The Summer Job

Chapter 22

"Dad!" I rushed to him and hugged him tighly. "Thank God your better!"

Mum went to pick him up from the hospital and Lisa had got him a fruit cake from cake box. She was inside waiting to surprise him.

Mum got out of the car holding a black backpack, "I am glad he is okay too."

Dad gave me a pat on the back before I let him go, "hopefully you and Lisa have been behaving."

"Yes we both have." We walked inside and into the living room.

Lisa was lighting the candles on the cake. She looked up and smiled. "I was kind of hoping to do this before you walked in."

Dad chuckled, "It's okay." After Lisa was done we all stood around it.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"Dad has to sing," Lisa suggested.

"Sing what?"

Mum picked up the cake from the table and held it close to dad. "Wish for something and then blow it out."

Dad closed his eyes briefly before opening then and blowing out the candle.

"Okay now I can eat!!!!" Lisa pulled out the candles before taking the cake from mum's grip and rushing to the kitchen.

"Well looks like I lost my cake," Dad said with a lazy smile.

"Lisa was very excited about getting it," Mum explained as she took a seat with dad.

"Well as nice as it was being with you two I have a lot of work to do," I started to slowly walk away when I heard dad whispering.

"I don't trust him."

"Who?" Mum asked quietly.

"You know who." I knew who too.

I ran up the stairs to my room before taking out the booklet Richard gave him.

His handwriting got worse if thats possible.

But he was very intelligent.

I flipped through the folder realising I have a lot of work. I made a start on it but even as hours passed I still hadn't reached half way.

This was a nightmare.

I doubted that Richard even needed this.

He probably just felt like hitting back at me because I nearly found out about something.

But what could it be?

Did Richard really allow a murder and why?

Maybe it wasn't murder.

Maybe a friend of his got drunk and banged his head. Richard probably didn't take him home when he was struggling and now he is blamed for it.

Or maybe he murdered someone in cold blood.

NO!

I ignored my curious thoughts and went back to writing.

*

I woke up. I had fallen asleep with my head on my desk. My room was dark because it was late and I didn't have the light on before.

I decided to go out for some fresh air. I went to the balcony doors and opened it before using the pole to get down.

Snap.

I stood still as I listened carefully.

I could hear movement so I slowly followed it and ended up in the garden.

No one can hide here. There was literally no were to hide in my garden.

No one is here. Just me.

Snap.

Footsteps.

"Miranda!"

I turned around to see Lisa in her pajamas. "What the hell are you doing here? I was looking for you."

"I went for a walk!" I shouted feeling slightly panicked.

Lisa pulled out a black envelope. "Well I was supposed to give this to you before."

I snatched it from Lisa and opened. It wasnt a note inside it was a folded newspaper article.

"What the hell is this?" I asked with confusion.

"By the way I read it before. Sorry."

The headline in bold letters read:

Olivia Ketley found dead in park miles away from home.

"Why would I be given this article?" I asked before looking up at Lisa.

"Well you need to read it all. Everything."

"Just say it!" I commanded. I had no patience at that moment. "Who is Olivia Ketley?"

Lisa looked slightly worried as she rubbed her forehead. "She worked for Richard a while ago. Then she was found dead. The police stopped investigating her death after a few months of finding her body."

"Months?" I asked horrified.

Lisa took the article from me. "If I were you I would go get some sleep and then tomorrow we can go to the police. Okay?"

"Okay," we went back inside and I made Lisa promise not to tell dad about this. He didn't need stress and I knew Lisa would never tell mum.

Then I obeyed Lisa. We both went to bed.

But the next day I didn't go to the police I did the opposite.

I invited Peter over to my house.