An Open and Shut Case

I live in Sliver Springs, a sleepy hamlet town in the English countryside. Nothing really exciting happens here, and the most excited thing to be featured in the Silver Springs Gazette is that a sheep trampled into someone's yard and destroyed their prized voilets. I used to work for Scotland Yard, but I got reassigned to the small town.

The town only had less than a thousand people, trufully I think there is more sheep than people. I get the usual run of the mill cases- property disbutes or disorderly contuct. My job isn't that glamerous either, nothing much to do really.

My only friend is Katherine Collins, an American who decided to live NYC for a more quiter country life. Katherine is a thirty something year old, with wild curly auburn hair and grey eyes. She owns Main Street Reads the bookstore on Sparkleberry Lane. Katherine is the most chipper and energetic person you have ever met. She also tags along with me on my investigations, although can't stomach grusume murders or homicides.

It was a rainy Tuesday in March. Katherine had just got a new shipment of chemistry books. We have a small local college, and chemistry is a required class. I stopped by her shop. Katherine had a slow day, and was working on a crossword puzzle. She saw me of course, "Detective Larken, what brings you by?" she smiles. "Hey Katherine, I thought I would pick up a copy of the Gazette". She hands me a paper. On the front cover is a photo of old farmer Benson and his sheep had just given birth to a baby lamb. "No cases, huh?" she says as she grabs a stack of chemistry books. "I am sure something will turn up, eventually, don't give up Sherlock" she half jokes.

Of course, just then Nancy the Gazette's photojournalist storms in with what she thinks is the story of the century. According to a friend of a friend who lives next door to her, a local boarding school boy was murdered. Murder was probabily an exageration, most likely bullying or academic pressure could of led to his suicide. Nancy's last lead let to a wild goose chase with an acutal wild goose. Of course, before I could say anything Katherine had grabbed her fluroscent pink sweatshirt. It has bunny ears so when she wears it, she looks like a pink nightmare. She then shoves me out the door. "Time's a wasting, let's go".

We then arrive outside the school. The front entrance has been sectioned off. I have to muscle my way through the crowd, and stop the officer. "Detective Nathan Larken" showing him my badge. "And Katherine Collins" she says. One officer laughs at her, she looks like a giant preschooler, wearing sparkly pink and purple overalls, and a bunny sweatshirt. Yes, Katherine does dress like a crazy cartoon character but don't under estimate her, she is one of best man.. woman on our force. She is very observant, and a sharp wit.

I lift the caution tape, and enter the school. A few girls look at us, and whisper. One giggles at Katherine. The headmaster takes us to the victum's room. A sophmore named James Woods was found on the grounds that morning, dead. Apparently, he jumped out his dorm room window, and killed himself. I then begin to question the officer, and Katherine looks around the crime scene. Nothing out of place, perfectly organized. Of course, at that moment in his bunk mate strolls in. A smug sophmore with bleach blond hair. "This is Rory Daniels, his bunk mate" The officer said. I then question the boy. "You had something to do it, didn't you, huh" I accuse pointing to him. Like a turtle he sinks into his hoodie, peterfied. "Woah, there, ease off a bit will yah, your scaring him half to death" Katherine said. She goes to her polar bear backpack, and pulled out her notebook, and a tin. I am not exactly a people person, nor well liked. Katherine is a people person and can make friends anywhere, or can get anybody to talk. She pulls him aside, and they sit on the bed.

"I'm Katherine. You and James were bunkmates, right?". She says. Rory nodded. "Mind if I ask you some questions?" he is silent, so she pulls out the tin. Homemade iced buns. "No pressure, really. I'll leave these with you, alright". She sets it down, and walks over to me. "I don't see how, sweets is going help Katherine" I said. She smiles, and soon Rory is scarfing down a sweet bun, and licking his fingers. "I'll talk, but only to her" He says. She pulls out her notebook, and then the two talk. After fifteen mintues she rejoins me. She relates to me that he is innocent, and didn't see anything. I am dubious. The two were bunkmates, Rory had to have seen something. Of course, Rory is scooted out, so we look at the crime scene. We go to the window. The headmaster enters, I am about to question him when Katherine interupts. "Was a good student, how did he do academically?" she asks. He explains that he was a model student, but struggled. A possible cause "Was he teased or bullied?" The headmaster explained that he did the usual roughhousing, boys will be boys. Aside from that, nothing.

The headmaster left us. Katherine looks at the window, then looks down. James fell a couple of stories, quite a fall. "So he opened up the window, jumped out" she said. I nod. I think it is an open and shut case. Peer pressure, or struggling academically and decided to take his own life. She looks more closely, and stands. "So, he stands here and jumps, and kills himself". I nodded, she has a dubious look.

"It's simple, too much academic pressure and couldn't take it anymore, and commited sucide". She stood in front of the window. "So he fell, or was he pushed?". A possibility, but unlikely. And then paced. "Or possibly, he was pushed out of the window." She then snatches my case file, peruses it. "Was there any wounds, possibly defensive wounds, like he was attacked and pushed out the window, or he hung on and his..." I stop her, "Katherine, it's a suicide, plain and simple". She still has a dubious look, but the officer shows her the suicide note. "It.. it could of been faked, or James was forced to write to it". I still believe that it is a sucide.

I talked with the headmaster and other students, and it is seems to confirm my theory. Quite a loner, and a morose student, and struggled academically. James, then had enough and took his life. Open and close case. Cased closed. I was going to file the paperwork, that evening. Katherine wanted to do some investigation on her own, and insisted it wasen't a sucide but a murder. She had a "gut feeling" about it.

She asked a few students, but no leads. She then saw a group of girls whispering, giggling and talking. Of course, gossiping about this and that. Katherine was also guilty of doing that. She sat on the bench, pulled out her phone, and pretended to talk to someone. "You don't say. Really? new details about the case, go on" talking really loud. A few flocked over to her. "Oh, sorry, it's on a need to know basis, and very confidental, ". Putting away her phone. One fretted, "Okay, Beth told us, but puh-lease don't tell anyone, alright". Then whispered in her ear. Oh my. She looks at her, "You sure?" the girl nods. A serious pieace of gossip. She pulled out her phone. "Larken, it's Katherine. I think I might have a lead".

Of course, she turns the corner to see Rory being arrested. "I'm innocent, I didn't murder James, we were mates". Apparently someone had overheard from Beth that one of the students was dating a professor. Possibly, James found out, and in order to keep it a secert he was murdered. Katherine ran to him. "Katherine, you believe me right? I am innocent. I didn't kill him. I..." he was lead away.

I questioned him, and he claimed innocence. He was the student that was having a relationship with a professor. They also found the victum's blood on his clothes and under his fingernails. James must of either saw the two, or overheard something. James confronted Rory. The two probabily fought, and Rory pushed him out the window. Rory was arrested. "Cased closed, we have our man." I said. Katherine had a dubious look. "It was him, I am never wrong". I added. Katherine still believed he was innocent. She visted him in prison. "I am innocent, really." The evidence was stacked against him. "What happened that night?" she asked picking up the phone, and sliding a frosted cookie through the slot. Then related the story of what had happened, as he munched on a cookie.

He was comming back from football practice, and heard shouting. He threw open the door to see that it was a senior student fighting James. Apparently, James had found out about it, and was going to tell the headmaster. This couldn't happen. The two fought there way to the window. Rory, tried to break them up. The student pushed James out the window. Rory caught him, "Got yah mate" and pulled him inside. "Thanks," James said. Rory was knocked out. The student pushed James out the window, where he fell and landed. When Rory came to, the student was gone. Rory went out, and saw his friend. He was dead.

He didn't want to say anything, when interviewed because he was there when it happened, and probabily thought he did it, murdered his bunk mate. Katherine related the story to me, and later Rory became a key witness in the trial. The proper person was arrested. I guess I should of went with Katherine's "gut feeling".

That was my first major case in the sleepy hamlet, I can't believe it was a year ago. I was then asked to choose a partner. There was many candiates, but I decided to go with Katherine. Many were surprised. And we are on the road on our new case, a missing person's case. Katherine didn't have a criminal investigation degree but nevertheless tagged along. Katherine in her unicorn onesie armed with baked goods, ready for our next case.