Mandy, James, Robert, and David all looked at each other in surprise. This had just become a dead end.
‘He killed himself?’ asked Mandy.
‘He must have been working for somebody,’ commented David.
‘Yes, and to protect the one he was working for, he killed himself. Smart move,’ said Robert.
‘There must be something useful in his car that can lead us somewhere,’ said James.
‘Yes. He left his cell phone and passport. The guns are missing. He must have thrown them somewhere on the way. Patrolling officer will be in the department in a few minutes with his things, and the body had been sent to the mortuary,’ said Robert.
‘Everybody report to the department. Mandy, you stay,’ said David.
‘No, sir. I am a part of this case and am pretty much sure that I was attacked because of it. That vehicle has been following me since morning. I need to be there,’ said Mandy.
‘Very well then.’
They all drove to the department.
Minutes later, they were all settled in David’s office in the fourth floor. The patrol officer was called in. He was amused by being summoned into the crime investigation department. He saw the detectives seated in a circular fashion and noticed that one of the officials had her arm dressed up because of the wound.
What’s going on? he wondered.
David finally asked, ‘What’s your name?’
‘Russell Evans, sir,’ he answered.
‘Where were you on duty this afternoon?’
‘The walkway near Martha Studio.’
Tell me in the detail about the incident that took place.’
‘Yes, sir. I was on my usual patrol duty when a white Cadillac sped past me. Since the number plates were also foreign, I assumed he must have been tourist. He was also speaking on the phone urgently and way above speed limit. I followed him for a few metres when he suddenly stopped and parked his car. The next thing that happened was just a matter of seconds. He threw open his door and ran for the road and crashed with a speeding truck. His death was instant, and it seemed deliberate.’
‘Did you recover anything from the body?’ asked David.
‘Yes, sir.’ Russell fished in his bag and took out a plastic pouch. It contained a cell phone, a passport, and a small knife. He handed the bag to David.
‘Where is the body?’
‘In the mortuary, sir.’
‘Thank you, Russell. You may go now,’ said David.
David opened the pouch and handed the cell phone to Greg. ‘I want you to find out everything about this person—who all knew him, his phone calls, everything. I’ll send you the technician expert.’
‘That won’t be necessary, sir. I can handle this level of information probing. I’ll send you the details as soon as possible,’ said Greg while giving his sheepish smile.
‘I’m going now to inspect the Cadillac and the weapons recovered. I want you all to work on the details and solve this case as soon as possible. I don’t want this to end up in the cold-case directory,’ instructed David as he left the room.
The rest of them now seated themselves in the conference room. Robert went to the pantry and came back with coffee for everyone. They all thanked him gladly.
‘So, Mandy, are you fine?’ asked Greg.
‘I’ve been better,’ said Mandy, and she tried to smile a little.
‘Why would anyone try to kill you?’ asked Robert.
‘Maybe he was trying to scare you,’ commented Greg.
‘Yeah, I would love to kill people to scare them in afterlife!’ said James sarcastically. ‘Get some sense into your brain, Greg.’
‘I was just trying to be helpful,’ said Greg sheepishly.
‘Do you think it was related to the case?’ asked Robert, ignoring the two of them.
‘I don’t know. James and I spotted that car in the morning and thought maybe he was a tourist,’ said Mandy.
‘You should keep track of all cars around you,’ said Greg.
‘Are you seriously trying to be helpful?’ asked Robert, turning towards Greg and staring at him directly in the eye.
Greg raised his arms in surrender and said, ‘Okay, you guys are the detectives, you do your job. I’ll just sip my coffee.’
‘Finally, someone got the brief right,’ commented James with a smirk.
‘Casney was definitely not from around here. What motive could he possibly have?’ asked Robert, who was still trying to brainstorm the reasons.
‘Maybe he was in love with you and you broke his heart,’ said Greg.
This time, all three turned towards Greg, who instantly started gazing at the window.
‘I think he was hired,’ said Mandy.
‘It wasn’t a rental car he was driving. Why not drop the car?’ asked James.
‘He may have settled here,’ said Robert.
‘I don’t see how this works for him,’ said Mandy.
‘Look, you find out about a murder in the morning and then moments later, a car starts following you, probably wondering what you’ve discovered so far. Then you interrogate an old woman and also go to Susan’s house. There you find God knows what. And you come back home, the white car following you all this time sees you alone and fires. But why only you? We are all a part of this,’ said James.
‘Maybe she discovered something that we didn’t,’ said Robert.
‘I remember nothing of that sort,’ said Mandy.
‘Could it be Susan?’
‘No, she seemed pretty indifferent and satisfied. Why would she try to kill someone trying to solve a mystery she isn’t bothered about in the first place?’
‘Or Anne?’ asked James.
‘Maybe,’ said Greg.
All of them eyed Greg. He said, ‘You all may be detectives, but I am the king of my domain. Mandy, remember you told me to cross-check some details? You were right. Anne is bloody hell of a liar.’