Chapter 4

MYSTIC HOLLOW

(Homicide)

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BY NAOMI INNOCENT

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CHAPTER 4

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Laura and Peter were still looking for the Psychological Records Room as they walked round the wards.

"She said it's close to ward 15" Laura said as they saw the ward 15 close to a room with an acronym written on top it "PRD"

"I think that PRD stands for Psychological Records Department" Peter said as she and Laura headed inside.

They showed the green card to the guards working in that lane as they assigned a tour guide to them.

Peter stopped and looked up as he saw something, he kept looking up as Laura tapped him.

"What's it?" Laura whispered to him as they followed the tour guide to the record room.

"I think I saw something. Maybe its just my imaginations" he said.

"And what was that?" Laura asked.

"I think I saw a man on blue mask on the roof heading towards ward 15 roof, but I know its crazy" he said as they walked.

"A man on blue mask? Seriously you are watching too many super hero movies these days" Laura said amidst laughs as they got to the record room while Peter shrugged.

"Here's the room" the guide said and closed the door behind him. He walked towards the window and stood as he watched the city from where he stood

Laura and Peter started looking for the files of Sarah from the catalog of "S" but they could not find it.

They moved over to "B" but they still couldn't find any Bellos records.

"Please sir, we are looking for Sarah Bellos file here and.. " Laura said but the guide turned to face her and she stopped talking.

"What made you think the Mayor's daughter was having a psychological issue?" The guide asked sternly.

"Ahh. You, You see, she.. She's our classmate and... " Laura stuttered.

"She wasn't having any psychological case" the guide lied as he turned back to what he was watching while Laura was downcasted.

"And if you are done, you may go" the guide Said still back facing them as he kept looking through the glass window.

Unknown to them, Peter has found the safe already and has known the guide was lying.

He took a vase from the table and smashed the guide's head as he fell to the ground and passed out.

"What are you doing? What if he died?" Laura asked in trembling voice as Peter searched the guide's pocket for anything he could find.

"He lied, I found a safe. I think they might have put Sarah's file in a restricted area since she is the mayor's daughter. Trust me, Mayor Bellos wouldn't want people knowing his daughter was having mental issues if she had one anyway... And... I got it" he said as he brought out the guide's card as Laura watched him dumbfounded.

They both went to the safe and didn't know what to do next.

"Now, let's look for a slot where we can slot this card in" Peter said as they looked for the slot.

"I think this is it" Laura said showing Peter as he inserted the card into the slot and the safe opened immediately.

His hunch was right cause they saw a record book with SARAH BELLOS boldly written on it.

"Come to papa" Peter said smiling mischieviouly.

They dusted it and sat on a chair as they opened it to read through.

They heard a gun shot from ward 15 which is close to the room they were in as they were taken aback.

"I think that gun shot came from ward 15" Peter said standing up immediately.

"Yh, me too, do you think the serial killer might be here?" Laura asked trembling as Peter nodded.

"But that's not the issue right now. Cause he might be finding his way out now so the cops won't catch him. The issue is that, who was shot? Who is in ward 15?" Peter asked as Laura stared at him frightened.

"Everyone stay calm! Do not panic, we are gonna lock down the hospital in 3 minutes so the murderer won't escape, stay calm!" One of the cops said as a siren was heard.

"The murderer won't be far from here, just stay calm and lay flat on the ground" he further stated.

"Sheriff " one of the cops said as she and her team hurried inside the hospital, no time for pleasantries.

"The killer is still in the building, stay calm people! If he has gone, he hasn't gone too far. We're gonna trail him!" Sheriff Ruth said as they walked around the hospital.

"Any CCTV camera footages?" Detective Phillips asked the Receptionist that attended to Elena and her friends.

"The detective squad are on it, move to the room at the left wing, second floor" the receptionist said trembling as Phillips nodded and headed straight to where he was recommended to.

He got to the room and saw Detective Kate there already with the Hospital cops.

"What's the development?" the computer expert was engrossed with the computer.

"Like always, the CCTV footages were tempered with" Kate said sadly as they stared at the different screens.

"Wait! Replay that" Phillips told one of the computer operator who did as instructed.

"Stop! Rewine a little. Ok stop!" Phillips said as they stared at a blur figure on the screen which the camera caught before the footage.

"Get me a picture of that" he ordered.

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"Let's get outta here, the hospital would be locked down any moment" Alex told Elena who was still engrossed in reading Sarah's records.

"Wait a minute" she said and took pictures of some part of the record book while Alex dragged her.

"The killer is here" Matt said taking the record book from their hands and kept it back in the safe.

"Thanks a lot Matt" Elena said.

"Anytime. And here's my number" he said as he handed a complimentary card to Elena which she took in a hurry and shoved it down her pocket.

"Thanks! come on Elena" Alex said within gritted teeth as they rushed out of the record room towards the mortuary.

*

"We have to go, this man would wake up soon, he is shaking his fingers already" Laura warned in a scary voice.

"But we haven't even read the record book" Peter protested.

"Or we can just borrow it and return it back when we are done with it" Laura said as she started wrapping the book with her sweater.

"Borrowing without permission is stealing and you don't wanna do that right?" Peter protested.

"Well who cares, let's just go already before we get caught or do you wanna be apprehended? Cause obviously, I don't " Laura said with a scary look as she led the way outside close to ward 15.

"now how are we gonna get pass the cops and guards without being caught?" Peter asked.

"Will you stop behaving like a sissy and use that silly brain of yours?" Laura cried out of frustration.

"Fine, keep your voice down ok? And stop yelling at me" Peter said as they heard footsteps coming towards them and they had to hide.

It was Sheriff Ruth, a nurse and some cops coming out from ward 15 where the crime occurred.

"So the patient was having some asthmatic attack before he was taken here?" Sheriif Ruth asked the nurse who was in charge of the boy that was murdered by the blue masked killer as they walked past Laura and Peter without catching a glimpse of them who eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Yh, he was rushed here by some students that he forgot his nebulizer at home and had an ashmatic attack" the nurse said as Ruth stared at the picture of the boy shot in ward 15.

"Same spot" she muttered to herself as Phillips and Kate came out of Ward 15 with two nurses rolling the dead body out of the room on a stretcher to the mortuary.

Sheriff Ruth and detective Kate walked to the waiting room of the hospital and interrogated the people there, aaking them if they saw or noticed anything funny before the homicide occurred.

"Yh, four kids were here earlier and they were shouting at the receptionist, the girl in charge seems funny anyway" an old man said as he was seconded by murmuring from the people.

"Some kids? How do these kids look like?" She asked as Kate brought out a book from her jacket pocket to take some report.

"Why don't you ask the receptionist over there huh? They were speaking to her and she would definitely know better" the old man said as Ruth noddd and walked to the receptionist who was trembling.

"You heard what the old man said, no need for intro, so what about the kids?" Ruth asked, she cleaned the sweat off her face

"They were four, two girls, two boys, they didn't tell their name though but she said she's your daughter and showed me your badge and.. "

"Damn Elena" Ruth said out of frustration as she squeezed her face.

"What did they come here for?" She further asked.

"To look at Sarah Bellos psychological, health and birth records" the receptionist said.

"What the heck?" Ruth said as she sighed out of frustration.

Just then, two guards came out with Elena and Alex who were struggling with them.

"Just let us go already! I told you we have our green cards and.. " Elena stopped talking when she saw her mom staring at her with folded arms.

"Mom?" She said in surprise as her mom opened her hands and Elena got the message immediately. (This story is written by Naomi Innocent)

She handled her mom's badge back to her as her mom spoke to the guards in a whisper, they nodded and left as Ruth turned to face her daughter who seemed scared to the marrow.

"Outside!" She screamed at her as she dropped the green card with the receptionist.

"Where's the other?" The receptionist asked as she just ignored her and went outside to wait for her mom to pass the judgment. Alex followed.

Detective Crane and Mansion who were trailing the killer lost track of him already as they walked back to the hospital, they weren't with much ammunition, Ruth called them back.

Detective Crane Bennett was perplexed to see his son, Alex outside the hospital, standing close to Elena when he was supposed to be with his babysitter at home especially when Homicide is the talk of the town. .

Elena saw him coming but Alex hasn't.

"Oh oh, I think am not the only one in big trouble" Elena said as Alex obsevered her and found out she was staring at a particular spot which made him turn to catch a glimpse of his dad's fury face.

"Oh oh, am so screwed" he said expecting the worst to come.

Sheriff Ruth and her team were done with the hospital so they headed outside to meet the rest teammate outside the hospital.

"So did you take the DNA samples at the crime scene?" She asked Kate who nodded.

"They've been sent to the biotechnologist for testing and observations" she said as they assembled close to the pickup.

"You guys may go, I'll come later, there's something I have to handle" Ruth said staring at her daughter who seemed scared.

She glanced at Alex who was being tongue lashed by his dad.

"And you think you are responsible? You left your 8 years old sister at home?" Crane asked Alex who was tired.

"But she has a babysitter! What's the need a babysittet if I have to do the babysitting job myself?" Alex protested.

"Shut up young man! You don't talk when am talking. You're grounded!" Crane said

"Dad?!" Alex screamed sadly.

"Just shut up! What were you trying to prove huh? Alex the hero or what? How and what do you feel the Mayor would feel if he finds out his daughter's case is been investigated by some sort of high school teenagers? They are some things you shouldn't get involved in. This is Mystic Hollow, its not everything you.. You.. Arhhgh. Just get out!" His dad screamed at him as he panted.

Elena watched as Her mom's team mates entered the van including, Alex's dad, they left remaining just her and her mom as she bowed her head.

"Im sorry mom" she said.

"What if you were the one killed Elena? What if you died? You even stole my badge? What were you trying to prove? What the hell is wrong with you?" Ruth screamed at her as a flicker of tears dropped from her eyes.

"Im sorry mom, I was only trying to help" Elena said with a teary voice.

"Did I ask of your help? Did I say this situation is outta my hand? When did I mention that I can't handle this homicide?" Her mom lashed at her.

"I am sick and tired of watching you all night trying to solve this issue. You need help mom and have you looked at yourself lately on the mirror? You look pale and weak and there was this voice note the Mayor sent you two days ago, I listened to it and deleted it, am sorry about that though. But the preasure he is putting on you is too much". Elena stopped and examined her mom who folded her arms and just stared at her while Alex stood some feet away listening to their conversations.

"Mom, my history teacher told me that great philosophers failed cause they thought of the natural world through the natural instead of looking at it from the super natural angle. Its not everything you can handle on your own mom. I can help you, you know, I think in order to stop this death we should.."

"Just stop! Stop bluffing Elena Gilberts! " her mom interrupted her speech.

"You know what young lady? You are grounded for a week!" Ruth said sternly as Elena sniffed.

"I was only trying to help" Elena muttered to herself lowly.

"And I didn't asked for it. Just stay away from this. You don't know what we are dealing with" Ruth side and entered her car which has the name *SHERIFF* boldly written on it.

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TBC