Chasing Sapphire

5. CHILDHOOD

SAPPHIRE

"Do you recognise this place?" The Sheriff asked as soon as we left the police jeep. We were halfway through the investigation when he got a call from his junior, informing that he had found a clue.

"It's where I lived when I was a kid." I said, lost in the whirlpool of memories. My fingers itched to run along the margins of the name plate. "Denver Mansion" It read. The exterior of the house looked nothing like I remember. The three-storey mansion stood in all its glory, spread over a large area with an iron gate separating it from the rest of the street.

Once we entered through the gate, my eyes ran over the small lawn. There used to be a swing in the left corner, where Anastasia and I used to spend our evenings while mom told stories to us. The beige paint had changed into ivory white, which was covered with some specks of dust.

"Why do you think they hid your identity?" He asked while another police officer led us inside, to what looked like living room. The house was not what I remembered, it had changed a lot and grown more classy in those years.

"Guess the secret died with the death of my aunt." I said without averting my eyes from the sofa set. It was just the same that it used to be. A scene formed in front of my eyes, where two girls in pigtails were happily drawing weird shapes on a plane paper.

"Sapphire! I told you not to come out," Dad said in panic as he picked me up in his arms.

"The guests will be here any moment." My mom told me and I just stared at her in confusion. Anastasia looked confused just like me but she didn't say anything as Dad pulled me into my bedroom.

"Sweetheart, promise me. You won't leave this room until we ask you to." Dad lay me down and placed a kiss on my head.

"But why? I want to meet the guests too." I pouted grumpily.

"Saph! Sweety. You can't meet them. Please, try to understand." Mom patted my head but there were small drops of tears in her eyes.

"You never lock Anastasia in the room. Why is it always me? Am I a bad girl?" I said through a pout; I was seconds away from crying.

Mom pulled me into her lap and emveloped me in a hug. "You are a really good girl Sapphire, the best." she said, her voice thickened with grief.

I wanted to be outside too but they left me with the dolls to play with. They never let me out in front of others. Maybe they think I am a bad child or maybe I am not pretty like Anastasia. That's why they are hiding me.

The flashback ended and the trance broke. Coming into my senses, I looked around only to find Mr. Parker talking with a really tall man dressed in uniform. He showed him some files, probably containing the evidence while I just stood there and looked around.

After he was done, he asked me to follow him outside. I tried not to let myself carry away with the memories of this place and focused my attention on the issue at hand.

"Have you found any clue about the murderer?" I asked while walking behind him while he just silently looked at the files in his hands.

"We can't tell you that but the autopsy report is coming tonight. If its a murder, then there will be a murderer too certainly." he informed as we stepped out of the main gate. From his face, it was clear that he didn't consider me exactly innocent.

While he was talking, I felt a pair of eyes looking at our direction. With a flickering movement, I turned my eyes to my left and found a woman standing there. Her face paled suddenly when I caught her gazing towards us and she immediately diverted her eyes.