The Murder Pal

I ran over to them like I'd found a lifeline. "Mr. Brown, please call emergency services! A child's been hit. He's still alive!"David's gaze landed on the child lying on the ground. His expression changed slightly."Calm down. Let me take a look."David turned around and said something to a male teacher behind him.The teacher nodded and quickly left.I asked anxiously, "David, did you call emergency services?"He ignored my question and looked at Esther instead."Are you the child's mother?"Esther shook her head and pointed at me. "She is. I'm her best friend. I-I was the one who hit him."David nodded before turning to look at me."Don't panic. I've already asked our school doctor to come over. Let him check on the child first."I froze. "The school doctor? Aren't you calling for an ambulance?""Even if we do make that call, it'll take time. We might as well let the doctor take a look first. Don't worry. Our doctor is very experienced."Something felt off, but I couldn

I clenched my fists."That's impossible! My mom is at home with him. There's no way he came!"Esther snorted. "Why don't you call and ask? You'll find out right away."She handed me my phone.I stared at her face and suddenly felt uneasy.I accepted the phone and dialed a number with trembling fingers.After a few rings, the call connected."Hello, Eve?"I took a deep breath and tried to steady my voice."Mom, is Leo with you?""Leo?" My mom paused. "He went to school."I heard a buzz in my mind."He had a fever. Didn't we say he wouldn't go?""It went down this morning. He insisted on going. He said he had plans with his friends." My mother, Bea Spencer, sounded calm as always. "I dropped him off at the school gate. What's wrong?"I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn't come out."Hello? Eve? What happened?"She continued speaking, but I couldn't hear anything anymore.My phone slipped from my hand and hit the ground with a sharp crack.Slowly, I turned around and

Esther fell silent.I continued, "I just bought that car. It cost me 50 grand. Now the front is wrecked. Repairs will be at least 7 grand. You're paying.""7 grand?" Esther shrieked. "That's daylight robbery!""Then let's wait for the dealership quote. Whatever they say it costs, that's final. I won't take a cent more.""I don't have any money!" She cried crocodile tears and started playing the victim. "I just got my license. I don't even have a job. Where would I get that kind of money? You're not giving me a choice at all!"I laughed. "Weren't you just saying you could pay 25 grand to settle this privately? Now you suddenly don't even have 7 grand?"Her expression changed again, but she couldn't come up with a reply.David quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "How about this? Let's put the car aside for now. Let's deal with the child first–""No." I cut him off firmly. "We'll settle this today. My son being safe is one thing. My car being damaged is another. She drove my

Esther covered her ears, crouched on the ground, and shook her head frantically.A police officer stepped forward to help her up, but she shoved him away. She lifted her head. Tears were still streaming down her face."Officer, please! I'm begging you, help me find my son! He has to be somewhere in the kindergarten! I clearly told him not to come out. How did this happen?"At that moment, a young teacher hesitantly spoke up."I remember Liam was wearing that blue hoodie this afternoon."She retrieved her phone, scrolled through it, and handed it over. "We took a group photo earlier. Look."Esther took the phone.In the photo, Liam stood in the front row. He was smiling at the camera.He was wearing that exact blue hoodie.There was a gold necklace around his neck..It was the one she had put on him herself when he was born. He had never taken it off.Esther stared at the photo as if her soul had been ripped out.The phone slipped from her hand and hit the ground with a crac