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Chapter Text

Josh took a deep breath.

It was time. Time to reveal his grand plan to his family for his EPQ, and to finally get out of Pip’s shadow. Not that he hates his sister, he loves her with all his heart, and she’s been through enough shit, but if he has to be known as 'Pippa "brilliant detective, podcaster, honor student, etc." Fitz-Amobi's brother', then he’d rather jump off the Golden Gate Bridge.

He took a tentative step towards the dining table, where his mum, dad, Pip, and her husband Ravi are sitting. Their stares were so intense that he almost aborted his plan that he rehearsed for a whole week in his head, but he got over his fear and saw that though they were doubtful, they also looked excited. Even Ravi and Pip.

Josh cleared his throat, Just be normal, “Mum and Dad. Pip and Ravi. I have something to tell you all.”

Well great, Joshua! He berated himself, That was oh so very normal indeed! We're off to an amazing start!

Pip unconsciously leaned closer, an old habit she never lost from her investigating days. Ravi’s eyes went wide for a fraction of a second, before settling back to a neutral expression. Though Josh knows Ravi is nervous, his fingers are unknowingly moving in a sort-of scratching motion.

“I have decided to dig further in the Stanton murder case.”

Everyone’s eyes bulged out of their heads. Pip turned sheet pale, Ravi’s hands had a slight tremor to it, and his parents gave side-eyes to each other uncertainly.

The case in question was the murder of Edward Stanton. It is an unexpectedly old case, which despite being broadcasted to TV’s and online, only a few people have heard of it.

The case has been ongoing for 7 years, with the police still not finding who was responsible for the murder, though some people believe it was Nathan, Ed’s son, who killed him.

Honestly, Josh thinks the police just didn’t want anything to do with the case, it’s not a secret that Edward Stanton wasn’t very well liked by the public. Reasons are unknown though, everyone’s been tight-lipped ever since the man died.

“Now, before you guys start freaking out. It won't be like Pip’s. I’m gonna make sure of it.”, says Josh, determination pulsing through his veins like a steadily growing fire. He glanced at Pip and saw her eyes seemingly scanning the table at rapid speed, panic and fear written plainly across her face like an obviously fake Wikipedia article.

“I will only be showing things that were already shown in the case reports, except with more details.”, he said slowly and carefully. “This will be a normal EPQ and it won't go further, I promise.”

They all still looked uncertain, but Pip seemed to regain herself as she spoke in a low voice that barely disguised her concern.

“Josh, why don't you just. Search for another topic?”

Something reignited in him, something ugly. But Joshua snuffed it down. “Pip, I chose this. It’s what I want to do.”

There must’ve been something in his eyes, something familiar to Pip, because her’s widened slightly before settling on doubtful resignation. Pip took her husband’s hand and used her thumb to run circles on his palm, a comforting habit for both her and Ravi.

“Just be careful, I don’t want you to end up like me, okay Josh? I don’t want you to go through that.”

He nodded. “I won’t take it too far. I’ll back up when there’s any sign of danger.”, he says and leaves without looking at anyone.

It was raining outside, the sky greyed by the clouds dealing the downpour on Little Kilton. He wants nothing more than to get out of this town and start somewhere new, somewhere he won’t be known just as 'Pip's little silly brother'. Maybe he could even apply to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, or literally anywhere that isn’t Cambridge.

Joshua wanted to clear his head after the suffocating tension from earlier, so he decided to take a short run around town. It was about halfway to his run though that it started pouring, so he had no choice but to run to a shelter nearby, which was unfortunately, an abandoned house in a corner of the woods.

He tried knocking at the door earlier, but nobody answered. And the exterior of the house looks very run-down; rusted, vandalized, some windows were boarded with wooden planks. It looked like it’s just from a horror movie. A murder cabin, perhaps?

Anyway, Josh didn’t have any choice but to awkwardly sit on the hard ground at the house’s driveway. His hands went to his pockets before remembering he left it at home. Josh guessed he was so distracted he forgot to grab his phone from his room before leaving.

Bored from just sitting around, Josh decided to observe his surroundings.

The garage was pretty run down. The single light bulb which barely worked when he turned it on occasionally flickered, the table at the corner was dusty, on top of it was a screwdriver, an empty toolbox, and an odd-looking black rectangle, with faded writing on it. Josh thinks it might be an old cassette.

He ponders for a moment before deciding to place the tape in his pockets despite his better judgement. Not like anybody would miss the tape anyways, he thinks.

The rain grew weaker as the minutes passed by until finally, it was light enough that Josh could walk back home. He tried looking around the house to see if he could find something that could play the tape, but no luck. He tried opening the front door and the door in the garage, but it was locked. Josh wanted to consider breaking the door down but he isn’t sure he wants to go to jail over breaking and entering yet.

He sighed in defeat and started to make his way home, the ground under his shoes crinkling as he weaved his way through the tall and intimidating trees. The sun shone its dainty rays on Joshua’s face as he finally gets out of the forest and walked to his home.

Josh opened the door and took off his muddy trainers, then silently made his way to his room, trying to avoid his family. His door gently shut with a click, and he flopped down on his bed, not caring if his unchanged clothes would get the sheets wet or dirty.

Due to the comfort of his bed and because of his exhaustion from the tension and his short run, Josh’s eyelids start closing slightly. He was about to fall asleep when he heard his door creak, and his fight or flight mode activated. Josh grabbed the nearest thing he had, a hockey stick beside his bed, and pointed it to whoever entered.

Ravi’s eyes widened before raising an eyebrow with a small twitch of his mouth, like an aborted smile. Joshua’s cheeks turned red in embarrassment before returning the hockey stick to its original place. They both stood there awkwardly, with Ravi looking at him and Josh looking at anywhere but Ravi.

Then Ravi cleared his throat, “So, where have you been Little Sarge?”, Josh's blush deepened into a shade of crimson.

‘Little Sarge’ was a nickname Ravi gave him when he was caught organizing a pretend investigation with his toys when he was 14. Josh at that time was greatly interested in crime (he still is even now), and he was in the middle of pretending to inspect a corpse of a Barbie doll when Ravi walked in.

He started calling him ‘Little Sarge’ not long after, much to Joshua’s suffering. Though nobody knew why but them, which was great because he wouldn’t know how to live it down.

Josh crossed his arms and pretended to study the architectural genius called a ceiling. “Nowhere.”

“Oh, so you suddenly just appeared in the house, wet and muddy?”, Ravi smiled and closed his door gently, before mimicking him and crossing his own arms as well.

He finally looked at the older man and saw that his face was set in a poor expression that mimics his dad’s ‘You’re in trouble, young man!’ face. Joshua sighed deeply and plopped on his bed, a tired expression on his face.

“Look, I promise I’ll explain later. I just want to sleep.”

Ravi stared at him for a bit then relented. He quietly walked towards Josh’s door and told him to get a good rest.

“Oh, and by the way, you might want to change your clothes first. Don’t want you catching a fever, do we?”, he winked before exiting.

Despite a mild irritation towards the man, Joshua heeded his advice and got changed before sleeping. His eyes rested easily and his body sagged with exhaustion, sinking deeply into the mattress and allowing himself to fall inside a dream.

+---+

When Joshua awoke, the sky was already dark. He assumes it must be sometime around 6 or 7 pm, and rolled out of bed. He immediately ran to his computer and pulled up his browser. The chatter downstairs must indicate that his family are already having dinner, and to them, Josh must still be asleep.

He doesn’t mind eating a little bit later, he’s already too busy researching about the Stanton case anyways. Josh read an article title and clicked on it with his mouse cursor.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄

by Elsie Louise Pearls, January 13, 2025

𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝖢𝖺𝗌𝖾. 𝖠 𝖼𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝖼𝗄𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗋𝖾 𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗎𝗋𝗒. 𝖬𝗋. 𝖤𝖽𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖺 𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗍𝗁𝗒 𝗆𝖺𝗇 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝗈𝗐𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖺𝗇𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖧𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗒 𝖤𝖽, 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇𝖣𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗐𝗌𝗉𝖺𝗉𝖾𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗉𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝖣𝗈𝗐𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗐𝗇𝖣𝖺𝗂𝗅𝗒.

𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝖺𝖽 𝖺 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗈𝖿 3, 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝖿𝖾 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝗌𝗁𝖺 𝖠𝗇𝗇𝖾 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺 𝗌𝗈𝗇, 𝖭𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝖩𝗈𝗌𝗁𝗎𝖺 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇. 𝖧𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗌𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝖲𝗂𝗋 𝖭𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇, 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝗐𝖺𝗌 19 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖽𝗂𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗇 𝖭𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋 06, 2018.

𝖨𝗍 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 7 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗌 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗌 𝗎𝗇𝗌𝗈𝗅𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖽𝖺𝗒. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗈𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗇'𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗎𝗅𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗍, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖬𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾 𝖭𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗋, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝖽𝖾𝗍𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾, 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗀𝖾𝖽𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗌𝖾.

𝖨𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 4 '𝗈-𝖼𝗅𝗈𝖼𝗄 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖤𝖽𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽'𝗌 𝖼𝗈𝗋𝗉𝗌𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗌𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗂𝖽𝗌. 𝖬𝗋. 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗅𝖺𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝗋𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖺𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝖾𝖼𝗄 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗌𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗂𝗇𝗃𝗎𝗋𝖾𝖽.

𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗈𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗆𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗒 𝗎𝗉𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝗂𝗌𝖼𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝖤𝖽𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇'𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗋𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 10 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗎𝗍𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝖾.

𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖧𝖾𝗂𝖽𝗂 𝖲𝗄𝗒𝖾, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗌𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗅𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗇 𝖠𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗅 21, 2020. 𝖭𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇, 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋'𝗌 𝖺𝖼𝗊𝗎𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾, 𝖬𝗋. 𝖳𝗁𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗌 𝖶𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍, 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗇𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍. 𝖧𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝖿𝖾, 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝗌𝗁𝖺 𝖠𝗇𝗇𝖾 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗈𝗇, 𝗐𝗁𝗈𝗌𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗂𝖻𝗂 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗆𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖢𝖺𝗅𝗂𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗇𝗂𝖺 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗁 𝖽𝗎𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋'𝗌 𝗉𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀.

𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗈𝗅𝗂𝖼𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖺 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗌𝖺𝗐 𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖺 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄-𝗂𝗇, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖧𝖾𝗇𝖻𝖺𝗇𝖾, 𝖺 𝗅𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗅 𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗌𝗈𝗇, 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗅𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈𝗉 𝗈𝖿 𝖬𝗋. 𝖤𝖽𝗐𝖺𝗋𝖽'𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖽𝗌𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝖽𝗋𝖺𝗐𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗌𝖾𝗇𝗌𝗂𝖼 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗍𝗌.

Josh stopped reading the article and switched the tab to his Microsoft Word. He prefers not to write anything on paper, since the notes might be lost (and he doesn’t like writing anyways).

𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗟𝗢𝗚 𝗜: 𝗝𝗢𝗦𝗛𝗨𝗔 𝗔𝗠𝗢𝗕𝗜

Okay, so, where do I start. Oh boy, hopefully this doesn’t turn out like a diary of sorts. Anyway, what I gathered from this article, is that Mr. Edward Stanton was supposedly killed sometime before 4 a.m., at least, that’s what the press was told. Some signs were found that possibly indicate a break-in, which struck me as kind of off.

Firstly, the forensics team found traces of Henbane in a drink beside Mr. Stanton's bed, which was later mentioned in the article, Edward drank from. Nothing odd was noticed the previous night, and the article mentions that the staff reported to the police that Mr. Stanton went to bed ‘much happier than usual’.

The police did a thorough investigation of the whole house, and nothing was missing or stolen, so why would someone break in at the middle of the night without stealing anything?

One of my conclusions as of now is that the intruder broke in to deal some blows to Edward while he was sleeping, or, while the poison was taking effect. It could possibly be a crime motivated by hatred or some other strong emotion directed at the man, because the possible intruder didn’t have to do physical damage to the man since he already consumed the poison.

Maybe… there were actually two murderers. One who poisoned Mr. Stanton’s drink, and one who wanted to kill him but was unaware of the poisoned drink. I guess I’ll see where my intuition takes me.

(Note to self: watch reports and search for articles during 2018 about the Stanton case. I, unfortunately, was 10 at the time, so I was prohibited from watching or hearing anything related to Mr. Stanton’s death.)

I gotta go, they’ll probably be suspicious that I haven’t woken yet and accidentally barge in to me possibly emailing the Hickory Police Force for anything regarding the case under FOIA. Unless it’s not allowed in ongoing cases and I’m not as smart as I thought I was.

He hopped out of his chair after switching his window to YouTube, leaving his laptop screen at a paused video of the 'Funniest Stranger Things moments compilation', timestamp 3:15. (At least he has taste!)

Josh stopped at the mirror to brush his hair before leaving and he walked downstairs.. Ravi was washing the dishes while Pip dozed off on the sofa, his parents were nowhere to be seen, though he did notice that their shoes were missing from the rack near the door. Maybe they stepped outside to go on a date or whatever.

Ravi was the first to notice him descending the stairs. How does he always know? He turned off the tap and turned to Josh with a smile.

“Well look who’s up! We saved some food just for you, Little Sarge. It’s just over there by the counter. Though, just to be clear, I’m finished washing the dishes, k?”

Joshua nodded absently at him, the case bugging his mind like an annoying wasp as he took some food and placed it on the table to eat. He heard Ravi walk closer to him as he sat down. Ravi placed a hand on top of his head and ruffled his hair, before walking to where Pip was slumped on the couch.

“I just brushed that you asshole!”, Joshua yelled after him. He only received a chuckle in return. Josh grumbled at his food and ate in pettiness. It was no big deal of course, he could just brush it again, but he wanted to be petty because How dare Ravi make me brush my hair again!?

He heard faint murmurs of probably just sugary nothings that Ravi always says to his sister followed by rustling, which probably meant Pip getting up. He heard the front door opening and Ravi yelling, "We'll be leaving now Josh! Pip says take care, alright?", and a soft click of the door closing, then silence.

Suddenly, Josh gained a ridiculously large amount of energy. He finished his food quickly and dumped the dishes on the sink. Promising to wash the dishes tomorrow as compensation.

Chapter Text

The morning came in its sunshiney glory. Joshua groaned from the desk and stretched his arms, he is definitely sure he heard something pop somewhere. Looks like he fell asleep last night from browsing through Google. Josh remembers being up until probably 2:45 a.m. last night.

He ran a hand through his face and checked his monitor. On the display was the last tab he opened before falling asleep on his desk and saw that he was reading through an article about Jason Bell . Which is weird because he remembers absolutely nothing from last night, and he definitely doesn’t remember Jason Bell relating to Edward Stanton’s murder.

Josh clicked on his tab history to see which tabs he opened at 10:00 p.m. to 2 in the morning, since that’s where his memory blanks out. Must’ve had brain fog.

The first one that appeared was from 10:15 p.m., it was an article about Nathan Stanton’s gambling habits and how it predicts that his father’s company would surely go bankrupt soon from how Nathan was mishandling his father’s money.

He skimmed through his past tabs and finally arrived at the tab opened before the Jason Bell article. It opened at 2:19 a.m. and it talked about Mr. Edward’s relationships between people. Based on the article, Joshua quickly gathered that literally anyone could’ve killed him, because, you know, he wasn't very liked.

The last bit in the article also mentions how Stanton loved sleeping with anything that breathes. So the many, many mistresses of Edward Stanton could also potentially be involved. Just great.

He swiftly turned on Incognito and pulled up the search bar. In it, he typed How long does henbane poison take effect

The screen glowed brightly and the page Planter’s Choice flashed on the monitor. Josh scanned the article and found that regular Henbane has a toxicity level that causes adverse effects between 2 to 48 hours after consumption.

He took a small notepad and listed the effects so he can transfer it to his Word later. The effects of Henbane include hallucinations, blindness, and sometimes, fatal internal effects such as vomiting and respiratory complications to heart and nervous system failure.

Joshua held his mouse and scrolled further down the article, eyes pausing to read the ways to quicken the effects of the poison. He made a move to grab his pen but stopped, before almost banging his head on his desk in shame.

He remembered that he could just use Ctrl+C and paste it on his Word document.

He stared dejectedly as he used his cursor to select the parts he wanted to copy, then switched the tab again to his Production Log. Josh simultaneously clicked Ctrl+V and browsed his Log, deep in thought.

Henbane effects can be quickened… So it’s possible that the poison in Stanton’s drink was boosted by probably a tincture, or maybe even belladonna and mandrake. But to do that, you’d need to have access to these things. And you’d also need to be very close to Mr. Stanton to be able to get so close to him that you’re able to poison his drink.

Or, Josh’s eyes widened. A househelper of Edward poisoned it! Either of their own accord or under someone’s orders!

He felt very giddy typing these down on his computer, and he was about to search for another information when he was cut off by his stomach grumbling. Ah, he must’ve been too deep in his research that he missed breakfast. Josh closed his tabs and shut off his laptop before heading downstairs.

As soon as he exited his room, he smelled the alluring scent of what could only be bacon and poached eggs. His mouth watered and he was below the stairs in a flash. Josh ran to the dining room and he found a meal already set, which could only be just for him.

Josh immediately got seated and dug in, the food disappearing almost instantly. He never knew he could even eat that fast. Halfway through an egg, he almost choked as a voice he wasn’t expecting spoke behind him. Josh scrambled for the water and a hand helped him swallow it and push the egg down his throat.

“What the hell Ravi you can’t just-”, Joshua’s eyes narrow at Ravi in suspicion. “What are you doing in my house?”

Now Ravi had the audacity to widen his eyes. “They didn’t tell you?”, he asked incredulously.

“No?”

“Victor and Leanne won’t be back until a few weeks. Sarge apparently convinced them to take a break out of the country.”

“What!?” , Josh thinks that if he’s ever to describe what a mid-life crisis is like, it’ll be something like this. They left without telling me!? “So why are you here?”

“Me and Sarge are gonna babysit you!”, Ravi smiled at him in a way that reminded Josh of the sun.

Josh let out a sound of protest. “ Babysitting!? I’m 17! I don’t need a babysitter!”

Ravi blew out some air. Why? Josh doesn’t know. “ Actually , it was Pip’s idea. She’s scared to leave you alone by yourself because… uh, you know-”

“Okay, I get it.” , he cut Ravi off and took his dirty dishes to the sink. He stopped though when he saw the sink was completely empty, devoid of the dishes he left there yesterday night. Josh turned to Ravi and asked, “You really like washing dishes huh?”

Ravi blinked, then his face turned confused. “I only came this morning.”, he shrugged. Must’ve been mom.

“What’s the agenda for today Little Sarge? It’s still a few hours until Pip comes back from work.”

Josh thought for a bit, then exhaled. “Maybe I’ll interview someone about the Stanton case and see their opinions or what they know about it for now.”

Ravi brightened. “Want me to come with you?”

“Well I mean, I wouldn’t mind…” , mumbles Joshua, cheeks dusted with a slight tinge of red. His sister’s husband said nothing and just smiled brighter, if that’s even somehow possible.

“Oh, by the way, just thought you would want to know. Therese Niller just closed the Stanton case a couple of hours ago.”

Josh sprinted back to his room and practically slammed the door. He was vibrating with excitement as he opened his email and typed his request to have any information the Hickory Police can spare regarding the Stanton murder (While trying not to sound too desperate) and sent it.

Calm down, Josh. Don’t get too excited. He reprimanded himself and took a deep breath.

+---+

Josh and Ravi left the house and made their way to the Reynolds’ house. Joshua had just finished interviewing Ravi and Cara, Cara’s being over the phone since she’s working somewhere in a big city, with her sister Naomi as her supervisor. Josh barely knew them outside from when Cara would sometimes come over to check with his parents, but he’s glad Naomi’s dealing with herself better.

Ravi unlocked his car and they both got inside, Josh fidgeted his hands on his lap. Nervous but mostly ecstatic at the opportunity to finally go out and just do something he considers exciting. Ravi noticed his hands as he’s buckling his seatbelt and chuckled.

“Wow, you’re really excited.”

Josh huffed a laugh, “You don’t even know.” , he felt his hair get ruffled and the engine started. He looked outside his window and admired the beauty of Little Kilton. Ravi turned on the car speaker and played a song that Josh liked, which made his eyes flutter weakly. Before he knew it, he fell asleep again.

He was woken by Ravi shaking him gently and rousing him awake, announcing that they’re already at the Reynolds’ door. Josh bolted upright and looked around rapidly, only stopping when he saw Ravi’s amused but worried face.

“Hey, you okay?”

Josh nodded absently, “Yeah, just, disoriented.”, he scratched his head. Why do I keep falling asleep so often?

He exited the car and knocked on the door, Ravi standing behind him. A few seconds later, it was opened by a tired-looking Connor Reynolds. His face scrunched up weirdly while he looked at Josh, like he was trying to remember who he was, before looking at Ravi. Upon seeing the man, Connor’s eyes finally cleared and he suddenly looked a lot more awake than earlier.

“Connor, do you have a moment?”, Ravi smiled, but Josh sensed from his tone that it's not as bright as usual.

“Sure.”, Connor croaked from the doorway and stepped aside to let them in.

Josh fumbled at arranging the setup to interview Connor while he and Ravi went to the kitchen. ‘To help Connor sober up.’ Ravi said before practically dragging a pale-faced Connor away. Josh finally got the equipment set up correctly and went to get Ravi and Connor from the kitchen.

He walked there smiling proudly to himself, but he stopped a few paces away. He hears voices, presumably his sister’s husband and her friend, engaged in a conversation muffled by the house’s interior. Josh stepped closer quietly and heard bits of their speech.

“--- he’s here--- can’t find---”

“He won’t--- made sure---”

“--- loopholes Ravi! Loopholes!”

“Let’s just--- not about--- Max is---”

Josh heard Connor sigh and two sets of feet approached his location. He panicked and sprinted further from the kitchen to act like he just finished setting up the things and was here to inform them. He met Connor’s eyes first, and Josh noticed that Connor turned even paler than before, then made a sort-of aborted motion to hide behind Ravi.

The other man, though, brightened when he saw Josh. “Josh! Do you need help setting up?”

“Oh I-I just finished.”, he stammered. “Connor, whenever you’re ready.”

Connor gulped and nodded. The three walked back to Connor’s living room and sat down, Connor and Josh across each other and Ravi on a couch in the corner.

“Okay, so Connor, can you tell me what you know about the Stanton case 7 years ago?”

“Uh…”, Connor shuffles in his seat. “Well, I don’t know much… I just know what the media told us and stuff.”

Josh tried not to wince, “Okay, can you… tell me about it?”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Uh, well, they said that he died at around midnight or so, since his body was found at 4 ‘o-clock.”

“Uh huh. Anything else?”, Joshua’s hands unconsciously twitch.

“Let me think… I don’t have a good memory of it, it was 7 years ago so… Ah, but they found a cut rope tied on a tree branch outside Edward’s window. I think the police said it was part of the noose attached to his neck?”

Josh perks up. “What else did they think?”

“Well, I think they dismissed it because it wasn’t the same type of rope.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,”, Connor winces. “sorry. That’s all I know. I’m not a fan of crime stuff, that’s your sister’s expertise.”

“It’s okay, thanks anyway.”, Josh stands up and tidies his things, Connor stands with him. “I’ll help you with that.”, he nods gratefully.

Connor walks with them to the door and bids them goodbye. Josh thanks him and enters the passenger’s seat miserably, Ravi looks at him with sympathy.

“Not much, huh?”, Joshua shakes his head. Ravi thinks for a moment, “Hey, let’s just wait for your sister to come home, and then we’ll ask what she knows.”

“No, I’ll just ask her tomorrow after school. Tomorrow’s Monday anyway.”

“Alright then. What do you want to do now?”, Ravi asked enthusiastically, hoping it could lift Josh up. His patience rewards him, because he immediately regains his spark and suggests that they could play FIFA for a few hours then do some research together.

“Sounds fun Little Sarge!”, he starts the car and they drive home.

When they arrive, Josh immediately takes his shoes off and jumps on the couch, grabbing the controller. Ravi shakes his head and turns on the console, then sits beside him and grabs the second controller. The screen lights up and the game starts.

The door opens a few hours into Josh and Ravi’s game. Pip enters looking worn and tired. Ravi immediately pauses the game and runs to her, wrapping her into a hug. Pip laughs in his arms and they smile at each other lovingly, Josh suddenly felt like he was intruding on something.

Pip walks to the couch to place her things down, she spots him on the couch. “Oh, hey Josh! How was the interview with Connor?”

“It was… something.”, Josh says half-heartedly. “How did you know I went to interview Connor?”, he looks at Ravi. Of course.

Joshua moved a couple of inches to make room for Pip. “You okay?”, he asks.

His sister looks at him and smiles, exhaustion written across her face. “Yeah, just tired. Long day at the faculty.”

“Deciding what work to dump on us students before summer?”

She snorted as they felt Ravi sit down beside her. “Yeah, exactly that.”

“Cool.”, he turned back to the game and was about to grab his controller when- “My research!”

Pip jolts upright. “What?”

“I forgot to do my research!”, he runs upstairs, leaving Pip to look at a chuckling Ravi.

The door to his bedroom slams and he sits down on his chair so swiftly it almost starts spinning. He opens his computer and clicks on his tabs. Josh positions his fingers on his keyboard and types what he heard from Connor, no matter how little and almost insignificance it has.

Josh switched to Google and typed ‘Stanton case rope on tree near window’ and pressed ENTER. The results fly into his screen. Many articles popped up that speak generally of the Stanton murder, but no sign of what he’s looking for specifically. Oh well, evidence doesn’t serve itself on a platter.

He reads each article to see if it mentions something about the rope, but so far only one mentions it but just briefly. Josh scrolled further down the search results until he reaches the final article. He clicks on it, slightly desperate that what he gained from Connor wasn’t useless. Please, please.

Josh skimmed the article, until he found just what he needed. The article by Emmi Lourdes shows a photograph of the rope tied to a tree near a window, the window could only be Edward Stanton’s. The yellow caution tape in the background proves his theory. He inspects the rope and sees that instead of the typical somewhere in the brown spectrum color, it’s a dark purple-ish color.

The dangling part of the rope has black traces on it, so Josh assumes that to cut the rope, it must’ve been burnt. A lighter or anything else in that calibre could’ve been used to cut the rope.

Now, all Joshua needs is a picture of the rope around Stanton’s neck to confirm if it’s from the same type or if it’s like Connor said, different types of rope.

For now, Josh just searches the most popular brands/types of rope, preferably strong ones since the rope needed to be burnt to get cut. He closely inspects all the pictures of the ropes in his screen, trying to discern what brand of rope was tied to the tree.

He scrolls until he sees a rope that stood out from all the generic rope images he’s seen. The picture seemed to jump out to him as he felt his heartbeat spike up for a second. The rope in question has a familiar color, specifically dark purple-ish.

Josh quickly checks the brand and his eyes widen when he sees it.

The rope was made by HandyEd.