That afternoon, during lunch break, Nancy approached me. For the first time, in a long time, she didn’t look hostile. Without looking the slightest bit awkward she took a seat beside Jenny and me. Both of us, in the middle of opening our lunchboxes, looked at her disbelievingly.506Please respect copyright.PENANAEtzONesdy5
506Please respect copyright.PENANAi72gnrUcDH
“I have something to say to you.” She said, more to me than Jenny. “I think you know what the Inspector has in mind…”506Please respect copyright.PENANAEcooQnOwYj
506Please respect copyright.PENANAhPqxwnHMzD
“He intends to tie us three to Jolly’s murder.” I said, matter-of-factly. “He said as much to my face.”506Please respect copyright.PENANA9qrqvKLCHi
506Please respect copyright.PENANAHthAkNqxry
I wondered about that too. Although, my interactions with the Inspector were far from friendly, something told me that he wouldn’t carry out the threat. Maybe it was foolish of me to believe that.506Please respect copyright.PENANAihrluKEAYu
506Please respect copyright.PENANAirOur5oTlJ
“You, Jenny and me.” Nancy said slowly. “He…He thinks we were working together to get rid of Jolly. We all know how much he hates your father… At the moment he’s chasing after the incident in the physics lab but…What if that leads nowhere and he turns his attention back towards us.”506Please respect copyright.PENANAnYxCTCeFmY
506Please respect copyright.PENANAtKcIeeOHRd
“I don’t think he’ll go that far…”506Please respect copyright.PENANAOaIwMBmlHv
506Please respect copyright.PENANAgD7U0z2Oh7
“But what if he does?” Jenny chimed in. “What if we go down for a crime someone else committed?”506Please respect copyright.PENANA6eaFrZh7wh
506Please respect copyright.PENANALyZDzMZwkQ
“Look…I’m not saying we should be paranoid but…” Nancy said. “We have to protect ourselves.”506Please respect copyright.PENANAEjVCEHaSF7
506Please respect copyright.PENANAiFsdDIZUke
“What?”506Please respect copyright.PENANAKabi7LhpMy
506Please respect copyright.PENANAFrtnVjPxEQ
“Keep our eyes and ears open for…for anything that could point at the true murderer.”506Please respect copyright.PENANA4WFoBDvAE2
506Please respect copyright.PENANA2xBfuKIrld
“Have you gone crazy, Nancy?" I asked incredulously. “Do you think we’re in a movie or something?”506Please respect copyright.PENANAEw5VUwOsnH
506Please respect copyright.PENANArWJyYg6nKr
“Don’t be ridiculous, Amy. I am not suggesting we play detective. Just….Watch people. Listen to the things they say. Start a harmless conversation about Jolly’s and Pinky’s deaths.”506Please respect copyright.PENANA55Zmj61woF
506Please respect copyright.PENANA3iP023tJVg
Pinky’s death…That reminded me…506Please respect copyright.PENANAyJfEHPUS7R
506Please respect copyright.PENANAU15kLVJZTx
“Did he say anything to you about Pinky’s death? He never mentioned her to me.”506Please respect copyright.PENANAqcEPcFJSFl
506Please respect copyright.PENANAT172sZ0uz5
“Of course he did.” Nancy said, frantically. “He knows she liked us and us her. He thinks we convinced her to poison Jolly’s drink. And…”506Please respect copyright.PENANAsbY2ZfKWNW
506Please respect copyright.PENANAB6ToyLUucO
I felt as if I was drenched in ice cold water. Jenny glanced at me, panic written in every inch of her face.506Please respect copyright.PENANAVl2irkVpcI
506Please respect copyright.PENANAjnUu18OWAt
“He…He doesn’t think we killed her, does he?”506Please respect copyright.PENANAZI9KUEFb33
506Please respect copyright.PENANA1uTqS3HzMY
“Of course, he does.” Nancy said, impatiently. “He thinks the same person or people killed both of them.”506Please respect copyright.PENANAG5p3AvFW9p
506Please respect copyright.PENANAkGLQoCGvBq
Before I could respond to that, Nayana, one of our classmates came rushing in.506Please respect copyright.PENANApZElVoxpF1
506Please respect copyright.PENANAjDjH5H2NDt
“Guys…” She yelled. “Jo’s just been arrested. The police searched his home. They found a rope and a little bottle of poison hidden away in his house…”506Please respect copyright.PENANAYelRv0GxVn
506Please respect copyright.PENANAWDMI6327ye
We abandoned our lunchboxes and listened in horrified silence. Nayana told us that Joseph had been arrested and convicted for murder once before.506Please respect copyright.PENANAzdp4g76gd8
506Please respect copyright.PENANAK7JeG6YwDU
“His ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend. He shot and killed them in the middle of the street. Just stood there laughing and let himself be arrested…”506Please respect copyright.PENANAHeR8nst9JB
506Please respect copyright.PENANA7tjtNi8EN2
“He must have killed Jolly then.” Jenny whispered, relieved.506Please respect copyright.PENANA5TPhceKncI
506Please respect copyright.PENANAw5uQCG3y2L
“Of course not!” Nancy scoffed. “Use your brain, Jenny. If you were a murderer would you hide incriminating evidence in your own home? Besides…Take his previous crime…He committed murder in front of a whole lot of people…He didn’t have an intricate plan to get away.”506Please respect copyright.PENANAvvbfHCpe2l
506Please respect copyright.PENANA8WuvpqZNwB
“Do you think the police didn’t think of this?” Jenny asked her.506Please respect copyright.PENANAW4eSh0qabJ
506Please respect copyright.PENANAqLUsyTv84H
Nancy just shook her head. “The murderer is framing someone else…If Jo is irrefutably proved innocent...How long do you think we have before he or she thinks to provide the inspector some evidence to arrest us?”506Please respect copyright.PENANAncfUH874Kb
506Please respect copyright.PENANAtZRFMmh4jU
To be continued...506Please respect copyright.PENANAGpsVb0AW7S