The Murders of Loved Ones
Jane Cornhead was drinking her morning coffee in her small apartment while reading the newspaper and listening to the news on TV. She came across an article with a title that made her interested. It was about a murder that happened the day before. The title of the article was “Man Killed by Single Gun Shot in Maryville” As she was reading; she found out that the crime scene was the parking lot of the library, where she worked. Jane was the head librarian and she was a responsible lady. She had retired from being an elementary school teacher and was good with kids. Her library was one of the kids’ “playgrounds”. She once had a family, but her husband had died of cancer 2 years ago, and her kids were already married. The newspaper said that a man in his late 20’s was killed by a gun. Be Careful. The killer is still out there. The last two lines in the article gave Jane a cold shiver up her spine. She worked so near where a man was killed the day before. Her library might not be safe. She thought about not going to the library today, but she it was her job, and she had to go. She left her house a little later than the normal time and her heart was beating fast as she drove to her library that was just a few footsteps away from the crime scene. As she turned the corner, she was relieved to see all of the police that were there to protect the area. As she went to her parking space in the parking lot, she noticed that her parking space had been taken by some other car. The car was a bit familiar. She didn’t have anywhere else to park; therefore she went to the visitors’ parking space. The library wasn’t opened yet, so nobody should have been there. But there was a man. A man covered in blood…in the middle of the parking lot. Jane was scared and she called for the police. The police came and took the body, and told Jane to close the library for investigations. She obeyed and put out a CLOSED sign. The police started to ask questions?about the case. Jane and the other librarians answered them as clearly as possible. The last one out of the library the day the 1st man was Peter, who was 19 years old. The policed asked where Peter was during the night of the murder.
Peter said, “I stayed late of paperwork, and I left the library around 11 o’clock, after locking all of the doors. Then I went straight home.”
The police couldn’t get any more information and they left the crime scene. All of this murder stuff was a lot of fear and stress on Jane, especially because she owned the library. What if someone was going to go after her? She was scared and she decided to call her brother to see if he would come to keep her company. She dialed his number and waited for him to pick up, but there was no answer. She thought that he was busy doing things, and decided to call back later. As soon as she put the phone down, it started ringing. It was her brother calling back, she thought. But it was the police. Why were they calling? She couldn’t believe the next words that were said to her. “The 1st body we found was your son, David Cornfield. The 2nd body we found was your brother. Jack Cornfield, age 60. We are very sorry of your losses.” The police spoke a few more things, and hung up. Jane was shocked. She didn’t know what to do. She felt powerless and just sank to the floor. She stayed there for what seemed like hours. She was having flashbacks of the good times they had growing up. Then she remembered that the last words she said to her brother were harsh, and full of anger. Jack had a medical condition which he suffered for years. Jane took care of him when his symptoms became worse. Jack’s muscles would not move they way he wanted them to, and it was difficult to sprint around like a normal person, not only because of his age. Recently, they had a fight over what radio station they would listen to. It was childish and stupid. The neighbors knew about the fights they had, screaming and yelling at night. Then she suddenly remembered they the police wanted her to come to the station. She got her purse and went there. There she met a policeman, and the policeman started informing her things. The policeman said that the 1st man and her brother were killed by the same gun. He also asked if she knew why her brother was at the library. Jane didn’t know. The police then went to ask Peter if had seen Jack Cornfield around the library on the two days. The police asked if Peter saw Mr. Cornfield near the library.
Peter whispered, “I saw many men during my shift.”
Police checked the security cameras to see if it recorded anything from that night. Then the police asked a different question. “Did you know David Cornfield? We did some searching and we found out that you went to the same high school. We also found out that he married your ex-girlfriend. If you wanted the woman badly, would you kill him?”
Peter responded in a crackled voice, “Yes, we went to the same high school, and yes, he married my ex, but no, I would never shoot my best friend for such a stupid reason. I did not kill David Cornfield.”
The police then noticed a woman who was dashing away, trying to get away from the police. It was Marvel Brooks, the person who would replace Jane’s place when she quit the library. She was also Jack’s former wife. The police went to talk to her. The police asked, “Why were you trying to get away, and where were you the two murders took place?”
Marvel answered weakly, “I was at home, watching TV.”
While they were talking, another policeman came to have a discussion with Jane. What the policeman said to Jane was: “Marvel
Brooks was found also found in the security cameras that night.” She may be another suspect. Then he asked if Jane was ever upset about Jack’s condition, if it irritated her of if it made her mad. The police were suspecting her. HER son and HER brother were killed at HER library. The clues seemed to lead to her. Why would she kill her own family? She loved her family. Did Jane really kill her family? No, she didn’t. She knew for sure that she was innocent and she needed to know the truth as soon as possible. Jane got upset and started crying. She heard the police saying that if Jane killed her family, she would receive money from the health insurance company. Another policeman was saying something about Marvel, that if she was able to kill Jane, she would be the head librarian, and her monthly pay would increase. And if Peter killed them, he would get his high school sweetheart. Jane went home confused and scared. The next morning the police were here again, and they said they were here to arrest someone. Jane thought, “Who was the terrible person?” Was it Peter? Was it Marvel? Or was it her? Did she forget about killing her family? No, that wasn’t possible. As she asked questions in her head, as she watched the police going to Marvel Brooks. She stared with her mouth wide open as the police told Marvel, “You were not at your house the day the murders took place. The security cameras caught you driving away from the library. And we also found a gun that had your fingerprints on them. The gun matched the bullets.” She watched as the police handcuffed the woman’s hands.
Marvel came to Jane, bawling and said, “I’m really, really sorry. I needed the money badly. I thought that if I killed your family, you would become afraid and quit the library, making me the head librarian.”
Jane answered in a quiet voice, her voice shaking. “If you needed money, you could have asked me. I could have helped you. Why did you have to take the people I love away?”
Marvel answered. “I know that I was stupid. I regret what I did. But now I am a murderer. I can’t change that.”
Jane took a deep breath and asked another question. “Why was my brother killed? You shot my son first, and the next day you shot my brother? I don’t understand that.”
Marvel took a deep breath and made her final confession. “The day after I killed your son, I came early to hide the murder weapon, was a gun I stole. I saw the police coming, and I hurried to hide the stolen gun I used. Your brother probably heard about the news and came to check to see if you were okay. He parked his car in your parking lot. He came in and when didn’t arrive at your normal time, he was worried and he thought that you were looking for a parking spot since he took yours. I was hiding the gun in the bushes in the visitors’ parking area. He came just when I bent down to hide the gun. I had no choice but to shoot him, or he would tell the police about it.”
Tears rolled down Jane’s cheeks, one coming after another. It must have taken a long time for Jack to come to the library and to look for her, because of his slow steps. Jane felt so sorry. She knew that she loved her brother and her son. As Marvel was taken away, she laid down on the concrete that her son and brother died on, which was the place she loved.