A Magnifying Glass

  • 21 Sep - 27 Sep, 2024
  • Mag The Weekly
  • Fiction

Nigel sees his body felling on ground. He looks at Mr. Driscoll then,
‘Why did you hide that note from him?’

‘I knew he would commit a suicide after reading it, but as he challenged me after killing your father, I decided to give this note to him at correct time. And this was the correct time’

‘Maybe, but I have to live with this guilt that I killed my own father’

‘You didn’t, this dead guy did. You’re not to be blamed’

Nigel somehow cuts the ropes and releases Mr. Driscoll from being tied up. Now the real Detective Arthur Driscoll was also exposed to him, but he was confused that why did he took a risk of allowing Wilson Rodger to see him.

Nigel’s Dream comes True

Two days later, Nigel is walking at beach side watching people enjoy with their families. He was only thinking about the fact that his father’s murderer was he himself. He realizes that if he wouldn’t have met Gerard that night, then this assassination might never have taken place.

He receives a phone call on his cell phone from an unknown number he answers it:

‘Hello?’

‘Good morning Nigel!’

‘Oh Mr. Driscoll, how are you?’ he says recognizing real detective’s voice.

‘I’m fine and good but you aren’t’

‘Well yes, I mean a lot of questions are coming in my mind, I just don’t get it why did you let Wilson Rodger see you and afterwards play your part. Weren’t you thinking that he might expose your face?’

‘He could, definitely’ detective replies, ‘but obviously no one in Toronto would have believed him. People had tried to expose me by making fake photos but no one believed them’

‘Mr. Driscoll I just don’t get you, why did you let him play your part and because of that he killed Oliver’

‘You know Nigel, that suicide note was his biggest weakness. I always knew that the moment he would read out that note, he would definitely commit a suicide after reading it. And as far as Oliver is concerned, you should know that he deserved to die’

‘Why is that?’ Nigel asks getting surprised.

‘Because if Wilson Rodger wouldn’t have killed your father, then Oliver would definitely have’

‘I guess you’re right’ Nigel says, ‘anyways what’s your next task?’

‘After revealing the murderer to media, I need someone’

‘Wait, what will you tell news reporters?’

‘That Mr. Steve’s murderer was found dead, which means he had committed suicide himself’

‘You’ll lie for the first time. What about the assailant, what will they think if they find out it was I’

‘They are not concerned with that and the case is over’ Mr. Driscoll says, ‘anyways let me tell you why I called you…I need an assistant now, and I’ve seen that no one can be better than you’

‘Me? You mean you want me to be your assistant?’

‘Yes, because Wilson Rodger gave me your everyday reports which proved how much passionate you are about doing investigations, no matter personal or professional’

‘You’re serious?’ Nigel asks getting excited. ‘Can I see you right now?’

‘Sure, just turn around’

Nigel turns around and gets shocked to see the real Detective Arthur Driscoll standing at a stone’s throw distance, looking towards him. He goes towards him realizing that his dream of becoming a part of investigations had finally come true.

The story ended here.

He started reading the new story entitled: “Competitive Investigations”.

Criminal’s Mastermind Trap

San Diego, at Coronado bridge, two men, Detective Landon and Police Inspector Brian were aiming their pistols towards each other and were about to shoot each other. Landon’s nose was bleeding and Brian’s left cheek was swelling. They had nothing but hatred in their eyes for each other. Brian says:

‘This was just a competition between us, but you turned it into a battle of life’

‘I have no idea why you are blaming me’ Landon replies angrily, ‘but I have understood by now that all the way long you were playing a game with me. You knew criminal’s every next step…because you were affiliated with him’

‘I am not affiliated with any criminal but I have a reason to arrest you. But I shouldn’t do that because you deserve to be killed’

They keep on arguing like this for a while.

At another corner in San Diego, somewhere inside the hospital, Police Commissioner Barrymore sees that a mysterious criminal, who had hidden his face completely, leaves the hospital explaining his finishing move in the crime. Mr. Barrymore was actually shocked and impressed by this criminal. He talks to himself:

‘I swear to God I haven’t seen anything like this before in my life. This criminal is a mastermind. He has just planned a mastermind trap very intelligently. Due to his trap, both the great detective and the smart inspector have become deadly rivals and are about to kill each other’

He picks up his phone and makes a phone call to his team of cops to go and stop Landon and Brian before anyone gets killed.

Back at the Coronado bridge, few moments later, Landon and Brian who were in the same position, aiming their pistols towards each other hear the voice of police vans approaching towards them.

As the vans arrive, cops step out and rush towards the Coronado Bridge. Before they finally reach their spot, they hear double gunshots realizing anyone of them either the detective or the inspector had shot and the other one must have died.

Landon Bale and Brian Hammond

One month earlier in San Diego, Landon Bale was a detective of San Diego’s detective agency. He was quite capable and well-known as he had solved many crime cases. He was very greedy, who loved nothing more than money in his life. He himself was a mysterious sort of person as he had hidden two or more secrets of his life from everyone even himself. He lied to himself denying facts, but he was unaware of the fact that he couldn’t deny them for long.

He had a wife Wendy who loved him but was actually sad about the fact that her husband loved his money more as compared to her; likewise he was more passionate about his work.

At another corner of San Diego, Brian Hammond was a police inspector. He had also solved many criminal cases, but he always thought of being the best of all the police officers in his team. He couldn’t see anyone better than him. He had many allegations about taking bribe from criminals. These allegations were all true but he made people believe that these were all just rumors.

He had a close friend, Bret who was a cop and almost his co-worker. Bret had cleared many of his allegations.

One evening, Landon was at his home, watching television. Wendy comes to his room and asks:

‘Who is Logan Bale?’

Landon gets a little alarmed and looks at her furiously,

‘Where did you heard of him?’

‘Nowhere, I found this name in your childhood diary’

‘Childhood diary?’ he asks. ‘And where did you find that?’

‘In your closet’

‘Oh I see’ he says standing up. ‘Now you’ve done it once, but if I’ve allowed you to check my closet, then it doesn’t means that you’ll peek inside every thing that belongs to me’

‘Why? You’ve made yourself too suspicious. You’ve hidden quite many things from me. I want you to share your previous life with me’

‘I’ve hidden these facts even from myself. I’ve changed my history. Whoever is Logan is none of your concern, because it’s not mine either. But if you’ve read my diary then you also must have figured out who was Logan’

‘But Landon…’

‘…But nothing’ he interrupts. ‘I don’t want to hear a single word on this subject. Burn away this diary or else I’ll keep more secrets’

‘I’ll do what you’ll order. That’s what I’ve been doing since one year’

‘Ok now to change the subject, I better tell you that I’m going tomorrow for a party, so get me a nice suit’

Mr. Barrymore’s Party

Next day’s evening, there was a party at Commissioner Barrymore’s bungalow. He was celebrating his fiftieth birthday with many guests. His house was well decorated and the guests were outside at his garden where many drinks were being served.

Inspector Brian was also invited. He was standing with his friend Bret. They were sharing the same cigarette. Mr. Barrymore came towards him and said:

‘So Brian are you enjoying yourself?’

‘Oh of course’ he replied. ‘It’s such a beautiful party’

‘Well I want to introduce you to someone very special’

‘Sure’

Mr. Barrymore takes him and Bret to another corner. Brian sees he was being introduced to Landon. Landon, who was also a guest, looks at him with an absurd expression. Mr. Barrymore tells Brian:

‘It’s him Detective Landon Bale, the best detective of our town’

‘The Best?’ Brian asks.

‘Yes Mr. Brian!’ Landon replies firmly.

‘Do you both know each other?’ Mr. Barrymore asks.

‘Of course we do’ Brian replies. ‘We were colleagues in our university, three years back’

‘Yes, always in competition’ Landon adds. ‘We both wanted to prove each other that who was better or smarter than the other’

‘Oh what sort of competition?’ Commissioner asks.

‘Mostly capability competitions’ Brian tells him, ‘such as football, push up competitions, bike racing and other sports. These were those which I mostly won’

‘If you remember Brian’ Landon replies, ‘competitions such as I.Q. test, exams and mind solving games. Those were not mostly but always won by my side’

‘Oh you both were good this means’ Commissioner says realizing the tension among them.

‘No I was better’ Brian replies. ‘Everyone in our class believed that’

‘But I was smarter’ Landon adds, ‘because our teachers believed that and he mostly won because he cheated, and he knows that’

‘What I know is that everything is fair in love and war’ Brian replies.

‘Ok stop it both of you’ Bret says coming forward.

Bret takes away Brian and Mr. Barrymore cools Landon. Mr. Barrymore realizes that these two were university rivals who always wanted to prove better. To change the subject, Mr. Barrymore asks Landon:

‘Where’s your wife?’

‘She’s not here’ he replies.

Landon stares at Brian from distance and commits to himself that he’ll prove himself to be better than him some day.

The Crime Scene

Later, as the party was getting over, Landon leaves for his home in his car. As he drives the vehicle away from commissioner’s house, he gets a phone call at the very moment. It was Mr. Barrymore’s call, he answers it:

‘Hello Mr. Barrymore?’

‘Landon, it’s urgent. A great industrialist just gave me a report that someone has done a big robbery in his house’

‘So are you going there?’

‘Yes, Brian and I are leaving for his house, but I want you to come with us’

‘Ok I’ll go there myself, alone’ Landon replies. ‘Can you please just send me his address?’

‘Sure I’ll just text you’

Landon disconnects his call, and after receiving the address in the text message, he changes his route towards the appointed place.

Half an hour later, he arrives at the place where many police vehicles were parked with their sirens buzzing. He steps out from his car and rushes straight towards industrialist’s house.

Next moment, Landon was coming closer to the industrialist, who was giving his reports to Brian and Mr. Barrymore. Landon asks him:

‘Are you the one who gave this report?’

‘Oh yes Mr. Landon’ industrialist replies. ‘I’m glad you are here, because I know a detective like you can definitely catch that criminal’

Brian doesn’t like these words.

‘Don’t worry sir’ Landon says, ‘I’ll catch that criminal, just let me know what exactly happened’

‘Well I had just converted all my bank savings into cash. After I withdrew all of that, I brought it home in my car’s trunk’

‘So he stole it from your car’s trunk?’

‘Well actually the criminal just hit me on my head as I stepped outside my car. I blacked out, but next moment when I woke up and checked my car’s trunk, I found my money stolen and piece of paper left inside’

‘What sort of paper?’ Brian asks.

He takes out a piece of paper and hands it over to Brian. Brian sees a short stanza of a poem written on ‘Black Money’. He reads it out aloud:

Main reason behind your good health,

Seems to be your great wealth,

You have earned quite a lot,

But it seems that you forgot,

That the root of your tree was ‘Black Money’.

Landon closes his eyes and tries to remember this poem as he was familiar with it.

Brian looks at the industrialist and asks:

‘So are you giving this case to me?’

‘No!’ Landon replies. ‘He knows I’m the better person for this, so he better hand this case to me’

‘Look I want both of you to solve this case together’ Mr. Barrymore says convincing the rivals.

Brian walks away angrily.

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