2nd October, 2015 (Two Days to the Murder).

02:35 PM.

Eric smiled to himself as he waited for Bethany in an empty classroom. He couldn't lie, classroom sex was the best, and Bethany was exceptionally good at playing the naughty student. He wondered where she learned to fuck, as he was sure she hadn't learned all that she knew from her boyfriend. She was probably handing it out over town, but he did not care, as long as he got his when it was his turn.

He knew if they were ever caught, he would lose the ability to teach, and may also be thrown in jail. The mere thought of that gave him a hard-on. He couldn't help it, he was a sucker for danger; Safe sex was boring and turned him off anyway. Eric couldn't wait as he loosened his belt and waited anxiously for her to arrive. Even though classes had ended for the day, they had to be as quick as possible.

He turned toward the door as he heard someone approach.

"Took you long enou-," he trailed off as he saw Cindy. Mousy, chubby Cindy. Sex with her was alright, but she was stiff, uninventive, while Bethany could do things with her tongue that would put even Marissa Evans from his accounting office to shame.

"I was about leaving, but I saw your car and came to check if you were alright... and give you a goodbye kiss," she replied, while biting her lower lip. She probably thought she looked sexy, but to Eric she looked awkward, like a stupid schoolgirl playing dress up.

"Yeah I'm fine. I was about leaving so...," he stood up hurriedly, and tried to push her out the door. If Bethany caught them together, there would be hell to pay. He knew Bethany well enough, and even though he was her teacher, he was smart enough to know not to cross her.

"Hey. I wanted us to have a little fun as well, you know. Let's take advantage of the empty class," She began, as she placed her bag on the floor, and kissed his neck.

"You look so hot," she said as her lips trailed downwards.

There were two things Eric could not say no to - women and sex. He had both on a platter and who was he to refuse? He resolved to be quick, as there was more than enough to go around.

"What the hell," he relented and picked Cindy up. She placed her legs on either side of his waist, and held his neck tightly as he carried her to the desk. He got on top of her and kissed her deeply.

There was a shrill scream behind him, as a female voice yelled, "What the actual fuck?" He turned around quickly. Bethany was staring at the both of them, looking like a maniac, her eyes blazing with rage.

"I can explain," he began.

"How could you do this to me?" Bethany screamed.

Cindy got up and adjusted her bra. She did not know what was going on, but she was sure that her social life was over.

"Keep your voice down," Eric said to Bethany, as he looked around, hoping no one was in the vicinity.

Bethany turned towards Cindy, "Get out."

Cindy did not hesitate and hurried out the door, leaving her bag in the process.

"I can explain," Eric said. He wanted her to rant and interrupt him, because he did not have anything to say. Instead, she just listened.

"It just happened?" he said stupidly.

She gave him a hard slap on the cheek, which snapped his head to the side, "Your life is over," she said.

She was about to leave the class but he grabbed her arms and pulled her back.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"You think I would have begun a relationship with you without some sort of upper hand?" she laughed bitterly.

"We started fucking since I was 15. I have all the receipts. The videos, calls, sexts, pictures, I could go on and on. You forced me into it. I was just a helpless, misguided teenager and you took advantage of me."

"You came on to me," he said astounded. He knew she enjoyed all their sexual encounters just as much, and sometimes even more, than him.

"The law begs to differ, Jose. You're the one who fucked an underage girl. And apparently I was not the only one. What is it, some sort of creepy fetish?" Bethany said. She tried to leave again but he pulled her arms, dragging her back and shaking her.

"You crazy bitch," he spat.

She only laughed in his face, maniacally, even as his nails dug into her arms.

"Where is it?" he asked as shook her again.

"On a flash, with someone I trust. Let me go," she said. He reluctantly let her go and she took a step back, rubbing her arms.

"I can guarantee you, by Monday, your life won't be the same," she said as she walked out and slammed the door behind her.

Eric was only sure of one thing; he would stop her. No matter what it took.

*****

24th October, 2015 (Nineteen Days after the Murder).

09:30 PM.

The gala thrown in Mayor Field's honor was a black tie event. It was no secret that he was the forerunner in the election, and no one bothered to pretend otherwise. He was running for his last term, and planned for nothing to go wrong.

Sam Fields stood with his wife, Sandra, greeting each guest as they walked through the doors. The party was exclusively by invitation, with prominent people in town in attendance. Some dignitaries from out of town were also invited, and he watched those not familiar with him subconsciously hide their shock seeing him with his wife standing side by side. It was obvious what had them so startled - They were polar opposites. Where he was big, hairy, and ugly, she was petite, modest and startlingly beautiful.

They had both grown up in Atwood, and theirs had been an arranged marriage. Sandra did not look forty-three, and sometimes Sam found himself thinking she was too good for him. For that reason, he had to beat her occasionally - only to keep her in check, of course.

He planned to make the most of his last term at office, by making more money, and building even more connections. He would run for governor next, and eventually, would become the president of the United States of America. He looked at his wife staring innocently at the guests, and felt like striking her. He knew she would try to sabotage the gala somehow, so resolved to teach her a lesson later.

The moment Ian walked through the door, he was stunned by the sheer extravagance of the place. The gala was held in a ballroom located inside the Mayor's mansion. There was a huge chandelier in the middle of the ceiling, and the ceiling itself was made of mirrors. The floor was wide and wood paneled, and waiters moved inconspicuously, handing out entrées, and filling drinks before the guests knew they were empty. There was a huge podium at the front of the room, which was where the Mayor was to give his speech later. The dancing area was a wide expanse of space, with flashing neon lights. For a small town mayor, it was very luxurious, and Ian was sure funds were being siphoned somewhere.

He wandered the party, bored out of his mind. The chief had ordered him to be present, for a reason Ian could not fathom. Alyson was supposed to be his date for the event, but she was still ignoring him. He took a quick glance at the room, and spotted Nathan and Sherylyn at the corner, holding hands and socializing.

Nathan was relaxed and poised, like he was used to the life he was born into. He shook hands with important people, and laughed at the right moments. Next to him, Sherylyn seemed awkward, unrefined. The guests smiled at her kindly, but did so with reluctance. Behind the smiles, their eyes were cold and unwelcoming. It was clear she was not being accepted with open arms into their world. He took a sip of his drink and turned, startled to see the Mayor and his svelte wife approaching his direction.

"Detective McNeil," the mayor greeted.

"Mayor Fields," Ian replied as they shook hands. He looked towards the mayor's wife, and she gave a brief nod in acknowledgement. Ian noted the bruises on her arms which she meticulously tried to hide with makeup.

"I see you graced us with your presence tonight," the mayor said jovially.

"Well I didn't have a choice," Ian stated bluntly. The mayor's smile froze on his face, as he studied Ian with renewed interest.

"I heard you would like the case wrapped up," Ian continued.

"You know with the election coming up and all... wouldn't want the bad press," Sam Fields stated, as he held his wife's waist. Sandra looked uncomfortable, but did not pull away.

"Strange. I thought you would care for your citizens more. What was your relationship with Bethany like anyway?" Ian asked curiously.

"This is neither the place nor time for that," the mayor said. He regretted walking up to the stuck-up detective. Making the chief invite Ian to the party so he could convince him to see things his way had obviously been a mistake. It was clear McNeil had a stick up his ass.

"It's just an innocent question, Mayor. We both want to get to the bottom of the case, you know, to avoid the bad press." Ian stated.

"She was with my son, and I only saw her a few times when she was with him. I've never even had a personal conversation with her."

"Interesting. Where were you the night Bethany was murdered?" Ian asked.

"I don't have time for this," the mayor said, as he tightened his grip on Sandra's waist, and attempted to lead her away.

She removed his hand and said gently, "He's just trying to do his job Sam."

"I and my husband were having dinner at the home of the chief of police," she told Ian in a quiet voice. Ian leaned towards her a little, in order to hear her over the noise of the party.

"You were with each other throughout the night?" he asked.

"Yeah. We had dinner, and drove home a little after midnight. The only time we left each other's sight was when I went for a smoke for a little while," she said. Sam Fields glared at his wife and shook his head.

"We should be getting back. If you'll excuse us," the mayor said as he grabbed his wife's arm and strode briskly away from Ian.

After a few hours, the party became stifling, and Ian needed to leave. When he was sure no one would notice his absence, he dashed out of the room. He had a case to solve anyway.

*****

2nd October, 2015 (Two Days to the Murder).

05:55 PM.

As Bethany was walking home alone, she clutched her arm in pain and Beet wondered what was wrong. He knew that walking alone was the way she cleared her head when she had something bothering her. He regretted not knowing what happened, but he had no choice, as the school grounds was the only place he could not watch her.

She looked at her left arm, and wiped a tear from her eyes. Was it her boyfriend that had hurt her? He concluded it couldn't be. Nathan Fields was just a dumb jock with too much money to waste. Was it the good looking man who taught her history? If it was, he was going to carve a smiling face at the back of his head.

Beet looked forward to Bethany showering later in the night. He would be watching, as always, and seeing her grunting in pain as she massaged her bruised arms would be his reward for looking out for her. Her hair got in her face as she walked, and she let out a growl of frustration.

She kept her bag on the floor and searched for something.

What was she searching for? Beet wondered. Some sort of sex toy perhaps? Was she going to fuck herself in front of him as she looked into his eyes? Beet could only hope.

He gasped as she pulled out a band and pulled her hair in a high ponytail. Beet almost had an orgasm. That was confirmation enough that she knew he had been watching, and planned to sleep with him. She must have known somehow that he preferred her hair that way.

From her actions, she was obviously shy and probably wanted him to approach her first. He looked up at the darkening environment. There were some people wandering the vicinity, and he deflated a little bit. Not the perfect place to confess their love to each other, but he would at least talk to her. He wouldn't want to disappoint her after all.

Beet noted her look of disgust as he approached her. This confused him, but he cleared it up quickly in his head. She was obviously irritated because there were a lot of people around. He was a little irritated at them too.

"Bethany," he said breathily.

"How the fuck do you know my name? And who the fuck are you?" she asked rudely.

"Are we going to play this game now and act like we don't know each other?" he asked, slightly offended.

"I know you. You're the weirdo who approached me in the alleyway a few weeks ago," she said with realization.

He swallowed saliva at her tone but continued, "I came because you called to me."

"I so do not have time to deal with perverted psychos right now. Don't you have like a dead body to sodomize or something?" she asked, as she slung her bag over her shoulders.

"No, don't be mean to me," he said. Beet felt like crying. This was not how their meeting was supposed to go.

"Wait a minute. You're the sicko who was jerking off when he called right?" she said. She was smart, he had to admit. He hated smart women, almost as much as he hated mean women.

"I don't know how you even saw me as you shouldn't even be out of your mom's basement in the first place, but the next time I see you anywhere near me, I will call the cops and throw your pathetic, sorry, little ass in jail. Understand?" she screamed as she walked away from him, away from their love.

Beet cried loudly, as no one had ever been this cruel to him before, not even the mean nurse. Bethany was the love of his life, but she had to go. The world would certainly be a better place without her in it.

I will kill her, he concluded.

And I will enjoy doing it.

Has your suspect list been updated, or are you still on to a particular person? Do let me know.

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