Chapter 11

       For the past couple days, everything has been very dreary between the funeral, seeing everyone mourning, and no leads whatsoever. I still couldn't believe that for over fifteen years, there had only been one murder and now, there had been two within a month.

       And one of them was my grandpa's best friend. Grandpa and Eldon grew up with each other. They were neighbors, best friends, and each other's best man at their weddings. And just like that, Eldon was gone.

       It wasn't just his friends and family mourning. Almost the whole village was. He was the best mayor ever, and he had been the mayor for twenty years. He kept getting reelected every term because everyone loved him.

       So many people turned up to the funeral, and there was even a memorial set outside of the mayor's office for him that a lot of people set something there whether it be a flower or a candle.

       Since Grandpa was the assistant mayor, he was going to be taking over until the next election. Besides, he knew Eldon more than anyone so he would know exactly how to keep running the village.

       When I got to the police station for work, Angus walked up to me. "How are you doing?" he asked. "I know Eldon was your grandfather's best friend."

       "I'm good," I said. "I didn't know him that well since I just moved down here, but it's still weird not having him here."

       "Yeah, I think it's weird for all of us," Angus said. "He was the best mayor Spruceworth had ever had. Anyway, I need you to get an alibi from someone."

       "Who?"

       "Do you know Calvin Eaten?" Angus asked.

       I nodded. "Yeah, he's friends with my brother. Why?"

       "He was the last one to see Eldon," Angus said. "He had an appointment with Eldon about twenty minutes before the murder and after Calvin left, the secretary said he didn't look too happy. Nobody else was seen going into the office afterwards."

       "Yeah, sure, I'll go get his alibi," I said. I didn't really believe it was Calvin who did it. He just....didn't seem capable of it. For one thing, he claimed that Anastasia was his goddaughter. He didn't seem like he would kill his goddaughter's great-grandfather.

       And another thing, it meant he would have killed Sylvia as well and he wouldn't kill his best friend's aunt.

       I texted Kenny, asking if he knew where Calvin lived. After Kenny texted me the address, I headed over to Calvin's house. When I got there, I knocked on the door and who I was guessing was Calvin's mom answered the door.

       She eyed me suspiciously, probably because of my police officer uniform. "Can I help you?" she asked.

       "Yes, can I speak with Calvin, please?" I asked.

       "I don't know what you would want to speak with him about," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "The police already questioned him about Sylvia's murder and if this is about Mayor Eldon's, then you'll be wasting your time."

       "Mom," Calvin said, standing behind her. "It's fine. He's Kenny's older brother. I doubt he came to talk about the murder."

       "I actually did," I said. "The chief wanted me to get your alibi."

       "Well, he won't be saying anything without a lawyer," his mom said.

       Calvin sighed. "Mom, you're being ridiculous. They want an alibi, so I'm going to give them my alibi. It's protocol so go bug Dad or something."

       His mom gave me a final harsh look before walking away.

       Calvin walked outside and closed the door behind him. "Sorry about my mom," he said. "She's just really protective and she was pissed when she found out I was a suspect for the first murder. So, my alibi is simple. I was at Dan and Destiny's house and I have a few people that can attest to that. Like you."

       "You showed up after the time of death, though," I said. "Trust me, I don't think you did it at all but the police is going to want a more precise alibi."

       "Fair enough," Calvin said. "What was the exact time of death?"

       "About two-thirty," I said.

       Calvin thought for a bit. "Two-thirty....Oh, yeah. I was at the store getting some chocolate for Kenny since it was the day after Valentine's Day so the chocolate was on sale and he's my....friend."

       "Yes, I am quite aware that you and Kenny are friends," I said. "Do you have anything that proves you were at the store?"

       "Indeed I do," Calvin said. "The receipt. I'll go get it." He went inside and came back outside in a few moments before handing me the receipt. "They'll probably want to see it themselves, so just take it with you."

       I looked at the receipt, seeing the time of the purchase at two-twenty-nine. There was no way it could have been Calvin.

       "This will do perfectly," I said. "So, the chief told me that you left Eldon's office looking not happy. Why?"

       "Oh, because I was trying to see if we could have some sort of Pride celebration in the village, but he said he wouldn't be able to budget it," Calvin said. "I was a bit mad, but definitely not at Eldon. He said if he was able to budget it, we definitely would have had one. I just don't get who would want to do that to him."

       "Yeah, same here," I said. "Well, thanks for the alibi. Now all that we have to do is actually find out who's doing this."

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Ooh, three chapters in one day. :D

Guys. I'm craving Pringles. LIKE ALWAYS. cx

I'm still so sorry about the last chapter. :( I loved Eldon too, but I need to stop being so nice to my characters. If that makes sense. cx And I can't guarantee you won't be as sad as you were with Eldon's death....