Leads and Lies?

May 29, 2018 - Tuesday Night

Indie went home even more perplexed, but also enlightened. Who was the mysterious texter? What was the connection of Jessie's ex to her murder? How about Allie? Her head was starting to pound from overthinking.

"Hey dad! I'm home!" She called out, heading into the dining room. Her father wasn't in his usual spot, which didn't surprise her. He could've went out to get something related to the case - a new clue or lead perhaps. It didn't escape her notice that the autopsy report still hadn't been released.

Reheating her dinner, she began to ponder over Emily's words again, reviewing the 'facts' of her narrative. She couldn't tell yet whether or not it was true or all lies. The omly thing she could do was follow through all the new leads given to her and hopefully not hit a dead end. Slumping on the chair, she placed her head in her hands, frustrated.

She didn't know what to believe anymore. With only Emily's story to further her lead in solving Jessie's murder, she was at a bit of a loss. Jessie's killer was still out there, and she was here sitting alone at home with a raging headache.

The ping of the microwave gave her a bit of a distraction. Taking out the heated mac 'n cheese, she began to munch on the chessy, goopy mess that her dad prepared.

As she began eating, her mind went back to her present conundrum. Finding Jessie's killer. She now had three leads following the original lead. Eric the ex, Kaiden the boyfriend, and Allie. So far, Indie still didn't know what to make of the mysterious text from the unknown number Jessie recieved.

A beep from her phone distracted her momentarily from her thoughts. Looking down, she saw it was from Nico.

From: Nico

Hey! You still going to the game this weekend?

She bit her lower lip. She had completely forgotten about the game. She had been so immersed with Jessie's case that she eventually thought the game would be cancelled due to her unexpected death. But it seemed it was still on.

Nico was more or less a study buddy of hers. He came to her when he needed tutoring for Maths and he gave her info about things she needed to know about the other students. He was after all, a hacker. But lately, he seemed to be wanting more. She sighed, shaking her head to disperse the thoughts that were forming about Nico.

To: Nico

I'm not sure, Nic. I thought the game was cancelled though?

A beep.

From: Nico

It wasn't really cancelled, but I heard they were thinking about it. Apparently, they decided against it.

Indie frowned at that. She understood that the game was already scheduled way before the tragedy. But she thought they'd cancel it out of respect to Jessie and her family. Apparently, they didn't seem to think that way.

Indie sighed before typing a message and putting her phone down.

To: Nico

I'll think about it.

Another beep. She looked at her notifications, not bothering to open the message.

From: Nico

Alright. Text me when you've made up your mind.

Indie sighed before finally pocketing her phone and focusing on the goopy mess in front of her. She wasn't really much of a fan of mac 'n cheese but she was tired and it was the only ready to eat thing in the house.

Finishing up, she cleaned the kitchen before heading to her room. Thoughts on the case were slowly but surely starting to creep up at the back of her mind.

Slumping on her chair, she began to do some homework. She badly needed a break from the case. And a time to process what she learned from Emily.

She began to do her schoolwork that she didn't have time to do earlier. AP Calculus was her most hated subject but she could deal with it. She needed to deal with it. No failing grades for her or her dad won't allow her to help out in solving cases. Damn Calculus.

She found that concentrating on other things and letting the case rest for a while, gave her a fresher and newer perspective. It was important especially when dealing with a case such as Jessie's.

The creak of the front door opening broke her focus on her schoolwork. She looked up, cuatiously walking down from her room.

"Dad?" She called out warily. It was times like these that she sometimes hated her dad.

"Hey honey!" He called out, walking towards her with a grin.

"You scared me!" She whined, glaring at him. She didn't usually whine, but her father was the only one who ever made her whine like a kid. And it usually happened when he wanted to scare her on purpose. It was like a game to him. Which she didn't really mind. As long as her father was happy, she was happy.

He chuckled, giving her a brief hug when she drew near.

"You're so annoying, you know that?"

John chuckled, ruffling her hair which made Indie frown and remove her dad's hand.

"Anyways, any news on the case?" She asked, arranging her hair as she seated herself on the island's stool in the kitchen.

"I was going to ask you that." He pointed out. Placing a bowl of the same goop she ate earlier, he sat down and began to eat.

Indie sighed, recalling what Emily told her earlier. "Do you have any reports from the coroner's yet?"

John, expecting the question, shook his head. "As of now, still no. But they say they'll finally have it by tomorrow morning."

Indie nodded before delving into the story and telling her father what she got from Emily. She didn't leave anything out, knowing it could possibly impede the police's investigation.

"There are now branching leads that we can follow up on. I'm honestly glad it wasn't a dead end." Indie ended, looking at her father who was still silently chewing his food.

"Thanks for the help, Red." He finally spoke after a long silence.

Indie smiled, shaking her head slightly. "No need to thank me dad. I just want this case solved."

"Me too hun. Me too."

They both sat there in silence for a while. Just enjoying each other's company. It was a peacful night with a full moon shining brightly on the streets, and a cool breeze blowing lightly from the slightly opened window.

The kitchen was quiet, save for the light buzzing of the refrigerator and the occasional bark of the neighbor's dog. It was a blessed silence. One that was both comfortable and peaceful.

The silence was only broken by the scrape of the chair and the sound of running water as her father washed his used bowl and utensils. It almost seemed normal, the only thing or person missing being her mother.

Indie savored the silence, her mind blank for once. For once, no bombarding thoughts about the case. It was peaceful and relaxing.

"I'm going to head up now, Red." Her father's voice brought her back to reality. She looked up and nodded, her father placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Night dad."

"G'night Red." He walked out of the kitchen and headed to his room. Leaving Indie alone in the kitchen.

A moment passes before Indie decides to look into the case again. Her father hadn't commented much on what she knew. She didn't know what to say about that. Maybe he was still digesting and dissecting what she told him. Maybe.

If she wanted to get the case going forward, she'd have to get some help. She took her phone out and dialed a number. It took a couple of rings before he answered.

"Hello?" The voice asked.

"Nic, it's Indie."

"Hey, Indie. What's up?" Indie smiled despite herself.

"I need your help." She got straight to ths point. She needed information, ASAP. And Nico was the only one who could help her.
The only one she trusted.

"Shoot."

Indie chuckled, tracing senseless paterns on the marble top. "I need you to find out what Allie, Eric and Kaiden did on Friday night and Saturday morning."

"Alright." A pause. "Have you thought about the game yet?"

It was Indie's turn to pause. She hadn't really given much thought to the game on Saturday. It seemed that Jessie's case was starting to affect her. She was getting sucked into a vortex of mystery solving and it was always hard to get out of it. Not unless she solved the case, that is.

"Indie? You still there?"

"Yeah... I'm still here.." She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"So?" He prompted.

"If you get me the info about them, I'll check my schedule and see if I'm free to go." Yes, it was cruel getting his hopes up but she needed information about the three. Especially since they seem to be, in a way, involved in the case.

"Alright then. I'll text you the information I find."

Indie smiled and thanked him before ending the phone call. She sighed again before leaving the kitchen and heading back to her room.

She had already finished her schoolwork earlier and was now free to do whatever she wanted. Turning on the light, she headed to her closet and pulled out a board. It was her case board. Where she pinned information about the cases she was solving. Those she had solved were already placed in their own folders. And there was a lot of folders.

It was currently blank, and she still had to fill it up with information regarding Jessie's case. And some red yarn to tie it all together. Which she still needed to buy. Clichè but useful.

She placed the blank board on the bare wall, staring at it with a frown. She needed to start filling it up soon. But she still had to wait for the autopsy and Nico's report. These were very important reports that she couldn't overlook. An autopsy could reveal more than what was previously seen by the naked eye. Especially since she was covered with dirt, grime and blood.

A loud ringing sound pierced through the silent room and Indie hurried to answer it, already confirming it was Nico.

"So, what did you get?" Indie rushed out.

"What? No greeting?" He joked.

"Nico.."

"Alright, alright." He said chuckling. She could already imagine him holding his hands up in surrender. It almost made her chuckle. Almost.

"So, what did you get?" She asked again, pacing around her room.

"I know you didn't really ask me but I took the liberty to check Jessie's last known location on Saturday morning and I also checked the others."

Indie nodded, she didn't really ask him to check on Jessie's last location on her phone and car's GPS. Even if she meant to. And was glad that he took the initiative. This was one of the reasons she trusted and liked him. He understood her and thought of things she might have forgotten that could prove useful.

Unfortunately, she didn't usually include him in her cases. It was a want to keep him safe that always made her stop him from helping or going along with her. Even when he insisted, and she believed, that he could help. He was more of a techie hacker guy and not much of an action guy. Which was what made them a great team. She would do all the ground work and he'd do the behind the curtains work.

"And, what did you find?" Indie asked a little impatiently. She had a bad feeling about what he was going to say.

"Jessie didn't meet up with Kaiden that morning. She went to the Harbor.. with.."

"With who, Nico?"

"Aiden."

***

Author's Note:

Ooohhh... cliffhanger!!! XDDD

Who do you guys think this Aiden is, and how does he fit into the whole picture?

What do you think about Nico? Is he a good pick for Jessie? Or should she remain single?

Why did Jessie lie? 😯😯😯

Comment what you guys think! And don't forget to vote!

Have a great day/night!

Lots of love,

M. J. Lee