Clueless Cases (Chapter 4): Murder or Suicide?!

As fast as they could, the children rushed out of Cliff's room, leaving unimportant things behind. Cliff and Cleo ran into their garage to get their bicycles as Tyler, Kevin and Ivy ran along the road to their homes to get theirs. Despite being in a rush, Cliff had time to tell his friends to go straight to Dillway Lane without waiting for anything or anyone.

Tyler ran back home with Kevin behind him. Ivy already sprinted in front of them back to her house. The twins hurried towards their garage where they found their bikes right next to their father, who was repairing his new convertible that had crashed into a tree driven by Aunt Julie last Sunday. He was really upset when he heard the news of the hood smashed to pieces along with the windshield while his younger sister (who had just got a license before the accident) was unharmed. So he decided to repair it himself as he "never really trusted any mechanics", according to Kevin.

"Next time, Dad," Tyler stole some time to advise his father somewhat helpfully,"think twice before you give your new car keys to someone who had just learned to hold them." Then he headed off, followed by Kevin, who saluted their father and left him chuckling in the garage.

They cycled along the street and turned left at the end of the road towards Dillway Lane. The shrill sound of sirens almost faded, but they caught up fast. It was still warm and sunny, but the scream last night gave the Furling twins a cold shudder. They've never been solving a murder case before, so this might be a first for them. They didn't know if Cliff or even Cleo had solved one, but they sure looked the type to solve murders on their own. All Tyler and Kevin had experienced was solving criminal cases that doesn't involve dead bodies or murder weapons and whatnot.

As the twins arrived at the scene, the front porch of Number 9 Dillway Lane was packed with familiar faces of police officers. They also saw Ivy there, listening to the explanation given by the respected Sergeant Simerwell. The other policemen seemed like they were finding a way to open the front door. A brass plate on the door wrote the surname of the resident, which was "Carmine". Tyler and Kevin exchanged puzzled looks. They had never known anyone in Clyville with "Carmine" as a surname, and, boy, did they knew everyone in town, and who doesn't know them? Even though they had passed Dillway Lane many times to visit the old tailor Mrs. Greene, they still had never known anyone with that surname.

Mrs. Greene was there, and her daughters too, looking very nervous as the officers questioned them. Cliff and Cleo arrived not long after that and witnessed the scene as Tyler and Kevin had. They stood there, glued to the ground with a pang of curiosity. Sergeant Simerwell noticed their arrival and strode  towards them with Ivy following behind. He had a serious look on his face, making him highly respected by everyone. He had been Cliff's idol and inspiration to solve cases like these.

"Excellent timing, Clifford," he praised, smiling proudly as he gave Cliff a friendly pat on the shoulder. He eyed the other children and gave them a military salute, which they returned humorously. But, of course, they did not laugh as it would not be suitable to the situation.

"What's the case, Sarge?" Cliff asked seriously.

Sergeant Simerwell motioned towards Ivy. "She'll explain to you."

Ivy glanced at him confusingly. "Me?"

The sergeant nodded, taking a quick glimpse at the house behind him. "I need to find a way to open that door." He gave Ivy a gentle push forward so her friends could hear every single thing he had told her. Open the door? Cliff thought, A dead body in a locked house? Isn't that comitting suicide? Without spending any more time, the sergeant returned to the front door he was trying to open.

Ivy led her friends to Mrs. Greene's garden at the back of her house. Dillway Lane was the last row of houses in the neighborhood, so they always have a large space at the back of their house. Some residents left the green patch of grass as it was and made it as their backyard. But the others, including Mrs. Greene herself, planted flowers, trees and bushes, turning the blank space into a neat, beautiful garden. Ivy brought them to Mrs. Greene's garden to tell them whatever information the sergeant had gave her.

The Greene's house was just beside the house where the police assembled to start the case. when they entered the garden, the children inhaled deeply to register the fragrant scent of flowers into their noses. There were lots of different types of flowers and trees planted in that beautiful garden, each had its own special spot. As the children walked across the garden to get to the patio at the far right side, they passed a beautiful patch of fresh red hibiscus, followed by cheerful sunflowers, then the calm white orchids, red blooming roses and so much more. A couple of oak and sycamore trees stood in a line on the left and right side of the garden, leaving a line of neatly trimmed bushes across the remaining edges of the garden.

The children arrived at the patio. The patio was complete with one big round wooden table covered with a white table cloth, which had been decorated with golden streamers around the edges, six wooden chairs painted with white and golden streaks, the word Greene was carved at the back, and a big white sunshade stood firmly on the middle of the table, stretching wide enough to shade the children. From the visits Tyler and Kevin had made, they found out that Mrs. Greene would change the theme of the patio according to her mood with the help of her son and daughters. Her single daughters lived with her while her married son visits her every week. Ivy glanced admiringly at Mrs. Greene's garden before explaining everything to the others.

"As you've probably guessed," Ivy began,"that's the house of the victim. What I've been told was that there was a murder."

"And I know that," Tyler interrupted coolly.

"Everyone knows that," Cleo shot back at him.

"Please don't interrupt," Ivy said patiently. "Well, apparently Mrs. Greene called the police this morning to report that scream last night."

"Why didn't she just call last night?" Kevin asked suspiciously.

"Because it wasn't her who heard it. It was one of her daughters. According to Mrs. Greene and her daughter, Mrs. Greene was out playing bingo with her friends and her other daughter. The police confirmed the truth of the statement after contacting her bingo friends." She paused and wait for other interruptions, then moved on."The old lady told the officers that her neighbor was a middle-aged lady named Hailey Carmine, who lived alone for about three months now," she lowered her voice but barely whispering,"and the one who screamed."

Please correct any grammatical mistakes or replace any word with a more suitable vocabulary in the comments below, thank you:)