gloves, obviously so he couldn't leave a trace." Jim joked, "Only two can prove he was the killer."
"The rope and the needle." Aris concludes, "And his alibi."
"And to this day the evidence is still in his drawer." Ken said.
When it was clear to them all they went back to school. They saw the police arresting Allan. Everyone believes he was the one killed because of the matched fingerprints left on Kelly's hand.
"I swear, I didn't kill Kelly, I won't be able to kill someone like her. I love Kelly, officer please believe me. Mrs.Santiago, I know you don't believe I did this !!! "Allan shouted at Kelly's mother as he struggled to fight at the hands of the two police officers.
"It turns out from the investigation that you have your fingerprints left." Stated the detective assigned to the investigation.
"I told you already. .that before she died I held her to stop what she was planning."
The police released Allan, "What is she up to?"
"She told me that she was going to come with someone else, she didn't say what his name was, because that man was blackmailing her to tell everyone that he has her videos of being naked if she won't agree to come. If only I knew who was that person I would have told you already."
"As long as it's not yet determined who actually killed, you come with us first." The police arrested Allan once again.
"I'm telling the truth. I can't kill the woman I love even if she can't retaliate."
"Wait!" Jim stops that it made the assigned homicide detective turned around at her.
"Oy kids, why are you here? There's no class today, go home."
"We're one of the detectives." Blurted Andy.
"Are you fooling me?" The detective said with a laugh.
"Uhm, Miss Salvador," interrupted Principal Yulo, "This isn't something you should be intervening. This is a serious matter and it's none of your business." He said politely.
"We have resolved this case, Inspector Eletera." Li smirked, showing their IDs as advanced detective. Signed by International Bureau. IIS or International Security Investigation.
"H-How do you know me?"
"Because we're detectives." Andy and Aris folded their arms at the same time.
"Greg?" Ken said.
The police officers gave up after examining their legit IDs. They were flabberghasted when they confirmed it.
"Allow us to illustrate the scene." Greg was the spokesperson for them. The teacher who were there looked at each other waiting for whatever next words will come out of her mouth, "Before the incident took place, the suspect went to the CR to carry out his plan, he first wore a disguise because he knew every corner had a camera. Monitor. He also removed his belongings. He then put the needle in the syringe. After testing it, he put it on the cloth to hide it. We saw Kelly last night talking to someone on the phone when we left school. The next morning since the school didn't have many students up yet, Kelly went there, unexpectedly Allan was there on the stairs to the third floor who stopped her. "
"See? But how did you know?" Allan asked in astonishment.
She looked at Allan, "What you don't know, Allan is that Kelly pulled something out of your uniform pocket. The ball pen." She turned again to the police. "She told him that someone was going to kill her and Kelly told him to walk away. Kelly has already entered a room where they will meet the suspect. The killer grabbed Kelly by the arm which Allan also grabbed because he saw the two talking but Kelly fought back so it tightened the grip that's why the victim had bruises. Kelly was about to stab the ball pen at the suspect but it reversed Kelly's attack so it accidentally stabbed the girl in the neck. The suspect had no choice but to put Kelly to sleep to take advantage of the opportunity to rape the victim but his plan was ruined because the needle broke and left on Kelly's arm but she was tranced, then he arranged to tie the girl's hand and foot. . But as everyone said Kelly is strong so she resisted the sleeping chemical and she was accidentally stabbed with a knife because of her agility to escape. Because of the annoyance of the killer he threw Kelly from the 3rd floor, he did not intend to do that in the first place, that wasn't in the plan but he thought if he left Kelly's body in the place where the crime took place he will be pointed as the killer. The suspect cleaned the entire area around the hallway to hide all the evidence. When Kelly fell, the killer did not notice anything that was involved in Kelly's fall on the chin, including the injection mask used and his tooth. And the one who did that had an alibi that he was in the canteen at that time."
"Greg is right, isn't she, Sir Michael Sandova?" Jim asked.
Everyone there turned their attention to the man in a teacher's uniform.
"W-What do you mean?"
"You killed Kelly." Andy supported what Jim said, "If my calculations are right, then it's proven. It takes 5 minutes to walk downstairs to canteen. At that time the incident happened, Sir. Kelly's body, according to rigor mortis was only 1 hour and three minutes already when we arrived, which means the canteen was still closed at that time. And since, one of those assigned to the canteen said they were still closed, you returned to Kelly's body and made sure it was no longer alive."
"Why would I kill my student?" He asked and was insulted, "Better yet, I'll just take you home. You shouldn't interfere in this."
At the same time, he led them out of the gate.
"Sir, where is your canine?" Li asked.
It took a long time before he could answer, "I took if off because my fellow teachers and I were eating."
"It's your old marpel, isn't it, Sir?" Ken added.
"You're just kids, so it's only natural that you're making up a story but it's serious, Miss Bernardo."
"Did you see your homeroom teacher killed Kelly?" Inspector Eletera asked.
"No."
"It's better that you get out of here, students." Mr. Sandova said, "This is not just a simple talk."
"Then do you have any evidence?" Another policeman insisted.
"Li, the evidence." Greg accepted the attache case Li handed him, she opened it and pulled out the rope, gloves full of blood, the broken needle and cloth used secretly for the injection, "Ma'am Josefina, who's teacher who has a rope and a needle his drawer? "
"Sir Michael."
"Jim, the pictures."
"This." Jim showed the photos they had taken earlier that were left at the crime scene.
"What if someone just set me up. Just put that in my drawer."
"I forgot to say that while you were wiping away the possible evidence Kelly left behind, you removed the gloves while making sure the victim was dead so until now your fingerprints are still on the wall, Sir stamped with Kelly's blood." Explained Ken.
The teacher nodded as if he had given up.
"And this will prove that you did kill." Andy handed over the cloth with ink that had fallen earlier from Allan's pocket, "Kelly must've put this in Allan's jacket pocket in his locker that someday you can read it, Allan."
"Everything you said is right."
"How did you do that to Kelly? We're brothers and you know I love her."
"Brothers?" Simultaneous question of six.
"Only Kelly know that."
"Sir.."
"I only did that because Kelly is moving to another school. My brother is also right that we had a relationship, I'm a young man. I told her to give me more before she leaves school but she refused." He looked at Kelly's mother, "I love your daughter so I can't afford to lose sight of her. So that day I planned to run away with her but I had no intention of killing her. Forgive me, Mrs. Santiago. "
Kelly's mother slapped her, "You're an asshole! I trusted you my daughter not to let her enemies follow her. But you're the only one who's abusing my daughter and you killed our only daughter. YOU'RE A SCUMBAG !!!" The middle-aged woman punched Sir Michael's arm steadily.
'We solved another case today, because of his selfish love he end up killing her. Kelly was always a smart and a cheerful beautiful young lady. As for our homeroom teacher, he will be imprisoned for twelve years on charges of murder and sexual harassment. We are detectives and we are always ready for justice.'-Jim Evangelista. 'But how strange. Something's seems not right.'
The next day as their punishment to enter the teacher's classroom without permission and in resolving the case teenagers like them should not interfere: Community Service.