The Hollywood Mystery 7

 Chapter 7 

August 11, Monday 

12:23 pm 

Micheal stopped short and turned back, sensing a new ray of hope. Andrew drew a short breath as if remembering the incident was painful. "It happened two weeks before Master's death. I was serving his supper before bed. However, Master took just three bites and said he was full. I did not insist more, as he is a man of great temper, which you may know." Said the servant. Micheal knew he was. The Lieutenant used to get angry with him several times for petty reasons. "The Lieutenant returned to his private study and as custom, he stayed there till midnight. Since he is in poor health with Tuberculosis, I took his daily medicines to the study. As I let myself in, instead of reading his novel Crime and Punishment or writing a letter to his nephew Lilia, He was frantically writing something on a piece of parchment. The minute I came in, he stopped writing, rolled the paper, and threw it in the fires. He did not seem to hesitate to forbid me from speaking about this to anyone or anything, but I however have now realized I have failed to keep his promise. " Andrew turned somber again. "Can you please show the study of The Lieutenant?" Asked Micheal, now thinking about the ray of hope extinguished by noisy sips of Bryan. "Certainly." Andrew led them through the corridor to a door at the far end. It said in Golden letters "PRIVATE STUDY OF JOHN MATHEWS." He took a bunch of keys, took one, and opened the door. The study had a transition from the rest of the estate. Unlike the walls in the corridor which were white and adorned with pictures and antiques, the walls and the floor were of wood. The back wall had one, a large painting of "The Starry Night" It was a large-sized painting and took up most of the space on the wall. A fireplace took up space on the right side of the wooden wall, with two leather couches in front of it. A large desk just in front of the painting had a neat arrangement of novels. "Crime and Punishment," "To kill a Mockingbird," and "The Great Gatsby" were just a few to name. But another side of the desk had children's novels like "Charlotte's Web," "Little Women," and "Matilda" were also present. Micheal ruffled through the children's books. "My Master." came the grave tone of Andrew Hopkins from behind Micheal, "used to read these novels every night to his nephew. He was greatly fond of her," said Andrew. Bryan, now that he had finished his hot chocolate, looked at the painting, squinting his eyes. He was about to touch the painting when Andrew stopped him. "No! The Painting is triggered by an alarm that goes off the minute it has contact. The door will be sealed and be opened only until the authorities come, who gets the tip automatically from Interpol authorities." Said, Andrew. Bryan withdrew his hand and examined the painting for another 20 seconds before moving on. Micheal looked at the fireplace, trying to place a parchment under that burnt coal and wood. Suddenly, Bryan gasped. "Micheal, I think.." Hey said, eyeing the second drawer. He came closer. Inside the drawer was a box of Borax. "I think that this wasn't just a lucky coincidence." He said, taking the box. Trying to understand what this was doing on the drawers of The Lieutenant's desk, Micheal's mind suddenly went back to the story Andrew told him. "He suddenly threw the parchment to the fire." Then it became clear. It came to Micheal like a thunder strike. "That's it!" He said aloud. " What's it?" Bryan asked, confused. "Bryan, John threw the paper in the fire after Andrew stepped in," Micheal said, his voice breathless with excitement. "What if the paper didn't burn? What if the parchment can still be readable?" "But it's no--Oh!" Bryan suddenly got it. A parchment soaked in borax and dried will become flame-proof. What good use of a detective if he's too stupid to get it? Micheal took his phone and started dialing the number of Evva Hunt, A scientist of the Forensic Team. He and Evva had been friends for five years, and he also knew Evva liked to find a good challenge for herself. "Hey, Micheal." came her voice after two minutes of waiting. "Hi Evva, uh... If you're not too busy, you have to come to the Estate of The Lieutenant." He said without pausing a minute. "Ok, chill, chill." He heard her opening a door. "Forward the location. We'll be there in 10 minutes." She said and Hung up. Suddenly Paul and Martin poked their heads in through the door. "Found anything?" asked Martin. "Yup. Credits to Micheal though. He figured it out first." Bryan put the Box of Borax on the table with a thud. He recounted the story Andrew told them and explained how it was connected to the Box of Borax. Meanwhile, Micheal looks out of the window, waiting for the team to arrive. He had to admit, his brain worked like a massive genius. He just learned this fact from his dad thirteen years ago. From Now, He learned something. If he's in a tough situation, The voice in your head is your only savior.