50 Words For Murder

chapter 12 : murder

"Louis should've been here by now," said Harry, impatiently. "You don't think anyone's caught up to him, right?"

"There should be no reason for Louis to be contacted by anyone," said Zayn. "He'll be fine."

"Zayn, you were right," said Niall, scrolling down his laptop. "Your description matches Khan's profile on our website. He was a Precalculus professor at our university until he was fired a few days ago."

"Then we know for sure that Khan is our stalker," said Liam. "Cassie said in her diary that she was desperate to get herself out of precalc."

"He was fired a few days ago," said Zayn. "Cassie was murdered a few days ago, too. The timing of these two events seem very close. Almost as if they're connected."

"What do you mean?" said Niall, eyes flicking between Harry, who was pacing around and Zayn, who was deep in thought. "Shit, this guy is ugly."

"I feel like Khan killed her," said Zayn. "But the Eagle didn't mind. He felt like it was a good riddance that she was finally gone. From what Eleanor told us, it doesn't look like he had much affection for her anyway. She knew about the affair. Also, he's trying to cover up his daughter's murder despite not being the killer."

The room remained silent, absorbing his words.

"I feel like if I murdered someone and you guys covered it up for me, I would owe you a lot, right?" continued Zayn. "Same for Khan. I'm guessing Cowell fired him as payment for taking care of the murder."

"Which father would honestly be okay with his daughter dying, though?" said Liam, disturbed.

~~

The scrunch of ice underneath Louis' boots were frustrating and its piercing sound could be an easy giveaway if he wasn't careful enough. Yet, time was of the essence and the forest seemed considerably empty. The blood on his clothes were drying and with every step he took, the hard tattoo of his heart against his chest grew louder and louder. Finally, Louis saw the cabin in the distance. He quickly scuttled to the wooden abode and rapped on the door.

A pair of blue eyes were spotted from the creak in the door.
"It's me," said Louis, impatiently. "Open up quick."
The door opened and Louis, along with a blast of cold air stepped inside the room. Niall regarded him and his messy attire, his eyes lingering on the blood.
"It's mine," said Louis, remembering the incident with Andy.
He looked around the room to see Zayn and Harry, sitting by the couch. Liam was lighting a fire. All three eyes turned to gaze at the eldest boy.
"Don't worry," said Louis, calmly. He even shot them a smile. "It's done."

"What's done?" asked Harry.
"The prof I was speaking to about my test? I told him about the case," explained Louis. "Everything. And in case things take a wrong turn, he's willing to take the stand for us."
"Really?" said Niall, surprised.
"Yeah," said Louis. "We've got a pretty good case coming along. He's interested. Also, he offered me extra credit for helping out!"

The boys rolled their eyes. Suddenly, there was a sudden knock on the door.
The boys stilled. No one knew about this place, except for them.
"Could it be Eleanor?" asked Harry. Louis opened the door, carefully.

"Ah," said the person - Detective Brooks - stepping in. "Just the people I would like to see."

Two officers came in from behind her and handcuffed Niall.

"What?!"

"Niall!" yelled Zayn. "Get away from her."

"Niall Horan," announced Brooks. "You are under arrest for the murder of Cassandra Cowell. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to be speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you."

No, thought Niall, I'm innocent! This cannot be happening.

Before the boys began protesting, Brooks spoke again,

"Zayn Malik. You are under arrest for being an accessory to the murder of Cassandra Cowell.."

As she revealed the rest of the Miranda rights, the boys looked shell shocked.

"What the heck?" said Liam.
"What proof do you have?!" yelled Harry. "Let them go, you -!"

"Save it for court," smirked Brooks, enjoying herself.

"Call your lawyer. Tell him every single detail." said Zayn to Louis, before they were dragged out.

For a moment, the remaining three boys stood in silence as the police sirens grew further and further away.

"Shit," said Louis. "Okay. Okay shit!"

"Calm down, Louis," said Liam. "Get it together. Harry and I will go to the station. You get your professor."

"We'll have to take my scooter, though," said Harry. "Your car is back at your college."

Under normal circumstances, they would've mocked him for it. But now, neither of them felt like grinning.

"Niall's parents are not going to be impressed.." said Louis. "But Zayn's are going to freak out..his dad -"

"Get moving, Tommo," said Liam, sternly. "There's no time to be thinking about those things."

Things were getting serious.