CODE: RED - Chapter FOUR: JAKE

“I am so confused right now, everything’s confusing,” I said, turning towards Eve.

“Not everything is a puzzle,” Eve responded, her brown eyes looking deeply into my own green ones.

“Oh yeah? I know one thing is for certain though,” I said softly, walking towards her.

“And what is that?” Eve whispered, taking a step closer, and suddenly we found ourselves drawing closer to each other until we were less than a ruler apart.

“I-It’s that th-there’s no-one I -” I said, stumbling on a few words, heart beating possibly audibly.

She leaned in closer, and like magnet and something metal I was deeply attracted to her. Her eyes, a deep brown because we were in the shade, and her lips…

“No-one I would rather be… Eve, I’m starving!” I whined, breaking off mid-sentence before anything, well… happened. My cheeks were starting to warm up, and that’s not good.

Eve, taking a moment to register, pulled back and groaned, “Ja-ake! This is like the third break ever since we started!”

Of course, because it always ended up like this, all close and intimate…

I grinned sheepishly, and whined like a three year old, “Please Eve? Please, Please, please, please, please - ?”

“Ok, ok, shut up already!” she snapped, and then her usual smile popped up, brightening her pretty face, “You’re like a kid, you know that?”

“You look like a kid, you know that?” I said, grinning, and then reaching out to put a strand of brown hair away from her face, but quickly opted for the pat on the head instead.

Eve swot my hand away, and stuck her tongue out at me - Real mature.

I walked over to the big oak tree in her backyard and climbed up onto my favourite branch, watching my leg dangle above the immaculate garden that was just like the ones in every other house owned by a rich ass like Eve.

I looked at Eve, past all the fancy little lights, like I have for the past few years. Ever since I realised that I liked her more than well, a friend. Don’t know how it happened, just did, one day we were best friends who used to make mud pies with each other and the next it’s… she’s Eve Summers; the most incredible girl I’ve met in my entire life.

“Ja-ake,” Eve suddenly whined, snapping me back to reality.

“Yes Eve-y?” I asked, grinning.

Eve groaned, “Ughh, don’t call me that!”

My grin grew broader; although I was harbouring a long-time crush, I still love to tease her – its fun to see her get annoyed.

“What’s up?” I asked, and added for good measure, “Eve-y?”

She ignored it, and said seriously, “Who do you think is the murderer?”

I was taken back from the question, but I guess it was expected - seeing as it was Eve and her “time”. Seriously, that girl is obsessed when there’s a case her dad was on.

“Umm, a really deranged person?” I said uncertainly, and then continued blabbing when Eve cocked her eyebrow, “who has a fetish for stabbing girls and drawing lipstick all over their faces? Someone who is possibly tall, and hairy, and scary…”

Eve laughed, cutting me short with my babbling, “Save it Jake, it was a rhetorical question.”

I laughed, covering my embarrassment and then challenged, “Who do you think is the murderer? I bet you have a better idea than moi.”

“Jake. Never” She cocked her eyebrow at me again, “say ‘moi’ again.”

“But,” I began to protest, but she rambled on.

“Anyway, there are three suspects in the file, and they are Bonnie Slates, James Hayden, and...” she hesitated slightly before finishing, “Thomas Storme.”

Huh. Thomas Storme? A murderer? You know, I always thought he was up to something, something evil about him. It’s not that I have anything against him, it’s just... I hate that guy.

“Hmm, what would their motives be? I mean sure, Julia’s a bitch,” - that earned a wince from Eve, she hates swears - “but is she bitch enough to be wanted dead?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking during assembly today, and I thought up possible motives for the suspects,” she replied.

“So, who do you think has the highest possibility?” I asked, secretly chanting childishly the name of the person I hate.

“Bonnie,” she said in a beat, killing my chants.

“Oh?” I vaguely replied, successfully hiding my disappointment, “why’s that?”

Eve turned, and faced me, her brown eyes subtly shining with excitement, “I observed her the whole day, and have you noticed that she’s been laughing a lot and acting like nothing’s wrong?”

I nodded in agreement, “Yeah and rumour has it that she’s James Hayden’s new date to the formal. That girl sure works fast.”

Eve laughed, and said, “Exactly, that’s one of the possible reasons of her motive. James was Julia’s boyfriend, and Bonne couldn’t cope that Julia got asked out by the hottest guy a year above us –“

Now it was my turn to do the eyebrow cocking, “The ‘hottest guy’?”

“…In the year above us! There aren’t many hot guys in yr12 you know… and plus it’s not like I think he’s hot, it’s just everyone says he is, and even flora and thing thinks so as well. And on the toilet doors there were “I heart James Hayden” and during classes everyone talks about him, well not always about him, but you know what I mean. So anyway, assuming from the data by fellow peers I have reached the conclusion that James Hayden is the hottest guy. In the year above us.” Eve rambled quickly and making no sense at all. Did I mention Eve can rant for hours, most of the time she rants about the topic at hand and then connects it with irrelevant crap? Well unless you stop her, which is what I was about to do.

“…And for a private school like us, our toilets are pretty disgusting…” Eve said, are we talking about toilets now?

“Eve? Eve-y?” I asked, trying to stop her from giving me a full blown rant.

“Yes?” she asked distantly, looking up into the sky, probably still thinking about toilets.

“I get the point, you don’t think he’s the hottest,” I said, before adding, “It was just one comment.”

“And for that comment I extended my thoughts, my ability to access data, my deductive skills. Also my thoughts on the schools facilities, especially the toilets…” she replied; Great, another rant is coming.

“Shut up Eve,” I quickly said, cutting her short, “let’s not go into details about the school toilet system yeah?”

“Ok,” she said, before unnecessarily adding, “and plus you know who I think is hot anyway, I mean who I like.”

Yes, I do know; it’s Thomas freakin’ Storme. With his stupid, Eve said, and I quote, “his eyes are so grey and mysterious, and so enchanting… [Insert dreamy look from Eve and gag from Jake]”. I don’t know what the fuss is about his eyes, I mean; my green eyes are just as… enchanting.

“…do you think I should ask him to the formal? Or is it weird for a girl to ask a guy out?” she carried on, unknowingly killing me inside.

“Eve? Can we go back to the murder? Please.” I said curtly, not wanting to hear anymore about the girl I’ve liked for too long to talk about asking a guy that’s not me to the formal.

“What? Oh yeah ok, sorry,” she apologized.

I mumbled an “It’s ok.”

“Anyway, back to Bonnie’s motive. Yeah basically, I think she murdered her best friend to sort of… take over the position of Queen Bee, the boyfriend, the status, etc.”

“Mhmm,” I said. It sucks that we’re best friends. If I ask her out then everything would be weird if she rejects me. And if we do manage to go out, but we end up with a break-up then that will mean the best friendship I’ve ever had would be lost forever. Fuck, how do girls in movies live this shit?

“…do you agree with me?” Shoot. I missed what she was asking. Maybe, it’s not that important…

“Yes? I agree. I am on board. Totally,” I said – did I sound weird?

Eve bursted out laughing, making me confused, “What?”

“You just agreed that you’re a purple dinosaur who has it for Ms Farber, and that you love to square dance,” eve replied, laughing a bit in between.

“I…” missed all that?

“Jake! You weren’t listening to a single thing I was saying!” Eve exclaimed, grinning.

I chuckled embarrassingly before denying, “No! I heard everything you said and I thought they were very…insightful.” Insightful? Way to go, dork!

Dork, you earned a signature eyebrow cock from Eve! Seriously, I should stop commentating my stupid actions.

I laughed, trying to get off topic, “So, please continue with the umm, insights.”

Eve shook her head grinning, and that thoughtfully said, “The “insights” are at a dead end for this investigation, we need more information, to determine how it happened…”

I scoffed, “Like what? Travel back in time and go to the crime scene?”

And then Eve’s whole face lit up like a Christmas tree; that is not a good sign.

“What?” I asked cautiously. We’re doomed we’re doomed we’re doomed.

“If we want to know what happened, we don’t necessarily have to travel back in time…”she replied, “We can just go to the crime scene!”

How are we going to pull that off?

“It’s going to be a piece of cake; we’ll just pretend to be investigators! We can get badges and everything, blazers, sunglasses…”she trailed off excitedly, heading towards the house, pulling me with her.

We’re doomed we’re doomed we’re doomed.

CODE: RED - Chapter THREE: Eve

Chicken salad, grilled fish, or spaghetti Bolognaise?
I was wondering what to buy from the canteen when a sugar crusted apple tart came flying from the rowdy group of junior boys nearby. The students in CVH may be obscenely rich, but some behave like animals let loose from the zoo when out of the classrooms.
The lunchroom was a state of pandemonium. It was a sea of fine black blazers and crisp white and blue school shirts, moving around all over the place. Some were chattering away, some were making out, and some, like the group near me, were having a food fight.
I decided to get the salad, for two reasons. One, because there was no cheese in it (which I hate, by the way). Two, because if a random guy decided to just pick it up and throw it at their friend, then at least the victim would only get tomato and lettuce juice onto their shirt rather than fish skin and oils or Bolognese sauce and meat smashed onto them.
“Getting the salad today, Summers?” a mesmerising voice came from behind me. I did not even have to turn around to know that it was Thomas Storme. But I couldn’t pass up the chance of being able to look at him. His eyes were so misty and blue-grey...
He chuckled, snapping me back into the chaotic canteen scene. He shook his head and then said teasingly, “Hello to you too, Eve.”
I noticed then that I was receiving a lot of envious and withering looks from the girls around me. “Yeah. Uhh, sorry, uh hi. And yeah, I’m getting the salad,” I stuttered, and then I quickly turned away to hide my embarrassment. I can feel the heat of his eyes boring into the back of my head.
After a moment of silence (between us anyway, the canteen was still loud), he said amusingly, “You’re a forgetful one, aren’t you?”
I moved closer to the salad bar, still not looking at him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I responded curtly, putting some mixed lettuce and sliced cucumber onto my plate.
“Yeah right.”
“Mr Storme, if you are not purchasing from the school canteen today, please step out of the line, and go to a table or outside,” came the British accented voice. I turned around to see Thomas being talked to by our maths teacher Mr Mason.
“Oh no Sir, I was just accompanying the lovely Ms Summers here,” he responded politely.
“Very well then, as long you aren’t bothering Ms Summers and other colleagues, it is fine,” he said dismissing him with a nod. If it was anyone else, they would have received a lecture, but because Thomas Storme and I were his star pupils we received a mere nod.
I smirked at Thomas and Mr Mason’s retreating back, amused at the situation.
“Very good save, Storme,” I said in my best British voice.
“Why thank you lovely Ms Summers,” he replied playing along, while I added some shredded chicken and cherry tomatoes to my dish.
“Why not add the tasty mozzarella cheese?” he said in his normal voice, gesturing towards the bowl of the grated stuff.
“Cheese,” I said, walking out of line to pay the canteen lady, “is disgusting and fattening.”
Thomas feigned hurt and disgust, “Cheese, in fact, is delicious, and full of calcium for strong bones and teeth,” he said, sounding like one of those TV commercials.
Then, he had a look of sudden realisation, he asked, “Hey, are you deliberately changing the subject?”
“What subject?” I asked innocently, as I took my salad outside, walking towards my group under the big peppercorn tree.
“Don’t toy with me Eve. You know what I’m talking about.” His face now wore a grave expression.
I laughed, trying to cover my nerves from his look.
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about Thomas.”
“Really? Not even about how I know about your dad being in the CIA?” he said a bit louder.
“What are you talking about? My dad’s a lawyer.” I chuckled nervously, stopping to turn to him.
Then I hissed, “Okay. You got me. Could you please keep it down?”
“Oh right your dad is a lawyer, my bad,” he acted along. I felt relieved that he did not reveal Dad’s cover.
And then he whispered in his husky voice “Good, Summers. Now that we’re finally on the same page, don’t you want to know how I know though?”
I looked at him incredulously. This guy is not going to quit until I ask the question he has been pestering me about.
I sighed, unable to imagine what could possibly be of such high importance.
“Okay, fine. How Thomas? How do you know?” I replied in a low voice.
“Well, Eve. You’re going to be in for a surprise,” he replied softly, his grey eyes twinkling, boring into my own hazel ones.
“What is it?” I said breathlessly, his face inching closer to mine.
“What I am trying to tell you,” he murmured, he was just centimetres from my face now.
My heart was thumping hard. I couldn’t tear my face away from his. My head was spinning with questions.
What is it? A deadly secret? Is he the murderer?“Is that my mother is an undercover forensic investigator who is working with your dad on the murder case,” he finished the sentence, his face still very close to my own; unmoving, expressionless. Except for a toothless smile that did not quite reach his blue, grey eyes.

CODE: RED - Chapter TWO

Yes. I did it. It was too easy. My plan was flawless. Absolutely flawless. She presented me with the perfect way to slip the drugs in, wait until she was out and finish her off. What a shallow person. Seriously.

The world is rotten. Pathetic. Those bitches out there don't know respect. Everyone out there like Julia will suffer the same fate. They'll die. I'll find them all until they're all gone. Then we can live a life without them. I'll never get caught. I'm too quick for them. For everyone. I've covered my tracks. All of them. I cleaned her room. I cleaned everything; the blood, the foam from her mouth, everything. Everything but her face. Haha.

Her tube of lipstick wasn't so bad either. Yet another one added to my collection of tubes from my filthy victims. It was one hell of a fancy golden tube.

It's all fine. Perfectly fine. I killed her with something as obvious as a knife and the police and investigators don't even know how I managed to pull it off. They're probably shitting themselves now from mortification and shame. They'll be easy to evade. I haven't made a single mistake. Have I?

Oh no.

Code: RED - Chapter ONE: Eve

“So what you’re saying is, is that Julia was murdered by multiple stabs of an unknown weapon after being drugged with morphine?”Jake Reynolds asked, his bright green eyes opened wide with disbelief.

Jake and I have been best friends ever since he moved next door to me at the age of 4. He is captain of the swim squad of the school; hence the swimmer’s built, and is tall, tan and very popular in school.

He and I are both in year 11, and we hang with the same crowd at Chisvale Heights High School – we all call it CVH.

“Yes and the killer was smart enough to cover his tracks, right down to the smallest detail. No fingerprints, no blood spill, no traces of clothing, nothing,” I added with frustration, as we walked up the steps of CVH.

“Hmm, that’s going to be a pretty hard case to solve for your old man. Are you helping out again?” He lowered his voice, so only I could hear. My dad is in the CIA, but he poses as a powerful lawyer for big companies. Jake is the only one who knows about this, and about how I often help my dad with these cases.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll be helping as well?” He asked, slightly chuckling.

“Mhmm, we’ll talk later. Now off to our social circle,” I murmured, nodding my head towards our lockers surrounded by our “clique”.

“Hey you guys!” we said to everyone, and after everyone responded with a round of varied greetings, they continued with their talk.

“I heard that she was drugged man!” They were talking about Julia.

“I heard from someone that she was ugly before she died; with lipstick all over her pretty face!” That was partly true.

“Where did you guys even hear this stuff from?” I interrupted in mid-discussion.

“Oh from Bonnie Slates, her “supposed” best friend,” said Flora Duran, quoting the word supposed with her fingers, “She was telling everyone about the murder and all that, so now the whole school knows.”

“And now that Julia’s gone, she’s now the head of their group. And is laughing like as if Julia’s death doesn’t bother her at all! I mean what a two faced banana,” said Jessica Parker, although she didn’t actually say “banana”.

“Yeah, anyway about Julia again, how bad did the murder draw…?”

I tuned out after that sentence, I had a sudden inkling.

Could Bonnie Slates, best friend of Julia, also on the suspect list on the report, be the murderer?

It does sort of make sense, now that I think about it.

Julia always beats her to everything, from getting the best dress to getting the hottest guy. Julia was the leader of their fancy snobs club, and now Bonnie is suddenly in Julia’s place as the head.

Could Bonnie be the one who killed Julia? This was the question I was asking myself when I walked into first period English class, but I stopped, to find a place to sit. I scanned the room to find a seat, and found one next to Thomas Storme, sitting by the window. Great, another suspect from the case.

Thomas, along with his famous actor dad and world chef mum, were the newest members in our small rich town, and he has been competing with me for everything ever since he got here two terms ago. So far though, because he came in late, I was DUX for the last year. But this year, we are running neck to neck on everything for first place; sport, academics, creative arts, everything.

I walked over and took the seat, and naively hoping he would not talk to me because he is a suspect of the murder. I was also trying to force myself not to look straight into those enchanting grey eyes, otherwise I would have definitely told him he was a suspect and that would blow my cover as a powerful lawyer’s daughter.

“Hey Eve,” he said just as I was getting my books out from my bag.

“Hello Thomas,” I said, and then stupidly turned to face him. Oh no, I found myself staring at him, his olive complexion flawless, his eyes grey and mysterious, and his mouth and his straight teeth are moving…

Wait. He’s talking to me. I should listen before he thinks I am some weird person.

“…this weekend?” he was asking a question about this weekend. What could he possibly want?

“What? I’m sorry I accidentally drifted off,” Did I just say that? Now he’s going to think I am bored of him.

He chuckled and turned side on to face me, now I can see those grey eyes in full fledge. It looked like he wasn’t really genuinely chuckling because his eyes were not matching his chuckle.

“I said, did you hear about Julia’s death, and how she was stabbed by a knife many times, and I know this because my family is friends with hers. And I have nothing to do this weekend, so I’m asking if you want to go out and have a good time despite of the murder,” he rambled on with the same grin and not matching eyes. Did I really miss that much?

Wait, hang on. Can Thomas be the murderer? With his good looks, and intelligence, could he somehow have managed to seduce Julia and then killing her at her place, what with them being family friends and all?

“Oh, well sure, what do you want to do?” I asked, cautiously. Maybe if I go out with him this Saturday I might get some stuff off him. But what good would it do him if he killed her?

“Hmm, let’s go to the race tracks. I still want to beat you after you beat my time last meet.”

I laughed at that, and replied, “We’ll see who beats who.”

He smiled, “Sure, and we can eat pizza at that place near the tracks, and discuss about Julia Henwood's case that your dad is investigating.”

“What?”I said, surprised. Now all the questions that kept popping in my head screeched to a halt.

“Eve, I know your father is special CIA agent John Summers.”

What?

CODE: RED - Report

No. #358641
Name: Julia Henwood
Age: 17
Contacts: Mother- Trisha Henwood
Father- Henry Henwood
Brother- Jacob Henwood

Subject was found dead on her bedroom floor. Her face was scrawled over with red lipstick. The body has been taken to coroners for an autopsy to conclude the cause of death. No blood spill, fingerprints or murder weapon was found at the scene.

There is no mess in the room or house to imply that there had been a chase. No way of determining how the murderer got in the house as there were no broken windows or forced-open doors. No screams were heard from neighbours and no witnesses of a person running from the scene. No lead on tracking the culprit. Killer's motive is currently unknown.

Attached: Suspects & report from autopsy


Suspects
#1 Bonnie Slates
Age: 17
Relationship with subject: Attends same school. Same grade, does 5 of 8 classes with the subject
Reason of suspicion: Called by the subject on the night she was murdered. No conversation recorded. Call lasted 16 minutes 36 seconds.

#2 Thomas Storme
Age: 17
Relationship with subject: Attends same school. Same grade, does 3 of 8 classes with the subject
Reason of suspicion: Call records on subject's phone state he was on the phone with her for 3 minutes and 24 seconds on the night she died. No conversation recorded.

#3 James Hayden
Age: 18
Relationship with subject: Attending same school. One grade above
Reason of suspicion: Last dialled number on subject's phone. No conversation recorded. Call lasted 1 minute 58 seconds.

NOTE: Culprit may not be listed on the suspect list. Current suspects were all that could be listed with the amount of evidence left at the scene.

Report from Autopsy

Results show a major stab wound in subject's back. It appears to be deep, but clean. Weapon used appears to be a knife of some sort. Lots of blood should have been lost.

Large amount of morphine has been found in her blood system. Presumably drugged before killed.