LAYLA

THE THIRD SUICIDE SCENE

"One thing is common with almost all the suicide victims that we had visited today," Zuma announced as he stepped into the library, gawked at the dead students, and resumed his speech, "they all die in the library and... Oh my goodness!"

"What is it, boss."

"I have seen this book at almost all the crime scenes," he paused his speech, stooped down and picked one of the blue cover novels with a picture of a weird girl, stare at it for a while, and then let out, 'it was your suggestions to look for something supernatural that makes me realized this. I think this book has to do with the death on this island."

"Where is the librarian?"

"Over, here. Mam," the red-eyed lady wobbled into sight, glanced at the dead students arranged in a line and then burst into tears. "I swear before all the gods, I know nothing of their deaths, and the cake given to them did not contain any drug or poison... Let me eat this unfinished one to prove my innocence."

"Never mind," Zuma answered back, peered at the book in his hand, then at the forlorn-looking woman and asked, "when did you buy this particular novel?"

"Late yesterday night. We received a truck filled with novels and the students were the ones that picked their favourite among the lots."

"How many pieces of it were inside the consignment?"

"Hundred pieces. But some were kept in store so that the old one can be replaced whenever necessary."

"Did you notice all the students with this novel in their front were the ones who committed suicide?"

"Oh my gosh! You mean this book is cursed."

"Something close to that... Please pack all the books from this author into a sack. I need to go through them and see what they contained"

"Okay, officer."

"And inform all the staff to assemble at the administrator's office. I have some words to discuss with them."

"It will be done."

Zuma released the breath he wasn't aware of holding, and grazed at the book in his hand for the tenth time, and the black-eyed girl seemed to send a kind of panic through him.

He isn't the type that gets easily panicked, and he had been risking his life for as long as he can remember. 

According to his belief, what is worth working for, is worth dying for.

Growing up, almost everything had made him scared. Darkness, height, water, and even friendly pets. But after getting employed as a cop, his duty made him realize that the world is not for the weak in heart, but for the hard-hearted. 

"This was the eye I saw on that old woman's face as she took her life... Did you remember?"

"Yes. It was completely black like this girl's eyes. I believe this is a hunch that needed to be investigated. "

"The first thing to do is to read what it contains. That way, we will know what to arrest the publisher with. I think it contains manipulative information or something more occultic."

"The author is dead, and it was published by Netherlands publishers," Isabella read the back page of the novel, glanced up at her boss, and let out, "it is published under the pseudonym name, Dr Faustus."

"So strange. That was the name of a character in a movie I watched when growing up. He was a German scholar who leave the path of Christian conscience and followed the angel of damnation."

"Very spooky. The fact that it comes with the warning that it contains messages that will make life to be unbearable and death more adorable makes it spookier."

"I agree it is," Zuma answered back, walking towards the team of forensics, and concerned police departments as they marched inside.

"This is sad. What happened over here?"

"Something beyond imagination. Make sure no reporter gets closer to the crime scene and forbade any unauthorized recording of their corpses. They were minors and we should be careful not to give the media the spices they were looking for."

"You are right. They were nothing but parasites. And they only feed on humans' miseries."

Zuma nodded in agreement, signalled to Isabella, and the pair stepped out of the library and arrived inside the administrator's office in a few minutes.

All the eyes peering at them had one thing in common.

Teary!

"Am sorry for your loss. As you were all aware, there is a kind of sickness that is making people end their lives, and I hypothesise that those who died had made contact with this book in my hand."

"Gush!"

"You mean all our students killed themselves because they read this book?"

"That was the hypothesis as I earlier stated. Until we conduct a full investigation into this case, I want you to see this as housewife gossip."

"You may be right. The relation is too obvious to be a coincidence."

"My problem is what to tell the parents who entrust the cares of their children to us."

"It's a general sickness, and this is the third suicide scene we will be inspecting this morning," Isabella let out.

"I will be going with the copies of the book in your library and store, and I want you to warn all your students from having anything to do with it."

"Please be fast with your investigations. This may be deadlier than you think."

"It sounds like a kind of weapon was hidden inside the book, a weapon so powerful that all you need is to go through the second page... Boom, you are dead!"

"The best way to find out is to have someone read it out for all of us. Am sure we won't all be bewitched at a time."

"With due respect, I won't be part of this suggestion."

"I suggest we should let the polices do their job. That is what they were paid for, and I believe they will unravel this mystery soon."

The administrator sighed when all his staff refused to listen to the book of death, shrugged and announced, "I need one of the copies. The information may be able to bewitch children, but not strong enough for someone of my exposure."

"You are wrong, sir. Death is not respectful of anyone's age or sex. The best way is to fight the desire to read the book."

"Nevertheless, I want a copy. Knowing the police for who they were, this may end as a mystery, and I won't forgive myself whenever I remembered that I have the chance to know the truth."

"I'm warning you in the presence of all your staff. This is a suicidal wish."

"I don't care."

"Don't give it to him. Boss."

"These are my properties, remembered? As long as the court of law did not ban the reading of it, I have the right to collect all the novels back from your hand."

"Apology. You will need to come to our headquarters to claim it. As for now, all the copies of this book are confiscated," Zuma answered with a fixed smile, offer a mock bowed and turned about, and then walked out of the presence of the gawking staff and was followed by his ever-dotting assistance.

"Wait for me," Isabella raced after him, arrived at his side, breathed out loud and let out, "that administrator is so annoying and I was tempted to fulfil his death wish."

"Am not. I have a lot in my hand and don't want to add his death to my headache."

"We can't pass the front gate. The place will be filled by the press people."

"Gush! Where is their rear gate?"

"I have no idea," Isabella answered back, turned backwards and announced, "let's go and ask those ladies."

The two ladies seemed to be searching for Zuma, and the grim look on their faces made the sturdy policeman increase his stride. 

"What happened?"

"There is one extra copy of LAYLA that was added as a bonus."

"Where is it?"

"The driver that brought the book arrived immediately after you left the meeting spot."

"And our administrator collected it from his hand and ordered all of us out of his room."

"He must be insane."

"No doubt he is."

"Let's go and check him now!"

"Damn, bastard!"