Welcome to Case Closed.

You're listening to Dirt Creek by Haley Scrivener, narrated by Sophie Lockren.

Let's pick up where we left off last time.

Lewis. December 2000.

If you'd asked Lewis Kennard before that Friday afternoon what his most important memory of Esther was,

he would have answered without hesitation.

What he remembers most about the afternoon he broke the goldfish bowl

is that the classroom was peaceful, cool and dark.

Chairs and tables standing in the gloom like they were waiting for a moment alone

to rearrange themselves into more exciting patterns.

This was a year before Esther went missing,

when she and Lewis had only recently been made Tortoise Duty partners.

All the Tortoise duty pairs had to be made up of a boy and a girl.

It was one of Mrs. Rodriguez's many iron-clad directives.

Ronnie Thompson would often hang back when it was his and Esther's turn, talking at them through the classroom door. More often than not, Mrs. Rodriguez chased Ronnie out, saying she should join the children on

Emu Parade and pick up rubbish if she had time for hanging around.

Do you want to put in the letters today, Louis?

Esty had asked as she opened the top of Reggie's tank.

When they were alone, they called each other Esty and Louie.

It felt good to use a nickname with someone, even if it was a girl.

Lewis had nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose before reaching over.

Of course his elbow connected with the goldfish bowl next to the tortoise tank.

...