White Woollen Socks

“Yes, it was a girl; I saw her entering that house; I could not see her face; but there was something strange about her, she was wearing white socks; yes, she was wearing white woollen socks,” the child went on with his narration.

But the police officer was lost in his thoughts. For a moment he was totally stunned. He was investigating the murder of a retired school teacher. He had not yet detected any clue. And now he could not believe what he was hearing.
"This can't be happening," he said to himself, as his mind went back to an investigation he had carried out five years earlier.

Five years back he was investigating the murder of another school teacher. He had not found even one clue. Then an eight year old boy had come forward to tell him that he had seen a girl entering the house of school teacher.

“There was something funny about her; she was wearing white woollen socks. No, I did not see her face. But I remember her socks,” the boy had said.

Couple of other people had also claimed seeing a girl, wearing white socks, roaming in the area.  No one had seen her face. The girl was never identified. The case was never solved.

Police officer kept on investigating the recent case.  He revisited the case file of the teacher murdered five years back and learnt that both teachers were teaching in the same school.

A chance meeting with a retired employee of the school and relentless probing revealed that, years back, both teachers had one day badly humiliated a girl who had come to the school wearing white woollen socks instead of normal grey socks.   The girl was unable to bear the humiliation and stopped coming to the school. No one, however, took any notice of the incident.

Police officer began to suspect that that girl was perhaps involved in the murders. He tracked the parents of that girl and made some polite inquiries.

“She was totally shattered and refused to go to school. I suggested that she could shift to some other school. But she would not just agree,” said her father.

“She never left her room, she was in such pathetic condition,” said mother.

“Did you not take some professional advice?  You could have taken her for some counselling?” officer asked.

“We kept persuading her but she would not listen,” said father

“Would you mind if I talk to her?” requested police officer.

The parents looked at him without saying a word; their eyes were blank.

“Can I meet her?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“She is not..... alive; she died eight months after that incident.”

Police officer did not know what to say.

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Written for Magpie Tales on a picture (given above) prompt.