Raven

Chapter 23

I know a secret, and secrets breed paranoia.

-Simon Holt, The Devouring

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Raven's POV

I just found out that the Investigatory Team had their own means of transportation, provided by the school. The team uses it during investigating cases and covering some stories.

It was an RV and it looked pretty neat. Everyone was still a minor so it was driven by Blyneia's personal driver, Mr. Wayne.

The inside was spacious, if you disregard the clutter. The table was filled with stacks of folders and pictures. The bed area was huddled with bags and luggages. Night brought foods and placed it on the fridge full of beverages. Lemon was the one who carried the documents and constantly reading each file. Me? I'm pulling this heavy luggage of whatever equipment they brought along.

"Sucrose already scouted the crime scenes last Friday and monitored the suspects." Lemon said seriously, eyes still on the file.

"Suspects? I thought the suspect was dead?" I asked, putting the luggage under the table. I leaned over Lemon to look at the report and searched for the section where I saw the name Calliope.

"Well, before her, the authorities suspected Liam Montero, the victims' boyfriend. And his wife, Hel Bridgerton. However, it was then dropped because Hel came from a prominent family of police and military, and the sui°cide note of Calliope was a strong evidence." Night answered while opening a bag of chips and putting some in her mouth.

"If the suspect has been found, why bother investigating the case deeper?" That one question that has been bothering me was finally blurted out.

"Just like Blyneia told you, one of the victim's sister believed her sister wasn't killed by a ghost, which is true. The authorities didn't disclose the result of the investigation to the families of the victims, leading them to still believe that ghost really do exist. And besides, we already have a hunch on what really happened during those crimes. Only left now was to find valid evidences." Lemon said glaring at the documents while massaging her temples.

"And that is where we come in." Night interjected. "We investigate and find enough true evidences to pin the real murderer."

"But, that's not the only reason, right?" I whispered.

"What do you mean by that?" Lemon asked.

They stared at me, making me uncomfortable. "I-I mean, that's not the only reason why you are all so keen on solving this case, right?"

"That's just it. We were just tasked to gather strong evidences. Nothing more." Night shrugged.

"It's not like we have secrets to hide. We just want to help find justice for those victims' families and also to create an awesome horror story based on real events." Lemon grinned.

How ironic. Now that I remembered it, I saw a few secrets back when I first met everyone and held their hands.

Some had light secrets, like cheating during the exams, or accidentally killed a dog or a cat, or broke some school rules that lead to trouble.

However, some were kinda unbelievable. For example, Lemon.

I saw her in front of her parents' dead bodies, holding a knife.

Milcah. She pushed her sister from the top of a slide.

And Night: She kidn*pped someone.

Those secrets really stumped me. But I didn't always believed my visions a hundred percent. I don't judge people immediately just because of what I saw, 'cause in the first place, I have no idea of the whole story, unless if it happened in my dreams.

As for Blyneia, I couldn't comprehend it much. It was so fuzzy that it hurts my eyes and head.

Indeed the best way of keeping a secret was to pretend there wasn't one. They looked so normal as if they haven't done anything sinful.

That leaves me the only person to know it without their knowledge. I really hate it.

I put those thoughts on the back of my mind and focused on the stacks of paper in front of me. I opened the file that Blyneia gave me. I've read this for many times now, and I found something off about the suicide note. "How stupid she was for confessing everything." I mumbled almost incomprehensibly.

I was surprised when I heard Night sniggered as she dangled her head at the backrest of the chair. "And what do you mean by that?"

"I think, I think this sui°cide note wasn't written by her. I mean, it's her handwriting, but she wrote it not on her own volition. Like she was forced." I said nervously.

Lemon and Night looked at each other. I saw Lemon winking at Night while the latter kept shaking her head.

"Is everything alright?" I asked fretfully.

"Yes, everything's alright." Lemon laughed hollowly. "There's just something in my eye." She said while blinking and rubbing her eye.

Night stood up and called out the driver. "Mr. Wayne, please stop the vehicle. Just drop me off here. I have something to do." She looked at me and scratched her head. "You two go ahead at the location. Bly told me to check out something around this area. See you later."

"O-oh, okay." Astounded as I was, I could only agree before she got off the RV.

Lemon smiled sheepishly and continued reading the documents. I sat properly opposite her and took the copy of the suicide note. I read it again silently.

"So, why did you say it was forged?" Lemon suddenly asked.

I raised my head and choose the right words to say. "Well I can't say it's actually forged, but if I was the criminal and committed a sui°cide, I would still keep my misdeeds up to my grave. What's the use of telling my crimes if I would only kill myself at the end? Who would they imprison? My dead body?"

"Well, you're right." Lemon agreed. "But there are also criminals who is so proud of their crimes, and would be glad to broadcast it to the whole world." She added, bitterness and hate in her voice, making me remember of what I saw when I touched her hand.

"What made you say that?" I asked her although I have a slight idea on what she's talking about.

"Nothing. Anyways, what are your other thoughts on that sui°cide note?" She said, changing the topic.

"Well, I figured out that the note was written forcibly when I noticed the change in the writing style. The alphabet letters were inconsistent and messy. And also, there is an emphasis on the writing resulting to the paper getting punctured on the parts where the ball pen should start writing." I explained while showing her the paper, pointing to the part where there's a bump. "I've been reading this note for a while now, and the tone is kinda off. It feels like she's just telling a life story of a stranger whom she just recently met."

Lemon took the note and read the contents. "It indeed feels off."

We've been traveling for about an hour now so I asked where we were heading.

"V City." Lemon answered.

My mind wandered as I heard what she said.

V City.

We're going to Vermillion.