The Widow's Suspect

Chapter 1, The Tragedy.

Malcom had always felt lost. Every day, he went to the bar to drink away his empty shell of a life. One particular day, as Malcom drowned his sorrows in a tall glass of beer, his life suddenly saw a crack of light creep into his cave. He met Belle. Her brown wispy hair flowed down her back like a waterfall, and her green eyes glimmered in the lights. Malcom knew he had to talk to her.

"Hi, I'm Malcom."

She smiled at him.

"I'm Belle, it's nice to meet you."

From that point on Malcom and Belle were inseparable. They would go on trips together on Belle's motorbike. They went to forests, mountains, lakes, rivers and more. Then one day, they were at their favourite lake. It was a warm midsummers evening. Belle and Malcom were sat on a picnic blanket and just talking. Malcom took Belle's hand and got her to stand up. He led her to the water front and got down on one knee. He said the words that would replay in her mind every single day forever;

"Isabelle Grace Clarkson," he started, "Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

They were soon married, and as happy as ever. Belle finished her training and became an engineer, and Malcom starting training to be a kindergarten teacher. Before they knew it they had been married for two years. Malcom finished his training and got a job at a local daycare.

"Bye honey, see you tonight," Malcom said as he left for work one morning.

"Bye sweetie!" Belle chirped happily.

That afternoon Belle was quite anxious. Usually everyday after Malcom finished work he texted her a stupid cheesy text (that she would secretly love) but she checked her phone multiple times, and there was no text. Belle got home and Malcom wasn't there. She started to panic and then heard a knock on the door.

"Oh thank god," she thought.

But it wasn't Malcom. It was two police officers.

"Are you Isabelle Clarkson?" one officer asked.

"Yes, that's me? What's going on?"

The officer sighed, glanced at her partner, then went back to Belle.

"Unfortunately there was a fire at the kindergarten, Malcom has gone into a coma,"

"From a fire?!?!"

Malcom had a wooden beam hit him on the head, so he was in quite bad condition He also had asthma, and his lungs and heart hadn't been treated nicely by the fire. He went into a coma. Doctors said he would survive, but he might be in a coma for a long time. Belle's whole world shattered before her eyes. Malcom was her everything. She visited him every day, before and after work. She walked into the hospital after work one evening to see him. She was greeted by the nurses and she headed to his room. She froze in horror when she entered the room. All his plugs had been pulled, and the monitor was off. She hastily plugged it all back in, but the monitor ran flat.

  
                                         ***

It had been two weeks since Malcom's death, and the police couldn't crack who killed him. They assured Belle they checked security footage and it was blank for the day he died. Belle couldn't stand around just waiting to find this out, she wanted justice ASAP. That night, she faked an injury to get into the hospital, and then when the doctors were distracted, she slipped into the security room. She got into the system and looked up the footage for when he died, but the cops were right, it was blank. Belle thought it would be impossible for it to just be blank the day he died, why would that be? She wrote down all of these details in her notepad and decided she should get out of there before she was caught.

Belle woke up in a puddle of her drool, and her hair sticking up in all different directions. She was sitting at her kitchen table and had been asleep in a pile of notes. She had stayed up late trying to use the clues to find absolutely anything but to no prevail. She got out of her chair and made herself a cup of tea to soothe her nerves. As Belle stood in her kitchen there was a sudden ring of the doorbell, and because she was already so on edge, she dropped the cup and it shattered all over the tiled floor. The door rang again and Belle was getting very angry.

"In a minute!" she yelled, trying to mop up the mess she'd made.

She stumbled towards her door and opened it to her mother, holding an umbrella in the rain.

"Oh, hello Mother, come on in."

"Belle, Belle, Belle..." Her mother tutted at her, with her thick, posh, English accent, "It looks like you've been dragged through a bush backwards! And look at the state of this place, you've ought to do some cleaning!"

Belle rolled her eyes, "It's lovely to see you too Mother,"

Belle wasn't very close with her mother, they had very different personalities. Belle still loved her though, even if she was criticised by her a lot.

"I've just come to ask you how you've been. I was so upset when I heard of Malcom' passing. I barely saw you at the funeral though! After you'd said your words it was like you had just disappeared!"

"Oh, guess I just didn't run into you then," she mumbled.

In a way her mother was right. She had just disappeared after she spoke. She drove to the lake where Malcom had proposed. She lay under the sky, watching the clouds drift by. She didn't like funerals. It was a nice way to remember them, but she felt so boxed in. Everyone trying to express their condolences, when you only want to be with them. She thought that her mother would be appalled if she knew the truth though, so Belle decided that what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

"I heard the cops couldn't figure out who the monster was that killed poor Malcom. I loved that boy you know, the only ever nice person you'd been with. Oh, remember that boy with the guitar, who crashed into our gate."

Belle chuckled.

"And speaking of a little craziness, don't forget we have our family dinner tomorrow, "

"On my calendar, it says that it isn't until the 11th of December though?"

"Oh goodness, this is what I get for marrying an American! It's tomorrow, the 12th of November,"

"Well you should've spe-" Belle stopped mid-sentence and stared straight fowards.

"Belle? Are you alright darling?"

"Oh. My. God."

Belle raced out of the kitchen and into her study. She started looking over all her clues again and looked at the date she'd been trying to find the footage for.

"I was looking for the tenth of August! I should've even looking for the 8th of October! This is huge!"

"What are you going on about!" Her mother exclaimed with pure confusion, "You've gone completely loopy!"

"The hospital writes their dates backwards on the security system!"

"So what? How do you know that anyway?"

"Not important! Sorry Mother, I've got to go, see you tomorrow night then!"

Belle rushed out the door into the rain, without shoes on, wearing mucky clothes, and her hair still looking crazy.

"Are you just going to leave me here by myself!" her mother called behind her, but Belle didn't turn back.