The crime of a rose

"Wake up An or else you will be late for the university. Even your students arrive earlier than you. Do you have some shame? Get up from your bed you lazy bug" my aunt screamed at me. It was a daily routine for her to yell at me. I wished that I would not have grown into an adult, but it cannot be helped that now I am an adult.

  My aunt's daily taunts are haunting me now even in my dreams. Gives me chills.

 "I am wide awake aunt. Do not scream, the neighbors complain about you to me." I informed my aunt as if it were a fact to know.

I took a quick shower as I was late for the university.

"Aunt, where is my ginger striped trouser?"

"It is soaked up in the water in the washing machine"

"What? why did you wash it? I told I was going to wear it for the freshman party." I was annoyed by the actions of my aunt. I ran down to the kitchen in my bath gown and slippers. My aunt as usual is making sandwiches in her rabbit print apron.

"By any chance did you wear my trouser aunt?"

"Of course, not. Why will I? I have my closet, which is filled with the priciest clothes." I understood that it was my aunt who wore it.

"If you wanted to wear you should have asked me first. Tell me now what I am going to wear?"

"That is why I prepared a gift for you. You will be happy to see it." she washed her hands and gave me a packet. I take a look and to my surprise, I got a pencil skirt as a gift. I stared at my aunt who was pretending to be busy in making sandwiches.

"Aunt Maple you know that I hate wearing skirts and you bought me a pencil skirt." It was wine-colored and was touching till knees.

"You will look great in this An. Quit wearing jeans and trousers. You are a young lady who must go to a club with friends and enjoy the parties. However, you are always busy with your university work"

“To be honest I am a party animal. However, I don't like to wear skirts. It makes my skin creep suddenly. I have other pants to wear.”

"Don't worry, I will wear some other trouser."

My aunt pouted at me and said "Your aunt bought for you such a special gift and you are not even going to wear it."

"Special gift, my ass," I said to my aunt.

"An trust me this one time and wear it with your pearl white shirt."

I don't have any options left with me right now and I was also running out of time. I took a deep breath and decided to go with my aunt's choice. I dashed into my room and dressed up as fast as lightning.

I grabbed two sandwiches from the dining table and suddenly there were honking sounds of a car coming from the front of our house. My aunt gave me a goodbye kiss like I was her husband. I opened the front door and I could see Hugo's car positioned in front of our house. Hugo has been friends with me for a decade. He owned a café that was the most popular in the city. I skipped the steps in the middle and jump directly from the foremost step to the ground. I could see Hugo wearing his shades and those brownish baggy pants with a dull red T-shirt. He waved his hand. His lips were telling good morning. We both can understand our lip movements without speaking a word. Isn’t it cool?

"You are late today for sure, An." he passed me the coffee. I crave for his coffee. It's like my tip of the tongue has touched paradise. I smell the coffee for five minutes.

"Stop smelling the coffee. It gives me creeps." Hugo said in disgust.

I don't care. I like to smell his coffee. I sat down in the front seat. I checked my watch to know the time.

"Ahhhhhh!!!!! shit, I am so late. Drive the car in full speed, Hugo" I screamed as I was the one who was going to give the opening speech.

Hugo sped the car while I was digging my speech papers inside my leather tote bag, like I was mining a diamond from the mines. While Hugo was jumping through the traffic.

"What happened? What are you searching for?" Hugo asked in a rough voice.

"I cannot find my speech papers" I tossed my whole bag and couldn't find the papers.

"WOW! An. I am so shocked that you misplaced your speech papers."

"It is so frustrating. I cannot even remember where the hell I have kept my papers." I called my colleagues to once check my desk if I had left any papers.

"HONK, HONK, HONK, HONK, HONK" Hugo kept honking.

"I don't think you can reach your university for giving the speech," Hugo said in a dejected way.

"Why?" before he answered I checked my surroundings and to my shock, we were stuck in the middle of traffic jam. The traffic jam came to me like a bolt from the blue. It felt like a herd of sheep were crowded in a single room.

It never happened in the city. Police cars stationed out on the road and two helicopters were hovering around the intersection of the road.

I opened the windshield and popped my head out of it. I could only see cars and bikes till my eyes could see. Smoke and dust covered the ground level like mist. I quickly closed the windshield.

"Has there been a massive accident or some terrorist attack?" I murmured to myself. All of a sudden, there was a sudden shock in my body and tickling sensation on my fingertips. I grab my mask from my tote and open the car’s door.

I came out and the entire road was covered with mist-like-smoke. Police cars and ambulance. I knocked the windshield of Hugo’s side and told him to come out. The only noise I could hear was the honking of cars and the sirens of police cars and ambulance.

He came out wearing the black mask that made him look more mysterious and sexier with his curly hair.

We both moved forward to check what is going on at the intersection. We crossed many cars and finally reached the intersection.

We could see that the police cars and ambulance were all around the intersection. From far I could see Crystal talking to the police. Crystal is also my best friend. However, why is Crystal here?

I marched forward.

"Miss, you cannot go further from this line." a young police officer stopped me.

I showed my university ID and he allowed me. You might be thinking how did I get the entry. I am the professor from criminologist department and have helped the police many times to solve the cases.

I enter the scene.

I saw that everyone was in chaos. In the middle of the intersection, I saw a bed of white roses. I came near to the bed of roses and saw a female dead body underneath the bed of white roses. With no evidence of a weapon or method of death. Such a wicked mind. I was sure it was a murder