RoseBlood

Unsuspicious Suspects

The funeral's tomorrow. But today is today, and as I finish up eating sliced strawberries swirled in yoghurt for breakfast, I know that I've got to give up the leads and case notes I gathered by myself to the Tyrels, and they'll do the same. Still, it's got to be done.

Once the dishes have been washed and put away, we all head back upstairs to the library, taking our seats from yesterday, my hands smoothing over the front cover of my casebook as I watch them in silence.

"Let's start right from the beginning," Emerson starts, taking out his iPad and placing it in front of him. "From what we all know. We were told that this series of events started on the day of the birthday party, Friday, but you told us that you had your suspicions on Wednesday. Is that right?"

"Yes, that's when The Case of Paranoia started," I acknowledge, "and we don't know how far back we have to go to actually get to the very beginning. But if that's where we're starting, then Wednesday was the day when my dad told me he felt like he was being watched."

Emerson opens up Notes, already typing up what I'm saying attentively. "What exactly happened on Wednesday? Were you there with him?"

"I wasn't, but I wrote down what he told me," I reply, opening my casebook and flipping to the first page, but holding the book at an angle where only I can see what's written.

"So, wait, did you just write down whatever seemed kind of odd in there?" Elias asks, nodding at my book. "Or did you think something bad was gonna happen before it did?"

I blink, raising a brow at him. "Whatever seemed kind of odd? Nothing ever did, Elias, until my parents got murdered. Before that, whenever something fairly interesting or worth my time came up, I tackled it. It wasn't anything massive when I started," I continue, my eyes skimming over the early, oblivious words I'd written before the murders, "just that Dad had said that he thought he recognised someone at the party he and Mum went to."

"What kind of party?" Emerson asks, his dark, concentrated gaze flicking up to mine briefly.

"Just some social gathering they used to go to for work. They met new clients and people with similar jobs to them there. Networking, I guess. But my dad never got worried or suspicious over much at all, and I could tell, because he'd either voice it or I'd notice him acting off. I remember he said he thought someone was following him and Mum around."

"What did she think?"

"Dismissive," I respond, "since there were a lot of people there. She wasn't worried about anything, just brushed it off. When I brought it up again with just Dad, he added that he couldn't really tell who it was, but he could feel them staring at him. When he looked in their direction after speaking to someone, they'd gone."

"So, he couldn't identify the person," Edith says slowly, nodding. "Did he have any idea of who it could be?"

"He seemed panicked when I made a subtle comment about anyone being daft enough to stalk him or something. I was going to speak to him about it again, but... well."

Too little, too late. Again.

"Your father could have had a vague but unsettling idea of who could have been following him around, when he let himself think about it," Emerson says, fingers hovering over the on-screen keyboard as he speaks. "But he let the idea go."

"He didn't want to think about it, probably convinced himself it was a stupid idea that didn't make any sense," I carry on. "And so the Paranoia Case is replaced with the RoseBlood Killer."

"Right, so basically, the person that was stalking the Cassias at that party is the, uh, Bloody Rose killer?"

"RoseBlood," Edith corrects Elias with a roll of her eyes. "Get it right."