CHAPTER TEN FIRST MISTAKE

  Trent smiled at Cyrus, "I didn't know that you were all waiting for me, that's touching," Trent said Patting his chest. 

Cyrus scoffed and walked closer to him ignoring the smallish boy close to Trent. "Am going to win this case Trent, prepare to know what it feels like to be a loser".

Cyrus sneered at him. "Ohh! Someone misunderstood me". Trent smiled at Cyrus which made Cyrus perplexed.

"Your opponent isn't me" he dragged Ella and put his hands on both sides of her shoulder.

"Is our dear Samuel Bassett, you know Bassett took your position of being the second-highest scorer in the CBT exams, he is also the second most handsome man.

But it is a good thing you aren't no 2 anymore, you know POOP" Trent broke into a burst of loud laughter, making all the other field agents and the magistrate turn to look at them.

Cyrus clenched his hand as he gritted his teeth, his blood was boiling. Looks like you have a new enemy, he snatched everything from you" he smiled at Cyrus who had turned red with anger.

"Are you trying to kill me? Why are you trying to make Cyrus my enemy?" She whispered to Trent.

"Am just pitying him, his position has been taken over by a Nineteen years old boy. Is a shame. Trent shook his head looking sad.

Cyrus looked like he was about to explode from anger, he walked away and met up with his juniors.

"Try your best, it will break my heart to see your junior beat you" Trent yelled and the people there kept watching the drama.

Cyrus was so angry he could burst.

"That was fun" Trent turned to see Ella staring daggers at him. "What?" He pretended to be oblivious to what he had just done.

Ella ignored him and went ahead to look for clues.

After going around, Ella came up with two theories

One: this was done by people they know and  Adam was left to take the blame.

Two: Adam was possessed by an evil spirit that killed his family.

But Ella was willing to bet her money on theory one. 

The first victim was the mother, who came out to refill the jug with water.

When she was killed the glass jug shattered and the father had the sound, from the position of the wound on the father's stomach

And the scratches and his swollen cheeks showed that he fought with the person and the person overpowered him.

There was no way that boy who was barely ten would have the strength to beat his father who was forty-eight years of age.

The third was the second born who rushed out of the room, from the staircase she could see the sister's room that was downstairs.

It looked like she wanted to rush back into the room but the person dragged her back and slit her throat.

From the look on her face, it was a person she knew and she had tears on her face, her eyes were still wide open.

This broke Ella's heart and the oldest was murdered inside the living room.

Ella sighed as she felt a headache coming, "I should have a chat with Adam" she murmured to herself. 

 Ella squinted her eyes. She saw a small back door on the left side under the staircase. She went closer to the door, opened it, and realized it was a passage that leads out of the house.

When she was about to close it. She noticed a blood stain that had already dried up. No wonder the vampires couldn't smell it.

She put on her gloves, wore them, took out an evidence bag, and scraped the blood into it.

She entered the living room, she kept the evidence bag in her pocket, and unbeknownst to her, Someone's leg was there.

She tripped and fell to the ground and they started laughing as they went toward Cyrus who was smirking at her.

"Great, Trent has gotten me a new enemy and he is nowhere to be found.

She was about to stand up when she noticed a marking on the ground. It was not clear but the person who cleaned it seemed to be in a hurry.

It looked like a double circle. And a straight line between the lines of the double circle, she saw a star, a sun and she couldn't see the other signs that are now a blur.

"What are you still doing on the floor?" She gasped when she heard Cyrus's voice, "maybe she likes the floor," one of his lackeys said and the others laughed.

Cyrus kept on looking curiously at her. She stood up and left to look for Trent.

She found him sipping an apple juice, "where have you been?" Ella asked. "Raiding their fridge, there was nothing but Apple juice and a single doughnut" he complained to her.

She pinched between her brows and looked at Trent who was still sipping the juice.

"You want some?" He offered. "Yes, for Adam, I am planning on visiting him.

"Mistake number one" Trent raised his pinky finger. Her brows knitted. "I don't understand".

First of all, when conducting an investigation, is to talk to the accused before you start your investigation.

"Am an idiot" she scolded herself realizing her mistake and Trent chuckled.

"Let's go eat it, I'm hungry" Trent rubbed his tummy as he gave her a sad look.

"Let's go eat and I'm also starving. They passed by the market again and saw people murmuring.

"I can't believe that they were thieves." A man said, "it surprised me too, "they all look innocent" another woman added.

"I wonder what happened?" Ella looked curious and cute at the same time.

"Your tulip lady turned out to be a thief," Trent said, looking indifferent. "What!?" Ella was dumbfounded.

"She and her husband and four others stole from other people's farms, I guess hunger can make people do stupid things.

Ella felt sad for them. "Hunger made them do the unthinkable"

"Women are too emotional," Trent scoffed. Ella frowned at him but she knows that there was no use getting angry. It won't affect him.

"How did you know?" she asked. "By pricing and observing them. They were trying to sell everything before anyone noticed the goods.

Although I tormented innocent people and it was fun" he had a childish grin on his face. Ella heaved out a sigh.

"As for our lady, she doesn't know anything about tulips. Tulips are planted in December and at night". He proudly said.

Ella just nodded her head. She was exhausted, Trent exhausted her.

    They entered the restaurant, it had dim light and the table wooden booths were a.distance away from each other.

Trent and she sat at a booth next to the window. A waiter walked over to them.

"Welcome to bulls and boots, what can I get ya," she asked with a smile that showed her dimples.

"I want everything on the menu, '' Trent said with a smile. Ella was stupefied. "Are you sure?" The waitress asked and he nodded his head.

"What about you sir?" "I want a burger and a strawberry smoothie." The waitress nodded and left.

"Why did you order that much?" "That's because I can eat it all, I won't have to pay!" he looked so excited. 

The lady placed their lunch for them and Trent started to eat. He was rushing the food.

Ella just continued to gawk at him, forgetting to eat. "Why awwent u eating?" he said with his mouth full. "What?" She figured it out and started eating.

"I give up, '' Trent slouched on the chair and was breathing heavily. "How are you paying?"  the waitress asked.

"He's paying" Trent pointed at Ella, whose mouth is now wide open from shock.

"Are you kidding me, what the fuck Trent!" She yelled. This was the first time Trent heard her curse and he smiled.

She kept muttering to herself as she brought out her credit card. "Here" she gave the lady.

"How much is it?" She asked. "Twenty-five thousand dals." The waitress said.

Ella felt a sharp pain in her chest, half of her savings were gone just like that.

She glared at Trent who was still smiling at her. "What happened to the serious guy she met on her first day," she thought to herself.

"I know what you're thinking, what happened to the serious guy you met on your first day?" 

Ella was shocked. "Do you want to hear a story?" He didn't wait for her reply and continued. 

"Once upon a time a girl dressed as a boy and came to work in the organization.

I don't trust her, so I decided to invite her on a wolf hunt and there, I found out the truth.

I decided to let her go but she wanted to stay by trying to scratch my ego."

He smiled at her. "What do you think of my acting" then it hit her Trent wasn't angry, he let her believe that but why?.

"Let me answer that" she was surprised. Can Trent read her mind? 

I was bored, very bored. The entertainment came to me, free entertainment. I want to see how you will prove your father's innocence and how you and Cyrus will solve this case.

He smiled at her. "Waiter a take away please, I am taking all this home." The waitress looked at Trent. He didn't look poor. She took a takeaway and a leather bag to package the rest of the food.

    Ella looked at Trent and understood one thing. Trent was a mystery.