by Chuah Yuhui(from Singapore), age 9
One sunny and windy morning, Professor Ruth was at home chatting with
her friends - Dr. Sonberg, Sergeant James and Sergeant Ning - as it was
their holiday, when they heard a scream. Then they heard a gunshot. It
was coming from the house opposite the Professor’s home. Sergeant Ning
and Sergeant James immediately stood up and rushed to the window followed
by Professor Ruth and Dr. Sonberg. Sergeant Ning saw a man dressed in black
running out from the house opposite. She ran out of the front door and
gave chase. Sergeant James also gave chase. He was in the lead. Professor
Ruth and Dr. Sonberg ran out to the street. Professor Ruth grabbed her
bicycle. She cycled after Sergeant Ning. Just as Sergeant Ning spotted
the man turn around a corner, she heard a car starting. She rushed round
the corner and saw the man in black driving away. She memorised the car
number and the colour of the car and jotted them down in her notebook.
Meanwhile, Professor Ruth knew a short cut to the road. She took the short
cut thinking that she would confront the man in black. Just as she turned
in to the road she saw the man getting into the car. She picked up a sharp
stone and aimed it at the car’s tire. It missed the tire and landed on
the cement floor. Immediately after the stone fell, the man drove away.
Professor Ruth gave chase and turned round just to see Sergeant Ning run
round the corner. She continued the chase but soon lost sight of him. She
sighed and returned to her house. She met Sergeant Ning in the house. Sergeant
Ning sighed when she heard when happened. Then she asked where Dr. Sonberg
was. They jumped up suddenly when the front door slammed. Dr. Sonberg stood
there panting. He slumped down onto an armchair and told them what happened.
“I ran after (pant) Ruth, but lost sight of her. Seeing that I could not
(pant) catch up, I ran to the police station instead. On my way there,
I saw a man wearing the similar clothes to the on Ning saw running out
of the house. He had (pant) taken off his hat and the mask. So, I saw what
his face was like. He had dark skin, small eyes, he was tall and
lanky, he had long (pant) hair, a mole on his chin and…. and a scar on
his right cheek.” “ Really! I never saw someone with such a funny
face before!” exclaimed Professor Ruth. “I saw a picture of someone that
matches your description. In the police book.” Sergeant Ning replied. “And,
has anyone seen Sergeant James? I haven’t seen him.” “What!” Dr. Sonberg
said worriedly. “I’m sure that someone has seen him after he chased the
man in black!” Everyone did not have a word to say until they heard the
back door open. Someone had gone in by the back and now was washing his
hands in the kitchen. Professor Ruth was startled. Then she smiled and
opened the kitchen door. What Sergeant Ning and Dr. Sonberg saw was a great
surprise. It was Sergeant James who had gone in by the back door to the
kitchen to wash his hands. “James! We thought you were missing and that
an impostor was going through the back door. Except Ruth of course.” Dr.
Sonberg said smiling at Ruth who was behind the door. “Hey!” Sergeant
James replied. “ We’d better get goin’ to the house opposite and check
if they are all right! Why didn’t you all go there just now?” “Oh, yeah.
We forgot.” Sergeant Ning replied. “Then, what are you waiting for?” asked
Sergeant James. The party of four went over to the house. They rang the
doorbell and waited. A young lady opened the door. Her eyes were all puffy
and swollen. Sergeant Ning told her of their reason to come then persuaded
her that they would solve the case if there was one. They went into the
room which the victim was murdered. The room was in a mess. Clothes
were strewn everywhere and books were torn. Even the drawers were taken
out of the chest itself. Papers were flying about blood was almost everywhere.
Sergeant James bent down in front of the body and looked at it. A gunshot
went through the victim’s chest. The murderer broke the poor victim’s backbone
and cut off her ear. She was wearing a purple linen dress with lace on
the edges of the dress. Meanwhile, Professor Ruth and Dr. Sonberg searched
for clues in the upper floor while Sergeant Ning and the young lady, introducing
herself as Ms. Brittany White and the victim as Mrs. Betty White, looked
for clues on the main floor. In the end, they put together what they found.
Professor Ruth found a lock picker stained with blood, a piece of paper
with Andrews and a piece of torn purple linen cloth with a plier glued
to it. Dr. Sonberg found a green marker stained with blood, a piece of
green glass probably broken from a wine glass bottle and a used bullet.
Next, Sergeant Ning found a gun, a garden glove and a bottle of red liquid.
Brittany found only one thing that did not belong in the house. It was
a time bomb! But luckily, it was not set. Brittany said that the green
marker stained with blood and the bottle of red liquid belonged to the
house. The green marker had probably fallen onto the pool of blood so it
was stained with blood. The bottle of red liquid was syrup, in the bottle.
Then, the Sergeant James took the things that they found into transparent
plastic bags then sent them to the police station to look for fingerprints
on those things. Professor Ruth and Sergeant Ning looked for fingerprints
in the house while Dr. Sonberg and Sergeant James looked for footprints
outside the house and any chance of how the murderer got in. Suddenly,
they heard a scream and Sergeant Ning shouting, “Don’t move!” Sergeant
James quickly ran into the house asking Dr. Sonberg to continue his search.
But, just as Sergeant James ran into the house, Dr. Sonberg heard someone
behind him say, “Don’t move or you’ll be dead! Hahaha!” Then, Dr. Sonberg
was taken away. Meanwhile, Sergeant James was luckier then Dr. Sonberg
of course, he had climbed through the window from the room next to the
one Professor Ruth and Sergeant Ning were and climbed through the window.
He signalled a sign to Professor Ruth and Sergeant Ning to keep quiet then
he climbed in through the window. Luckily the backs of the impostors were
facing the window. They were holding Professor Ruth, Pointing a gun to
her head. Sergeant Ning had taken out her gun and now was aiming
to shoot at them if they dared to shoot Professor Ruth. Sergeant James
took out his gun and handcuffs. Then he shot the ceiling, causing the house
to rattle and shake. The two men turned around. They saw Sergeant James
and the man taking Professor Ruth as their hostage tightened his grip on
her. Sergeant Ning saw her chance. She kicked the foot of the man
holding Professor Ruth and put her gun on the other man’s head. Sergeant
James kicked the gun out of the man on the floor’s reach. Then he handcuffed
the two men and brought them to the police station. When he just stepped
out of the house, a large voice behind him boomed, “Free those men and
hand them over or your friend here dies. Sergeant James spun round to see
a large and burly man with a mask and short curly hair pointing a gun to
Dr. Sonberg. “How can I trust you?” replied Sergeant James. “Just hand
over the men or this guy will be dead! Hahaha!” Said the burly man.
“Fine! But you must pass my friend over to me.” Said Sergeant James. “No
way! I exchange this guy’s life for those two men. Not both his life and
he himself!” exclaimed the big man.
“I say, for such a big man you’re not as fierce as you look!” Replied
Sergeant James. “Hey, mate. I don’t have time for a talk like yours.
Just hand over the men, okay?” Snorted back the big man. Just as Sergeant
James was about to hand over the men, Sergeant Ning appeared at the door.
The big man took one look at the angry Sergeant Ning and ran away with
Dr. Sonberg. “Did you see Tom White? He’s large, big and burly with short
curly hair and has many freckles and a mole on his face.” Sergeant Ning
showed Sergeant James a picture of Tom. He looked exactly like the large,
burly man Sergeant James had seen. Suddenly, there was the large booming
voice again. But this time, the man was laughing as he spoke. “Hahaha,
you thought I was a bad guy. Hahaha, I am Brittany’s brother! Hahaha!”
Sergeant James glared at the big man as he walked up from the back yard.
He pushed Dr. Sonberg over as he laughed at Sergeant James. “Hey! You really
is wicked.” laughed Sergeant James. Hahaha! Hahaha! laughed Tom until
his tears came out.