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We don't understand it. We can definatly say that this shoe does belong to Joe Rakes, but we cannot even begin to imagine how it somehow got into the tree. It is simply impossible."
I heard this so many bloody times I thought I was going to go mad.
"Well, do some investigations or something! Alex was absolutely mortifed when she found it. It had his toe in it, for crying out loud! Why the hell was it in her tree, her own back garden?!" I knew they would just repeat themseleves again, but I was determined to find out why his shoe had ended up in the tree. The policewomen sighed. It was exactly the same two policewomen who had told me the news when Joe had died, except the younger one had dyed her hair blonde. It didn't suit her, not that I cared.
"The only real, true possible explaination is that somehow, when the car's exploded, the impact, the force, was enought to wrench Joe's shoe into the air. With strong wind, it could have possibly flown through the air and close by. Maybe a bird picked it up, perhaps the bird that was nesting in it." I fidgeted. I was sure there was more behind it.
"The crash happened far away from Alex's house. And the Sparrow that was roosting in it could have never picked it up and brang it into the tree. Someone must have put it there." The thought of that gave me the creeps. Who would put a shoe in a tree? Alex couldn't have possibly. The thought of Ashley putting it up there was enough to make me sick. I shook my head.
"Look, we are sorry, but it's just a mistery. We have no idea, and plus, we can no longer carry out much further investigations, as the investigation was closed long ago." Both policewomen stood up, putting there coffee mugs on the table. I also stood up. There was an awkward moment, before the older one said,
"Well thanks very much for your time." She sounded a bit annoyed. I rolled my eyes.
"No, thank you," I said gruffly. I began to leave the room, when all of a sudden I heard a whisper come from the younger one. I turned round.
"Excuse me?" I said, agitated. The younger one blushed a deep pink.
"Sorry...there's a stain on the back of your skirt," she said. I raised my eyebrows, showing her that I couldn't give a shit and that she should stop being childish. She blushed again, and looked at the floor. I stomped out the room, and across the Reception. Before I left, I looked out the window. The sky was grey, and rain was pouring down onto the window, splattering it. I could just about see the outline of a Church, a statue of an Angel with it's hands in a prayer was gazing back at me. It reminded me wether Joe was looking down at me. It had been so long since his funeral. I still remember weeping loads, holding a single red rose in my hand, clenching it so hard it's thorns went into my skin and made blood trickle down onto my wrist, so everyone thought I was self-harming. Which I would never do, anyway. I heard footsteps behind me, a hand rested on my shoulder.
"Sorry about the stain thing, mam. I was being foolish." It was the younger policewomen, looking a bit bashful. The older one was standing a little bit further away from her. She had ovbiously told her to go and say sorry. I raised an eyebrow.
"It's fine," I said, a hint of humour in my voice. The younger one nodded. I didn't even know her name. I looked at her badge.
Jemma Holts.
As she shuffled away, I looked back outside the window. The Angle was still there, looking at me. It looked like it was weeping. The Weeping Angel. I chuckled to myself as I remembered that was a Doctor Who episode I had watched long ago. I shook my head, laughing at myself. Had I gone insane?
"Are you alright, mam?" The older policewomen was walking over to me. Shit. She must think I was insane and all.
"Yes thanks, just remembering old times." I expected her to be baffled, but she nodded in agreement.
"It's hard to say goodbye, isn't it?" I stopped looking out the window, and faced her. She stared back at me, her blue eyes dull.
"I lost my husband a few years ago. A dreadful time. I thought I could never get over it. But eventually you just... move on." I looked away, out the window again. I didn't need someone helping me, giving me advice.
"I felt it was my fault, too," she said, carrying on, regardless I wasn't paying much attention. "I should have stopped him." I whipped round, looked at her.
"Stopped him from doing what?" The policewomen met my eyes. I looked at her name badge.
Sarah Smith.
"Not him. He wouldn't have hurt a fly, my Matthew. I don't know why he was punished in such cruelty." She was speaking with such bitterness I felt slightly intimidated.
"What happened to him?" I said cautiously. Suicide? Manslaughter? Accident?
Sarah looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Murder," she said.


"Hi Dru, just wondering, when you get this, can you call me back as soon as possible? Thank-you, bye!" Natalie hung up the phone. All sorts of thoughts were buzzing around her head.
It all began because of her cleaning out her closet.
She wished she hadn't.
It had been okay to start off with.
It had been a lazy day, nothing much to do except clean and iron and wash. She had cleaned, and ironed, and washed, she needed to sort out some decent clothes to keep and chuck out.
Natalie had sorted through her closet, keeping most of her clothes, when she started sorting though the piles of paper and useless junk she always threw at the bottom.
"What a load of rubbish," she murmurmed, chucking most of it away. Then she found a little reciept for something. It had a different language on it, and it puzzled her. She thought about chucking it away, but was somehow drawn to finding out what the writing on it meant. Leaving the messy piles on the floor, she quickly went downstairs and into the living room, and hurridely loaded the computer.
Google Translate.
She typed in the mystery words that made absolutely no sense to her, and then made it translate to English. Her eyes widened as she read through the translation.
Unknown quantity of grams. Seperate pouches for each drug. Cocaine, Ectasy, Weed, Herioin, Marijuana. Not to be sold seperatly.
Then the rest the translate couldn't translate.
Slightly gobsmacked, Natalie clicked off the translate and stared at the reciept in her hands. Who the hell was buying drugs? Illegal drugs, too? She had to call Dru, and so, she had. She refused to believe it was him who was taking them. It couldn't be, could it?
Who else would take drugs? Perhaps Alice was taking them and wanted to blame her? Perhaps it was Alex? It wouldn't be Ashley. Or Stefan. Although, she had barely met the guy, who knew what he was like. She bit her lip. So many things happening at once, it was starting to get to her. First Joe, and now this, and then the arguments between her and Alice. God's sake.
All of a sudden her phone beeped. She hoped it was Dru - but it was Holly.
"Meet me 3pm at Costa Coffee. News. Others will be there." That was all. She assumed "Others" meant Alice, Dru, Ashley, Alex and maybe even Stefan. From what she knew, she and Stefan had been getting on pretty well these last couple of days. Sighing again, she replied,
"Okay. See you later." She didn't want to press the matter. After all, she now had some pretty big news too.


3pm. Costa Coffee.
That's what she had said.
Alex was looking at her phone, whilst sitting in the cafe. She was alone. She had gotten there quite early and was waiting for everyone else to hurry up. Glancing at her watch, she breathed out.
How come everyone was 10 minutes late?
God's sake, she didn't have time for this.
Cupping her coffee in her hands, she blew gently on the rising steam and sipped a bit. It tasted to creamy for her liking. Oh well. She heard the little bell on the door chime as someone walked in. It was Holly and Stefan. Holly looked different. Alex peered at her. She looked... alive? Not in that way, as in, more happy then she had been since Joe had passed away. She and Stefan were giggling. They ovbiously hadn't seen her. Stefan said something to her and she laughed. Alex rolled her eyes. A new man? Already? Nah, couldn't be...wait! Alex couldn't believe it when Stefan suddenly kissed her. Properly, and everything! Alex was stunned. Surely... wasn't she just getting over Joe? Was this the big news?! No fucking way!
"Yeah, hello? Some of us are trying to EAT here!" Alex said crossly. Stefan and Holly glanced over, and both blushed. Alex turned her back on them and slumped down. She was in a shitty mood. Mainly because Ashley hadn't bothered to come home all day, and wasn't replying to her texts. Probably pissing about with Ellie, for crying out loud. Stefan and Holly came and sat opposite her. Holly looked worried, and Stefan looked slightly uncomfortable. Alex raised her eyebrows.
"So is this the "Big News?" Because if it is, I am not in the mood," she said sharply. Stefan and Holly glanced at eachother.
"N-no..." Holly stammered. "Well yeah, and there's a lot more..." Her sentence was cut short when two people entered the coffee shop. Their hair was plastered on their heads from the rain, and both of them were smiling. They were holding hands.
Alex followed Holly and Stefan's gaze and watched the couple.
"So, where are they?" she heard a female voice say.
"Dont know. We should just go," Alex heard a male voice say.
A voice she knew all too well.


I braced herself. I knew what was coming.
"Oh HELLO Ashley! What a lovely suprise to see you! I have been wondering all day where you have been, worrying myself, and yet, here you are! With... her!" Alex struggled to keep her temper under control. "Not even bothering to answer my texts, eh? Or answer my calls, you self-centered bastard! Ridiculous! In fact, seeming as you two are more or less a bloody couple, why don't you just bloody walk off into the sunset together, hey? Leave me then, see if I care!" Alex's face had gone red, and her hands were clenched. Everyone was looking at her.
Ashley's face was soft and dazed. Ellie looked horrified.
"It's not what you think," was the first thing he said. Alex looked like she was about to burst, but, right on cue, Emily, Natalie, Alice and Dru all walked in. Alice and Dru were holding hands, and Natalie and Emily were walking behind them. Alice and Dru looked pretty happy enough, holding hands, talking quietly, but Natalie looked pale and Emily's face lit up once she saw Stefan, to only fall when she saw me sitting beside him.
There was a massive awkward moment.
"Sit down," I barked. Everyone did as they were told, shuffling to the table. Alex shrank away from Ashley and almost kept herself away from the rest of them. I took a deep breath.
"Ovbiously, we all have news, so let me say my part first. As you can see, Stefan and I here... we're sort of...dating. Yes, I know, you all think I'm a slag, but I love him, that's all that matters. Second of all, as you may all know, the shoe Alex found in the tree did belong to Joe," I swallowed. They were all staring at me blankly. Stefan sqeeuzed my hand under the table.
"And they say it either got picked up by a bird and left there, or the impact of the explosion caused it to fly into the tree. Both reasons are a load of rubbish. Someone deliberatly put that shoe in the tree. And it's even more sick at the fact he must have been dead when they took it off him." I watched everyone's mouth open slightly. I coughed.
"I personally however, have a much better reason." I swallowed, ready to hit them with this massive bombshell.
"I don't think Joe's accident was an accident. I think it was murder."
Everyone stared at me. Ellie gasped a bit. Then it when seriously silent. I cleared my throat.
"I think someone murdered him, made sure he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, and then pushed the car down the hill and it collided with the other cars. The murderer had to burn the evidence - so set the cars on fire. Whilst they were on fire, the murderer must have realized they needed his shoe for something - don't even ask me what or why. So, risking their own life, took the shoe, took whatever was out of it, and then somehow got it into that tree." I couldn't help but glance at Alex and Ashley. Alex glared at me.
"What, you think I did it?!" She sounded at breaking point. Ashley remained emotionless, just staring at me.
"Of course not," I said quickly. "I just don't understand who would put it a tree - your tree." Alex shook her head, her hair falling forward.
"I've got news," Natalie piped up. The rest of us turned to look at her. She looked all of us in turn.
"Today I found reciept for someone buying drugs in my wardrobe. It's not mine, or Dru's, or Alice's. I think someone might have put it my coat pocket - deliberatly." I noticed Emily's face go a bit pink. I felt a bit mean to be honest, these were my friends, and yet we were accusing eachother of serious crimes.
"Not that I'm blaming any of you lot, of course!" Natalie said quickly, practically reading my mind. Alex didn't look very happy. She looked really sad. I felt really bad for her.
"You okay, Alex?" She bared her teeth. Woah.
"No I'm not okay." She turned to Ashley.
"Explain," she said fiercly. Ashley went pale.
"We were shopping," he said. "We were..."
"What, frolicking around in the Valentines Day section?" Ashley frowned.
"Um no, it's almost Chirstmas. We were... well I was, getting..." Ashley sighed, clearly annoyed.
"I was getting you your Christmas present, alright? Jeesh, you getting all paranoid! Am I not allowed to see my mates anymore? You'll stop me from seeing Dru and Stef soon! Ellie came along to help me choose. I am a man, for God's sake, I wasn't sure what you'd like. Luckily she was there to help me. And we were holding hands because I almost tripped and fell a miniute ago, and just reached out for the nearest thing to stop me from falling, alright? And my phone ran out of battery. SATISFIED?" Ashley was very angry and hurt at the accusations Alex was giving him. Alex looked very taken aback and quite embarssecd. She didn't know what to say.
"I-I-I'm sorry-"
"Save it," Ashley snapped. He got up from the table.
"See you lot around," he said, and walked out. Alice and Dru exchanged glances, and said goodbye and walked out to. Emily said goodbye, looking rather confused, just as I felt too.
"Talk to you later Stefan," she said, smiling at him. She smiled at me too.
"You make a cute couple." She walked out. I couldn't hear any jealousy in her voice, no anger, nothing.
"She's really lovely," I said to Stefan. He just smiled back.
"Yeah, lovely," Alex repeated. She looked worn-out. I glanced at Stefan. He nodded.
"We're going to go now. See you around, yeah?" Alex just continued staring out the window.



Later On

"SuperStrong Bow, why didn't I guess?" Ashley laughed. He had the flat all to himself now, Alex had gone out tonight and he had invited Stefan over. Stefan laughed back.
"My favourite." Dubstep tunes blared out of the iPod speakers, as he and Ashley eat warm pizza in front of the TV. They weren't even watching the TV, but just had it on anyway.
"Today went well, don't you think?" Stefan joked, swallowing his drink down.
"Yeah, definatly," Ashley said sarcastically, taking a bite of pizza. Stefan began to hum the tune of "Pizza in Ibiza." The Midnight Beast was his, Ashley's and Dru's band. It had been running smoothly for quite a long time now. Ashley knocked back his drink of vodka. Didn't like beer.
"It's just stupid," he said. His words slurred. He was drunk, already. Jeeze. Stefan nodded, tapping his fingertips on the side in time to the tune that was playing. He didn't know what Ashley was on about.
"I only slipped the reciept into her pocket so that I didn't get caught."
Stefan paused.
"You what?" Ashley stared at him. The room around Stefan began to shrink.
He felt his heart begin to pound.
"Ashley, what you on about?" Ashley continued staring at him.
"Let's play a game!" He suddenly shouted, making Stefan jump. His skin crawled. Something about Ashley was making him feel very disturbed. Ashley stood up, and dissapeared into the kitchen.
Perhaps Stefan should make a run for it.
Ashley ovbiously had something wrong with him. Mental problems? Smoking to much... Stefan suddenly understood.
It was him who took the drugs.
He stood up abrubtly, his pizza and drink falling on the floor.
Had to go.
As he began to move, Ashley appeared at the door. He had something behind his back.
"Leaving, so soon?" Stefan noticed his eyes were red and raw, his voice husky. He had changed.
"Ashley," Stefan said, backing away.
"I've been hiding it for a while now Stefan. I can't do this. Now you know, you go. Haha that rhymes!" No smile was on his face.
He slowly produced a knife from behind him.
Stefan gasped, and began to back away, terrified.
What was wrong with Ashley?
"Please don't Ash, please, please!"
Stefan had never felt so scared in his life.
Ashley was advancing towards him, the knife glinting in his hand.
Stefan backed up against the cold wall.
He could barely stand up.
Too much drink.
No time.
Ashley stood over him, the knife rasied in the air.
Stefan closed his eyes.


And waited.