Ani says motives are the key to solving murders.
‘Motives reveal secrets. Secret gambling problem? Secret child? Secret trafficking ring run by our suspect?’
‘What –?’ We hear Mom outside Ani’s room. Ani’s eyes widen and my face burns. Ani goes toward The Motive Board one second too late – Mom bursts in with Dad. I didn’t even hear Mom call Dad but they must’ve been wondering what me and Ani have been working on together. ‘The Motive Board! Abderrazzak, I thought you said Ani’s teeth grinding was due to her reopening her Amelia Earhart case!’
While Dad scratches his eyebrow, I remember the rough night I had last night due to Ani’s teeth grinding. Dad told me and Mom that Ani grinds her teeth in her sleep when something is majorly bugging her. The thing that’s bugging her has to be this investigation. She’s determined – maybe obsessively – to solve it.
‘No more investigating.’ Mom takes The Motive Board off the corkboard stand. ‘Girls, let’s leave the investigating to the police. This isn’t negotiable.’
‘I agree.’ Dad’s eyes linger on Ani. Like me, he’s expecting her to object. Instead, she says nothing. Dad goes on, ‘We can do ice-skating.’ I’m starting to like him. We’ve been bonding with small talk and snacks. He has good ideas too – I love ice-skating.
‘Excellent idea, Abderrazzak,’ Mom says but I notice something. She can sound like she’s one-hundred percent fine with him – it’s part of her job to do presentations and meetings so her communication skills have to be strong. But she never looks at him when she talks to him. And her posture is always so wooden around him. He’s in the same boat – he tries to stay a healthy distance away from her as possible. ‘Let’s keep the girls busy and far from anything to do with murder.’
‘Supersleuth’s log,’ Ani utters into her phone as she squirms in the theatre chairs, ‘I’ve been forced out of my private TUSC office. They want me to watch a movie on a large screen with strangers because I “need to relax”. The mystery of the murder makes me cranky but so what? Investigation obligations have stalled. An unforgiveable order from the adults.’
After ice-skating yesterday, we were forced to watch a National Geographic documentary. I say “forced” but that’s Ani’s word – I rather enjoyed it. Then, Mom played board-games with us until Dad was done helping Fred update his laptop for the second time in fifteen days. After dinner, and with The Motive Board still hidden away, we fell asleep.
I lean closer to Ani’s phone. ‘I’m in the theatre too.’ However, I soon regret both leaning and speaking because Ani roughly taps me on the arm. I yelp; my dress has thin sleeves, so I felt it fully. Ani, on the other hand, wears capri pants, a shirt and a denim jacket.
‘How many times, Riri? It’s a cinema. Learn English of England, would you? Moving on. Mom’s attending a Zoom meeting for work and Dad’s doing some errands. My SIT and I are watching Disney’s latest creation.’
‘Shush,’ some grown man tells Ani. He’s not here with any kids. ‘Can you not talk?’
‘No.’ Ani stands. Oh no. Why does she always have to make a scene? There are already plenty of scenes in a theatre – or cinema, whatever! You know, on the screen.
‘I paid for a ticket too,’ Ani defends. ‘Consumer rights –’
I cover her mouth with my hand. She squirms and I reach for my hand sanitiser with my other hand. But it works. She stays quiet. Yay.
An hour later, the movie has ended. Ani and I are in the foyer. It’s loud, busy and bright. The whole place smells of blue raspberries from the ICEE machine. I’m eyeing it, desperate for a refill, and Ani’s gawking at the arcade.
But we have strict instructions from Dad: wait here after the movie ends.
‘Ani,’ someone says. Even though it’s loud, we both heard that voice clearly.
It’s Sergeant Chloe! Oh no – a police officer here for Ani in a public place. I’m sweating so much I have to wipe my shaking hands on my skirt. Are we in trouble?
‘Chloe?’ Ani squints, confused. ‘Are you even allowed to watch movies in your uniform?’
‘I came to tell you something, but we need privacy.’ Chloe’s eye travel to the growing crowd. The foyer has become significantly quieter than before. ‘Let’s let these people continue on as they were and you both can come with me.’
I take a step in Chloe’s direction because this is clearly the Chloe. As in, the Police Sergeant Chloe Li who knows Ani. As an upstanding citizen, I plan on doing the right thing.
Ani comes close to me. I feel her warm bubblegum-smelling breath as she murmurs, ‘Riri, we’ve been made. Don’t listen to anyone, trustworthy as they seem, until you know their true intentions.’ I have so many questions but there’s no time – Ani now loudly addresses Chloe. ‘Is this to do with my investigation?’ she asks. ‘They’re after my evidence because they’re all useless, I knew it.’ Now I kinda get why Mom insisted Ani keep a healthy distance from this investigation; it is turning her paranoid.
A sombre look crosses Chloe’s face. ‘It’s about your dad. Let’s go. Now.’
I’ve been in Castlewick for fifteen days now. I’m growing to love Dad. And now something has happened to him? My heart does the biggest beat ever. It worsens when Mom comes bursting into the foyer. She’s crying. ‘Has he been hurt?’ I don’t know if anyone hears me over Mom’s crying and Ani’s rambling.
‘You want to exchange my dad for my investigational findings? Unbelievable!’
‘Ani!’ I hiss. ‘Can you stop thinking about your investigation for one second?!’
‘No, Riri, I told you –’
‘Dad might be hurt!’ I shriek. ‘Or worse! She said it’s about Dad, Ani, not you.’
It takes her a moment to get it. When she does, her eyes fill with tears, mixing with her anger. ‘Dad can’t be dead too! NO!’
‘No, he’s fine.’ Worry wrinkles Chloe’s forehead. What is she hiding? ‘Your dad is under arrest. I’ll explain everything once we’re at the station. Let’s go.’
Then, we both cry.