Entry 26

Juniper emerged from the bathroom, her long copper hair draped over her shoulders, a bit darker from being washed. She retreated to her room for a brief moment before she appeared once more, this time wrapped in a blanket. She walked into the living room where she assumed she would find her flatmate and she would be right.

Seated at the work table, head in hand, was her flatmate and companion Shirleigh Holmes.

"Shirleigh, I'm done with the shower if you need it," Juniper told her. "Shirleigh?"

Juniper approached her from the side when she failed to receive an answer. When she was close enough, she noticed that Shirleigh appeared to be sleeping. Juniper always enjoyed watching Shirleigh sleep. If one had seen her asleep like this, they would never have thought that Shirleigh ran around catching criminals every day. She came across as almost angelic to Juniper which would make sense considering that she also found Shirleigh to be quite ethereal at times.

Not wanting to disturb her companion's sleep, she quietly moved about the living room. As she was not quite tired, she figured that she would pick a book from the shelves and read until she grew drowsy. That is until something on the mantelpiece caught her eye. Something she had never noticed before. Perhaps it was because ever since she arrived, it seemed like she was running around nonstop.

The more she looked at it, the more it beckoned to her.

She glanced back at her partner who remained still and silent at the table before taking hold of the object. She flipped it over and was greeted by four faces. Four pairs of blue eyes stared right back at her. The object was a picture frame containing what appeared to be a family photo and it had been facedown upon the mantel. Whether accidentally or purposefully, Juniper was banking on the latter.

There was a beautiful woman with wavy, medium-length blonde hair and kind eyes. Her long eyelashes gave the appearance of mascara but the only makeup she wore was a pink lipstick that complimented everything about her. The pearls around her neck gave her a classy but dainty appearance as she stood next to a tall man with a more intimidating appearance. His hair was dark save for a streak of grey hair that ran through it. His moustache was of the same nature, dark with grey strands. His face was square, contrary to the woman's rounder face next to him. His eyes were also blue but the look in them seemed colder than the woman's. One could assume that they were husband and wife.

Which would make the two others standing in front of them their children. The young lady standing in front of the man was instantly recognisable as Miriam. Her hair was shorter but that was the only thing that was different about her. Everything else about her was the same, from her curls to her demeanour. Now the same couldn't quite be said about the young boy standing next to her. His hair barely came past his ears and slightly curled at the ends. While Juniper didn't recognise him at first glance, there was something familiar in his face. In his eyes. He didn't express any emotion in the photo but the longer Juniper looked into his eyes, the more she began to make a connection. One that shattered her world.

"You found it, did you?"

Shirleigh sat up straight in her chair and had her attention fixed on the frame in Juniper's hands. Her voice revealed that she hadn't been asleep at all.

"Oh," Juniper clutched the photo to her chest. "I thought you were—"

"I was resting my eyes. They often need more rest than I do."

Juniper was silent as she took another glance at the photograph in her hands trying to be mindful of the words she'd use.

"Is this...you...?"

Juniper looked up at her friend. Seeing Shirleigh and the image side by side, it was clear upon further inspection that the person in the photo was indeed the person across from her. It was a bit difficult to believe seeing how feminine her partner appeared compared to the more masculine person in the photograph.

"You tell me," Shirleigh said, taking another look at the papers before her. There was a hint of aggravation in her voice.

"Huh?"

"You know my methods. Apply them. Who do you think that is in that photo you are holding?"

Exchanging glances between the photo and her partner, Juniper turned the thought over in her head.

"Well, seeing that Miriam is with the people in this photo and the striking resemblances, the two people in the back seem to be her parents. Your parents..." Juniper said slowly. "This picture looks like it may have been a family photo from several years ago... So I cannot imagine this being anyone other than...you..."

Silence filled the room but it was neither calm nor tense. It was simply silent.

"...This is you, isn't it?"

"That was me," Shirleigh said, her voice cold like steel. "I am no longer that person. Not anymore."

Juniper's eyes widened as certain things suddenly started to make sense. She focused her attention on the photograph once more, her grip tightened around the frame and she felt her eyebrows draw together.

"How come you never told me?" Juniper said through gritted teeth.

"Why do you ask as if this is something I should have told you ages ago?"

"I-I don't know. I just, I thought that maybe, since we're—"

"What? 'Partners'?" Shirleigh dramatically threw her arms in the air. "We're coworkers, not friends. You just happen to help when you tag along when you aren't even aware of what is happening. It was my choice not to tell you. I do not have to tell you anything."

Juniper shifted her weight uncomfortably. Her partner's words cut deeper than a knife and tears started to form along her lower lashes.

"I-I thought we were..."

"Closer? How preposterous."

"You know," Juniper attempted to control her breathing. "I truly believe that you could befriend people but you instantly cut off any chance of forming a relationship because you think no one is worth your time. Simply because we do not think like you does not mean that we cannot keep up with you, but you can't seem to get it through your thick skull because of your big ego!"

Juniper's head was lowered and her eyes were shut tightly from the anger that ran through her veins. Her fingernails dug into her skin as she clenched one hand into a fist and the sound of the frame in her other hand could be heard splintering in her grasp. The sound of a chair screeching against the floor echoed throughout the room and when she lifted her head, her partner was gone.

Instantly regretting what she had said, Juniper started for the door to follow after her flatmate but decided that maybe the both of them needed some space and time alone.

Juniper took another glance at the picture in her hands. The photo was obviously still of great importance to Shirleigh. She may not want to see it, but she never tossed it out either. Her eyes lingered on the couple standing in the back, her attention falling on the mother once more and a chill ran down her spine.

 Miriam had told her to refrain from mentioning their mother around Shirleigh but she couldn't quite figure out why. What had happened? Was this photo the last thing Shirleigh had before they both passed on?

Her thoughts were interrupted when a sudden sharp pain shot through her side. It was a pain so excruciating she was unable to make any sound. The only noise that could be heard was that of the frame falling to the ground.

She fell to her knees when a second round of pain struck her nerves, only this time something cold and wet soaked through her blouse as she began to grow light-headed. Bringing a hand to her side, she lightly pressed the fabric already certain of what she might see.

Blood.

She had been stabbed.

She lay on the ground as the room slowly began to spin, but she fought to keep her eyes open to see who had pierced her skin.

The only light source in the room came from the fireplace that she lay in front of. The perpetrator had to have come from the kitchen. There was no other place to come from without being seen. How long had they been there? Shirleigh and Juniper were home all day and had multiple people visit. Were they quietly lurking in the shadows the entire time, waiting for the right moment to strike?

Juniper turned her head to get a better view of the entrance to the kitchen. Two large boots stood just before her face. They belonged to a cloaked figure that loomed over her. Watched her as she bled. It was difficult to see their face as it was concealed with a hood and Juniper's vision started to blur, but she was certain they were smiling as they held the blood-soaked knife in their hands.

"..."

Juniper wanted to say something but couldn't find the energy to do so. She mustered up the last bit of strength she had to attempt to glean some information from the figure, to no avail.

With the last of her strength now gone and her consciousness fading, Juniper closed her eyes as the figure left the room.

The fire blazed in the hearth and it was the only thing keeping her cold body warm as she lay on the Persian rug beneath her.