Chapter 2

When she got home, Shirley went to her room, looked up Elizabeth Malice on her computer, and found many pictures of her. Shirley checked the dates on the photos and saw they were all full-body pictures until 1976. Shirley saw that after 1976, Elizabeth was only shot waist up. Shirley compared two of the images and had a theory. Shirley said, "Maybe she was pregnant and didn't want anyone to know. But according to history, Elizabeth didn't have any known kids. That's it. No known children. Maybe her children were orphans and got adopted."

The next day, Shirley looked up Mr. Paws' address. Shirley said, "He lives on the North side of Illinois." Shirley then went to the North side of Illinois and found Mr. Paws' house. Once she arrived, she also saw a few familiar faces visiting and leaving the place. Shirley said, "There's Mrs. King. I'm not surprised; she was a close friend of Mr. Paws." Shirley put on her sunglasses to look more like a spy and walked in, hoping to blend in with the crowd and find some clues inside. Shirley investigated the living room and found a file cabinet filled with files Mr. Paws left behind, but none helped her investigation. Shirley then checked his bedroom and found his computer inside. Shirley closed the door and did a little investigating on the computer. Shirley said, "It's password protected, but I got an idea." Shirley typed on the keyboard and did a password override. Once Shirley got in, she checked Mr. Paws' files. Shirley said, "Looks like the last thing he did was open an email. And here's a suspicious thing: it's the only email he has left; all his others were erased. Shirley researched Mr. Paws on his computer, and she saw many pictures of him, but he was taken out of all of them. Shirley said, "That's weird. It's like he got taken out of all these pictures. And I couldn't find anything about him at the library. It's like this guy got erased from existence." Shirley read Mr. Paws' only email and said, 'Eddy, it's me. I have a lead on who you know who is. K.' K? K.Y. Just like the sticky note I found."

Shirley heard somebody coming into the bedroom, so she shut down the computer and acted natural while a friend of Mr. Paws walked into his bedroom. Shirley then looked under the bed and found a key under it. Shirley picked the key up and put it in her pocket. Then she stood up and saw somebody standing behind her. Shirley then screamed, and the man covered her mouth. The man said, "Calm down. My name is Spencer Able. I'm a detective, And I would like to ask you a few questions." Shirley said, "Ok." Shirley and Spencer entered Mr. Paws' living room and sat on different sofas. Shirley said, "How do I know you're a real detective?" Spencer showed Shirley his detective badge in his wallet. While he was showing her, Shirley noticed Spencer had a platinum watch. Shirley said, "Ok. I guess I can answer your questions." Spencer returned to his sofa, and Shirley noticed he had reptile skin boots. While Spencer walked to his couch, Shirley put her finger on her mouth like she was puzzled. Shirley said, "Hmm."

Spencer sat on another of Mr. Paws' sofas and asked Shirley questions. Spencer said, "Why did you decide to come here?" Shirley said, "I heard about Mr. Paws' death and thought I would pay him a visit at his house like everyone else." Spencer said, "Have you seen or heard anything since you heard about his death?" Shirley said, "Not really. Except, yesterday…" Spencer said, "What happened yesterday?" Shirley said, "Well, I was doing research at the library but couldn't find anything on Mr. Paws. Then, after being chased by a person in the library with me, I saw a hooded figure enter the basement." Spencer said, "You witnessed this?" Shirley said, "Kind of. The power was out, and I thought I had lost the guy, so I pretended to leave. Then I spied on him and saw him enter the basement because he thought I had left." Spencer said, "Hmm. Interesting." Spencer then left, and so did Shirley. On her way out, Shirley saw the same person she saw at the library walking out of the front door of Mr. Paws' house. The guy then left, and after seeing him again, Shirley wondered if the key from under Mr. Paws' bed belonged to him. To confirm her theory, Shirley went to the library and used the key she found at Mr. Paws' house to open the basement door. Shirley said, "I was right. This key is the key to the library's basement." Shirley walked into the basement and found a backpack. Shirley opened the bag and pulled out a pair of clothing. Shirley said, "These are Mr. Paws' clothes." Shirley also pulled out a yearbook and opened it. Shirley said, "This is an old copy of his high school yearbook. Edward Paws, 1968. Wait a minute." Shirley quickly turned to the page with the teachers and found Elizabeth Malice's picture. Shirley pointed at the picture and said, "'Elizabeth Malice, 1968'. Her tombstone said she was born in 1928. She must have been one of the faculty if her picture is in here." Shirley skimmed through the yearbook and found a picture of Mrs. King. Shirley said, "'Lexie King. Computer Science Teacher of 1968.'" Shirley then remembered the photos of Mr. Paws and how his image got taken out of the pictures. Shirley said, "Maybe Mrs. King is behind this. I can't prove it, but at least I have a suspect." Shirley then skimmed through the yearbook and tried to find someone who had the initials K.Y. Shirley then found Kellie Yang in the yearbook as one of the students. Shirley said, "Looks like I have another suspect." Shirley wrote her suspects' names in her notebook, put the notebook in her backpack, and started investigating her leads.

Shirley left the library's basement, and then the power went out. Shirley tried turning on the lights by flipping the light switch up and down over and over, but they weren't working. Then somebody ran by her, and she got scared. Shirley said, "Who's there?" Shirley turned on her flashlight and saw somebody running away, so she chased after them. Shirley followed them into the girls' bathroom, but the place was empty. Shirley said, "Maybe it's just my imagination." Shirley splashed some water on her face, and when she looked in the mirror, she saw somebody behind her, so she screamed and quickly turned around. When she did, she saw it was only the librarian. The librarian said, "Calm down, Shirley, it's just me. I was checking the restrooms to see if anyone was in there. Since the power is out, everybody must leave." Shirley said, "Oh, of course." Mrs. Berrington left, and Shirley saw she dropped a book on her way out. Shirley said, "Mrs. Berrington, your book." Shirley picked up the book and saw a picture of Elizabeth inside. Shirley was curious, but Mrs. Berrington took her book back and said, "That's none of your business." Shirley was wondering why Mrs. Berrington had a book on Elizabeth Malice and didn't want to share it. Shirley put her finger on her cheek and said, "Hmm…"

Shirley returned home and did a complete examination of the case. Shirley said, "I can't say I don't have enough suspects." Shirley brought files on all her suspects on her computer and then lined their full body pictures up in a straight line labeled "Suspect List." Shirley said, "Kellie Yang is the only one who matches the initials I found, but I haven't questioned her yet. Spencer claims he's a detective, but I noticed his watch and boots while he asked me questions. And no good detective could afford a platinum watch and alligator skin boots. Although Mrs. Berrington has a key to the library's basement, being the librarian. Plus, she didn't want me snooping in her book about Elizabeth. She could be the person I keep seeing. Then again, I saw the same person at Mr. Paws' house and Mrs. King there too. She was a friend of Mr. Paws, but she does have a record of being a computer science teacher. She could have used her computer smarts to erase Mr. Paws from existence."