Archon Quest: How to Solve a Murder

Chapter 8

"Ugh, this goes on forever!" Elizabeth interrupted.

"It's binary code," Evan explained, "Each set of numbers stands for one letter, that's why it's so long."

She pursed her lips, "Well, it could just be junk, but it also could be from the killer."

"I know who knows binary code," her brother replied hesitantly.

"Who?"

He rubbed his neck, "Charlie."

Taken aback, Elizabeth snatched the letter from his hands, "No—no way! We can't tell Charlie, we can't tell anyone we're doing this!"

"She'll understand! Mike is her brother, too," Evan argued, "Plus, she had to memorize it for one of her computer science tests. She's the fastest and easiest solution."

Elizabeth shoved the heel of her palm into her forehead, "She won't understand, she'll say we're crazy."

"Yeah, well, we are! And we're even crazier to think we can do this alone," his voice hushed, "Let's just tell her, please."

Exasperated, Elizabeth looked into her brother's eyes. She recognized the panic in his wide, pleading eyes, and it was then that she realized he was just as scared as she was.

Sighing, she obliged, "Fine, fine, let's go back to the house."

As Elizabeth trailed in front of him, Evan let the corner of his mouth lift just the slightest bit. It was a small win, but a win nonetheless. In the midst of suffocating losses, he found it nice to have a small beacon of hope.

Evan knew his sister better than anyone else, so he knew that Charlie was the one she thought knew her best. He couldn't help but wonder, though, why Elizabeth was so afraid of her. In this moment, they needed all the support they could get, so why was Elizabeth trying to push everyone away? She wouldn't have asked Evan for help if he didn't pry. She would have gone alone, and even worse, put herself in danger.

He watched her curly orange braids sway back and forth across Michael's jacket as they walked, and he wondered why she seemed so far away from him, even though he was only a foot or two behind her. Nowadays, it seemed like she always had to be perfect, had to figure things out on her own, had to be the best.

He couldn't forget himself, though. He wasn't doing a great job of reaching out, either. He found himself hanging out with friends more often and spending less time at home. It was nice, having a big group of people to rely on in and out of class, but he figured a break probably would have been nice. Some time to spend at home, watching a movie with Elizabeth, Michael, Charlie, and Sammy. The way it used to be.

"We're home," Elizabeth dragged him out of his own thoughts, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"This will help, I promise," he smiled warmly as he walked into the house after Elizabeth used her key to unlock the door, "Charlie!"

"What?" she called from upstairs.

"Are you busy?"

"No!"

"I have a question!"

"Okay, then come up!"

Evan raced up the stairs, Elizabeth trailing behind him. She shivered when his wind brushed her hair back. He was far ahead of her, and by the time she turned the corner of the upstairs hallway, he was already sliding into Charlie's room.

"Hey, Char."

"Hi," she grinned, placing the book in her hands on her nightstand, "What's going on?"

He looked to Elizabeth, who leaned against Charlie's door with her arms crossed. When Evan caught her gaze, she turned away.