Chasing the Assailant

The assailant starts walking faster as he escapes the restaurant. Detective Kujan follows him and runs faster than he was. The assailant walks into a street where there was a crowd of people gathered. Kujan still follows him and keeps his eyes on him. Suddenly, he loses the assailant’s sight and the criminal had disappeared.

Fortunately, as he accidentally sees the entrance towards an apartment building, he finds the assailant rushing inside. Kujan increases his speed and follows him.

As they both were inside the building, the assailant was running upstairs, and the detective was chasing him. The assailant sees a door left open of someone’s apartment and enters inside to hide. The detective sees the door being shut sharply, so he realizes that he must have entered inside. The assailant hides in the gallery. The frightened children of the house point the gallery door to the detective. As Kujan opens the door, the assailant was standing.

‘We’re on second floor’ the detective says. ‘Don’t even think about jumping’

‘You’re really lucky that I’m not carrying my revolver today’

‘I know, now be a smart guy and surrender’

The criminal jumps on the wall and was standing over it.

‘No!’ Kujan yells taking out his pistol and aiming him. ‘Don’t be stupid’

‘I’m a good stuntman’ he replies.

He fells backward and performs a stunt in a way that he lands safely by flipping forwards. The detective sees him from above, the assailant was standing up. Someone aims a pistol behind the assailant’s head. He sort of regrets and turns behind to see. It was Detective Jennifer.

‘Your game is over’ she says taking out the handcuffs

Another Interrogation

Later as the assailant was brought to the interrogation room with handcuffs on his arms, Detective Kujan takes him inside the room and asks other cops to stay outside as he wanted to interrogate him personally. As Jennifer tries to join him, he says to her:

‘Look Jennifer, I really appreciate your help, but right now I want to do this alone, please’

‘No I have to see this, I won’t talk or enquire but I need to see this’

‘…Alright’ he says compromising the situation.

Kujan, Sophie and the assailant enter inside the room. Sophie unlocks his handcuffs and makes him sit over a chair. The assailant looks around and mocks them:

‘It doesn’t seem that much horrifying’

‘You’ll see that’ Kujan replies firmly.

‘Trust me officer, you’ll not be satisfied even though if I tell you everything that needs to be disclosed about this case’

‘Which means that you are involved, right?’ Jennifer asks smartly.

‘Okay now I will ask questions’ Kujan says making his point clear, ‘and you will only give answers…this will be my way or else you might face the high way’

‘Try me’

‘Alright first of all what’s your name, complete name?’

‘Sean Wick’

‘Okay now tell me…’

‘…Don’t bother to ask sir’ he interrupts Kujan, ‘I’ll tell you the whole situation…Several days ago I was asked by Sophie to murder James’

‘Whoa wait a minute…’ Jennifer utters getting surprised, ‘Sophie ordered you to murder James?’

‘Yes!’ he exclaims, ‘but at that time Margaret was still alive. I didn’t understood what were the issues going on between the three of them, but Sophie said that she would give me the entire money in advance for James’ murder. But she stopped me before I could finally kill him’

‘Was Margaret still alive when she stopped you?’ Jennifer asks getting more confused.

‘Yes’

‘Wait back up’ Kujan says making his mind clear, ‘Sophie gave you the entire money in advance and yet stopped you from killing him?’

‘No! She didn’t give me any money according to her word. And told me that the plan had changed’

‘…So you didn’t murder James?’ Kujan asks after thinking for a while.

‘I didn’t murder anybody in this case’

‘Then why was Sophie so upset about his death?’

‘Go dig her up and ask her yourself’

Tensed Kujan remains silent and slowly leaves the room and stands outside. Jennifer follows him outside the room and says to him:

‘One thing is clear sir, that Sophie was jealous of Margaret and she tried to have James killed as he was cheating on her’ Kujan doesn’t respond and walks away.

The Case remains Unsolved

An hour later while Detective Kujan was sitting hopeless in his office drinking alcohol, Jennifer knocks and enters inside. She was holding some files and tells him:

‘Sean is still kept under police custody. Others are still interrogating him trying to extract something else’

‘They’ll get nothing I bet’ he answers without thinking what he was saying.

‘Well I was only considering a possible fact that perhaps the assailant was lying or hiding something’

‘Lying or hiding. Just keep him under pressure if you are still on this case’

‘What do you mean?’ she asks. ‘Are you withdrawing from this?’

‘Yes I am taking a vacation. I’ll be leaving for New York tomorrow. Just want to visit my parents’

‘Oh…well I won’t stop you…if you really have to’

‘What about you?’ he asks taking a sip of alcohol.

‘Well I’m leaving it as usual like some other cases. I’ll just convince myself that the answers died away with the victims of the love triangle’

He smiles formally and continues drinking alcohol.

Next moment, he packs up some of his stuff and finally leaves his office shaking hands with Jennifer. Jennifer keeps on watching him as he closes the door while leaving,

‘It was nice working with you’

She looks at some of the files kept on the desk and then talks to herself as if she was declaring her philosophy:

‘Sometimes intelligence, ability, and dedication are not enough. You need a little more than that to achieve something. A search of truth to achieve some answers is not as simple as it seems. Obsession just makes it complicated and later the questions remain unanswered, the mystery remains unsolved…’

Few Weeks Earlier

February 18, James Brown was at his home having his breakfast. He was about to go for work. The door bell rings, he stands up and says:

‘Must be my beautiful maid’

He opens the gate. It was his maid, he allows her to enter inside. She wishes good morning and goes to the store room. He picks up his brief case and says:

‘Okay I’ll be back early today, just do the daily household work. And please don’t answer Margaret’s calls’

‘Okay what about Sophie?’

‘Well she won’t call’ he replies picking his car keys, ‘and if she does tell her to call me on my cell’

‘Well it’s none of my business but can I ask you that does Sophie know that you and Margaret are about to get engaged’

‘What makes you think I will be engaged to Margaret’ he chuckles.

‘You’re not?’

‘Come on…you know I always lie to women’

‘Oh…I get the idea’ she replies feeling embarrassed.

He walks outside shutting the door.

February 24, at Sophie Croft’s home, while she was having the dinner and James was standing in front of her, she asks him:

‘Do you really mean it when you say there’s no one in your life besides me?’

‘Excuse me?’ he asks getting confused.

‘Are you planning to marry me?’

‘Well…of course’ he says and then regrets.

She smiles yet she knew he was lying and hiding something from her.

James keeps his cell phone on the dining table and unfortunately forgets to lock its key pad. Sophie sees a perfect chance and asks him:

‘James could you please…well could you please keep my garbage can outside the house’

‘Sure why not’ he agrees and stands up to get the garbage can.

As James had left for kitchen, she grabs his cell phone immediately and notes down the last received call’s number in her own cell phone. Then she keeps it back in a position as it was kept before. James returns back to her the very moment not knowing what had happened.

February 25, Sophie was walking around in her house alone. She had figured out that James had promised Margaret about getting engaged, but she also knew that he was lying as she had heard him say that he would kill her, in rage. She was angry and was planning to kill him.

That evening, she goes to Sean Wick’s hideout. She gives him James’ photograph and says:

‘I want you to kill him by tomorrow’

‘I take twenty five percent in advance’

‘You can have the entire amount in advance, name your amount’

‘A million’ he replies.

‘Alright you can pick it up before afternoon tomorrow, you know my place’

‘Okay I’ll be carrying a revolver and I shall shoot him on his forehead’

Their deal is confirmed, and Sophie leaves.

February 26, as it was early afternoon, Sean the assailant was walking towards James’ house. He was looking around continuously making sure no one was watching him. He takes out his revolver, and stares at it for a moment,

‘I really enjoy working with you’ he utters.

His cell phone begins to vibrate. He gets a little shaken and answers the call as it was Sophie,

‘Hello, I’m almost there’

‘Stop whatever you’re doing’ she instructs, ‘I’m cancelling this deal, don’t make any move’

‘What? What the hell?’ he thunders.

‘I’ve changed my plan. I’m making an alibi for the police’

‘What? Hey I don’t care, I want my advance’

‘You’ll get your advance, but right now you are not going to kill anyone’

Sean angrily disconnects the call, and leaves the place.

The First Murder

During the night of February 26, Sophie was at her home lying on a couch reading her book entitled ‘Human Behavior and Body Language’. She was planning to fool someone through her words before getting her purpose. She closes her eyes and remembers James’ words about killing Margaret the night she secretly overheard his conversation at a call with Margaret. She knew he didn’t mean it, but decides to make an alibi.

Two hours later, she was outside Margaret’s house, she knocks the gate. Margaret comes to answer and opens the gate.

‘Hello’ Sophie greets her.

‘Hi, are you Sophie?’

‘Yes I’m the one who’s been desperate since long to see you. Well, we’ve finally met’

‘Yeah’ Margaret replies getting a little confused, ‘you were saying something like there’s something I must really know’

‘Well can I come inside?’

‘Sure’

The two enter inside and were walking towards another room. Sophie stops her and says:

‘I can’t stay here for long’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I better tell you quickly…someone’s trying to have you killed’

‘What? Killed? Who?’ Margaret asks getting surprised and frightened.

Sophie opens her purse and inserts her hand to reach something.

‘Who’s trying to kill me?’ Margaret asks desperately.

‘Who do you think?’ Sophie replies taking out a pistol and aiming her forehead.

Margaret screams and cries. But Sophie shoots her at once and the bullet pierce opens her head splashing out blood. Margaret fells backwards.

Moments later, Sophie walks outside and she was sort of traumatized by her own actions as she had committed a murder for the first time in her life. She convinces her conscience:

‘I did the right thing, she was using my love.

This was a revenge for James…but he was also cheating with me’

She goes back inside the house, and gets Margaret’s diary of contacts and her cell phone from her room.

to be continued...