Case Closed Novels & Stories

Edward must’ve called him the second things went south. “That Chloe really knows how to mess with him,” James muttered, watching his uncle stride past. He knew about the meeting—Chloe, the mall owner, and whatever disaster had gone down. Judging by Abigail’s state, it hadn’t ended well. And just like he suspected, the partnership between Ulrick Jewels and the mall was officially dead. Word had already reached Bernard, Edward’s father, and Guiller, his older brother. Their grandfather? Furious. Earlier, while Abigail slept, Edward had been summoned to the study.

His assistant checked their files and shook her head. "No, the file is closed. Mr. Gerber has finalized the case and sent the results to headquarters. You'll receive their decision any moment now." Scott and Alexia stared at each other, panic rising. "Closed? How…? That can't be! We have to do something. Scott, we can't let him—he's just mad. We have to talk to him!" "Alexia… Alexia!" Scott gently shook her shoulders to center her. "Stop worrying about it."

That was when my phone buzzed with an email. I opened it to find a photo of the endless ocean, its blues merging with the sky. There it was, Wynnie's goodbye note. [Kelvin, if you're reading this, I'm probably gone. I've often pondered the cruel jokes of fate. You gave me your whole heart, but I was blind to my own. Now that I've hurt you enough to drive you away, I realize I can't bear a life without you. You might laugh at my words now.

That alone told me this wasn’t something small. “I’ve been working on something,” he said finally. I crossed my arms slightly, leaning against the edge of the chair. “I thought that was over,” I said. “The case is closed.” He shook his head. “That’s the problem,” he said. “It closed too cleanly.” My brows drew together slightly. “What does that mean?” “It means it doesn’t add up,” he replied. “Not completely.” I stared at him for a moment. Then pushed off the chair and walked toward the table.

People were arguing, then fighting, security got involved, and not long after that, the police showed up. “They kept everyone around,” Matt added. “Just to sort things out.” Jordy sank onto the sofa, tension easing slightly. “And your phone?” “Died.” Of course it did. Jordy let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding. “So you are okay.” “Yes.” “And Maya?” “She is fine. Just… upset.” The word lingered. Jordy leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. The relief was there, but it was not complete. Something still felt off, like a piece of the situation had not been explained yet.

I exhale not realizing I was kind of holding some sort of breath and weight in me. "The apartment?" I say. "Clean," she says. "You can go home whenever you're ready." I look around the sitting room, at Nora and Camila on the couch. And then at Dominic. Then outside the window at the afternoon light doing what it does. "Tomorrow," I say. "I'll go home tomorrow." "Okay," she says. She hangs up. I sit back in the chair. The case is closed. The apartment is clean. Bertram Solace is in custody.

When they finished she said: "Thank you for coming back." They said: "I didn't know if it was appropriate." She said: "It's always appropriate." They said: "There wasn't a new case." She said: "The continuation of an old one is still a case." They looked at her. She said: "The formal resolution closes the formal matter. The understanding you continue to build from it is also part of the function's work." She paused. "You came back to share the continued understanding. That's exactly right."

"What does that mean?" The woman shrugged. "It means we didn't find enough evidence to support the complaints. However, we're not closing the case yet." Mrs. Bayer stared at her. "So what now?" "For now, you can resume full operations." The woman handed her a document. "But we'll be back for a follow-up. Make sure everything is in order." She turned and walked out without another word. I looked at Mrs. Bayer. "What is going on?" "Apparently, the expired goods meant nothing." Mrs. Bayer stared at the paper. "I don't understand. Few days ago they shut us down. Now they're saying we can open?"

"My mum says so." Walsh looked at me. Something in her expression. Not quite a smile. "Yes," she said. "She's right." After lunch Walsh and I walked in the garden. The frost had softened through the morning. The ground was damp. The bare trees still. "The Swiss case closed yesterday," she said. "Two children identified." "Families notified." "The mothers have been contacted." "By Diane." "Yes." "How did that go?" She was quiet for a moment. "One mother had given up," she said.

The waitress returns to our table “We hope you had a wonderful experience dining with us, would you care for desert?” I exchange glances with hazel, she shakes her head with a slight grimace “I am so full right now; I might bust open if I take one more bite of anything” “The check please” I turn to the waitress As we step it to the night breeze my hand find hazel’s and I am struck how natural it feels. “So, how am I doing so far? I ask “the jury is still out on that” she replies “Well, the night is not yet over I could still score some brownie points you know”