The Vendeleer Brothers Book 3: Nightmare on Holly
Chapter 8: A Murder Mystery

A soft, cool fog blanketed the scenery of the suburbs Holly was jogging through. Despite the nice morning, she found herself unbearably hot and sweaty.

Man, I’m out of shape… she thought.

As she passed by large oaks and sycamores overlooking quaint little houses, her thoughts drifted to Roderick Vendeleer. Why did all the people she like turn out to be crazy? Roderick was cute and fun, but his brother and friends had also tied him to a chair because they thought he was possessed. Holly wasn’t so sure if she wanted to get into all of that…

But then again, she had felt a connection with the guy, and she had never met someone quite like him. She knew he had been about to ask her on a date, but didn’t bring it up again after they had been forced inside. She probably would have said yes… but now…

She wasn’t sure how she felt now.

Why did things have to get so complicated? Dating life was complicated enough!!

Holly huffed and puffed down the road, her mind going in circles about whether or not she should still pursue this Roderick guy, when she suddenly spit because of a weird metallic taste that was suddenly in her mouth. Where in the world had it come from? It tasted like she had been sucking on pennies!

At that moment, she heard some sort of commotion coming from behind the bushes. Now, normally, she wouldn’t have really cared, but it was pretty early for there to be a lot of loud clanging in a little suburb. Holly came to a stop, her curiosity getting the better of her. Cautiously, she peered through the bushes to find and overgrown lot, the tall weeds wet with dew. A few feet away, was a familiar face, swinging a crowbar at the bumper of an abandoned car.

Akaysha came at the old car with extreme malice, busting out a taillight of the Shelby Cobra Roadster. Holly’s mouth dropped open, and and she couldn’t help herself as she burst out of the bushes.

“What are you doing?!” she exclaimed, causing the thirteen year old to jump. “Do you realize how much this is worth?”

Akaysha stood there, saying nothing as Holly stroked the hood lovingly. Most of its blue paint had been stripped off, and a few plants were growing up through the moldy seats. The car was in really bad shape, but Holly could still see the potential. She sternly turned to the girl beside her.

“Whose car is this?” she demanded.

“Uh… I don’t know…”

Holly put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips, her short blonde ponytail swishing back and forth.

“What are you doing out here anyway?” she asked.

Akaysha dropped the crowbar and pointed at her.

“What are you doing here? Are you stalking me or something?” Holly narrowed her eyes

“I was on my morning run when I heard an awful racket. What did this car ever do to deserve this?”

Akaysha’s eyebrows furrowed forward.

“It’s just an old car.”

“Just and old car?!” Holly said, aghast. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”

“Lady. Give me a break. I’m only thirteen. How am I supposed to know anything about cars? I don’t even have a permit yet.”

“Hmph.”

Akaysha shouldered her backpack over her long sleeved shirt.

“Well, I’m going to go to school now…” she said slowly, turning on her heel to leave. Holly narrowed her eyes.

“You must go to Chestnut Oaks middle school right? That’s the direction I’m headed as well, so I can make sure you get there safe and sound!”

Akaysha raised a brow and then rolled her eyes.

“I’m not some rebel kid, despite what it seems like.” she grumbled.

Holly took stride next to the thirteen year old anyway. The two of them walked in silence for a moment.

“I get straight A’s you know.” the teenager piped up.

“Oh really?”

“Yes. Really. My parents were really smart people and taught me a bunch of stuff. Dad was a neurologist. That means he studied brains, and my mom was an English professor at Harvard University, which is a super renowned school-.”

“I know what Harvard is.”

“Oh.”

“And I know what a neurologist is too.”

The two of them walked in more silence, and Holly kicked a rock.

“So… what happened to them?” she asked slowly. Akaysha didn’t answer right away. Holly could almost feel the anger suddenly bubbling off the girl, and Akaysha gripped her book bag straps even tighter. Holly started to wonder if she shouldn’t have touched on such a sore subject with a foster kid, and she started to taste more of that odd metallic stuff in her mouth.

“They were murdered.” Akaysha told her with a scowl.

Holly hadn’t been expecting this. In fact, there were a lot of things she was learning about this kid that were quite surprising.

“Everyone thinks it was an accident, but I know better. No one believes me though.”

Holly made a mental note to look all this up when she got home.

“Do you know who did it?”

“Yeah, but I can’t tell you. He’d find out and kill you too.”

Holly suddenly felt a chill roll up her spine, and she somehow knew that this girl was being dead serious. She also noticed that Akaysha hadn’t said ‘if’ whoever it was found out. She had just said that he would find out. The two of them soon came up to the middle school, where Akaysha paused.

“I will say this though-just be careful. There’s some dangerous stuff going on here in Spectreville, and I’m not quite strong enough to stop him just yet.”

Holly tilted her head a little as the girl ran into the almost empty looking school. She checked her watch to see that it was still very early for things to start for a middle school.

The things Akaysha had said really troubled her. There was a stigma on the whole foster kid situation, and she felt like people would always see the girl as this troubled child despite whatever the truth may be.

Slowly, Holly walked up to the middle school and made her way to the front office. Maureen, the principal, just so happened to be a good friend of hers from church. Maybe she could give her some insight on the whole thing with Akaysha. When she stepped in, she came across a large red headed woman talking to a stringy woman in her fifties with long dark cornrows and beads. They turned as soon as she came in.

“Holly?” the skinny woman said with a surprised smile. Holly returned the smile and gave her a hug.

“Hey Maureen. How’s it going? And how’re you Anie?”

The red head smiled and stuffed a doughnut in her mouth.

“What’re are you doing here?” Maureen asked. “You look a little too old to be in middle school.”

“Yeah, I was kind of wanting to talk to you about one of your students.”

The principal nodded, and then motioned for her to follow.

“Let’s go into my office. I’ve got more doughnuts in there if ya want some.”

Well, Holly could never say no to a doughnut…

After choosing a nice lemon filled one and settling into a black leather armchair, she asked about Akaysha. She wasn’t sure if Maureen would really know her since she had so many students, but when she mentioned her, the principal’s eyes lit up.

“Oh! Do you mean Akaysha Roberts? Prococious seventh grader who was recently put into the forst care systerm?”

“Yeah! That’s her!”

The princiapl sat back in her chair and chewed on a bearclaw.

“She is quite the interesting child. She excelts in her classes and loves school. Maybe a little too much. Many times she doens’t want to leave after the day is over. She’s even asked me if she could help with my paperwork before.”

Holly frowned. That didn’t seem like normal thirteen year old behavior.

“Does she have any friends?”

“I think so?”

“What’s her home life like?”

Maureen took a moment to think about this.

“Well, any child in the system is most likely going tto hold some sort of resentment to their foster parents, but Hecotr genuinely seems like a nice, sincere person. He does seem to be a bit overprotective at times, but what can you do? I think for AKaysha, it’s just importnat for her to keep busy.

Holly thought back to one of the last times she had seen Hector Leavitt, where he had been yelling at Bobby until he was purple in the face. She also thought about how Akaysha had tried to steal Roderick’s wallet and how hungry she had seemed.

And if she was suce a good student, then why was she angrily beating on a car? Something wasn’t right She could feel it. Did it have something to do with her parents’ deaths? Had they really been murdered?

Holly was way too nosy for her own good. She wanted to get to the bottom of this.

“So… you know how Bobby’s in the hospital right?” she began carefully.

“Yeah, I heard about that. Is he going to be ok?”

“Yes, but, well, things can get pretty hectic by myself, and since Akaysha seems to be doing so well in school, what would you think if I took her on as a sort of intern? I know some places you have to be at least sixteen, but I think we can both agree that she’s pretty mature for her age.”

Maureen scratched her chin, considering this option.

“She has been asking for more extracurriculars…”

Holly fidgeted a little nervously as she waited for an answer.

“How about this-I’ll talk with Hector and see if it’s alright, and get back with you. How’s that?”

Holly nodded.

“Sounds great.” she said with a smile, her mind still on the idea of a possible murder mystery.

She wanted to get to the bottom of it.

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