The Headline

SARAH MONROE IS DEAD, MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD, SHERIFF HAS NO LEAD

ROBIN was beyond angry, he was fuming. The last part of the headline was what made him angry. Yes, he didn't have any major lead. But the town didn't have to know that. Now everyone was going to be feeling unsafe.

He didn't want most people to know till he found some good or better news so when he would break it out, he would have good news to follow it which would dampen the effect of the bad news.

This was Martins doing. She would have been the one who spearheaded it. He wanted to call and reprimand her when his phone rang.

He checked and it was the mayor, Carter Winter.

"Good day Mayor.",

"Oh good day to you Sherriff.", Mr Winter said

"I'm sure you have seen the papers.", Mr Winter started.

"Mayor sir, I have some....",

"I don't care about what it says, I'm actually shocked that I didn't know of this case. Someone died two days ago and you didn't tell me, I'm the mayor of this town if you can't make an announcement, I should. Now the people would be in an unnecessary state of panic.",

"I'll fix it, sir."

"Fix it!", Mr Winter shouted furiously.

"How would you fix this? People have started calling me and investors....", he took a deep breath before going on. "Sheriff I cannot lose investors over this. I repeat, CAN NOT, if in two weeks you still have no lead then I would be considering a new person to take over, and not just the case but also your job.", Mr Winter said and before Robin could assure him, he hung up.

Robin, furious, decided to call Gwendolyn.

"Sheriff Robin. I was expecting your call.", she said in her usual annoying voice.

"What kind of article did you publish?", he asked.

"The type the people need to...",

"Are you trying to get me fired huh? Are you?", Robin yelled.

"Excuse me, Sheriff. I am only doing my job and you have no right to talk to me in such an insolent manner. Instead, you should focus more on your job and if you're becoming unsure and incapable, you can let us know so we would find safety in a competent replacement.", she said.

"Miss Martins let me assure you that neither am I unsure or incapable of doing my job and I will find the murderer.", he seethed. Oh, how he hated this woman.

"Sheriff, do mind your words. I'm a journalist after all and if you go making promises you can't keep then it wouldn't be good for you, especially if they're towards me.", she said and hung up.

Robin took a deep sigh and sat down. Sometimes he thought those two were always plotting against him, Carter and Gwendolyn. A disgusting couple, not that they were together. If they were that would be the worst.

On one hand Carter had given him an ultimatum, two weeks. What kind of mayor was he, giving him two weeks on a murder case?

Though Carter had talked about leads, Robin fully knew Carter expected him to have solved the case by then. Given the kind of person Carter was, he wouldn't tell you want he wanted directly and expected you to figure it out.

On the other hand Gwendolyn was determined to remove him from his position somehow. He knew she had always hated him and hated the fact that he was the sheriff. Why? He would never know but she sure wasn't going to waste any opportunity to paint him in a bad light and this seemed like a proper one.

He decided he would head to the crime scene and see what he could pick up from there. Robin sighed and headed to his car then drive off in the direction of Sarah's house, the crime scene.

》》》》》

Lisa was already in the diner. She was there with Hugh waiting for the rest. Hugh had been studying her but her gaze was cast on something far away.

"Lis are you sure you're fine?", Hugh asked concerned, she had been looking dull since morning when she woke up with a jolt in bed.

The reason was that she had a nightmare. Exactly like the one she had in Robin's house. Where Sarah was blaming her that it was her fault. She woke up scared and this caused Hugh to wake up. Then he had asked her what was wrong and she had dismissed it, waving it off as nothing but since then he had been noticing her and she seemed off, so he asked again.

"You've been really quiet lately.", he said. "Does it have to do with what you want to tell us?", Hugh asked.

Lisa, after her talk with Robin last night, had called all of them to meet at the diner so she would tell them what Robin had discussed with her.

"Hugh I'm fine, don't worry about it.", she said not really knowing why she didn't want to tell Hugh about her recurring nightmares. The bell dinged and she looked up to see Pablo, Miles and Raven who came and sat down.

Their booth was by the window. Raven sat on the part backing the window, so she rested on it and Pablo and Miles sat in front of Hugh and Lisa.

"So any developments?", Miles asked. He was pretty keen on the case.

"Robin called yesterday. He has the autopsy."

"And what did they say?", Raven asked, she seemed in a better state than last time.

"That she was punched and was most likely in a fight with her murderer.", Lisa said.

"So the person who did this must have argued with her or something like that, thus it was a person who had a vendetta against her.", Pablo reasoned.

"Gwendolyn.", Miles said sharply snapping his fingers like he discovered something.

"C'mon bro we've struck that out.", Hugh said.

"No, think about it.", he said and when no one looked interested he brought up another idea.

"In fact, I think we should go to the house.", he said. "We could have a look at it and see if something's out of place.", he suggested.

"But would the police let us in? It's a crime scene remember. They wouldn't want us tampering with anything.", Hugh said.

"We're her friends they might grant us some time.", Pablo said.

"Lisa, I don't want to trouble you but can you try and remember if anything was suspicious in her room or her house?", Miles asked.

The image of Sarah on the floor flashed. She shifted uncomfortably and shook her head.

"I only remember seeing her on the floor...", she decided not to continue and Hugh held her hand stroking it gently.

"We should just think of someone who was angry with her. Angry enough that the person could kill her.", Pablo said.

"And how are we gonna find such a person? I mean Sarah was very nice to everyone.", Raven said, her second statement since she came.

The bell dinged and they looked to see Sandra walk in with Erik who seemed distraught for some reason they didn't know

Lisa huffed and they turned to her.

"That annoying little....urgh! Can you imagine she came to the house asking me to tell her what I knew and behaving like she was some important person and requesting special treatment? Then she made this stupid statement that I could be hiding something."

"What did you tell her?", Hugh asked.

"I told her to get out.", Lisa said.

"So that's where she came up with that.", Raven said and Lisa looked at her.

"Came up with what?", Lisa asked and Raven bit her lip, what she did whenever she slipped up in anyway. She didn't know how to tell Lisa so instead she brought out a newspaper and slid it to Lisa and Hugh

"She wrote an article in the papers.", Raven said as they opened it.

Lisa saw the headline and frowned, but what made her angry was the highlighted part which read.

An interview with the best friend of the deceased made her a suspect in my eyes. I had asked her to narrate what had happened and what she had seen but she seemed reluctant to do so. She looked nervous and immediately told me to leave and that she wasn't going to tell me anything. And when I had casually hinted that she could be responsible for the murder, she got outraged and threw me out of the house, screaming and yelling at me. I believe that Lisa Nether could have had something to do with this murder and might not be the innocent victim who was the first to find her dead best friend.

Lisa was furious. She re-read it again before she looked at all of them with anger in her eyes.

"Lisa you need to calm down.", Miles said being the first to notice she was writhing in anger.

"This is bullshit.", she said and looked in the direction of Sandra who was happily chatting with an uninterested Erik.

"You know the way Sandra is she keeps on...", Pablo started but was interrupted when Lisa shot up from her chair and stormed towards Sandra.

"What's your problem with me?", she asked after slamming the paper on their table causing Sandra and Erik to look up at her, startled

"Excuse me?", Sandra asked innocently.

"What's your problem with me? Why'd you go writing rubbish about me?", Lisa yelled and now the whole attention of the diner was on them.

"I'm sorry if doing my job offends you.", Sandra said feigning politeness.

"You're not doing your job, you're writing falsehood. Making me look like a terrible person, like a murderer.", Lisa yelled and now Hugh was by her side trying to get her to calm down.

Sandra stood up and looked at Lisa.

"Then you don't like my job.", Sandra said.

"You don't know your job. 'Cause if you did, you wouldn't go around making people look bad all in the name of voicing the news. This isn't the first time you're trying to damage someone's image.", Lisa said.

"Lisa, I know my job very well. It's to tell the truth. If the truth means saying that you might have some affiliation with the murder of your overachiever best friend then I will put it in the papers.", Sandra said.

Lisa fuming with rage didn't know when she lifted her hand to smack Sandra on the face but damn it felt good after. Especially after seeing the shocked look on Sandra's face.

"Don't you ever dare say or insinuate that I murdered Sarah because I DID NOT and never you say Sarah is an overachiever.", Lisa said and Sandra regained the smug look on her face.

"Was. She's dead remember.", Sandra said and Lisa lunged at her only to be stopped by Hugh.

"C'mon Lis, let's go. C'mon.", Hugh said and took Lisa out who was still struggling to go and land another slap on Sandra's face.

"You watch what you say and write Sandra.", Pablo said when all three of them had left their booth.

"And you keep your cray-cray friend in check.", Sandra said before settling back in her seat.

They walked out to see Hugh assuring them to go as he helped Lisa into the car.

Lisa who was breathing heavily looked at Hugh once he entered.

"Lis, you should calm down.", Hugh said.

"Did you hear what she said huh, did you hear what she... how could she say that about Sarah, about me? Sarah was my best friend. Yes she didn't spend so much time and we've not known each other since childhood but she was like a sister to me how could Sandra...", Lisa couldn't finish her statement as she burst into tears.

Hugh held her close, comforting her.

"Calm down Lis, calm down.", he said.

"She's gone Hugh, she's gone. I'm... I'm never gonna see her again.", Lisa cried into Hugh's shoulder as he held her.

Oh, poor Lisa is missing her friend, I feel bad for her too. I want to know your views on Sandra was she doing her job or just slandering Lisa?

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