Murder for

Passion
-her
passion cost her one thing.........her life.
-Manisha Malhotra
PROLOGUE
The dark hateful eyes advanced towards her as if
to kill her in the wink of an eye. She jumped out
of bed and walked slowly towards the door but
whenever she looked back those dreadful eyes
were always following her. She got scared and
yelled,
JESSICA HELP!!!.
Suddenly her eyes opened and she saw the same
eyes peeping through the door. She got up and
tried to run but someone caught her by the neck
and said,
You think you can escape me?You don't suppose
I'm going to let you go after the injustice you had
done to me,do you?
I'm trying to sleep. I'm trying to recover from
some kind of weird food poisoning. Let me go!
No!you have to die!
The hands pressed even harder and Adriane was
on her last breath.
Oh Jesus!
Seeing this he smiled and took off his mask.
Adriane saw him and exclaimed,
I don't believe this!
Then she slowly let go of life. The murderer
slowly walked out of the room and on reaching
the door, opened it and ran back to the car and
drove back home as fast as possible.

Table of Contents
Chap.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Name
The meeting
Oxford
The second meeting
The confession of Oliver
College-II
The Party
Investigation of Rose Chris
Reports and reconstruction
Clues
Rumours
Media
Three of them eliminated
One More Suspect
The final clue
Explanations

Chap-1 The Meeting

It was a cold Sunday morning. Adriane and Jessica were
sitting in the kitchen and having black coffee and
chocolate spread on toast.
It looks so beautiful! I mean it's almost about to
snow.said Adriane.
I wonder what Oliver's doing right now?Ooh! He's so cute!
He must be shooting for another flop movie. He's such an
idiot of an actor.said Jessica.
Shut up Jessica!snapped Adriane she was flushing angrily at Jessica' s
words.You're so insensitive. Haven't you seen him go?Stop!Or I'll shoot. He said it
so perfectly. Damn!I wish I could meet him.she sighed.
Oh please,he's nothing more than a stupid,idiot,fool actor. He's famous
because of his father Thomas Tucker.
The next moment Adriane was angrily chasing Jessica for insulting her
favourite actor.
Jessica Brown was a simple girl of 22 who loved science.Adriane
Pugh was her classmate but she loved other things more than the subjects at
college. They both went to Oxford,London. Jessica was very intelligent and no.1
while Adriane was no.2.They were best friends in spite of the competition.

The next day,while Jessica and Adriane were walking to the bus-stop,a
limousine stopped by. Someone lowered the glass and said,Where to?Do you
ladies need a lift?Adriane burst out,
Thank you. I can't believe Oliver Tucker's giving me a lift!
Adriane,stop crushing on him! Let's go.Jessica whispered.
No Jessica. Oliver opened the door to them and they stepped in.
Oliver asked,'May I know your names beautiful ladies?' with a smile on her
face and eager eyes.
Adriane Pugh she sighed happily as she said it.
Jessica Brown. she said with a forceful smile on her face after being nudged
by Adriane
Which college?Oliver asked curiously.
We're from Oxford university.answered Adriane. Jessica was in the corner
reading a book.
Miss Brown,please tell me more about yourself. I would
love to know more about you.he said with a curious look.
Jessica Brown,Oxford,London,Occupying first position right now,don't
know what will happen next because I've met you!she said with her eyes still on
her book. She raised them a little and said,'
I'm sorry if you found it a little rude but I'm sorry to say,I have to prepare for my
next class.she smiled. This was the only original smile she had throughout the
conversation.
Please stop. Oxford's here. Thanks a lot for the lift.said Adriane happily.
Oh!Can I have your numbers and addresses, please?
Sure why not?Adriane scribbled her name on a piece of paper and gave it to
Oliver.
Miss Brown?
Here you are.she gave him her address and cell number just because Adriane
was frightfully scorning at her.
Thank You ladies. Hope we meet again. Oh!you can have my address and phone
number. He gave them two pieces of paper with his address and cell number neatly
printed on them.
Thanks. they both said together.
*******
Chapter-2 Oxford
At Oxford, Jessica and Adriane got popular just because of the meeting Oliver
Tucker. Adriane was talking with her friends when one of them said,I don't
believe you.
You can ask Jessica for proof.
Yes. Look at this address, he gave it to us.
That's his private address!Wow!You two are really lucky.
Can I have it?asked Olivia one of their friends who was also a big die-hard fan
of Oliver Tucker.

I still don't believe you. You might have got this from one of those sites which

give away celebrity-contacts for 5-6.said Harriet.

You don't eh?well I happened to sneak a candid camera
shot of him with my camera phone while he was talking
to us. And there's a video too .She showed them a
picture of Oliver tucker looking at Jessica and the video
was taken when Oliver was trying to get to know Jessica
better.
Wow!Lucky Girls!I wish William their other friend was interrupted by the
bell. It was time for class. They went to their own lockers and collected their
books and ran to their respective classes.
After class,they met in the cafeteria. They sat at a
table for ten. These were all the ten friends togetherJessica Brown,Adriane Pugh,Olivia Evans,Harriet
Wilson,Joshua Taylor,Joseph Smith,Thomas Davies,Carla
Gresham and William Jones.
Can You believe it?We met Oliver Tucker this
morning!Adriane grinned.
Oliver who?asked Carla.
Oliver Tucker you fool!exclaimed Jessica and Adriane
together.
Oh really? You met him. Any proof ?
Oh yes. She's got stable proof of that- A picture and a video too. Show them
Adriane.said Harriet .It's true said Carla.
Very well then. Prove it.Joseph said and winked at the
other boys and whispered,I'm sure they're lying.
All Right!All Right!Here's what you want. The picture and the video.exclaimed
Adriane and showed them the picture and the video. The video really surprised
them.
Wow!exclaimed the boys.
Now do you believe us?said Adriane.
Forget it! JLo launched a perfume recently. It's in the market now. Have you tried
it?asked Harriet just to change the topic.
Girls will be girlssaid all of the boys together.
And boys will be as annoying as ever laughed Olivia and Adriane and gave each
other a hi-5.
Guys,could you keep it down,I'm trying to study! exclaimed Jessica.
Ooh little Miss studious! Give me that book. Join the fun! said Harriet and took
away Jessica' s book.
The bell rang at that moment and everyone was hurrying and scurrying back to
their classes.
*******
Chap-3 The Second Meeting

Jessica and Adriane got together at Jessica' s house and the next Saturday.
I'm not sure if this is going to work out,Jessica. I don't think he's going to call
us.said Adriane
Maybe we should call him then.suggested Jessica.
He must be having a very busy schedule. What if his secretary picks up the phone
and says that he's unavailable? asked Adriane.
Come on, everyone takes a day off!
He doesn't. He shoots on Sunday's too,he told me that.
Let's give it a try.
But what am I supposed to tell him? Adriane asked curiously.Anything you
want. You're his fan.answered Jessica in a matter-of -fact tone.
Adriane paused a little and said, Jessica will you promise me something?
What promise do you want from me? said Jessica her eyes on one
of her old Agatha Christie books.
That you'll help me get Oliver?
Adriane I Adriane interrupted her and said
It's a request
All right then.
At that moment there was a phone call on Jessica' s cell
phone. Adriane picked up the cell phone and
exclaimed,It's Oliver!Jessica was about to answer it when
Adriane answered it and put it on loudspeaker
Hello?
Hi Oliver!said Jessica,I must say it's a surprise you called. So,what's the
topic?
No,I just thought you might be missing me.
He's arrogant,really arrogant!whispered Jessica, her head pointing upwards
showing snobbishness..
Can I ask you something?
Sure! sighed Adriane.
Will you go out on a date with me?
Sure Oliver! Adriane exclaimed.
I meant
Before Oliver could say anything Jessica ended the call. But Adriane called him
back.
Hello Oliver?------Yes its me,Adriane. I'll see you at Rick's
caf tomorrow at 8.00p.m sharp. I appreciate
punctuality,especially at a date...... You'll see me in a white
dress. Bye!so saying Adriane ended the call and turned to
Jessica with eyes asking for help.
No Adriane. You've entangled yourself in the web of Oliver Tucker,now it's up to
you to come out of it . You'll not be getting any help from me.
What kind of a best friend are you? I've got an opportunity to date the man of my

dreams and you're not even happy for me.

I said no.
You've already promised so you can't let me down now.
Why did I ever make that stupid promise?! Very well then,let's go.
That's like my best friend!
They went out and got Adriane a white floral dress and earrings and shoes to
match.
The next day was the ever-favourite holiday Sunday. At
7.00p.m, Jessica set out for Adriane' s home
Hi Adriane! Shall I help?
Sure! You're just in time.
Now that I'm here you don't need to worry.
She helped her get ready for her big date. She set the folds of her dress very neatly
and gave her the glittering necklace they had bought on the previous day.
You're looking absolutely gorgeous,Adriane! I must say. There is no scope left for
Oliver to reject you. I'm sure he's going to propose to you! Jessica said at seeing
her friend adorned so beautifully.
Thank you very much my dear friend! It's time to depart. Wish me luck!
Best of luck!
She then dropped Jessica off and set out for Rick's Caf.
When she got there Oliver wasn't there. She sat and
waited. She waited for an hour but there was no sign of
Oliver anywhere. She was about to call him when a man
appeared with a card and a package and said,Miss Adriane
Pugh,this package and card is from Mr. Oliver Tucker. He
apologizes for not being able to come. The card read,
Adriane, I'm sorry for not being able to come but I've sent
you a diamond necklace as a gift. Please accept it. I'll see you
both on Saturday the 15th at Hotel Shangri La. I apologize
once again. Seeing the letter Adriane blurted out angrily,
Take this back, and this ruddy necklace and give to your
master and tell him that we'll see him if he calls us up and
apologizes. Thank You! She angrily stomped back to her car
and drove back home. As she entered her house mother
asked,How was the big date,dear?
He never came! I hate him! I'm going to my room and mind you no one should
disturb me.
Before you go up promise me that you will not cry. I don't want to see you crying
for a celebrity. her mother said sternly.
I won't,I promise.
Good Night! as her mother said this, she flung herself into the arms of her
mother and sulked. Her mother patted her head and asked her to go off to sleep.

She went back to her room,changed into her nightclothes and called Jessica and
told her all about the night and Oliver's invitation.
Well I don't think you should take this so seriously. We'll see him this Saturday
and give it to him for not coming today. Now go off to sleep like a good girl.
Bye!
Bye!
*******
Chap-4 The Confession of Oliver Tucker.
The next few days were very gloomy for Adriane. She was so deeply immersed in
Sunday's incident that she forgot all about her present life. She hardly talked to
anyone and hardly answered any questions in class more unlike her usual bright&
cheerful self. Everyone asked Jessica for an explanation and she told them about
Sunday and Oliver not coming to see her. Hearing this Olivia swiftly moved
towards Adriane and tried to console her by saying,
Forget Sunday and Oliver Idiot Tucker. He's not even worth for a diamond like
you.
She's right. Let go of what happened and come back to your usual partying self!
Don't forget your best friend's birthday is really near! consoled Joshua.
It's OK Adriane. Forget it! We'll see him this Sunday and he's not going to be
saved from my Karate boxing! Give me a smile now, please? asked Jessica
smiling herself. Adriane wiped her tears,smiled and said,
You're right. I should forget him. Thank you all! You're true friends,especially
Jessica with her Karate boxing! she said and everyone giggled.
Any time Adriane!said Thomas.
Yeah! We're all there for you. then they said together,ALWAYS!
The bell rang and it was time for everyone to go home. They
waved each other good bye and went home.
On the other hand,Oliver's life wasn't as expected.
His school friend,Emily Davies was continuously pestering him
and trying to be his girlfriend. She always tried to come close to
him. But Oliver was of a
different type,he was only interested in a big career and in
becoming a bigger star like his father Thomas Tucker. He
wanted people to know him for his own qualities not for his
father.
Emily walked in and quietly up to him, she cupped her hands around his
eyes and said,Guess who? Oliver angrily retorted and threw back Emily' s
hands and said,
Stop trying to act sweet Emily. There is no chance of you actually impressing
me.
How can I impress you then? Oliver, we were best friends at
school. What has come up now? Is the bad air of stardom

catching?
She asked and crept towards him. Oliver ignored her and walked to the other side
of the room and said,
Emily we never were friends, we just knew each other. For Jesus' s sake stop
trying to get closer.
Why? I just want to be friends with you. Oliver frowned at her words. Why
don't you let me come closer? I want to know the reason and now. Don't you like
me?
Oliver got frustrated and irritated with her and said,Miss Emily Davies I do not
find you very interesting, besides I love someone else.
Who's that girl?
A girl from Oxford University. I'm going to meet her and confess my love. Now
for Pete' s sake leave!
What does this Oxford freak have that I don't have?
She's not a freak and she's a 100 times better than you. And I repeat, leave.
Oliver opened the door to her, Emily walked out and slammed the door shut
behind.
The next day was pretty exciting for Jessica and Adriane. After
college, they both went to the mall and shopped like hell!
Adriane dropped Jessica home and as entered her house she ran
to her room, dumped all the shopping on the side-table and
dozed off.
The next day was Saturday and both girls got together at
Jessica's home. Jessica seemed unusually excited for the evening to come.
Both the girls got together at Jessica's home and quickly got dressed for the
evening. As they got there,they were surprised to see Oliver waiting for
them. They went and sat on the table. Adriane was in the same dress that
she wore on the 9th. Jessica was in a brown slightly body-hugging satin
shirt with a Capri, she was wearing accessories that Adriane got for her
saying that she should become a little updated,modernized and hip-hop.
Oliver looked at them and said,
You're looking gorgeous!
Thanks.they said together.
I have something to confess to you. I have recently realized that I'm in
love with Jessica.
What!they exclaimed Jessica stood there open-mouthed.
What kind of a practical joke is this? You never even gestured towards Jessica.
This is not a joke. And if you remember correctly, I called on Jessica's cell-phone
not yours,Adriane. But you impertinently insisted on coming and I couldn't say no.
So I pretended to have a busy schedule and didn't come. All because I love Jessica.
Do you love me too?

I did,but only till you told me the TRUTH! Thank you very much for your
appreciation and help. Bye!Adriane said angrily and grasped Jessica's hand and
stomped back to the car. Jessica was still open-mouthed at what she had just heard.
He deceived me!I don't believe it! By the way.....Do you love him too?
Actually I do. I just pretended to hate him to save your relationship.
Why you?..........you did this just to save our relationship! she smiled and slowly
the smile withered away. Then she said,Well now you can go to him since the
relationship you tried to save is over.Jessica moved her head in
disagreement,hugged Adriane and said,
Nay, friendship's bigger than love for me!
Thanks a lot.
Bye!
Bye! Adriane said.
On the other hand Oliver's life was taking constant twists and
turns. On his way back home he almost dashed against a post and got called a
careless celebrity by a policeman. On reaching home he found Emily
waiting for him near the dining table. As he entered, he pretended not to notice
her. He walked towards as if to say something to her but walked across her,
picked up an apple from the table and started devouring it with great relish.
Emily was furious at seeing this. She angrily blurted out,
Well it looks like you've confessed your love to an Oxford freak, haven't you?
Why do you even care?Oliver said and turned his away. Suddenly he realized
that he hadn't told her when he'd confess his love to Jessica. He turned to her and
asked,
How do you know I've confessed my love for her? Emily pulled out his diary
from her purse and read,
Saturday 9th November:I can't wait any longer. Finally I'm going to confess

my love to her on Saturday 15th November. I've called her best friend too, just
to let her know that I'm not interested in her. Emily's been a bit of trouble
throughout this week. She's just the opposite of Jessica darling. she looked at
him sternly and asked,
I've been giving you trouble? Jessica darling,huh? Well let me make you
aware of the fact that I am much better than Jessica darling.
Firstly, you have been a lot of trouble. Secondly, Jessica is a darling and you can
never Oliver was interrupted by his own cell-phone. It was Jessica. Seeing this
he gave Emily a stern and proud look ,routed the audio to loudspeaker and picked
it up,
Hi Jessica!
Hey Oliver! Listen, before you say anything. I've just called to invite you to
my birthday party next week on 22nd Nov..
Awesome! Is it a big one? Which hotel?
Well, i-its not a big party. Just a little party of 10 people. Please do come.

Of course I will. After all, I really meant what I said today.

U-h-m. Bye!
Bye! Oliver hung up and looked at Emily and said,
Hear that? What a sweet invitation! Let's put you in place of Jessica. You would

just call me and say,Oliver Tucker I want you at my party next weekend. and
hang up. This why you are not in place of Jessica Brown. She's the best! And look
at you. You can't even be half as polite as Jessica. She certainly knows how to trap
a man. But you? You're so busy being hard-hearted and selfish, that you don't have
any time to think about yourself. Miss Davies, Go home and try to get a life for
yourself which includes other people's emotions and feelings too.
I'm leaving only for today. I'll come back only after MURDERING JESSICA
BROWN!
She left the room cursing him.
*******
Chap-5 College-II
The next morning, was a very happy one for Jessica because she was
supposed to be handing out invitations to her birthday party to all her friends.
She hastily got dressed and left for Adriane' s home. On reaching Adriane' s
home Jessica was utterly shocked at seeing Adriane walking towards her car
as her father never allowed her to take her car to college because he wanted
her to think of herself as a normal girl not a rich,spoilt brat. She was in a
gorgeous dress- a dark blue skin-tight jeans teamed up with a short skirt over
it and a white and golden-green embroidered Gucci shirt. She walked to her
car in great style and pride and gestured Jessica to step in. As she stepped in
the car,
You surely flaunt that dress well. Adriane beamed with delight and nodded her
head in pride, I can't believe you actually got your dad to let you bring that car
out! Come on now, tell me your secret. Maybe I could get my parents to get me
one!
Please dad? Just for today. Can I take the car out? I promise to keep it well! W-ell all right then but I don't want any dents in the car. A little bit of sobbing and I'm
with a car! Cool, isn't it?
It sure is! Adriane, what's special this Saturday?
I don't know. It's a Saturday?
nd
Try and recall the date, 22 November?
Sounds familiar.......I don't know. I give up. You tell me.
Idiot! It's my birthday!so saying she turned her head away.
I'm so sorry! So what's the plan for Saturday?
The plan is Party On! I'm going to give out the party invitations today. Here's one

for you. Jessica pulled out an invitation card from her bag and handed it over to
Adriane. She then said, Who else is invited? Not Oliver, or is he?
Actually, he is invited. I just did that to help you two become friends again.

I want him to forget me. as Jessica said this, long creases started to form on
Adriane's forehead. Then she consoled her, Adriane if you don't want him
to notice or talk to you maybe you could ignore him and talk to the others.
Besides everyone else is invited. Hearing this Adriane's creases faded away.
She was about to say something, when they reached Oxford. As soon as they
entered the gate, everyone ran up to Jessica and started asking all sorts of
questions for the party.
What's the plan for Saturday? asked Carla and Harriet.
Partying at home or at an hotel? William asked, then suddenly Joshua appeared
from nowhere and asked,
What's the plan for your birthday this weekend? Jessica stopped them with a
motion of her hand and said,
All right, all right! I'm telling everyone the plan. One at a time please! Now, here
are the invitations to the party. One for everyone. she then started handing out the
invitations,as she handed out the last invitation to Joshua, Olivia said,
What's this? It says that the party starts at 5:00 pm. Isn't this a printing
mistake?she turned to Joshua, Harriet and Carla and started showing them the
invitation in her hand. They started discussing something and then Carla said,
I don't think you've planned anything like that,have you Jessica?
I don't 5:00 is too early is it?
Don't you know the normal timing for a party? It's 7:00 pm.
I guess you're right. Very well then all of you are invited to my party at my house
starting at 7:00 pm. Is that o k?
YES! they all shouted together. The bell rang and all of them rushed to their
classes. Adriane and Jessica sat together for the next class. The teacher was
explaining but their minds were wandering somewhere else. As a result they
started talking in between class and the teacher's explanation.
Hey Jessica What shall I wear to your party? whispered Adriane.
I don't know. Choose for yourself. she whispered. And please stop talking.
Pleaseee? I really don't know what to wear to wear. I'm so excited about your
birthday. After all it's my She was interrupted by the teacher. He gestured to
stand up,
Adriane STOP TALKING. I'm warning you. If I catch you talking one more
time, you are out of my class. he pointed towards the door, Adriane hung
her head in shame. He then gestured to sit down. The bell rang and it was
time for practical class. While doing their practicals, they started talking
again.
Jessica, shall I wear the new dress from the D&G Winter Collection? I really like
it and I haven't even worn it once, It's brand new.
Yes you can wear that to my party. And you know what? The teacher's looking at
us, so you better shut up. she said in an obligatory tone.
Right. Adriane whispered. He is coming towards us. We're busted!The
teacher came towards them, observed their work and commented,

I see you are doing quite well Jessica. he came close to her ear and said, as

usual,of course hearing her teacher's words Jessica smiled.

Yes sir I think its coming off very well. she answered. He then turned to Adriane
and said, I see you have stopped talking now. That's good. Best of Luck. after
the rounds the teacher turned to the class and said, Students! I want your analysis
in another 5 minutes. Quick!
Then everyone hurriedly wrote down their analysis and handed it to the teacher.
After everyone had left, the teacher asked Jessica,
Jessica, kindly help me carry these to the staff room.
Yes sir. nodded Jessica humbly. She then took the reports from the teacher's
hands and turned to Adriane and said,
Adriane please wait for me. I'll be back in about 3 min. and 45 seconds, to be
precise.
You sure will Miss Exact Timing. Be on your way, I'll wait.
She went carrying the reports with a little difficulty in arranging them and Adriane
stood waiting for her. In the meantime, some undesired thoughts started racing
through her mind. I can't believe Oliver turned out to be like this...... He was so
odious towards me. Oh!What am I thinking? He doesn't even matter to me. He's
just a rat-mouthed, fathead, stuffy celebrity. He means nothing to me. He's so
inferior to Jessica. She's my best friend. Adriane was interrupted by Jessica.
Hey Adriane! What is that you're thinking about? Come on let's go.
Well, think of the angel and her wings spread out! she giggled, looked at her
watch and said, You're 3secs late to be exact. Anyway, let's go.
Right. By the way, what were you thinking about? she said while they were
walking to their lockers to keep their books. It was break time so they didn't have
to race to next class and reach there panting and puffing. They walked slowly to
the cafeteria but as they entered they were shocked at not being able to find
anyone at their usual table. On seeing them everyone waved to them They went
over to that table and sat down. Everyone was curiously looking at them. Adriane
noticed but Jessica didn't. She just sat down and said,
Oh boy! Am I fatigued! I'm so tired I could drink all of London dry. Just kidding!
Waiter! Please get me 2 glasses of water and make it quick. As she said this
everyone started staring at her more gravely. Now she noticed and said,
What? Why are you staring at me? I just asked for water.
Right you did. The waiter came with the water and as Jessica put it to her lips
Thomas said,
HOW can you be so cool?You come in so late and keep us waiting then you
step and you're not even bothered? Ridiculous, Jessica. You just don't care,do
you? Why are you late anyway?
I was carrying books for Sir. I'm sorry if it hurt you Joshua, but I didn't
mean to do anything of that sort. I was just tired. she said and looked at
everyone apologetically.
Calm down guys. You know we can't deny Campbell's orders. He so strict.

Yeah. STUDENTS STOP TALKING! One more sound and you're OUT!
PIN-DROP SILENCE! said Olivia trying to sound like their teacher Samuel
Campbell, He's so strict. Anyway, Jessica what about the party? Any dress
code?
No. Just be simple and be yourself.
Right. Hey! Look the snob Tia Conner is on the other table!
The female Richie Rich, Tia Conner was rich and proud. Everyone called her
a snob. She always had 2 girls following her everywhere around the college. She
loved people to follow her style and way of life. She thought that she was bornpopular because she was rich and always had her own way.
She got up from her table and went to Adriane's. She
turned to Adriane and said,
Hello Adriane! Was sup? I heard you brought your car to college, she paused
and said, How did your dad let you drive it? I always thought you were the worst
driver in the world. BTW, Pugh you're always looking pathetic. However, just look
at your clothes!You seem so pathetic! Driving or dresses, you suck! You wretch!
she laughed meanly and continued, You look so........ she paused and said, like
my house-maid! she said and laughed heartily.
O k! I've heard enough out of you. I'm wearing a D & G shirt and Tommy
Hilfiger pants. They cost me about 2500. What do you think of them now?
answered Adriane angrily.
I'm thinking.......and I'm thinking and my answer is.... not gonna change. You're
still a wretch and I'm still a queen.
CUT THE CRAP Conner! I am not going to change my clothes. Because my
clothes are not wretched. In fact, I think yours are. At this Tia looked down at her
clothes and everyone started laughing. Then Carla purposely dropped juice on
Tia's clothes and said,
Oops! I think somebody's gonna have to change their dress after all. And it's none
other than Miss Tia 'Snob' Conner! and everyone burst into laughter. Tia left to
change her clothes and everyone went to get their clothes.
********
Chap-6 The Party
Saturday came sooner than Jessica had expected it to. Saturday was a happy one at
Oxford with loads of wishes and flowers from friends. As she came back she
started preparing for the party. She kept her bag on the table and rushed to do the
preparations. Soon the preparations were done and the food was done. Then she
ran to the bathroom to take a shower and change. In the meantime, Adriane came a
little early to help Jessica. But she was bewildered by the amount of work Jessica
had done in a few hours. The house was spotlessly clean and was nicely kept ready
for guests but in a nave manner which showed her ingeniousness. She stepped
into the kitchen and was utterly shocked at seeing all the food ready to eat. Then

she thought, Oh my! Jessica's got superhuman powers or what? She's super fast!
then she said aloud, Jessica where are you?she started walking towards Jessica's
room.
I'm in my room. she answered, You can come I'm not changing.
Coming Super-Girl. when Adriane entered, Jessica spraying a perfume
over herself, seeing Adriane she said,
I'm no Super-Girl!
Who did all the work then? Your mom, who's not even at home?
I did. I cooked and decorated.
In 3 hours? That's brilliant!I came early to help you do with the household work
But it looks like everything is done
Could you help me set the folds of this dress?
Of course. I'll choose your shoes and better jewellery
Thanks a lot. Adriane helped Jessica get ready by setting the
folds of the dress and getting her another set of jewellery. She
went to the shoe-rack and took out some beautiful shoes but
sparkling with dust. Adriane was absolutely infuriated at this. She
took them to Jessica and asked,
When did you last wear these?
I never wore them.
You're impossible. After this she got a soft cloth, wetted it and
cleaned the shoes with it. Jessica wore the shoes and then Adriane did
her make-up. Jessica was ready in about 20 minutes. By 7:05 pm came
Olivia and Harriet. The boys came at 7:10 pm Carla came at about
7:20 pm. Then the party started. There was noise and lot's of fun. But
Jessica was still impatient. She was waiting for Oliver. Then Thomas
noticed her dress and said
You're looking beautiful Jessica. Then the others also took
notice.
Stunning dress! exclaimed Carla.
Ravishing looks! remarked Joshua and William.
Glamorous! exclaimed Joseph and Olivia
Dazzling! exclaimed Harriet.
Devastating! as everyone heard this they turned around to find Oliver
Tucker at the door.
Oliver came in with a package and said,
Truly devastating. You're looking awesome Jessica.
Thank you everyone.bowed Jessica.
Happy Birthday Jessica!Here's your gift. Open it now. Jessica opened it to reveal
a diamond necklace inside. Let me help. Oliver put it around Jessica and said,
May I have the pleasure of escorting you to the other gift I have for you?
Of course! they went down together and he pointed to her gift proudly which
was all covered in a cloth. She ran to the gift and uncovered it. It was a car. She

was really happy at seeing the car. She went up to him and said,
Thank you Oliver. Then they walked up together. When she entered the house,
Joshua asked,
If all gifts have been presented by Mr.Oliver can we have some music,
please?asked Joseph enthusiastically.
Hard rock if you don't mind?asked Olivia moving over to the music deck.
Of course not. said Jessica. They danced till 9:00 pm. At 9:00 pm they cut the
cake and Adriane and William brought the food. After having the food they
resumed the party, played some games and then Oliver, Joseph , Joshua and
William left while the girls stayed for a sleepover.
Bye Jessica. Happy Birthday once again! said the boys and left while the girls
stayed for a sleepover.
The girls went to Jessica's room and undressed one by one and got into their
nightclothes They talked, had a pillow fight, manicured each other's nails, did each
other's hair and listened to some music. Then at about 11:30 pm they went to
sleep.
The next morning they got up at 8:00 pm. Jessica, Harriet, Olivia and Carla got up
but Adriane was still asleep. They tried to wake her up but she didn't get up.
Some thing's fishy. I don't know why I'm getting the feeling that she's not well.
Let her sleep. Let's go.
They went and got ready. Jessica went and tried to wake Adriane up but she didn't
get up. Jessica lifted up her hand and let it go. It fell with an indecent ease. She
started crying at this. She was shocked, terrified and horrified at this. She turned to
the others and said,
I'm sorry to say everyone, Adriane is no more. her voice faltered and broke.
Everyone in the room broke into tears. Jessica parents came rushing in the room
hearing the noise. They saw everyone with tearful eyes and were curious to know
the reason. Jessica's mother looked at her curiously. Jessica went up to her and
placed her head on her mother's shoulder and sobbed. She cried for some time and
lifted her head and said,
Mom! Look, our Adriane,lively playful Adriane is dead! Hearing this tears came
in the eyes of her mother. But she wiped them off and made everybody sit on the
bed. She confronted them saying,
Girls, everyone has go to back to their eternal home one day or the other. It's just
that God planned an early comeback for Adriane.
But so soon? asked Jessica, It's not possible. She looked fine yesterday. I don't
think this was a natural death. I'm sure this was murder AND THIS MURDER
HAS TO BE AVENGED! Jessica shouted angrily. Olivia went to ring up
Adriane's parents . They came as soon as possible. Their faces were flushed with
sadness. They were about to take Adriane's body for her funeral, when Jessica
stopped them and said,
Mr. And Mrs. Pugh , I am terribly shocked at this sudden death of my best friend.
But there's something I'd like to tell you. Adriane's death wasn't mere natural

death, it was a murder. I don't know by whom but I'd like to know. Therefore I
advise you to let me call a detective to investigate this case.
Jessica dear, Adriane death was a complete shock to us and her being murdered is
also a shock. Well I think you're right we should do something. said Mr. Jacob
Pugh.
We'll take Adriane's body for a post-mortem report and you tell the detective. But
who is the detective?Is she a private detective? Or is she a family friend of yours.
said Adriane's mother Mrs. Victoria Pugh.
Actually she was my senior at music classes. Now she works for Scotland Yard.
Her name is Superintendent Rose Chris, Devonshire. answered Jessica. I'll go
call her. Jessica went to the other to make the phone-call. After she ended it she
came in beaming with delight.
*******
Chap-7 Investigation of Rose Chris
Rose was one of the best detectives at Scotland
Yard.
That afternoon at 3:00 pm exactly, the doorbell rang. The maidservant
went to open the door and came in announced,
The detective is here.
The detective walked in with her assistant. She was tall and smart. She
was slim with hair almost reaching up to her hips. She had a confident look on her
face. Her friend was also quite tall but was a little old.
Good morning. I'm Rose, Superintendent Rose Sofia Chris and this is my friend
Col. Jacques Petit and also my assistant on this case. I am in charge of this case.
As far as my knowledge is concerned, The victim- Miss Adriane Pugh, was a rich
girl and she was a student at Oxford and was mysteriously found dead in bed this
morning. There had been a party here yesterday last night, if I'm not wrong.
Yes. She was perfectly all right yesterday.
A-ah. It's probably poison. What time did you sleep last night?
Everyone went away at 10:30 pm. We stayed for a sleepover. We went
off to sleep at 11:30 pm. answered Carla.
May I have the names and contact numbers of the people of the guests
at the party? asked Col. Petit, speaking for the first time.
Oh yes. By the way, are you going to investigate the house? asked Harriet.
The addresses please. And yes I will investigate this house. She gave Harriet an
angry and curious look. Jessica wrote all the addresses and gave them to Rose.
Hmm...... Good. Thank you. Now, she said getting up, If I have your
permission, kindly allow me to investigate the scene of murder and look for
clues.
Have you got a search warrant? asked Olivia quickly.
Why, of course I do. Any doubts?
No. Well, I guess that leaves us no choice but to allow you to continue with your

work.answered Harriet
Mademoiselle Jessica, said Col. Petit going through the papers, I would like to
you to tell me all that there is to know about Oliver Tucker, Joshua Taylor, Thomas
Davies, William Jones and Joseph Smith.
Yes sir. Oliver is a.... she was about to say celebrity when Col. Petit said,
I would prefer another room mademoiselle. Jessica nodded her head in
agreement and led him to the other room. As they sat down, Rose Chris was
passing by. Col. Petit went up to her and said,
I think if both of us go in more information will be retrieved..
I thought you were supposed to cover that part.
If we sit together, we will be able to collect more information.
Well if you insist, I have no other option but to agree with you. Let's proceed and
commence.
Pray be seated, mademoiselle. he said as he bowed and pointed towards the
room. She walked in and sat down on the couch. The room had been decorated
navely. It had a simple rectangular bed, a few paintings on the walls and a couch
on the side. There was a beautiful bedside lamp on a table and there was bedside
lamp and there was a little dressing table.
So Miss Jessica, if you would be so kind as to give a head start to the whole
subject?
Yes. Oliver is a celebrity, as you might know. He is a friend of ours.
We recently met him while waiting for a bus, he gave us a lift. He
became quite friendly with us after that.'
Yes I've heard about him. He's quite famous. Was he addicted to
chocolates?
No, not by any means. Why do you ask?
Kindly move to the next person.
Joshua is a simple boy. He's very patient and helpful. He is very studious and
doesn't concentrate on things other than studies. He's not into girls, I mean he's
very strong though.
O k. He' s very simple and serious. Carry on.
William's a bit naughty. He's into girls. He doesn't care about others as much as
others. He's very good at heart.
Hmm... was he distressed at the party? asked Col. Petit.
No. Not at all.
Was he hot-tempered?
Yes. Thomas was also the flirty type. But he was also good at studies. He was
interested in girls but he studied when it came to studies . He was quite hottempered.
Joseph was also studious but naughty. He was a mixture of both actually. He got
the 3rd rank. He was not at all aggressive. He was very helpful and funny.
Thank you. Very much Miss Jessica.

Are you going to investigate the room.

Oui, mon cher. said Col. Petit as they walked out, Please lead us to

the room where she died.

Jessica led them to her room showed them the place where Adriane had
been found dead. Rose checked the pillow. She took out her gloves put them on
her an and took the cover off the pillow. She sniffed at it and asked,
Beans? Did you have beans for dinner Jessica or did Adriane happen to inhale
any sort of beans?
Yes. Baked beans.
No, no, no. I meant strong beans. Do you have castor beans?
No. Why should I keep such a toxic thing like that at home?
Was Adriane suffering from depression or shock of any kind?
Adriane didn't kill herself! A stupid thing like Oliver couldn't have
compelled her to suicide. She was way too mentally strong. I mean a
little rejection from him she suddenly stopped. She just realized what
she had said was a secret which was not to be revealed. She ran away
from the room. Rose had a confused expression on her face at hearing
this. They checked the room but found nothing. There was no clue. Rose
went to the kitchen and asked the maidservant,
What drinks did everyone have last night?
Ma'am, everyone had soft drinks except Miss Pugh and Miss Jessica. She had
juice.
Have you washed the glasses?
I was about to ma'am.
Please let me see the glasses. the maid gave her the tray and Rose picked up the
glass with a little bit of juice and put it in a clear packet. She turned to the maid
and told her,
You may wash the glasses. Thank you very much. she went away looking at the
glass. She went to Col. Petit and asked him,
Have you found anything yet?
No. This murderer is a perfectionist. There is no clue whatsoever.
I would like to make a correction Sir. He is almost perfect. No criminal is
perfect
That's right I think we should leave now.
Yes. Let's go home and test these samples in the lab. They went to Jessica and
said,
We have completed our quota for today. We should be off now. We'll come back
later. Bye!
Bye!
Rose drove home and went to test the samples in the lab. The juice had
nothing in it. The pillow smelled of kidney beans.
They had baked beans for dinner. What time did she say they had

dinner?asked Rose
It will be of no avail until we get the reports. They had dinner at 9:00
pm.
I think we'll have to wait for the post-mortem reports.
No, mademoiselle. I think we'd better deduce what might have happened. Rose
got up and said,
Reconstruct you mean, right? I will bring the reports tomorrow and study them.
Then we can deduce and reconstruct.
*******
Chap-8 Reports and Reconstruction
William sat alone at home recollecting all the fun times he and Adriane
had had together.
Once, the whole group had gone to the river-beach. Everyone was sitting
together and talking,
Jessica, all of us have a passion for something, what's yours? asked Carla.
Please don't say science.said Joshua.
It's......music. answered Jessica.
What? they all said together.
Do you play an instrument, or sing? asked Olivia.
I play the guitar. Jessica answered.
Why didn't you tell us? asked Joseph.
Because I didn't want to spoil my studious girl image! she answered.
Come on, Jessica! Be serious! Why didn't you tell us? asked Thomas.
Because I didn't want to show off or anything. And I don't play for a band or
anything. she said.
Well, can you prove that you play the guitar? asked Joshua.
Of course I can. But I don't have a guitar right now. Jessica assured.
Well, I do. So you can show us how you play. said Olivia.
Wait a minute, did you just say that you have a guitar with you right now? asked
Joseph.
Why of course I did. It's in the car, I'll go get it. said Olivia and ran to the car
and opened it as fast as she could. She took out a large bag from the car and
opened it to reveal her lead guitar. She looked at it and admired it. She thought,
How can a girl like Jessica play this? Of course she can't. I'd love to see her screw
up. I just hate her and that best friend of hers, Adriane Pugh. Anyway, let's go.
she ran towards the group in full speed and saw them waiting for her. She went
and gave the guitar to Jessica,
Here you are, Jessica. Let's see you play it. Actually I had thought of
playing it but you should go first. Jessica took the guitar from Olivia's
hands and looked at it carefully. Then she took it in her hand and stood
up and then then she started to play Lindsay Lohan 's solo which she and
her band performed at the auditions in the film Freaky Friday. Once she
started to play everyone became open-mouthed and was staring at her.

She went on and on just like a rock-star, she started off standing but as
she was playing she changed about 3 positions-standing
bending,slouching and then by the end she sat down and played the last
note and held up the guitar to indicate the end of her performance. Even
10 seconds after she stopped everyone was stunned. Then she bowed and
said,
Thank you everyone. I think you've all got your proof. Joshua, am I right?
I certainly have. You really play well. I must appreciate that performance. said
Joshua
Yes, you certainly do.said Olivia.
Yeah, I really appreciate that performance. said Carla.
I loved your performance Jessica. said Thomas.
It was amazing. said Joseph.
I really loved it,Jessica. said Adriane.
In the meantime, William and Adriane started talking. They got up from the group
and wandered off. Adriane said,
Don't you think the group is a little too involved in Jessica and her life? And that
the others have no individual personality. It's all about her and her life. It's like
she's the heroine of the movie.
You know, I've been thinking of that lately. Everyone's centred around her. Also,
everyone in this group has a crush or something, except Jessica. Why is that?
She's only too busy with her studies to be thinking of crushes and all
that. answered Adriane.
I've always noticed that rich girls have a lot of boys following them and they
always have a boyfriend. You're so rich,why don't you have a boyfriend? William
asked.
I don't think it's very essential to have a boyfriend, all that is essential is
to have a good position in college and to have fun with your friends. And
you're wrong about rich girls having boyfriends. Actually it's the rich
girls who get the princess treatment who have boyfriends and my parents
kept me like a normal girl. That's why my parents don't allow me to
bring my car to college. she said.
You have a car? That's amazing! You're so different from the other girls! You don't
show off or anything. I really like that about you.
Thank you so much.
After some time they returned to the group and William opened his eyes.
The next day Rose collected the reports and brought them home and
started going through them and home and started going through them.
Col. Petit entered the room and asked Rose,
What do they say Mademoiselle Rose?
They say that the poison had been taken in solid form and she died about 8-

8.30hrs before she was brought to the lab. she paused and looked at the reports
again.
Sir Petit! These reports say that the poison's name is Phytohaemagglutinin and
that she died at about 12 am. Which is mostly found in red and white kidney
beans.
'Hmm.... which means she died in just 3 hrs.
Why do you say that?
They had dinner at 9:00 pm and she died at about 12 am. Which means
Rose interrupted him and suddenly exclaimed,
She died by ingesting beans in her food!
Exactly mademoiselle.
Now for the reconstruction.
Wait! There's more. It says that strangle marks have been found!I think we'll have
to examine this body ourselves Col. Petit.
Strangle marks! Which means that there are two attempts to murder to
murder Miss Adriane Pugh. Of all the cases we've solved till date, I think
this is going to be my favourite one.
They went to the lab and the lady at the front desk asked Rose,
May I have your details please?
Superintendent Rose Chris. Scotland Yard. I'm in charge of the Adriane Pugh
murder case.
Col. Jacques Petit. I'm assistant to Superintendent Rose Chris. They pulled out
her card and showed it to the lady at the counter. The lady had thought they were
joking but on seeing the card she was taken aback. Then she shook herself a bit
and said,
You may go to the examination room over there.
she pointed towards a room in the east-wing. They ran towards it. They were about
to enter but a policeman stopped them. He said,
No one is allowed to enter this room except the police and the detectives. If you
belong to Scotland Yard you may enter.
If we belong to ugh! Look at this! Rose angrily pulled out her i-card and
showed it to the policeman.
Now, since you have no reason to stop us I guess we can enter? the policeman
immediately excused the way and let them go. They entered and asked the
examiner,
Please show us the strangle marks.
Look, here they are. It looks like the work of a man. But the poisoning might
have been a girl's work.
How can you say that, sir?
That is because only a girl can do a thing like poisoning someone. Men go the
person straightforwardly and strangle them. There are the exceptions of course,
he looked at Rose and laughed a little. Rose scorned at him and he stopped
laughing and continued,

The poison used was Phytohaemagglutinin found mostly in red kidney beans. 1

bean can contain 20,000 haemagglutinating units. So you can imagine what 5
beans can do. Surprisingly, recovery can start in four or five hours of onset without
any medical intervention but only in extremely rare cases.
So you're trying to say that someone strangled her after poisoning her?
Might have been two people or one.
Hmm......... let's see. Rose started looking at the body, saw the strangle marks
and touched them when she said,
How is it possible that someone came back in? There were absolutely no marks! I
must see that room at once. then Col. Petit said,
I suggest, mademoiselle that before we take any action we should have a brief
idea of what happened that night. Let us go to Scotland Yard and see to that first.
I think you're right. Maybe we should see what can be done of that first.

Merci,Sir Petit.

They drove back to Scotland Yard. As Rose said sat down on

the sofa,
Col. Petit took the sofa right in front of her. As he sat down, Rose said,
How do you suppose it started?
Well, according to me it started like this-As all the friends came in and Oliver presented his exquisite gifts to Jessica., the
murderer/murderess takes a chance and adds the beans and then she accidentally
inhales it, as planned!
I suppose so because she was depressed I think.
When we asked the question, we got a very unexpected answer. It was
somewhat--- he paused a little and continued, secretive. It sounded like she
didn't want us to know that part. But why she did want to keep it as a secret?
Maybe Adriane told her to do so.
But why?
It's a girl's secret. A rejection from a boy is not something to be made an issue of.
Especially if the boy is a celebrity.
Really? asked Col. Petit eagerly.
Yes sir. Now coming to the reconstruction, as per the details we have of the party
the
Rose was interrupted by a knock. It was the postman.
Important for Miss Rose Chris.
Yes. Who is it from?
Miss Jessica Brown.
She signed the bill and took the parcel. As she walked back, she turned the parcel
around and saw her name on it. The word 'urgent' was written on it in gigantic
letters.
What could be so urgent? As she unwrapped the parcel she found a few
photographs and a letter. It read,

Rose ma'am. There are some pictures enclosed in the envelope which were taken

at the party. I thought they might be of help to you so I sent them to you by mail.
They have been taken from a digital camera, so you can zoom and see them
properly if you need to. Please find my best friend's murderer soon.
P.S Please put Thomas out of the suspect list, he was with us all the time, we
know he didn't do anything. She folded it back and gave it to Col. Petit. He read it
and asked,
Thomas, out of our suspect list? What does she mean?questioned Col. Petit.
She wants to prove that Thomas is innocent. said Rose
I understand. But why? asked Col. Petit.
I think they were good friends. Or maybe she's trying to prove it because he
asked her to do so. answered Rose.
Coming back to the reconstruction, I think it was the work of a man.
Oh! I almost forgot! I have something very important for you. Col. Petit gave
her a set of packets containing impressions of a footprint in each.
Col. Petit, how could you forget?
I'm sorry. I apologize. We could match the footprints with the shoes they wore to
the party.
That's right. But there's an easier way. We can see and match the mud samples.
What?
I mean it's pretty much interesting that they all live in different places.
You are making a mistake, mademoiselle. Joshua lives close to Thomas and
Olivia. Harriet, William and Carla live close to each other. And as we both know
Adriane's home is at walking distance from Jessica's.
Are you trying to say, it's going to be difficult to analyse the mud samples?
I think we need to sneak and check their shoes.
How is that possible?
I think, I know.
*******
Chap-9 Clues
Rose and Col. Petit decided to go to William's house at Essex. They went to go
to William answered it and exclaimed,
Miss Rose Chris? he was open-mouthed because he didn't expect her at
his house. Knowing the fact that she was on Adriane's case he was still
surprised at seeing her because it was against his expectations for them to
suspect him. Also Rose was very famous for solving a lot of baffling
cases in the history of all crimes.
I can't believe this! What can I do for you?
Hello Mr. William Jones. As it might be known to you, I am on the murder case
of your friend, Adriane Pugh. I have come here to seek a little bit assistance from
you.
Yes it's really tragic she was murdered. Have you got any clues as yet?
That is why we are here, to search for clues.

I am sorry to keep you waiting. Please come in. He excused their way. As Col.

Petit entered, William stared at him. Col Petit said, 'hmph', turned his head and
went away. On entering, William led them to the sitting room. Rose sat down on
the sofa opposite William and Col. Petit sat beside him. Rose started questioning
him.
Where were you before the party started?
I reached at 7:10 with the other guys. They gathered at my house and then set off
for the party together. Rose went on making notes as he spoke.
In your car?
Yes. Rose winked at Col. Petit.
While William was busy in answering Rose's questions, Col. Petit
slipped away. Rose resumed her interrogation after winking at Col. Petit.
Mr Jones, tell me in details as to where you went on the night of murder.
Well, I went to Oxford first. Then after going back, mom asked me to pick up
some groceries from the store near by. Then I came back and studied and then got
ready. After that, everyone came and we set off for the party. answered William.
By this time, Col. Petit was back. Then Rose asked,
Can you show me the shoes you wore during the day and the ones you wore to
the party?
Yes, sure. William got up and lead her to his room and showed her the shoes.
Rose put on her gloves and scraped the mud off the shoes. Col. Petit gave her a
packet with William's name on it. She put the samples in.
Thank you Mr. Jones. We need to check the garden outside.
Why of course you may! Please come.
Col. Petit, Rose Chris and William went out to the garden. Rose bent
down on her knees and took some mud in her hand and smelled it. She smiled and
put it in a packet. Rose got up to thank William and her eyes suddenly fell on
something, a small piece of rusty pipe. She picked it up and put it in a packet. She
looked around but saw no broken pipe. She then turned to William and told him,
Thank you very much Mr. Jones. Then Col. Petit said,
I am extremely grateful to you for letting us investigate your house.
Thank you and bonjour .
Please don't mention that. Bye!
They walked up to the car, and as Rose started it, she
said,
Col. Petit, don't you think he's lying about something? He was stammering when
I was talking to him.
I don't know mademoiselle, I was on another quest.
Quest for clues, right? Did you happen to find anything?
What do you think of this? Col. Petit pulled out a packet containing a few red
kidney beans. Rose took them from his hand and said,
Not possible! I can't believe I'm seeing this! Did you actually find these Col.

Petit? Please tell me the exact location of the beans. Col. Petit took the beans
from her hand and said,
The light's green.
Oops! They moved on and as Rose drove, she continued,
Col. Petit please tell me where you found these beans?
I found them scattered under the bed.
If it is true, we are not supposed to be heading towards the houses, right?
It is a prime clue. Hlas! I will have to agree to the suggestion.
I suggest we should head back home and see to what can be done with the bean.
You mean fingerprints? You don't have anything to test with, do you?
Well surprisingly enough, I happen to have impressions of his fingerprints.
What are we waiting for? Let's go home and try to

conclure et

reconstruire!
As they reached home, both of them walked in Col. Petit sat down, while Rose
took off her coat and went off to brew some coffee. A thin packet fell from one of
her pockets, Col. Petit picked it up and opened it. It was a picture of Adriane and
William but it looked like it was torn into 2 halves and then mended. In the
meantime Rose came back with the coffee,
I just brew simple espresso coffee, hope you like it. What's this? she said at
seeing Col. Petit so engrossed in the picture and she pushed into it to see what it
was and said,
Oh That! This is a picture of William and Adriane but the strange thing is it was
torn into 2 halves and thrown under the bed. Surprising isn't it? It tells us
something about the murderer.
I know! William killed her!
Please Col. Petit, don't jump to the conclusions. What proof do we have of it?
How can we say that?
D'accord!

Vous es la experte, vous savoir

meilleur. grumbled Col. Petit.

What? Col. Petit, I didn't mean to be bad, I just need to go slowly. consoled

Rose.
Well, what more proof do you want? A torn photograph of him and Adriane &
kidney beans! What else do you need? O k. Let's go slowly.
You are right. Let's assume this- William is the murderer and he has formed a
clear picture of the plot in his mind. I guess his plot was somewhat like this. He
checks on the girls as to who's sleeping where. And then he comes in at night and
strangles her & he's dead! But there's something missing on it, who put the beans
in?

Exactment! You are right! Who put the beans in the food?I guess the

one who put the beans in might have strangled her. He might have put the beans in

Adriane's food. And here's some food proof of that.

Don't be funny, sir. Let's get serious.
Col. Petit smiled and put the bean packet on the table.
What does this tell us about the murderer?
I think we need to get into the mind of the murderer, figure out why he wanted to
kill Adriane. Then we have to mix and match the details and Hey Presto! We have
our murderer!. She waved her hands over the beans like a magician over the
beans. We need the motive in short. I think the motive was Passion. Because you
see there's a sort of love triangle going on here. She took a piece of paper and
drew something like this-

Therefore we have a very confusing picture of a passionate murderer and a love

triangle.
Or shall we say, a square?
Why do you say that?
Remember what Jessica accidentally blurted out when we were investigating the
house?
Yes! I remember now! She said that a little rejection from Oliver couldn't have
compelled her to suicide and that she was too strong mentally .I think something
fishy is going on out there. she looked at Col. Petit curiously. I think this
celebrity will make the case easier.
No. i think he'll entangle it even more. What if he says he loved Jessica?
Yes. But we don't know what is actually going to happen. But according
to me this murderer is very wicked and very, very sharp. she said, stood
up and took the coffee mugs.
Meanwhile at Jessica's house, Olivia, Carla and Harriet were mourning
Adriane's death.
They were sitting together and talking over. Everyone was with tears in
their eyes.
I can't believe this has happened.' said Carla.
Who do you suppose could have killed Adriane? I mean she was so sweet, so
caring, so gentle and her only problem was that she was obsessed with Oliver
Tucker. said Olivia.
The way she loved him said Jessica and broke into tears.
Now, now Jessica calm down. It's no use crying over spilt milk. Who do you
think could have done it? asked Carla. Jessica wiped her tears,
I think it was Joseph. He was somewhat jealous. she said
Was he jealous of Oliver? asked Olivia.
Yes that's obviously Adriane was his ex-girlfriend. mocked Carla.
Don't tell me that! She wasn't! He liked her very much but I don't think Adriane

liked him after what he did to her. Why did he have to reject her for you Jessica? I
mean Adriane was such a good girl and besides you never even liked him.
answered Harriet
Maybe it was William. said Jessica
But why would William kill Adriane?
Don't you remember? William totally had a crush on Adriane. I think this is what
happened- at the party William added some beans to Adriane's food and she died
because of them. Jessica explained.
How do you know that beans killed Adriane. Besides how can beans
kill a person?asked Olivia curiously.
I've been smart enough to sneak a copy of the post-mortem, which tells
us that some poison named Phyto-haema-g-glutinin yeah,
Phytohaemagglutinin, killed her. And this poison is found in high
content in red kidney beans.
Can I see those? asked Carla enthusiastically.
Yeah, sure. Here you are. at this Jessica handed the reports to Carla and she
started reading them at once. Suddenly she exclaimed,
What's this? It says she had been strangled!
I don't believe this! It cannot be true! I am absolutely shocked. She was
strangled . Now I think it was Joseph.
You girls go on with the analysis, I'll go get some coffee. said Olivia
and went away to the kitchen.
You know what girls? I think Olivia strangled her or put the beans in. Because we
all know that Oliver loved you and you'd get Oliver if you wanted. said Harriet.
No. She'd have a very good reason for killing Adriane because she would get
Oliver then. said Jessica.
What are you saying?asked Carla.
Yeah, you and your stupid deductions. How can that be ? said Olivia.
Hi everyone!I'm back with the coffee. Here you. Why is everyone
looking at me like that? As if I killed Adriane. I'm not being suspected
am I?she asked a little hesitatingly. Suddenly they all started laughing
and teasing her. Then Jessica said,
Olivia I didn't know you were such a scary pot!You're really fun. Tell
me, did you really think we suspected you?
Well, by the way you glared at me, I did. But anyway here's your coffee and she
handed Harriet's coffee over to her she teased her and said, Little Miss Muffet
scared of her friends! and everyone resumed making fun of her. Then she glared
at them at them and the room was quiet again. Then she sat down and said,
Oliver could have killed her.
What? said the others together and Carla choked her coffee down. Then Olivia
continued,
He might have wanted to finish her off and get Jessica.
No, Oliver isn't aggressive, he's hot-tempered but not murderous. He couldn't

have murdered Adriane. If he did, I'd kill him! she said a little angrily.
O k! So there's only one person left, Joshua. then they all looked at each other
and said,
Nah! He couldn't have done it! He's way too calm.
By the way, why are we discussing this?
Because we want to know to know who Adriane's murderer or murderess is.
Jessica said this and smiled at Olivia.
But that's Rose Chris' job, isn't it?asked Carla.
You know what, I don't trust these Scotland Yard people. They just see if they can
do anything about the case for a few days then when they're tired of it, they just
declare as an accident or simply close the case! Harriet commented.
Don't say that about my friend. I know her very well. She'll never do anything
like that. Jessica defended.
Then Olivia looked at her watch and said,
I think I should go now. It's time for me to leave.
Shall I drop you? asked Jessica pleasingly.
No, thanks. I'll manage. Bye! she said and left the house.
I don't know why she looked a little furious. said Olivia.
Obviously because you blamed Oliver.
Oh!
Apart from all this, what these girls didn't know was that, Rose Chris was
spying on them and they were being eavesdropped.
Do you think it was her?
Yes maybe but I'm not sure.
She could have killed Adriane to get Oliver.
But why?
Because she was passionate about Oliver.
I'm suspecting Thomas. Because he loved Adriane and sent her flowers too.
What's the big deal in that?
On her birthday! said Jessica.
He might have become jealous and tried to kill her. Who knows?
It's time for me to go. Bye! said Carla.
Me too. Bye! said Olivia
Bye! they left and Jessica picked up the coffee cups and walked into the kitchen.
On the other hand, Rose was snuggled into a corner outside the house and
was listening to all of this. At seeing the others go out and quickly got into her car
and she called Col. Petit and said,
Mission Accomplished.
*******
Chap-10 Rumours
Rose came back home, hung her coat and went and sat down on the
couch opposite Col. Petit. Her house was grandly decorated and very

big. She had kept it very neatly and beautifully in order. It was kept in a
way that reflected her personality. Col. Petit asked her,
How was it? What information have you collected, mademoiselle?
This case is very interesting. I have come to know that Thomas had a crush on
Adriane and used to send her flowers on her birthday. Also I have come to know of
the real reason of Oliver Tucker coming to Jessica's party.
Qu' est il?
Oliver loved Jessica and Adriane was passionate for him. They said that Adriane
would do anything for him.
Ooh! Interesting. Carry on, I pray.
They suspected him of the murder. But I think it is too much. Jessica
sneaked a copy of the post-mortem reports and was showing it to the
other girls. They know all about it now .
So now, they know all what we know. Col. Petit said.
Correction, Col. Petit. Only a little bit. They can't reconstruct the scene like we
did.
That's right.
So you see, they suspect each other of it. They suspected it but then they said that
he was too calm to be a murderer. Then they suspected Olivia of it.
But Olivia was present there, wasn't she?
Yes. They talked about it when she went into the kitchen to get coffee. Then they
suspected William. They said that he had a crush on Adriane. They said that he had
a crush on Adriane. They also suspected Thomas because he loved Adriane and
sent her flowers on her birthday. They said that Harriet could have killed her
because she was also a very big fan of Oliver. I think we are getting entangled in a
web of suspects.
I don't get it. Why wasn't Joshua suspected?
They said he was way too calm. I don't think so. I'm doubting Thomas.
He might have murdered her. But I suspect William. Remember the torn
photograph of him and Adriane?
Yes. But to strangle her, the murderer had to be present in the room.
You mean it was one of the girls. Who, Jessica?
Let's not jump to the conclusions. Let's go slowly. If it were Jessica, the motive
would be Oliver Tucker.

Pourquoi faire qui?asked Col. Petit quite enthusiastically.

That's because Jessica loved Oliver Tucker.

How do you know?
You see, Jessica said that a little rejection from Oliver wouldn't hurt Adriane as
much. Now, she' obviously knew that because she was present there with Adriane.
And the girls said that Oliver rejected Adriane for Jessica. Now, coming back;
Jessica would probably kill Adriane if her motive was to get Oliver Tucker. But
the interesting thing is that Oliver loved Jessica. So why would she kill

Adriane?answered Rose
I think she would want to kill Adriane because Adriane loved Oliver Tucker.
Aah.... I think you're right. He might have wanted to finish her off and have
Oliver all to herself. So she might be the murderess. It could be Thomas, though.
The phone started ringing. She routed the audio to loudspeaker and a
journalist spoke through,
Inspector Chris, this is Isabella Harper from The Daily Times. I'd like to
interview you if you don't mind.
May I know the reason?
The Adriane Pugh case. It's interesting to know that an Oxford student was
murdered brutally off campus.
Why? Should Oxford students be murdered on campus only?
No. But was she murdered by one of the students? Was it poison or
strangulation? Or did she kill herself?
Stop! Stop! One at a time please!
Are you suspecting the students?
We cannot tell you anything. It's very confidential.
Are the student's to blame?
Please don't blame the whole of Oxford for one murder and even if it was one of
the students, the college is not to BLAME! said Rose getting a little angry. You
can't blame the whole college for what maybe one student has done! And no more
questions please.
On. I know what you're playing at, because you've got no clues, you're going to
close the case saying that it was an accident. Anyway, can we come over to your
house and interview you? Rose looked at Col. Petit. He said,
Miss Harper, I think it'd be more appropriate if you came over to the press
conference we're going to have tomorrow. Is that o k? Col. Petit said.
Thank you ........uh....... is this Col. Jacques Petit?
Yes mademoiselle.
Thank you so much. We'll be at the conference. Please allot a location.
This house itself. We'll call the other journalists too. Thank you. He ended the
call. Rose blurted out, why did you call a press conference, sir? Col. Petit just
smiled.
You-are-awesome!
Col. Petit made a few more phone calls asking a few more reporters to the
press conference. He did this because he wanted a non-controversial case. And he
knew that if he told them if he told them about any clue then they would make a
fuss out of it. Moreover, the murderer would become even more alert and cautious.
This meant that the case would become even more complicated..
But Miss Rose, if we call a press conference, the murderer would become alert,
nay?
Yes. But then that'd make the case more complicated and I like difficulties? By
the way Col. Petit what were you thinking if you didn't want an alert murderer?

I wanted a non-controversial case. So do you think we should tell them all about
the clues in detail?
I don't think we should tell them should about any clues, Col. Petit looked at her
confusedly and she smiled and said,
We'll lie to them. For the first time in my life! she kept her hand on her heart and
sighed.
Being a detective is not an easy job. You have to lie for it. Then, the land line
phone rang. It was from a known number(as seen on the caller id of the phone) but
she couldn't recognize whose it was, so Rose picked it up,
Hello? Who's this?
You don't need to know my name. You just need to know that I was the one who
killed her.
Who? she quickly switched on the recorder in her cell phone and the
loudspeaker in the land line phone.
Adriane Pugh. The girl murdered a few days back? Now listen carefully. You'll
never guess who I am, because I left no clue whatsoever.
Col. Petit whispered to her in her ear You keep him busy I'll call the
Yard and ask them to trace the call.
Who do you think you're talking to? I am Rose, Rose Chris and you better
remember that I'm one of the best detectives in Scotland Yard
You might be the best for Scotland Yard but I'm the best murderer in the history
of criminals. he said in a scary voice. I'm smart enough to know that you are
tracing this call. Well, bye! And don't forget, leave the case or you'll find yourself
in hell tomorrow.
Are you trying to threaten me? You don't even know who you're talking to. Well
if you think you can stop, then please stop that.
Bye! and Rose hung up the phone and stopped the recorder, she looked puzzled.
She looked at Col. Petit curiously, because he was smiling.
Why are you smiling, sir?
Because it's funny that you think you're one of the best detectives at the Yard.
What?'
Because I am. laughed Col. Petit.
I was only saying that to keep him busy. then they both started laughing. A few
moments later, Rose came to her serious mood and said,
I have recorded his voice. Let's see how it is. She put on the recorded voice in
her cell- phone.. As it played, rose's expressions changed. Initially she was
smiling, thinking it was William, then at one point of time, she became puzzled
and then she said,
Sir this recorded voice doesn't sound good.
I think we should ask the Yard and an inspector picked it up.
Hello?
Hello, Inspector Wells, this is Rose Chris. Col. Petit just called you to trace a call,
right?

Yes, the call came from the victim's house.

What? exclaimed Rose.
I don't believe this! Anyway, thank you Inspector. and Rose hung up.
I don't know why I feel something is fishy.
It's like a big jigsaw puzzle with lot's of pieces and none of them seem to fall in

place.
Well I think they'll fit slowly as we unravel the mystery behind the whole plot.
The most surprising thing is, that it was done by college student! I don't believe
that it's so complicated.
Exactly, I think, we need to see Oliver Tucker
Why?
Because he will give me a very good explanation of why he seems to be my
biggest doubt.
But why do you doubt him?
Oliver was the one who started this whole thing.
I agree, Rose. It was he who rejected Adriane, he chose Jessica over Adriane and
someone kills Adriane because of passion for her or for Oliver.
I'm tired of it all. Sometimes I just wish the murderer just stood up and said,
I murdered Adriane Pugh. Rose said. Then they looked at each other and burst
out into laughter.
I'm so tired of this Rose Chris investigating this case, said the
murderer taking Rose's name with disgust, Sometimes I just feel I
should stand up and say, I murdered Adriane, arrest me if you can.
I don't think they'll ever guess that we actually murdered her. said the girl sitting
next to the speaker.
Unexpected, isn't it? The way both of us got together to murder! But one thing's
for sure, even if they guess that one of us was the murderer they'll never be able to
prove it.
Unless they find that thing under my bed.
Relax! They won't even guess who was the murderer. Coming to your house is
not all possible. You were just so smart in everything that you left no prints at all.
You know what my favourite part was, leaving no prints.
Yeah. Putting foam under the shoes so they won't leave behind any prints was a
great idea! I loved it!
Also when Adriane saw you she just yelled, NO! I just loved that part. It must
have been lovely to watch her die, wasn't it?
Well of course it was, I wanted her to die after what she did to me.
Lot of pain wasn't it? It was just fun to me, to watch her best friend die and let her
go through pain, it was great.
Sometimes it's so soothing to be mean. You were so right, sometimes it does feel
lovely to be doing such stuff.

I know. I always wanted him and he left me for them! That is why I hatched this

plot to give so much pain that, she forgets my boyfriend and leaves him. then the
first speaker's cell phone rang,
Hi *******! What are you doing?
Nothing. Just sitting here with a friend of mine. Why did you call *******?
I thought of a little fun picnic all by ourselves just to ease the pain. the first
speaker slurped and thought, Ease the pain! My pain was eased at seeing Adriane
die!then he said,
Well I think you're right. It is time we forget that tale of woes and get back to
normal life. I'll come for sure. What spot is it?
I think you should come over to the regular one, McDonald's.
That's like a lunch, nay?'
After a day at the river-beach, of course! So, is that okay?
Of course it is!
I'll have to hang up 'cause I'm gonna call the others too. Bye!
Bye!
The next afternoon, they got together at the river-beach. They were all having fun.
They pitched up three umbrellas and laid sheets beside them. The girls sat down
while the boys went to surf. Then started the conversation between the girls,
Jessica, why did you call everyone like this? I mean, Adriane was your best friend
how come you called everyone here to ease the pain? asked Olivia.
Because, what's gone is gone and I don't like seeing sad faces all around me.
Although Adriane was my best friend she's now dead and we can't do anything
about it. I think we should all chill out now. said Jessica.
Right! said Olivia,"But then, we have no clue of Adriane's murderer as yet. So
how can we chill out?"
"Why do you even care? As if you're the murderess. And we all know that
Scotland Yard is on the case. So why do we even bother?"
"What? Jessica, I can't believe I'm talking to you. It's very unpredictable. Don't
you think we should help them with it?"
"I think not."
"Girls, you know what I've noticed a change in William's behaviour these days. He
has started behaving strangely, lately." said Harriet.
"I highly suspect William of being the murderer. He's a little too quiet about
Adriane's murder case." said Carla.
"But what could be his motive?" asked Olivia. At this, everyone became quiet.
Over the other side, the boys were surfing and having the time of their lives.
They were surfing on the biggest sea-waves. Surfing was clearly their favourite
sport. Each one was so busy surfing that they didn't even care to notice the other
one. Joshua was surfing on his board and yelling at the top of his voice,
"WOOOOOAH!" they were all yelling together while the girls sat and watched the
boys surf and talked to each other. Between all this William started to remember
Adriane and her sweetness. He had loved with her all his heart. Little did he know

that he was being suspected of being the murderer. He started thinking of the time
he had spent with Adriane and wandered off from the group. He slowly walked off
thinking,
"She was so sweet. I really loved her. I confessed my love but that Oliver Tucker
was always the big boulder in my path. I just hate him. He tried to steal her away
from me. How the heck could Adriane leave me? I just couldn't tolerate that but
before anything could be done, she just........." then he took a deep breath.
Then a hand came around his mouth and covered it with a handkerchief. After
smelling it, he fainted. There were two people wearing black clothes and had their
faces covered with a mask. As he became unconscious, they dragged him away.
Over the other side, all the boys decided to return to the girls to have some food.
They returned to the girls dragging their surfboards and talking to each other about
the waves. As they reached Olivia looked at the whole lot carefully and said,
"Where's William?"
"I don't know. I thought he was with Joshua." said Joseph.
"Hey! I thought he was with Thomas." said Joshua.
"What? I thought he was behind all of us." said Thomas.
"You guys are crazy! Now how do we know where he is?" asked Carla.
"Let's go look for him. If he get 's lost, then we'll have another reason to be sad."
said Joshua.
"Exactly and I'd hate that. So let's go look for him." said Jessica.
So they decided to go and look for William together. They all packed their stuff
and moved on to look for William. They went to the place where they had been
surfing and checked the whole place and found neither his surfboard nor his
slippers. They walked all along the place until they reached a place that was
completely deserted. They saw the dragging marks of one surfboard up to a point
and then they stopped. The place where they stopped there was a large mark and
then again then there were dragging marks but they were larger. Seeing them
Jessica said,
"It looks like someone dragged a person from here. I think......" she stopped.
"What?" asked Joshua.
"He's been kidnapped." she said.
"What the hell are you talking about? Think before you say something Jessica."
said Joshua.
"No. I'm serious. Look at this." she bent down and pointed at the marks, "The surfboard marks stop here and it looks like someone fell down over here and then , if
you observe carefully, you'll find that the marks get bigger. It looks like a person
had been dragged from here. Which clearly shows that he has been kidnapped."
Jessica explained.
"But that's not possible. How could he get kidnapped?" Harriet asked.
"I don't know. But what we need to focus on is, finding William." said Joshua.
"Yes. Let's follow these marks and see where they lead us to." Joseph said.
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and started following the tracks. They

walked along the track which led them to the river-beach's gate. After that there
were dragging marks of sand which led them near the gate and then they stopped.
Over the other side, the people had dragged William to his car and drove off.
They drove to Gravesend and took him to a deserted house over there. They made
him sit on a chair and tied him up. Then one of them made a call. He said,
"Boss, it's done."
"Good job. now just keep a close watch over him and if he gets up ask him if he
knows anything about Adriane's murderer." their boss said.
"Yes Boss."
*******
Chap-11 Media
The next day, the media came over to Rose's house.
I hate paparazzi in my house. But it's the best way to make the murderer alert.
As the media reporters entered, they started taking notes, describing the
house and its dcor. Then they took their seats and one of the reporters asked,
Superintendent Rose, you are known as one of the best detectives in Scotland
Yard. Then why didn't you choose a case with higher pay over your friend's case?
Obviously because I always choose friendship over money.
What are the clues that you have found as yet? asked Joe,reporter of Today
News
We.....have found that the murderer had taken the help of a knife to kill Adriane
Pugh.
Are there any footprints? asked Marcia, reporter of London Times.
Yes, there are footprints of a pair of woman's shoes.
Any more clues? There was a buzz about beans killing Miss Adriane Pugh. Is it
true?asked Joe
No, it's not true. How can beans kill a person?
How many suspects are there? Who is your biggest doubt? asked Isabella
Harper.
There are about My biggest doubt is.....everyone of them and all those who are
connected with Adriane.
What connection does Oliver Tucker have with this case? asked Laura reporter
of The Daily Telegraph
He was a friend of Adriane, Jessica and recently all the others in their group. He
was present at the party where the murder took place.
Which means he is also one of the suspects,right?asked Isabella
Well undoubtedly, yes.
But he's a well-known celebrity,isn't he? So why is he one of the suspects? asked
Laura.
It doesn't matter to me whether he is a celebrity or not. All I care about is, that he
is connected with the case. Can't celebrities do anything wrong?
Yes, they can. What about motive?asked Marcia

The motive was Passion.

Who was the passion for? asked Joe
If we knew that, we would have the murderer in our hands today.
I guess you're right. So, how far do you doubt Jessica Brown?asked Antonio,

reporter of The Daily News.

As much as I doubt all the others.
What are the names of the other suspects?
Olivia Evans,Harriet Wilson,Joshua Taylor,Joseph Smith,Thomas Davies,Carla
Gresham and William Jones.
Have you been spying on anyone?
.....Between all the deductions and reports we have had no time to go and spy on
anyone. But we shall start doing that soon. This might as well be called an alert for
the murderer.
We shall take your leave now. Thank you very much.
Please, don't thank me, in fact I should thank you for helping us. The reporters
became confused at this then she said, Thank you all! Bye!
After they had left, Col. Petit asked her,
Why did you give away the motive?
We did this because we wanted to make the murderer alert. So you see, if the
murderer knows that we know his motive, he will become alert, which makes this
complicated case easier to solve.
I'm getting the feeling that we are handling a very over-confident murderer. He
thinks no one will ever be able to guess that he is the murderer.
And that his assistant is the one who influenced him to do all of this.
All of what?
The murder. The one who did it, either strangled or put the beans in. His assistant
did the other part. I think it was not one but two people and it is a very random
pair. I'm having a feeling that one of the two is very well known to us but we are
not suspecting the person as much. Whereas the other person is completely
unknown in the eyes of Rose Chris.
On the other hand, all of William's friends were looking for him all over
London. They went to his house to look for him and then to Adriane's.
Because he usually used to go there to sympathize with Adriane's family.
They rushed through the gate and rang the doorbell 5 to 6 times in a
haste. The maid answered it and without saying anything she went to tell
Mrs. Victoria Pugh. She came back and told them to go in. They ran
inside and asked Adriane's mother,
"Mrs. Pugh, did William come to your house for a visit?" Jessica asked.
"No dear. Why do you ask?" she asked them.
"Actually, we went to the beach and the guys to surf. No one noticed him leave the
beach and now he's nowhere to be found." Carla told her.

"Oh my God! That's really bad. Haven't you got any clue of where he is?"
"No Mrs. Pugh. That's why we came here to ask you." Harriet said.
"Actually, it looks like he's been kidnapped. We went looking for him following
the surfboard marks and found that the marks stopped at one place but then they
stopped and there was a large mark and after there were larger dragging marks."
Joshua said. Jessica looked at him in surprise. Then she turned away. Then Mrs.
Pugh said,
"Oh my! First my daughter gets murdered and now this! It's really terrible what
they do to you little kids. Anyway, he hadn't come here. I hope you find him
before they ask for any ransom or anything."
"Thank you Mrs. Pugh." Thomas said and they left the house in a haste.
Their next stop was the house of Oliver Tucker where he
had been specially called from his shoot and made to answer Rose and
Col. Petit's questions. He walked in with great style and said,
Good Morning Sir and Ma'am. Why did you call me back from my shoot?
If you don't Mr Tucker your friend Miss Adriane Pugh has been murdered and
you are on my suspect list.
I know she's dead but i didn't know she was murdered. Who killed that girl?
If we knew that we wouldn't be here to interrogate you.
'What are you talking about? I don't want to be interrogated. I want to be free of
that girl all I want is my girlfriend Jessica Brown.'
What? exclaimed Rose and Col. Petit.
You're acting like you don't know that she's my girlfriend. I proposed her to be
my girlfriend and she agreed that's why I was present at the party. Rose looked
completely shocked. It looked like all the hard work she had done was in vain. She
took Col. Petit aside and asked him,
Col. Petit stay here and ask him questions while I slip away to look for
clues. Will you do it for this case, sir? I know you're not supposed to do
this but sir, I don't believe this celebrity, sir. It is only too difficult to
believe liars so easily. God knows what part of his statements are true.
Please record all his statements in this diary and tell me about any
change or difference in behaviour.
I shall do it come what may. This case is very important to me.
Both of them went back to the room where Oliver was seated and was
waiting for them quite impatiently while shaking his legs in wait. As they entered
he heaved a sigh of relief and asked,
What are you two up to? Are you plotting something against me?
No, no. We were discussing how to go on with the interrogation. Moving to the
main topic of discussion. said Col. Petit.
Before we start I shall like to let you know that not I but Col. Petit shall be
interrogating you, is that fine by you? asked Rose

Of course it is. said Oliver.

Tell me in detail where you were at the night of the murder.
As usual I started shooting at half past 5 and continued till about half past 6. I

reached home by quarter to 7 and started to get ready. in the meantime Rose
slipped away. I was ready by 7 pm and left from my house for Jessica's party.
Then I reached there at about half past 7. That's all, I guess you know about
everything that happened after I reached there.
Yes almost everything. Did Adriane look depressed at the party?
No, but she seemed to be avoiding me and she looked a little sick. She ate early
and went off to the room where the girls were supposed to sleep.
Did you go to see her after she went to bed?
No. I wanted to go but Jessica told me not to because she didn't like being
disturbed in bed. By this time Rose came back.
By the way out of all the boys who went away early?
Joshua and Thomas went away first of all.
When did you set off for home from the party?
I set off at about half past 11.
Thank you very much Mr. Tucker. You have been of great help to us. said Rose
thankfully.
Where did you come from? Col. Petit was questioning me all this time where
were you?
I was sitting here. I guess you were so busy answering Col. Petit's questions that
you completely forgot about me.
I think you're right. It was nice meeting you.
Bye!
Bye Oliver!
*******
Chap-12 Three of them Eliminated
I think there was truth in his words. said Col. Petit
I have read all what you have written. It's strange isn't it? The way she was went
off early after an early dinner, said Rose,then she paused a little and continued
her sentence,
the interesting part is that she didn't like to be disturbed while asleep. Which
means anyone couldn't have come and strangled her. I insist that it must have been
someone present in the room or someone who knew at what time she was in the
stage of Deep Sleep.
Are you suggesting that it was the work of a girl? asked Col. Petit.
I don't know it might be and it might not. said Rose.
I think we should go to the girls and ask them about their personal opinion of the
murderer. suggested Col. Petit.
We can do that with the help of the information we already have from the bit of
spy-work I had done.
O k. Let's turn back to the pages where you had written the stories of the girls.

Col. Petit took the diary from Rose and opened the page where she had written
down the girls' conversation which she was secretly listening to. He read it and
said,
One suspects someone, and the other suspects someone else. It's quite entangled.
I think Olivia is not the murderess.

Pourquoi faire qui

?
Because she was quite scared when the girls were teasing her to be the murderess

and she was quite frank with everyone while talking about the suspects she had in
mind. Which means she is not the murderess, the real murderer is someone else.
Murderer and murderess, if I am not wrong.
Yes sir you are absolutely right. If we are able to find out the murderer's partner
we can easily find out who the murderer is.
I don't think the motive really fits into the mindset of Oliver Tucker. He's very
different from what this murderer's mindset is. It'll be strange to know that a busy
celebrity like Oliver Tucker would have time to plot such a ravishing murder.said
Col. Petit
Well then even the Oxford students wouldn't have time to plot such a murder.
argued Rose
Both the cases are different. In the Oxford student's mind the feeling of killing
Adriane had risen a long time back than it had in the mind of Oliver Tucker.
How can you say that?
This I say because Oliver Tucker was one of the people whom Jessica and
Adriane met only a week or two before the party. So you see even before he could
start plotting against Adriane he'd find her dead, as it has been seen that Oliver
loved Jessica, and Jessica agreed to be his girlfriend. So why would he need to kill
Adriane?
Exactly. said Rose and cut off Oliver's and Olivia's names from her suspect list.
I doubt that Thomas is not the murderer.
To decide that we have to have a rendezvous with him..
I think you're right.
They went to Thomas' house and rang the doorbell. As he came to
answer it and saw Rose at the door he was completely shocked.
Miss Rose? Col. Petit?
Yes Mr. Thomas we need to ask you a few questions.
Please come in. he led them inside the house and let them sit on the couch.
Where were you at the night of the murder?
I was at home, of course! It wasn't until next morning that I came to know of
Adriane's death.
What places did you go to on that day?
The day as usual started with Oxford, we all come back at our usual time and
then I sat down to study. At about half past 6, I got up and went off to get ready. At

quarter to 7, I set off for William's house. Then we went to Jessica's party and after
that you know everything that happened. Me and Joshua decided to set off for
home together but then he stayed a bit and I went back home. I have tried my best
to defend myself. But, if you think I am the murderer please arrest me and take me
to the police-station.
Thank you very much Mr. Thomas. You have been of great help to us.
You're welcome. Bye!
Bye!
As they walked into the car and stepped in, Rose said,
Thomas has cleared his name from my list by being honest.
That's right. After what he said there is no scope left to suspect him.
So, let's move to the next part. The other five.
On the other side, William's kidnapping was becoming a bigger problem
minute by minute. They all decided to go to Oliver's house to look for
William. They drove as fast as they could. They were going in two cars.
One was being driven by Joshua which had Jessica, Harriet and Thomas
in it and the other one was being driven by Olivia which had Carla and
Joseph in it which was actually William's car. He had left his car keys in
his bag with the girls. So they took it along with them. As they reached
Oliver's house they called him to come and open door as they didn't want
house-maids giving trouble. Then Oliver came to open the door and as
they entered, they saw a girl standing there. She was tall, fair and was
quite beautiful but she had a mean look on her face and wasn't in very
decent clothes. Jessica got angry on seeing her and asked Oliver,
"Who is this girl?" Before Oliver could say anything, she said
"I'm Emily Davies, Oliver's girlfriend."
"What?" Olivia said, "What the hell are you saying? We all know that Jessica is
Oliver's girlfriend. Who are you?"
"Tell me or else..." Joshua said going near her.
"She's my classmate from my school and she likes to call herself my girlfriend.
Even though I hate her. By the way, why did you guys come here?" Oliver said.
Jessica was still scorning at her. Carla patted her back and asked her to calm down.
"We came here to ask you something. Did William come by to your house to talk
to you or anything?" Joseph asked.
"No, not all. Why do you ask? And anyway, why would William come to my
house?" Oliver asked.
"Because he's been kidnapped and we're looking for him. Oliver where did you
meet her?" Jessica said pointing to Emily. Oliver took her aside and told her,
"I think she's Adriane's murderess. She always tries to be my girlfriend but I
always deny her proposals because of you." Jessica smiled at hearing this. "She
had sworn to kill one of you to make your lives hell and to get me. I thought you

should know this." Then they went back and Oliver asked them,
"How do you know that William has been kidnapped?"
"Actually, we went to the beach to relax. All of us guys went to surf and were
having fun. We didn't notice William going away. Later we saw that he had
disappeared, so we went looking for him." Joseph said and looked at Thomas for
him to continue. Then Thomas continued,
"We saw dragging marks of a surfboard going to a very lonesome area and we
followed them. After some time they came to an end and there was a large mark.
After that too, there were dragging marks but they were bigger. Which showed that
a person had been dragged from there. We followed those but they just led us to
the gate and stopped. So we have been looking for him."
"All right. I get it. But he didn't come here." he said.
"Well then. We'll have to leave. Thanks a lot." Olivia said.
"O k. Bye!" Oliver said.
"Bye!" Jessica said and they all left.
*******
Chap-13 One More Suspect
As they returned home, Rose threw herself on the sofa and said,
You know what, I don't suspect any of the girls. Jessica doesn't have a motive,
Olivia is already out of the list, Harriet is not the murderess because she hated
Oliver Tucker and was way too busy studying, Carla was a fan of Oliver Tucker
but she went off to sleep before everyone else and she was the least interested in
anybody's life. There's only 2 people left now William and Joshua.
I think it's William. The girls have already said that Joshua is too calm to do
something like that.
Rose's phone rang and she saw that it was Jessica.
Hi Jessica!
Hi Rose!
May I know the reason why you called?
Rose, I've just found out that there's a girl in Oliver's life who wants to be his
girlfriend but cannot be. She keeps asking Oliver to make her his girlfriend but he
never listens to her. Because Oliver hates her, she promised that she'd kill one of
and destroy our lives! Her name is Emily Davies. I think it's she who killed
Adriane to destroy my life.
I'll take that into account for sure. I shall call you later see to this matter. You
have been of great help Jessica!
Thanks. Bye!
Bye!
then Rose ended the call.
Why did she call? Col. Petit asked
She told me that there's a girl called Emily Davies in Oliver's life and she is one

of the suspects in her eyes. As she had said that she'd kill one of them and make
their lives hell. She hates Jessica and Jessica said that she might have killed
Adriane to destroy her life. Rose said.
Or maybe divert her attention from Oliver so that she can get Oliver. She might
have been very possessive about Oliver. Col. Petit suggested.
You may be right sir. I need to meet this girl. Don't you think we should go to
her? Rose asked.
Yes mademoiselle. But where do we get her address? He asked.
From the main source, of course. Rose said in an 'obviously' sort of tone.
What are you trying to say?
Oliver Tucker. I'll call him and ask him about Emily Davies. Rose
took hold of her cell-phone and dialled Oliver's number. He answered
it quite soon.
Hello Mr Tucker.
Hi Rose! How can I help you? Any more clues I can help you with?
I need a little bit of information from you. Who is Emily Davies and where does
she live and how does Jessica know her?
Emily is an idiot who wants to be my girlfriend but I have told her that this
relationship cannot be created because Jessica is my girlfriend. I don't like her. By
the way, why do you want her address?
I need her address for some obligatory work that I have. I pray, reveal her
address.
150, Baker Street, Kensington
How does Jessica know her?
This morning when Emily was trying to hit on me, Jessica came in here by
chance and I had to tell her everything about Emily. That's how she came to know
who she was and I guess she told you everything after that. Anything else?
No thank you very much Mr. Tucker. Goodbye.
Goodbye.
There we have One More Suspect. I have got Emily's address.
How does Jessica know her?
He says that this morning Emily came to his house and was hitting on him. At
that moment Jessica came in and saw everything and asked for an explanation.
Therefore he had to tell her everything about Emily and the reason for her being at
his house.
So that's how she came to know, got scared and called us. What about her
address? Where does she live?
150, Baker Street, Kensington. I think that's our next stop. Shall we?
I think we should.
They left for Emily's home in a haste. Rose rang the doorbell and
seeing her she got a shock. She had never expected Rose to know about her and
come to her house to interrogate her.
Good Afternoon, I am Rose, Superintendent Rose Chris and this is my assistant

and friend Col. Jacques Petit.

Good Afternoon Miss Rose. So, did you find out anything about the murderer?
A lot of information has been collected after a lot of investigation. I will need you
to answer my questions if you don't have a problem.
Of course not! Please come in. She led Rose into her house and asked her to sit
down on the couch while went and got water for them. While she was waiting for
Emily to come, she asked Col. Petit,
Sir please interrogate her on my behalf while I slip away to look for clues. I want
to do this part on my own. I want to clear my doubts by myself.
As you say Superintendent! Jokes apart, why do you want to do this on
your own?he asked.
It's just that, since she's someone very new and unknown to us, I think it
will be meilleur if I did the honours.
Well- as he was about to say something Emily entered with drinks and some
snacks and Rose whispered in an urgent tone,
Cease!
Here you are. Just a few 2-minute snacks over here. I hope you like them
Thank you Emily. By the way, I don't drink. informed Rose.
Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't know that. Emily apologized.
No, it's o k. I do. said Col. Petit.
Shall we start with the interrogation? asked Rose.
Of course, why not!
How did you meet Oliver? Col. Petit asked.
We met at school and we were quite good friends. answered Emily. Seeing that
Emily was engrossed in answering Col. Petit's questions, she took the opportunity
and slipped away. She slowly crept upstairs opening each door,looking for Emily's
room. Behind one door she found posters of Oliver and guessed that it might be
Emily's room. She entered and started to look for her diary in each drawer. Finally,
on finding it she started reading it in a low voice.
th
December 9 2007: Dear Diary,
I have just come to know about some Oxford girl
Oliver likes. I don't know her name but I shall find out soon.
December 15th 2007: Dear Diary,
That girl's name is Jessica Brown, her best friend's
name is Adriane Pugh and she has called Oliver to her birthday party next week.
Oliver has confessed his love for Jessica. I want to destroy her life at any cost.
December 17th 2007: Dear Diary,
I am going to pair up with an Oxford student from
her friend's circle and we've got a ravishing plot ready, against her best friend. He
also wants to murder Adriane because he has a crush on her and since she went to
Oliver, he has decided to end her life out of possessiveness. On Jessica's birthday

we are going to sneak in and kill her best friend. she stopped, I don't believe it!
Now out of the 2 suspects we have left, William is the only one to have had a
crush on Adriane. It must have been him. she quickly went down and took her
seat beside Col. Petit. On seeing Rose, Col. Petit said,
We shall take your leave now, Thank you, you have been of great help to us.
Thank you Emily. Bye!
Bye! So saying they left.
*******
Chap-14 The Final Clue
Rose unlocked the door, walked into the house and heaved a sigh of
relief. Col. Petit followed and sat down on the sofa. She went into the
kitchen to get water for both of them. As she came back with the glasses,
Col. Petit said,
She has confessed her hatred for Jessica. She said that she could do anything to
be with Oliver, but she didn't even care for Adriane. Because she had no link with
the problems in her and Oliver's relationship.
But she wrote in her diary that she has made a plan with one of the boys in
Jessica's group to kill Adriane. The motive was, as you said, diverting the
attention of Jessica Brown from Oliver Tucker. Now to find the accomplice of
Emily Davies. And his motive had also been mentioned by Emily Davies in her
diary, which was possessiveness. He had a crush on Adriane and because she went
off to Oliver Tucker and he wanted her all to himself. So he planned to kill her
with the help of Emily Davies.
William has every possibility of being the murderer. Everything fits into his
mindset. He was into girls, he had a crush on Adriane, he was possessive about
his girlfriends and he is the perfect fit for strangulation. In my opinion he is the
murderer. said Col. Petit
I don't think we should jump to conclusions like this. I think we should analyse
and think why Joshua cannot be the murderer. warned Rose.
The girls said it themselves that he is way too calm, he's too studious and he's not
in for girls, hence we have William as the murderer.
I think we should call him to a common place instead of going to his
house to investigate.
But then how will you look for clues?
First we will find out whether he has done anything or not. Then we shall take
action. said Rose.
Where shall we call him? said Col. Petit picking up Rose's cell-phone to call
Joshua.
Let's call him to McDonald's. I think he'll find it easier. Col. Petit called Joshua
and thus the conversation started,
Hello Mr. Joshua.
Hello? Who's this?
This is Col. Petit from Scotland Yard, assistant and friend of Rose Chris, the in-

charge of the Adriane Pugh murder case.

Ah h....I remember now. Tell me, what can I do for you?
We need ask you a few questions so will you please come to McDonald's near
your house tomorrow at 7:00 pm?
Yes I will come to see you. Anything else?
No thank you. Bonjour mon cher. said Col. Petit smiling.
Good day. Joshua said and hung up.
Job well done, Sir. Thank you very much. We shall meet tomorrow at
McDonald's.
Au Revoir.
Over the other hand, William had woken up and the two men had started
interrogating him. One of them asked him,
"Do you know anything about Adriane's murderer?"
"No. I don't"
"Do you suspect anyone?" the other one asked. William answered breathing
hardly,
"No, I don't. Will you please tell me why I am here? And how did I get here?"
"We dragged you here and then drove you from the beach." he said.
"What?"
"You have heard it. Now, tell us whom you suspect."
"I suspect Oliver Tucker. Is that fine by you?" he struggled to open the ropes on
being unsuccessful, he shouted, "OPEN UP! I WANNA GET OUT OF HERE!"
"Sorry. We can't until ordered."
"Who's gonna order you idiots?"
"Mr." the other man covered his mouth and said,
"You're not supposed to utter his name." he said.
"Yes sir." the other one said.
Over the other side, all of William's friends were tired of searching for him.
Then Thomas said,
"You know? I know this is crazy, but, if he's been kidnapped then I think he could
be in Gravesend. There's an uninhabited house in which they night have kept him."
"It is really crazy but I think you're right." Jessica said.
"Let's call the others and tell them to drive to Gravesend.. I'll call Olivia and let
her know. So she can drive them there." Harriet said. Then she called them and
told them to drive to Gravesend. They all drove to Gravesend, and following
Thomas' instructions, they reached the house. It was quite old and was in a very
deserted area, it was covered in creepers. It was white in colour and was quite
large. They stopped the cars near a large tree. One by one they stepped out of the
car and looked at the house. Olivia said,

"Wow! I wish I had been kidnapped! At least I would get to stay here."
"Stop being stupid Olivia. It's so idiotic. How could you think of something like
that? Do you want to give us trouble like that?" Jessica said.
"No." Olivia answered.
"O k girls! Stop that and let's go." Joseph said.
"No! We should plan everything first." Harriet said.
"Yes. I'll tell you how we are going to do it. First, we'll have to sneak in
somehow. Then me and Joshua will sneak in to open William's ropes. After
that, I'll bring William back and Joshua will take care that there are no traces
left. Is that fine?" Jessica asked.
"Yes, it is." Joseph said.
"Let's go." Jessica said and put her hand forward and everyone placed their hands
on it then they pulled their hands and slowly said,
"Yes!" Then they all set out on the mission. They jumped over the gate one by one
and slowly landed on the ground. Olivia,Harriet and Thomas waited near the gate
to check that nobody entered and let the others go. They sneaked in through the
back door which Joshua opened with his pen-knife. Then Jessica slowly opened
the creaky door and one by one they stepped in. Joseph and Carla waited near the
door to see that no one came in and Jessica and Joshua stepped in. The door
opened into a long passage which lead them to a huge room. This seemed to be a
combination of the sitting and dining room. It was as large as two normal
bedrooms. It had a painting with a broken glass which was of a flower-vase. There
was a painting of a man but it wasn't hung properly. The man very majestic
looking. It had a sofa-set of a very old style and a dining-table of the same accord.
It looked like the ancestral home of a family. There was a spiral staircase at the
side which led to an array of rooms upstairs. There was a little room under the
stairs. Jessica slowly entered the room and saw that there were two men sleeping
but William was wide awake. On seeing Jessica and Joshua, he was overwhelmed
and was about to shout. But Jessica signaled him not to because that would wake
the men up. They went and opened his ropes. He got up and hugged Joshua and
shook hands with Jessica. He then went out of the room with Jessica and Joshua
stayed to take care of the kidnappers. She took William through the back-door
where he met Carla and Joseph. He hugged Joseph and put his arm around Carla.
Then they all went outside to the gate where he met Thomas, Olivia and Harriet.
He hugged them all. Joshua came out of the house, and they jumped over the gate
and shouted,
"Hooray!"
"Friends reunite!" This time William placed his hand forward and everyone put
their hands on his and then all-together their pulled their hands up and shouted,
"ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE!"
The next day, Rose set off early for McDonald's. She went there and

waited, after some time came Col. Petit. At 7:00pm sharp Joshua
reached there. Surprised by his exact timing. and punctuality, Rose
asked,
I appreciate punctuality. But, how did you reach here at such an exact timing?
I set off at an exact timing hence I reached in time.
Well, I must say, you are quite punctual. Moving over to the interrogation, to
which places did you go on the night of the murder? asked Rose.
After coming back from Oxford I freshened up, went for tuition classes and after
coming back I got ready and left for William's house. And I left early from the
party because I needed to study. I didn't know that such a thing would happen after
I went.
Did you like Adriane?asked Rose.
As a friend, of course, yes. But if you mean it in another way, then no.
Were you aware of the fact that Adriane was a little sick the night she was
murdered? asked Col. Petit.
Was she? I didn't know that. She went off to sleep early but I didn't know that she
was sick. I thought that she was just sleepy.
Have you heard anything about post-mortem from the others as yet? asked Rose.
Yes. Jessica has sneaked a copy of the reports but I haven't seen them personally
as yet.
O k. said Rose making the last note in her diary, Thank you very much. You
have been of great help to us. Good night.
Good Night. said Col. Petit and they left.
That night, Rose went off to one of the suspects' house and seeing that
there was no one she rang the doorbell, the maid answered it.
Yes?
I am Rose Chris from Scotland Yard. I have come here to investigate this house.
Please let me go it is very urgent. she pulled out her i-card and showed it to the
maid. On seeing it she nodded her head in affirmation and let her in. Rose went up
to his room and started hunting for clues. She found a lot of pictures of Adriane
indicating that he had a crush on her. Then she looked under the bed and found a
little box. On opening she found that it was full of ashes. Only a few fragments of
paper were left and she joined them and read them. Then she put it back in the box
and put the box in her pocket. Then she decided to leave. She went to the maid
gave a vote of thanks to her and left.
*******
Chap-15 Explanations
The next morning, Rose called everyone to her house to reveal the
murderer. One by one as everyone came she asked them to be
comfortable and as she closed the door and came back Jessica asked,
So, who murdered Adriane?
The murderer is she walked up to her and said, Joshua Taylor. she
announced.

What? exclaimed Jessica's mother. What are you saying?

I am saying what you're hearing and what you're hearing is the unfortunate but

absolute truth madame.

I don't believe you. If he is the murderer prove it then. said Emily Davies.
Rose Chris does not announce any murderer's name without proof. Here's the
whole story.
Please tell us, we are impatient. said Olivia.
Mr, Joshua has a secret crush on Adriane Pugh. hearing this the room became
completely quiet. He decides to tell her but, on that day she says that she does not
want to be associated with any other guy because of Oliver Tucker. This angered
him and his possessiveness rises. He decides to kill Adriane for what she had done.
For this purpose, he looks for the right date, which is fixed to be 22nd November
by his accomplice, Emily Davies. she said pointing to her. First he let's the party
start. Then Emily Davies sneaks into the party and while William is serving the
food to Adriane she looks for a chance when both start talking and adds beans to
her food. She then leaves the room quietly and goes off to Jessica's room, lies
down on the bed and takes a sheet over her face. After this when Adriane starts
feeling sick she runs to Jessica's room, sees someone's sleeping and runs to the
guest room. Between all this Joshua decides to leave early with Thomas. But when
he suggests that Joshua should go with him, Joshua refuses and says that he'll go
back home by himself. Then he goes into the backyard and hides there until
everybody else is gone and all the girls are in the room. Then he climbs up the
rusty pipe and bits of it get stuck to his clothes. Not caring much about that, he
creeps into the guest room and strangles Adriane. Then he goes into Jessica's
room, calls Emily to help him and they carry the dead body of Adriane to Jessica's
room. Then Emily leaves through the window first and he leaves through the door
runs off to William's house and shakes off the pieces of rusty pipe.
How can you say that with so much confidence?asked Carla.
On basis of this rusty pipe that I found outside William's house, these pages that I
tore from Emily's diary and this piece of paper that I found in a little box stuffed
under the bed in Joshua's room. she paused, This pipe was outside William's
room but he didn't know anything about it, there was no rusty pipe in his house
and there was nothing on the shirt that he wore to the party either. The pages in
Emily's diary clearly say that she had made plot against Adriane Pugh, to divert
Jessica's attention from Oliver. So in the free time she could attract Oliver. The
fragments of paper in the box say that,
Even if she comes back to haunt me, I don't care. I am going to get her life out of
her body by hook or by crook. I will kill Adriane Pugh. Now what more proof do
you want?
Nothing ma'am. said William.
I knew Emily had done something but Joshua I never expected you to do this.
said Jessica.

Neither did we. said the others all together. Emily and Joshua got up to run

seeing that everyone had come to know of their crime.

You game is over, Mr. Joshua and Miss Emily. she clapped her hands and called
the police inside and said, Here are your criminals, Sir. Please take them away.
Job well done! said everyone together. Then Col. Petit said,
I must agree with you, you are the best detective in Scotland Yard. Hats off to
you!
Thank you! then she looked at Joshua and Emily and said,
I must say I've never seen smarter criminals at your age. Well done but
not perfectly done. Thank you once again! Rose said and left the room.
*******

The End