Dead Boy Detectives |The Endless Case|

Part 4 |The Case of the Backstories|

"Okay. I'll tell you the truth." Edwin seemed somewhat pleased. "But it's basically a story about how I was stupid. So just be nice."
"If that even possible," I muttered with a giggle, receiving a glare from Edwin. This was gonna be fun!

    Crystal began to explain how she came to meet David, the demon who possessed her mind and took her memories. The pathetic demon I had seen in her mind at the bar.

    "At first, I didn't know David was a demon. And I kind of fell for him," she pauses, fidgeting nervously with her hands, "by the time I realized what he was...I guess it didn't matter."

    I watched as Edwin's face contorted, "you knew he was a demon and you let him in?!"

    "I'm a psychic. I've seen a ton a weird things." She defended herself, "I thought it was love. I was an idiot. Look, I never said he possessed me against my will."

    "But you knew we assumed that because 99% of the time, that's how it works." Edwin was very obviously flustered by this.

    "Bold of you to just assume," I shrugged.

    "Bold of me- 99%!" Edwin's voice practically rose with each word.

    "How about we all just take one of those calming breaths, yeah?" Charles tried to defuse the situation.

    "Yes, I knew he was a demon and I let him in, but he must have lied to me. It was like being trapped in a tiny box! I still don't know most of what he did, and- he wouldn't leave."

    "Oh," Edwin feigned contempt, "that's brills. Now you know how we feel. Saved you one time on the tube, now you won't leave either." With that final statement, Edwin stormed out of the room.

    Crystal sighed, looking back at me and Charles. Neither of us had anything to say really.

    "Do they always do that?" I asked Charles, "bicker like and angry newlyweds?"

    He sighed a laugh, "you don't know the half of it."

    We all walked out of the room, down to the butcher shop. When we got there, Edwin was pacing back and forth and a nearly inhuman speed. He saw the three of us and abruptly stopped. "It's a laugh to you, playing detective," the tone of his voice was heartbreaking. "Do you know what happened when I died, Crystal? Nothing. My disappearance was labeled 'an act of God'."

I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from sobbing. Sometimes these human emotions were more of a curse than anything. Sometimes I long for the time when I didn't feel, didn't care, didn't want to care. But here I was, warm tears pricked my eyes as I listened to the dead boy tell his story.

He continued, "and Charles, the boarding school covered up what happened to him. Our deaths didn't matter. No one ever solved them. Now, you both are sharp and fun, but this is not a game!" Never once did I think this was a game, it kind of hurt, the way he was accusing me, but I understood where he was coming from. He started to yell, "We are solving cases that would never be solved! Police don't know what to do with a fucking witch!" He let out a shaky sigh, fighting back his own tears, "we didn't matter. He and I." He ran a shaky hand through his hair, "so these cases matter. They have to matter!"

"They do matter, Edwin. You matter," I smiled sympathetically, showing him that I was just as serious about all of this as he was - even if I did just ,et the, today, and barley know what's going. I could see he appreciated it.