The car slipped through the trees near the road, like a ghost through a haunted castle, defying the storm that kept becoming stronger and stronger as Emma Taylor approached the lodge. It was a dark night, darker than usual and the sky was about to open and drag everything in if there wasn't for the guards of the valley, The Scottish Mountains. The trees surrounding the lodge seemed fearless phantoms wandering around in the pattering of the rain, seemed scary creatures guarding the lodge.
As the old stonewalled lodge appeared before Emma's eyes. she felt an icy shiver running down her back and a piercing shriek in her ears.She suddenly remembered the events of 20 years ago, the events that had changed her life forever. Only now she realised that she would never forget that day, despite of all the efforts she had made. She would never forget the angel-like face of Peter, his kindness and his shyness and his terrible disease, the disease that traped a man inside of a child's body.
When she received the invitation she could not believe her eyes:finally the mistery of the white rose was going to be solved. At first Emma didn't want anything to do with those events because she had sworen to herself that she would never go back there. But there was something more powerfull then her that guided her there.
And there she was, before the creaking door of the lodge, glancing in. She stayed there for a while when somebody came and opened the door. A tall robust lady with black silky hair and big blue eyes stood before Emma. She recognised her: she was the former landlady, miss's Eva Morel.
Emma knew from the invitation that everybody was going to be present but once she stepped over the threshold it was like stepping back 20 years. Nothing was changed, everything was in its place, and even the people seemed like they didn't age a day.
Emma was guided to room number 6, the same room she occupied on the 3rd of October, 20 years ago. Seeing it brought back memories she wished she never had. It was sunny that day so all the lodgers of The White Rose went on a walk down the river, to the Cleopatra lodge. They had so much fun that day that they could not have forseen the tragedy. However, shortly after they returned to the lodge a violent storm swept the valley. The lodge was shaken by the powerfull wind; the windows were creaking and drops of rain made their way through the ceiling.
Emma and the others had just returned from dinner. After chatting for half an hour on the hallway with Margaret Smith Emma entered her room with the intention to go to bed, as she was tired from the trip.
However, the creaking windows and the piercing sound of the raindrops falling down...tic...tic...tic.. did not allow her to sleep so she picked up her favourite book, Pride and predjudice by Jane Austen, and started to read. As she got to her favourite part, the ligths suddenly went off and the room was covered in darkness. Scared and confused, Emma did not know what to do so she somehow managed to leave the room and entered in the hallway. There, she encountered John Sheridan and they decided to go and try to wake everyone else up when a powerfull noise came from room number 3 and it seemed like a gun shot.
Emma was so frightened that she could not stop shivering. She was so panicked and horrified with terror that she could not say a word. The noise woke everybody up. They first tried to turn the ligth back on but apparently a ligth post was damaged by the storm. The only thing left to do was to wait for the police, which arrived half an hour later. Dr. Alex King led the investigation. Everyone was questioned repeatedly and all the facts were analysed, all the possibilities and hypotheses were turned inside out but no one could solve the mystery. It seemed like the killer, because there was no doubt it was murder, disappeared into thin air, like the storm had swallowed him in...
Knockings on the door made Emma come into sense, made her to come back from the world of memories. It was time the mystery was revealed.
All the lodgers were at the big table in the hallway. Mr King and his co-workers stood at the small table near the telephone. The silence was threatening, a dim pale ligth surrounded them and there was so much tension in the air that you could have cut it with a knife. Dr. King started to talk and he presented all the facts known at the time of the murder:
'At 11:16pm , a gunshot was heard. All the lodgers came out of their rooms except Peter Duffin. Later the door of room number 3 was forced and the body of Peter Duffin was recovered. After all the investigations, we could not arrest the killer, it was believed that it was aperfect crime, no trace, no nothing. Now a new fact has come to our attention and that's why we brought all of you here. We all know that the killer is among us. In addition, I will present you briefly with my deductions:
Two pages of a manuscript were found in Mr Duffin's wardrobe;James Ladd wrote them and they contain a part of your life here. Those pages contain your anagram names. The most important fact here is that the writed had to know the full name of his characters and the only way to do that was to search through Mr Duffin's papers. Of course he will try to deny it but he can not hide anymore:Sergeant Prad, arrest Mr Ladd..'
'No...it's not true!All this is a set-up!I did not do it! I'm innocent!'
A lightning struck the lodge and everyone was shaken...Finally the soul of Peter Duffin was going to rest in peace...
26 aprilie 2006
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