Western Tales

  • 03 Jun - 09 Jun, 2023
  • Salaar Laghari
  • Fiction

‘You’re right but the love never dies…’

‘And our fate should also be thanked, which is made by our God!’

‘Yeah, you know what Allie, last night, I made a sort of philosophy about us…’

‘Oh, then please share it with me too.’

‘There was as an iron and a steel, the metals which were connected because of some magnets… they both were separated with iron taking away few magnets and a steel taking away few magnets… But the magnetic force was too strong that it kept them apart only for a little time. Eventually, the magnetic force attracted each other that the iron and steel got back together. Do you get it now?’

‘Wow man, it’s beautiful, Kenny you’re so creative!!’

‘Can you tell me what were the magnets?’

‘The souvenirs of course and Allie and Kenny were the metals…’

‘Yes, your right and your answer’s correct. My theory’s title is ‘Magnetic Souvenirs’.

Eric looks at them and asks Kennedy:

‘Father can we go inside now?’

‘Sure son,’ he chuckles, ‘now we’re a family!’

Three of them walk inside together, as one happy family.

Within a few days, Allison and Kennedy happily got married. Kennedy introduces his old family to his new family and they all ultimately live together in Kennedy’s old home. Allison and Kennedy keeps all the souvenirs in one of their closet with a glass door. The souvenirs included, the friendship and valentine cards, the handbag, a bouquet of blue flowers, which was in a poor state but it was still very lively to them. Other than this, the heart shaped necklace, the art gallery photograph, and the gifted portrait of their painting. On the lower shelf, the blue long skirt was hanging. This shelf was entitled ‘Magnetic Souvenirs’ after Allison and Kennedy.

James, Margaret, and Sophie

“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…”

There followed a story of a murder mystery in San Diego that had a chain of events that made the case even complicated.

February 16, James Brown, an adult in his thirties was dating Margaret Bloom, a blonde of about his age. They seemed to be in a committed relationship but this wasn’t the truth behind their unbalanced love story.

February 24, James was at Sophie Croft’s house. They were seated at the dining table having their dinner. Sophie then started their conversation:

‘So how was your day?’

‘Well, a surgeon’s day is usually not interesting rather than filthy.’

‘Filthy?’ she asked not liking his words. ‘How come?’

‘Well, I see blood every day, I’m sure you’re not interested in that…’

‘Yeah… but aren’t you used to it now.’

James’ cell phone begins to ring. He picks it from the dining table and sees that it was Margaret calling him. He takes a glance towards Sophie and smiles,

‘It’s from my office, give me a moment please!’

He answers the call and walks towards another room where Sophie couldn’t hear him.

‘Hello Margaret!’ he answers, ‘why are you calling at this hour of night?’

‘It’s just 11 o clock, you don’t sleep so soon…’

‘What is it? What do you want?’ he asks getting tensed.

‘I want my answer, are we getting engaged this month?’

‘I’ve told you a million times, give me some more time to think.’

‘This is really not satisfying me,’ she replies angrily.

‘Margaret don’t enrage me… don’t enrage me to kill you.’

‘You always say that….’

He finally disconnects his call and gives a sigh of relief and anger.

Sophie continues with her dinner and knew that James was hiding something from her; so as he comes back towards the dining table, she asks him directly:

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

‘Excuse me?’ he gets confused.

‘Are you planning to marry me?’

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

She smiles at him and yet, knew that he was lying and hiding something from her.

February 26, an assailant with a tattoo on his forehead was walking towards someone’s 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!’

Margaret Murder Mystery

Next day, Edward Kujan, a homicide detective was walking towards his office with a cup of coffee. On his way, he is stopped by a cop,

‘Good morning, sir!’

‘Morning, any new reports?’

‘Yes sir, we have a case of murder…’

‘Oh… what’s the progress?’

‘Our team is still out there, the investigation has not yet begun. We need you to come with us.’

‘Alright,’ he says getting alert, ‘get your car, I’ll be there in a minute.’

The cop leaves immediately.

Several minutes later, Detective Kujan and the cop arrive at Margaret’s house and enter inside. Margaret was found shot on her forehead. Her body was lying on the ground and the room was not messed up. This entire scenario surprised Kujan. Her photographs were being captured and her body’s outline was being marked.

Another cop came towards the detective,

‘Sir, are you taking this case?’

‘…Yes, I am,’ he decides after thinking for a moment.

‘Okay!’

‘Are there any witnesses?’

‘None!’

‘Any evidence?’ Kujan asks examining the dead body.

‘No sir, there’s no murder weapon found yet and no foot prints as well.’

‘I see… a carefully planned act of murder.’

The detective leaves and meets his assistant cop at the gate,

‘File a report M.3., Margaret Murder Mystery. And then bring all the reports of this case to my office, by the evening.’

‘Okay, sir!’

Jennifer White joins the Investigation

Next morning, Jennifer White, another homicide detective was given this ‘Margaret Murder Mystery’ case to be solved with Detective Kujan. She was a charming and intelligent woman who had quite an experience of solving crime cases. She was waiting for Kujan outside his office.

While Detective Kujan was told that someone else would solve this case along with him, he got infuriated and rushed upstairs towards his office to call that person off this case. But as he sees Jennifer, he calms down and asks her:

‘Are you the one to solve the Margaret Murder Mystery case?’

‘Yes, I’m your co-worker in this case…’

Kujan gets a little excited as he was a flirt and he hadn’t dated any woman since he had joined the FBI. However, he opens the door of his office’ room and enters inside asking her to sit on the chair next to them. While she was seated and he was standing leaned against the table, he asks her:

‘So, since when are you working as a homicide detective?’

‘It’s been four years…’

‘Do you like this job?’

‘No,’ she replies looking aside, ‘but it pays better though.’

‘Yeah right,’ he chuckles.

‘So about this murder case, what do we have?’

‘Well, unfortunately, there’s no evidence, no witness, no suspect leading to no motive. Except one thing, her cell phone and her contact diary were found nowhere. Which means, whoever attacked her, he tried to erase her contacts by hiding them or destroying them with fire.’

‘Oh…’ she says getting a little amazed, ‘but Mr. Kujan, what if the killer demanded for her contacts, she refused or resisted and got accidentally shot and then the killer might have taken away her cell phone.’

‘Possible… but the room was not a mess and it clearly didn’t show any sign of resistance.’

They both remain silent realising that this case was quite difficult than usual cases as it lacked evidences and witnesses.

Sophie gives a Clue

Next evening, Detective Kujan and Jennifer were preparing to leave. A cop enters their office and informs:

‘Sir, we have just received a call from some woman who is saying that she knows something about Margaret’s murder.’

‘Who is she?’ Kujan asks getting vigilant.

‘Someone named Sophie…’

Kujan looks at Jennifer and says:

‘Get the call and ask her whatever she knows about it…’

‘Okay sir,’ she replies.

‘And get her address as well, we might go to her place…’

‘Got it, sir!’

Kujan puts on his coat as she leaves the room.

Half an hour later, Jennifer and Kujan arrive at the restaurant where Sophie asked them to come. A minute later, three of them were seated inside the restaurant around a round table close to the wall. Kujan begins the conversation:

‘Let’s get to the point, what do you know about Margaret’s past?’

‘Well, as I read about this case in the newspaper, so I felt that he must be involved in this murder.’

‘Who?’ Margaret asks.

‘Well, my boyfriend James, he had a break up with her recently.’

‘So you think that he is a suspect?’ Kujan questions.

‘Well, he was quite furious and said that he might kill Margaret in rage!’

‘Did he actually say that?’ he asks getting surprised.

‘Well, it didn’t seem that he really meant it but I thought you better enquire him now.’

‘Oh… so where can we find him?’

‘Well, he is not answering his calls and the last time, he wasn’t at his home either.’

Kujan and Jennifer look at each other as if they had a clue to solve this case further.

‘Well, just out of curiosity,’ Jennifer continues hesitantly, ‘I happen to ask… why are you giving your boyfriend to us, do you know this might bring a severe turn in your relationship with him.’

‘No, I’m not afraid of that. I don’t care about him as he seems to be an unfaithful person who might turn against me some day.’

‘Well, thanks anyway,’ Kujan says standing up, ‘you’ve been really helpful towards us.’

He walks away from the table leaving them alone. As Jennifer follows him, he asks:

‘Did she give his address?’

‘Yes and I took hers too…’

‘Good, we’ll go for him tomorrow.’

‘Tomorrow?’ she asks not liking his suggestion. ‘Why not today? Right now!’

‘We’ll do this first task tomorrow; I’m tired right now…’

‘But the suspect shouldn’t escape us.’

‘He won’t, trust me!’

They both leave the place.

Brutally Murdered

The following morning, Detective Kujan and Jennifer were at James’ place before eight o clock. They knocked at his bungalow’s door twice and there was no answer. Kujan angrily knocks the door louder and still no one comes to receive.

‘Maybe he’s not home,’ Jennifer suggests.

Kujan angrily bangs the door open with a sharp kick. The door lock gets broken.

‘Slow down, we can’t do that,’ Jennifer stops him.

As they walk inside, they see no one around. They keep on walking inside the dark house until they see some blood prints on the ground. They take out their pistols and follow the blood prints. The blood spots increase and the smell gets worse. They finally see a dead body lying on the ground with blood all over. It was a male’s dead body, who was stabbed several times on his throat and his chest. His face could not be seen as it was completely covered with blood. Kujan and Jennifer feel disgusting and hold their breaths,

‘Oh, God…!’ Jennifer sighs, ‘I absolutely hate this sight…’

‘…He must be our suspect James!’

‘I guess so…’

‘I’m calling our team here,’ he says taking out his pistol, ‘please find his photo albums and make sure that he’s James.’

‘Alright sir, but who would have done this?’

‘We’ll investigate that later….’

Outside the house, the assailant with a tattoo on his forehead walks past the house seeing the door busted open.

Later, as the cops and the ambulance had arrived, the photographs were being taken. Detective Kujan gets stressed up. He walks outside towards the exit, and stands outside. Jennifer gives some orders and follows Kujan,

‘You okay?’ she asks.

‘Yes, I am,’ he replies wiping off his sweat, ‘I’m sure that the killer behind this death is someone who wanted to avenge Margaret’s death.’

‘How could you be so sure?’

‘Because I’ve seen a similar case…’

The assailant walks slowly

past the place and as they see him walking in a fearful speed, they feel as if this criminal was involved, but the siren of the ambulance turning on suddenly interrupted their thoughts.

to be continued...

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