Friend or Foe? Alice Mackenzie Kerning's Debut Chapter 2

Hello there, fellow Mystery fans. I do hope you enjoyed the first Chapter of this story, and my apologies for not uploading more! But you know, reality sets in, school begins and you gotta do what's important first, isn't that right? But anyway this time I put in a lot of time and effort into this second chapter. 
So please do read it, review it, and I hope you enjoy solving the rest of this mystery! Constructive criticism accepted :)

Chapter 2: The tale of an incredibly sadistic mad scientist who destroyed a friendship and a detective who needs to face her demons in this town

Marianne awoke Alice in the morning, saying “Hanamura and Wendy are back in town, and there’s someone here that... Wanted to see you.” Alice sighed. “Tell whoever it is to wait, I’ll get changed.”

So Alice sat at the table in the inn’s restaurant, face-to-face with a 

handsome young man. “Hello, Miss Kerning, I’m Edward Nicolson.” He said, almost shyly, and Alice studied him. ‘Whoa, he’s cute.’ She thought, and almost blushed. “Right, you know who I am. I’m Alice Mackenzie Kerning, call me what you wish.” Alice replied, surprised to find the tone of her voice become shy. But the man – no – the boy seemed not to notice and said “I was Marilyn’s lover. I just wanted to thank you for taking up this seemingly impossible case, for Marilyn. I mean I was the one who found her, because, well, she left something at my place and I wanted to return it at around… three or four? Weird hour to want to return something, but I just did. I don’t know what made me want to return it to her then, but I took it to her place anyway.” Alice then leaned forwards and asked “What was her house like, after you found it?” Edward then sighed. He looked out of the window, and looked older than he truly was. ‘He can’t be more than twenty.’ Alice thought, and then he began to speak.

“It was dark, and in ruins, almost as though an animal ripped it apart. That’s what I thought at first. Worried I decided to go see where she was to make sure she was alright, but then, laying right in front of me in her living room was Marilyn.” Edward then sighed again, seemingly to hold back his own tears, but Detective Mackenzie was not known for being merciful. “Living room you say? But the report says she was found in her bedroom.” Edward, agitated, stood up. “I found her in her living room! Then I got hit on the back of my head before I could think and the next thing I know I was in the hospital, nobody would believe me when I said she was in the living room because the police found her in her bedroom! Who would you believe a delirious man who had just lost the love of his life or a group of policemen and a detective who have been working with – with that all their lives?” Alice stood up too, and taking hold of his shoulders she sat him back down. “Calm yourself Edward, I believe you. I have never relied on newspaper reports, and I believe the culprit moved her body, cleaned up the area so that no one can figure out what truly went down. That’s why no blood or anything was found, because the body was moved. And the culprit knew no one would believe you either. But the fault in that plan is that I believe you. I’ll investigate it, for your sake and your sanity.” Edward took a deep breath, and then he placed his hands on Alice’s and gently removed them from his shoulders. “Thank you.” He said simply, with a bitter smile. Alice, realizing that her face felt hot she made to leave, with a muttered word of farewell; he said “I loved her.” Without turning back, she took in the words and left the restaurant.

Alice and Kirin made their way to Wendy’s, who had just returned to town. “What do you think so far, Kirin?” Alice said rather than asked, and Kirin shrugged. “I investigated the crime scene, and it was like what the news report said. The area around Marilyn was clean.” Alice looked at her strangely “They haven’t cleared it out yet?” She asked, as though stupid. Kirin seemed a little exasperated. “No, I mean I investigated it when the police asked me to help. The murder happened the day before. She was in her bedroom, no doubt. No attempt was made to make it look like a suicide. Oh, and the blood hasn’t dried out yet when I checked her, so I think when Edward found her, she had just died.” She explained, and Alice nodded. But something occurred to her and she stopped in her tracks. “She was in her bedroom? Edward told me he found her in her living room. Then he was knocked out by someone, probably the perpetrator, and the next thing he knew he was in the hospital.” Alice said, looking at Kirin directly. Kirin only laughed, and then she said quite matter-of-factly “Edward was in shock. He couldn’t possibly have remembered it that clearly; he had a concussion, if he really was hit at the back of his head.” Alice merely nodded, and went the rest of the way without so much so as a word.

***

They sat in Wendy’s sitting room, as Alice casually sipped her tea and nibbled on some biscuits like it was an ordinary house visit. Kirin, on the other hand, seemed uneasy at the silence. “We’ve been sitting here for ten minutes without talking. Are we…. Are we going to start the questioning soon?” She said, then as an afterthought as though she forgot something “Detective… Alice?” Alice continued to smile serenely and Wendy seemed unaffected by the awkward silence hanging before them. “We have plenty of time. Get yourself comfortable, Miss Carroll, you won’t be able to do a proper job of questioning if you’re tense.” Kirin straightened up at her words, and managed to stammer out a “Y-Yes Ma’am!” before she decided to have a biscuit. “Ah, so that was what that was all about. A questioning is it? You may ask whatever you wish, I promise to answer honestly, which is saying something because I can’t tell a lie. As a matter of fact, I can be quite brutal when I answer people.” Alice chuckled, and nodded. “I’ll be asking you to repeat your statement, is that alright with you?” Before Wendy could respond, Kirin interrupted them. “Isn’t it a waste of time, Detective Alice?” Alice chose to ignore her, but Wendy could not seem to hold herself back and lashed out at Kirin “And who are you to question her ways? If you’re so good, why not you do it yourself?” Kirin then replied sharply “I would if I could! What about you, cooping yourself up in this dingy old shack you call a house, my my I thought your dear Marilyn would have gotten you a better place.” Color rose in Wendy’s face, and she stood up. “Marilyn was an honorable person! And so am I, I earned the money myself and bought it with my own hard-earned dough through sweat and toil. And what does my house have anything to do with it?” She squeaked in her indignation.

Alice seemed to have ignored it all up to that point, and made no attempt to stop them until Kirin began to yell. “It has everything to do with it! You know what I’m talking about Strauss! This house stinks, you know that fully well!” Wendy slammed a fist onto the coffee table, but before she replied, Alice was suddenly standing, and she sat them both down. “Calm down, both of you, the house has nothing to do with anything as of right now. Have some tea and calm down.” The two indeed sat down, but continued to glare at each other. But Alice seemed not to notice and began to organise her notes. “Now, Miss Strauss, do you have a criminal record?” Kirin answered before Wendy did. “She does. For murder. It’s so long it’ll scare a serial killer.” Wendy shot daggers at Kirin, but answered Alice casually. “Yes, for murder, it’s a rather long record.” Alice nodded and looked down at her cup, and realising that it was empty she refilled it. Swirling the orange liquid, she asked “And why were you caught so many times?” And she took another sip, muttering “Darn it has gone stale.” Wendy seemed to consider the question, and then she answered simply “I can’t tell a lie. So I fess up real quick.” Alice nodded as though she understood, and she continued. “Then why do you murder if you know you are that honest?” Wendy’s eyes seemed to light up, but there was a little regret hidden in the excitement. “I love to experiment, you know, with the dead. I can’t dig graves, so I usually kill them first, research, and then report myself. I don’t get the death sentence; my experiments have brought about excellent results and helped in the development of medicine.” She described with a whimsical and dreamy expression. Alice nodded, seemingly with interest. “Keep going.” She said, with anticipation. Wendy, with a newfound excitement, and a little madness, began to elaborate. “I tend to find my targets first, and then kill them. Of course, that would be back in my hometown before I moved here. And I’m pretty sure I’ve only killed three from this town so far.” Kirin, with her voice dripping with a cold sort of tone, said “Only a madman will ever think it was fascinating to kill people for experiments, my dear Wendy.” Alice seemed to ignore her, and she continued questioning Wendy.

“Now how do you do that?” Wendy seemed more intrigued, and her eyes flashed a kind of sadistic madness and excitement. “First off I’ll hit them on the back of their heads to black em’ out, and then I’ll strap them to a chair while they’re unconscious and experiment! If they wake up, I knock them out again! And again! And again! Oh what results I get! All kinds of blood samples, all kinds of people of all ages! Children bring the most intriguing results, teenagers are boring but they bring very exciting reactions, and anything above the level of being adults are the best. Aged to absolute perfection, and then you get to watch that entire die with their blood spilling everywhere! It brings the most beautiful and glorious form of despair! If they die, I’ll experiment some more! I’ll test this and that until there’s nothing left to do!” She announced, her eyes running wild and with a crazed expression. Alice sat up with a jolt. “What is it?” Kirin asked, while Wendy began to calm down. “It’s… too similar… too similar. Don’t tell me…” Alice, with a trembling voice, turned to look at Kirin shakily. “Don’t tell me that…. That…” She murmured, her head recalling the most traumatic memory she ever had in her life. Then she shook herself. “I’m alright,” she said, regaining her composure. “Alright, now Miss Strauss, may I know if you were in town during the time of the murder?” And then Wendy, as though she had no recollection of her previous outburst, said “Oh, at home. I was polishing my furniture, as you can see from the surprisingly shiny table-legs. I usually don’t sleep until four o’clock in the morning, since my shop doesn’t open till seven in the evening.” Alice looked up, surprised. “Oh? But the exit log said you were away.” Then, sheepishly Wendy chuckled. “I wrote the wrong date.”

As they walked back, Kirin seemed to have a question, but before 

she could ask, Alice said “Let’s go to my hotel room before we start anything.” Then, in a surprised and hasty voice, Kirin said “S-sure!” Then the two walked back, in awkward silence. But running through Alice’s head were questions. Why did Kirin react so strongly? Why did she sound regretful when describing her record for the first time? And was she telling the truth when she said that she wrote the wrong date? Later on, in the hotel room where Marianne was waiting, Kirin and Alice sat at the coffee table, and yet again Alice was sipping tea leisurely. “Is… is she always like this?” Kirin asked nervously. Marianne giggled, and answered her serenely “Alice may seem like this all the time, but she’s really serious when a case starts.” Kirin simply nodded. Finally, Alice finished her tea and she spoke. “Kirin, I have a question.” Kirin straightened up, and nodded. “What happened between you and Wendy?” Kirin sighed. And it took a long time before Kirin spoke at last, with resentment and a little bit of longing.

“We used to be friends. Me, Marilyn, and Wendy, and then there was another girl named Cana. Cana is the sweetest thing you’ll ever meet, and we were best friends.” Kirin sighed, pleasantly remembering. Then her expression darkened. “Wendy killed her. Cana was killed by Wendy for experimentations. Our group broke apart, for a while Marilyn and I were the only ones before Wendy came in, begging for forgiveness and claiming that she was sick, and of course I was not a fool, I didn’t believe her. But that idiotic girl Marilyn did and they were best friends. Me and Marilyn remained as close friends before that Edward came in. I loved him more than I loved anyone before, but he went and fell for Marilyn. What was that he said, ‘I’m sorry but I love her’? I know he was lying, he loves me, and me only. Marilyn was just a cover, I’m sure. He thinks I don’t love him and was just trying to make me jealous, I still believe that. But now, Marilyn went and got herself killed, perhaps he’ll come to me.” Kirin sighed in anticipation. Alice simply nodded and refilled her cup. “I think Wendy isn’t telling the whole truth about writing the wrong date.” She said, sipping the tea again. Kirin seemed agitated, and she stood up a little. “W-what do you mean?” She stammered, and calmly, Alice replied. “Someone tried to cover up for her, but she didn’t know it until I mentioned it. I can tell from her eyes, it’s a rather foolish thing to do, since she can’t lie. Why didn’t you pick that up, Kirin?” The black-haired detective sat back down, and said quite hotly “Her lying skills improved over the years.” And then she stood up again, turned round and left without another word. Alice only leaned back and laughed.

“Alice, don’t you find this… this case a little… familiar?” Marianne asked, cautiously. “Yeah,” Alice answered simply. “It does. It reminds me of dad’s last case. Ah, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since then.” She said, casually, but sorrow was hidden within her words. “He’s… really a horrible father. He had to go and get himself killed, didn’t he? I am only sixteen and he died on me. Ah, what a horrible father he is.” Marianne stood up, and said quite agitatedly “No! He isn’t! It isn’t his fault you know, that’s the risk of being a detective! That… that sort of thing… it…” Alice leaned back onto the bed, and while she stared at the ceiling, said “I’m just kidding. Just… a joke, that’s all.” Then she closed her eyes, letting her demons free to roam her mind.

***Flashback***

It was raining, and her dad was one step away from solving his case. But a masked man had her hostage, a flash of light, a bullet, and before she knew it her father fell dead at her feet. And she was sixteen.

The next day, a man in his late thirties was caught for murder of two. Turns out he was the culprit her father was looking for. A funeral, tears, and before she knew it, she realised her father really was dead.

A will was read the next day. It seemed so unreal, so fictional. The man announced that she will inherit all her father’s wealth and his company. Some applause, a smile from someone she didn't know, and that was when she realised she was not a little girl anymore.

A few days later she read the case file he left behind, his very last case. The culprit was a jealous man, someone she didn't know, but resented. A rip, shredded remains, and the case file was torn in half.

“Why was Wendy regretful, when she told you about her record?” Marianne asked, after Alice explained the day. Alice turned over in her bed. “She killed her best friend and destroyed their friendship. Deep down, she wishes Kirin to return and let them be friends again, even though she hates – well not really hate, but I believe it’s a little more than resentment – Kirin for not believing her. You were listening, weren't you?” Alice explained quite matter-of-factly. To which, Marianne only laughed sheepishly.

From that day she found that the town she once thought as quaint and quiet was a lot darker than it truly was. And she knew, with a case that was almost exactly the same as her father’s, she had to face her deepest and darkest monsters.

[A/N] Whoa that was a rather emotional roller-coaster for our detective Alice. I hope it was the same for you too. So again, I hope you will review this, constructive criticism will be very much appreciated.

Thank you so much for reading!

~ Kyo

Friend or Foe? Alice Mackenzie Kerning's Debut - Chapter 1

This is a story I have written. It's the first murder mystery I have written in a long while. I hope you will review it, love it, share it with your friends, and most of all enjoy solving it alongside Detective Alice Mackenzie Kerning.


Enjoy:)


Introduction

The masked person snuck back to the Sushi Bar, silent as night and with the speed of a hare. He took the knife off the table, nodded to himself, as if confirming something and stuffed in his pocket. Then he took off again, silent as night and with the speed of a hare. ‘Must not be seen, must not be seen.’ He thought as he ran, feeling the cool night air and yet being unable to enjoy it. The deed must be done tonight, before hesitation took over him again and missed the chance.

Tonight, it was to happen tonight.

He must do it.

He rang the doorbell. The very next day, he picked up the local newspaper like he always did and the very front page read “MARILYN KORR FOUND DEAD.”

Chapter 1, Alice Kerning 

               “Now aren’t you glad we took a vacation?” Marianne teased. Alice rolled her eyes as she stretched, then rolled her shoulder blades and said “We should never leave the hotel again. I’m getting tired of playing around all day.” Her voice came out lethargically as though it was a very long night, and a long night it had been indeed! Marianne insisted on going to one of the local pubs to have a drink or two, and two drinks became three, then three became four and four became five. Alice ended up dragging a very drunk Marianne back to the hotel, attracting too much unnecessary attention from the other guests. And now, the current Marianne who seemed to have forgotten the details of their previous night was thumbing through the guide book again looking for more famous restaurants and bars. ‘Oh my my my, what a big eater.’ Alice thought, sighing. She hoped they brought enough money to last them through the week; otherwise the lady beside her might cause them to go broke again.Alice Mackenzie Kerning ran a detective service. With her wavy hair dyed an extremely light purple with a braid at the side and her brilliant blue eyes, she loved every bit of mystery-solving. However, despite she and Marianne, her secretory and assistant helping the police a lot they did not earn much, mostly because they have not had a case any larger than a simple case of ‘Who’s the Thief?’ Marianne suspected that it was due to their reputation, but Alice reminded her that they were, as a matter of fact, quite famous in the police department. Then, Marianne had to remind her that they were never asked to solve a murder case, and then a dejected Alice had no mood to do anything since. How they ended up on vacation was still a mystery to Alice, for all she knew one day after sitting in her office doing nothing except waiting for a phone call about a case when Marianne came in, put down tickets and smiled at her announcing “We’re going on a vacation!” Without even giving her a chance to ask where, when and how or even just look at ticket on her table when Marianne grabbed the ticket, tossed her a luggage and exclaimed “Let’s go!” before leaving her in the dust. All of a sudden, after a stomach-lurching train ride, they reached their destination and booked into the hotel.And two days of fun later, Marianne had to go and get herself drunk. However, she woke up in the morning without so much so as a sign of a hangover, which both amazed and shocked Alice. And now, they were going to a village to try some more food and explore. ‘The only good thing about this trip,’ thought Alice ‘is that it was kind of fun.’ They walked into the village, expecting a bustling town but only to find a rather quiet village that had a sad atmosphere lingering in the air. Alice wondered what had happened, but Marianne seemed to not have noticed as she entered a restaurant in high spirits for lunch.As she spooned piping hot omelet rice into her mouth, Alice could not help but overhear a conversation of a waitress and two other customers behind her.

“Yes… what a tragedy…”
“She was such a good girl…”
“How sad…” they said, and Alice’s curiosity took over her and she called the waitress over and asked “What happened here? You said something about a tragedy.” The waitress looked at her strangely and laughed, saying “You’re not from around here are you?” She said, with a bitter smile. Alice nodded, and the waitress sighed. “It’s such a terrible thing! A tragedy indeed! Oh, it’s so sad I almost wish I could forget it forever.” She said dramatically, and Marianne asked “What happened then?” The waitress sighed again and said “Such a tragic tale, that it should happen here, in our town! See for yourselves!” she pulled out a copy of ‘The Sandy Times’, and handed it to them. Alice read the headlines, and it grabbed her attention and pulled her in like a small child drawn to a candy store.

“MARILYN KNORR FOUND DEAD!Marilyn Knorr, 20 years old, well-known for her flower shop and great personality was found dead in her bedroom at three o’clock in the morning on the Fourth of September. Investigators say that she was most likely stabbed in the stomach by a blunt object and died. However, not much has been revealed as investigators are baffled by the situation. No blood was found at the scene except on the victim’s body, and tests have shown to only be Marilyn’s blood, and no possible murder weapon was found.Marilyn was very well-liked in Sanditreath for her sweet personality and kind voice, not to mention her beautiful looks. “Marilyn is a very nice person! I don’t understand who and why anyone would want to kill her.” Says her best friend Wendy Strauss, who was in tears after the news was broken to her. The owner of the ‘AkiFuyu’ Sushi bar Hanamura Mukuro also commented that Marilyn frequented at his stand and the last time he saw her was at the bar. “I was talking to Kirin-san when Marilyn-san stood up, bade me farewell in her usual cheerful demeanor and left.”  It was a tragic incident that almost nobody seems to be able to solve, and investigators have marked the case as ‘Unnatural’”

“Well that is tragic.” Marianne said, and the waitress nodded. “Keep the paper is you want.” She said, and left to attend to other customers. Alice looked up from the paper, eyes sparkling and exclaimed “This is it. This is our big case! If we solve it we are sure to become famous!” Marianne’s face lit up. “Yes! Our reputation will get better!” she said, clapping her hands together. “Um… did you say you were willing to solve the case?” A girl in a pink dress with a ribbon around the collar asked slightly shyly, and at the same time, uncertainly. “Yes. We are.” Alice said, still glowing with excitement. The girl looked relieved and said “Oh thank goodness! I really wanted Marilyn’s death to be brought to justice, but nobody seemed to figure out who was the culprit. I’m Wendy, Wendy Strauss.” She said, smiling and shaking Alice’s hand. “Alice, Alice Mackenzie Kerning of the Mackenzie Detective Society. You may call me Detective Mackenzie. Or just Alice I don’t really mind.” Alice stood up and shook her hand vigorously. “You’re still sparkling Alice.” Marianne said, smiling serenely. “So you say that Miss Carroll is also a detective?” Alice asked, walking with the short-haired girl. “Yes,” Said Wendy, leading the way. Marianne decided to go back to the hotel as she wasn't feeling well. “Kirin is also a detective, but she’s quite inexperienced. Her company hasn't been open for more than a week.” As she said this, Alice chuckled and said “Much like me. My dad passed the company down to me a while ago. But our reputation went way down. Perhaps because people think the great Mackenzie’s daughter can’t do as well, so this is our first murder case.” She laughed sheepishly. Wendy merely smiled. Perhaps it was because she was simply glad that someone was willing to help solve Marilyn’s case. No matter what, Wendy was still her best friend. From their earlier conversation, Alice learnt that Marilyn’s parents have passed on a few years ago, and lived alone. So almost every day Wendy visited her to bring food and sometimes presents. It was a rather nice life, and they were very close. What else would one expect from childhood friends? They had known each other head to toe since they were eight-year-olds. So when the murder happened… well she had no idea what to do. She was simply devastated, unable to believe it, not wanting to believe it. She could not believe that her best friend had died, a friend she had known ever since she was a child. Who had been there for her when there were bullies? It was Marilyn. Who was it, when she fell down and skinned her knee did not laugh and instead put a plaster on for her? It was Marilyn. Who helped her settle her rent when her pay got cut? It was Marilyn again. So when Marilyn’s parents died in that car crash, she tried her best to be there, to comfort her, to make her smile. She even attended their funeral, even though she didn't know them well. But before she could repay for all those things Marilyn did for her, she died. So to her, bringing her death to justice was the least she could do to repay her friend. That was her reason. “So this is it?” said Alice, looking at the structure, scrutinizing it. “Yes it is.” Wendy said, smiling. “Looks really different from mine. Darn it I really should have a renovation. Pity Father would never allow it.” Wendy laughed. Then she knocked the door of a new-looking building with a large signboard that said ‘Kirin and Co. Detective service’. A cool voice said “Come in.” And so they did, stepping over the threshold and entering the office. “Hello and welcome to my office, I assume you have a case?” Said Kirin, with a small smile and calm voice. Kirin looked no older than eighteen, and had sleek black hair that fell at her shoulders. Alice shook her head, but continued to smile and say “No, I’m here with a request.” Kirin looked slightly more intrigued, and she leaned over and asked “Oh really? What about?” Alice’s smile melted away and formed a more serious look, and then she leaned over Kirin’s table and said “I want to team up. Let us solve Marilyn’s case together.” Kirin's face changed to become more serious. “Are you joking? You want to work with me?” Alice nodded. “Yes. You are the only other detective that lives in this vicinity. You know this place like the back of your hand. The main thing is that you’re a detective who knows this place. A very good way for me to solve this case.” Kirin did not answer. Instead, she stood up, and walked to the window. Then she turned around and said “Alright, I’ll help. But know this: I have already started working on the case. I planned to ask an experienced detective to help. I hope you fit the bill.” The tone of her voice was what Alice admired. Full of a zest for mystery, confidence and yet, calm. It reminded her of how she used to be. Alice smiled and walked over to shake Kirin’s hand. “Alice Mackenzie Kerning, of the Mackenzie Detective Society.” She said, smiling. Kirin’s face lit up. “I've heard of it! Oh how I admired Detective Mackenzie. Are you related?” She said, completely out of the image she had just painted of herself. “He’s my father. I took over the company a year ago. Call me Detective Mackenzie, or just Alice. Or you may call me Detective Mack, whichever works for you.” Alice replied, and Kirin said “Heard about you too! You solved the case of one of the biggest robberies in your city, didn't you? By the way, I’m Kirin Carroll. I’m inexperienced, but I am willing to learn. I look forward to working with you, Detective Mackenzie.” Alice smiled, and said “Same to you. Now let’s go over all that you know, shall we?” At this moment, Wendy mentioned that she had to get back to work, so she left the two detectives to their investigation.“So what have you found out?” Alice asked, seated very comfortably in the chair across Kirin’s table. “Well, for what we know, based on the news report we know she was stabbed. It is never mentioned how many times, so let’s assume she was stabbed once and died. Secondly we know that the area around her was clean. Apparently, Marilyn put up quite a fight if the perpetrator had to clear out the evidence. Now this is the part that puzzled me. Where is the murder weapon?” Kirin summarized, and then Alice looked at the newspaper article she had kept in her pocket. “Well then, we have a few people to question right now don’t we? You’re one, for example.” She pointed to Kirin’s name. “What, I’m a suspect now?” She sarcastically asked, then sighed. “Fine, go ahead.” Alice smirked a little. “Alright, let’s start with this. What were you and Hanamura-san talking about? I mean this is a curiosity question don’t mind me.” Kirin then rolled her eyes, and said “We were talking about food. Muku-san is a very absent-minded person, so we were talking about a recipe that he came up with and I told him to write it down.”

“And so you did. What is your relationship with Marilyn?”
“We are sworn enemies.”
“And are you aware, Miss Carroll, that by saying this you make yourself a prime suspect?”
“Indeed I am. But even I would feel sad if she died. Now I have no one to compete with. I have no rival and I can never beat her again. Why do you think I am even bothering to investigate her death?”
“True. Now where does Marilyn live? Near your place or far from your house, and please specify how near or how far.”
“Nearby, she’s my neighbor.”
“And so she is. I’m done, got all I need.” Alice pulled a pen out of her pocket and clicked it, and took out a notebook. “Now, repeat all that.” She smiled, and Kirin stood up in utter shock, confusion and indignation. “Why?”
“Protocol. To check for lies, that’s something you should learn.” Alice smirked a little. Kirin rolled her eyes, and then she asked in a challenging tone “And how in the world is that going to help?” Alice sighed, turned to Kirin and said with an exasperated smile “If you were lying, you cannot remember clearly whatever you said. That’s because stories made up on the spot cannot be registered as the truth by the mind just yet. Telling it twice helps it to remember indeed, but it only works on short lies. Now the truth will be like retelling a story one has read many times. And the truth is registered in your mind and you can remember what happened when asked to recall that memory. Now remember that, and do not assume you are the best detective just yet, you have a long way to go.” Kirin seemed to have run out of words, and just nodded. “Now, I want you to repeat what you have just told me.” “How did it go?” Marianne asked, in the inn they checked into in Sanditreath. Alice sighed and plopped back down onto the bed, rolling about a little then she propped herself back up on her elbows and said “No good. Turns out Wendy went out of town today after work and Hanamura went on a business trip a day after the incident, before it was reported. But I think Kirin wrote to Hanamura already and he’s on his way back.” Marianne seemed to consider all this, and then she spoke “Don’t you think it makes both of them quite suspicious?” Alice rolled over on her back. “Nope, Hanamura as some of the locals described him, was very absent-minded and he had to go home straight after he closed the shop or he’ll forget how to. Wendy was already away two days before; I confirmed that when I looked over the exit files at the toll booth.” Marianne then said something that got Alice thinking through the night “But if you’re trying to cover up something, don’t you think it’ll be more logical to get to the exit files at night to input a false entry? Couldn't you have made use of your condition that people know you the best for, which is absent-mindedness?”