I was waiting for Arjun at the park while Shade went on chit chatting with his girlfriend. He had insisted on meeting Arjun, and he said that he wouldn't let me go if I didn't tag him along. I had no other choice but to bring him with me.
A few minutes later, Arjun came. "Stop right there!" Shade startled on hearing me shout, and Arjun froze, stood there like a statue. "Don't move!" I said as I stood 4 feet away from him angled my hand perfectly enough that I could only see his eyes.
"What's wrong with you?" Sade asked as he hung up his call.
"I knew it!" I exclaimed. Arjun was still standing at the same position and tiled his head a little. "It's all good, come." He then slowly walked towards us still confused.
"What was that all about?" He asked confused followed by shade who gave a tight node.
"You'll find out," I said with a smile. "Anyways why a sudden call?"
"I got a case." He said, "Damon Volkov's daughter has been abducted yesterday." That when realization hit Shade. He looked at me and Arjun back and forth.
"I know" I said.
"How?"
"Do you still have the detail list from yesterday?"
"Yes?"
"Read the 7th name."
He took out the paper from his pocket and read the name,
"Juliet Van doren." Then he looked at me. "How are these related?"
"Does the case of the murder of Juliet Van Doren ring a bell to you?" I asked
"Wait a sec— that means you were there yesterday?"
"He is the prime suspect dude," Shade interrupted then burst into laughing.
"Very funny" I said sarcastically. Arjun stood there like he was processing everything. "But it's alright, I can help you. Whatever it is we are still partners right?" He nodded.
As we were talking, we heard a noise. We all went dead silent as we listened to the footsteps. Then the bushes near us started to rustle. Then suddenly a hand grabbed on to mine. I grabbed on to their hand and threw the person out of the bushes. He landed hard on the ground and growled.
"Skyler?" He nodded as he rubbed his back. "Sorry, reflexes." I said as I helped him get back on his feet.
"Dude you scared the living hell out of me." Shade said as he put a hand on Skyler's shoulder. "What's up with the snooping?"
I then introduced Skyler to Arjun who said that he remembered him from yesterday's incident.
"Do you have any plans?" Arjun asked as he put the piece of paper back to his pocket. "Like at least where to get started with?"
"Yes," I said with a grin. "We can do the usual, What if I was the kidnapper." Everyone looked at me confused. "Listen, it's like pointing out possibilities, like if I was a kidnapper what would I have done." They nodded. "I'll go first, If I was the kidnapper, I would… umm… change her clothes and leave the clothes she was wearing before in the salt lake as a distraction." Shade looked at me amused. "Then put her phone in a warehouse which will be far away from the original place where I will be keeping her, distraction two." Skyler's eyes widened. "Then I would definitely not in my house, that would be bad for me so, I will keep her in somewhere near the border of out of the city."
"Dude, after solving so many cases you officially became a psycho." Shade said, his eyes wide and jaw dropped.
"Next who?" I asked them. "We could get some clue with our perspectives right?" I asked them.
"Great plan I'll go next," Arjun volunteered and said his perspective followed by Shade and then Skyler.
"Detective kid." Shade called out to Arjun. "You rewind the stories all and think of something which will make sense. We can discuss the result tomorrow?" He then looked around.
"It's getting dark." Everyone nodded and the meeting was officially dismissed.
The next day I woke up to a call from Arjun. "Come to the Salt Lake, quick. We've got an issue." Then he hung up.
I changed my clothes and then took my car keys and was about to leave when Shade stopped me, "You aren't supposed to drive remember?"
"From today onwards I can, you stay here with mom, and I'll be back soon." Saying I walked out took the car and drove to the Salt lake.
When I got there, it was already crowded with cops and natives. When I was about to cross the 'don't cross' tapes one of the officers stopped me. I showed them my ID and they let me in, Detective things.
When I reached near Arjun, He had an evidence bag with him and he was looking at it as if he didn't believe it was there.
"What's going on in here?" I asked and he handed me the bag. "Clothes?"
"They found it in the lake." He said as he pointed at the lake, then looked back at me and said softly, "its Jezelle's clothes.
The one she wore the day she got abducted." I stood there in shock, His words sent a chill through my spine. "Exactly where you said you would put it yesterday." He whispered to my ears. It felt like someone was choking me.
"I know she did it," From a side Jezelle's mom, Marjeena, rushed towards me pushing aside the cops. She was about to attack me when Arjun stood between us. "Move aside you pest, I know you both are behind this" She hissed.
"Mam, stay calm we will find your daughter," Arjun tried to calm her down but she pushed his aside and grabbed on to my collar.
"Where is my child you witch?" She shouted.
"We told you we will find her," I said as I pushed her off me. "Till then behave and stop being a maniac."
"I know you did this." She said. A wicked smile appeared on her face. "And I have proof this time." She then pulled out her phone and played a video. Arjun and I stood there in shock as it was us talking about the what if possibility. Someone recorded us and worse it was edited as if like I was the kidnapper and I was telling my plan to them. But thankfully shade wasn't in frame but the other three of us were there.
"That's not what happened." I tried to protest but she interfered.
"Then you should prove it, Young lady." She then turned towards the other officers. "Her first distraction turned out right, not let's see if the second one is also correct." She walked up to one of the officers and asked, "Is there any lonely warehouse in town." He nodded and said Mr. Jeff, a farmer, has a warehouse which is situated in a lonely place. "Let's go there, if her second distraction is there then we can fix she did it." Everyone nodded.
We then drove to Mr. Jeff's warehouse. Inside was full of haystacks. Then everyone started searching until one officer shouted, "I GOT SOMETHING!" everyone went to the direction and I almost fell back in shock to see Jezelle' s phone, just like I said in the video.
Everyone turned towards us and I walked back slowly, "Told you she did it." She smirked, such a witch.
"I didn't do anything I swear—,"
"Ms. Larsen, You are under arrest," An officer started walking towards me with his handcuffs. I tried to protest but it was all in vain. I had to prove my innocence, but how? I backed slowly as he walked towards me. I holded Arjun's hand. My heart was beating fast and I looked at Arjun and whispered, "The window."
He pushed the officer aside and ran towards a window, the haystacks laid there like stairs as we climbed on to it. Arjun jumped down first and as I was about to jump, I heard a gunshot. A bullet pierced through my skin of my arm as I looked behind to see Marjeena holding the gun. One of the officers snatched the gun from her as he shot again.
I fell out of the window with a yelp and I felt like I hit my head.
Then everything blacked out.